5 Christmas Dinner Ideas!

5 Christmas Dinner Ideas

Author: Whitney Hollingshead

Eating great food is one of the best parts of the holiday season.  Maybe your family has a running tradition for your Christmas Eve dinner or Christmas Day dinner.  However, if you are looking to try something new or even start a new tradition, here are some great alternatives to consider.

Traditional with a Twist

Traditional Christmas dinner often consists of ham, roast beef, turkey, or duck.  You can keep up your family tradition by serving your meat of choice with new sides.

Here are some other side dish options to include on the table this year:

Potato salad

Wild rice blend

Baked macaroni and cheese

Sour cream and chive mashed potatoes

Steamed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc.)

Spinach and berry salad

Broccoli salad

Fruit salad

Cornbread

Garlic cheese biscuits

Scones

If your family members are very tradition bound, this may be the best mix up option to try.  You can make the traditional meal and add one or two new dishes to the lineup.  Who knows, your new dishes may become the new family favorites!

Italian Feast

Consider switching things up this year with an Italian feast.  For example, you can serve lasagna or chicken fettuccine alfredo with salad and garlic bread.  

If you have more people involved, consider setting up a pasta buffet bar.  A buffet bar is a fun way for everyone to socialize as they create their own dinner.  Will you have some picky eaters in your group?  Letting each person build their own custom plate is the perfect way to meet everyone’s unique tastes.   

Offer multiple options in each category:

Pastas (all pastas should be cooked, drained, and served promptly)

Rigatoni

Fettucine

Spaghetti

Angel hair

Bowtie

Frozen cheese ravioli

Frozen tortellini

Tri color rotini

Sauces

Marinara sauce

Olive oil

Alfredo sauce

Garlic cream sauce

Pesto

Stroganoff

Toppings

Mushrooms

Fresh spinach

Fresh tomatoes

Sun dried tomatoes

Crumbled bacon

Grilled chicken

Diced ham

Meatballs

Shrimp

An empty table, counter, island, or bar works the best for serving food buffet style to your guests.  How you place the food on the surface can greatly impact the overall experience as well.  Check out these additional helpful hints for serving dinner buffet style.  

South of the Border

If you love Mexican food, try one of these menu alternatives:

Salsa Roast

Beef roast

Salsa (red or green, heat level of choice)

Canned sweet corn

Canned black beans

Corn tortillas

Sour cream

Fresh cilantro

Lime wedges

Place beef roast in slow cooker.  Cover with entire bottle of salsa.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Shred meat with forks.  Add sweet corn and black beans just before serving.  Serve with corn tortillas.  Top with sour cream, cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime.  

Salsa roast is a delicious and simple recipe.  You can also use the meat to make enchiladas or burritos.  

Mexican Lasagna

Corn Tortillas

Ground beef or chicken

Enchilada sauce (red or green)

Shredded cheese

Kidney beans

Refried beans

Salsa

Sour cream

Cook the ground beef or chicken.  Cover bottom of 9x13 pan with corn tortillas.  Cover tortillas with ½ of cooked meat.  Sprinkle meat with cheese, salsa, and kidney beans.  Cover with another layer of corn tortillas.  Spread a layer of refried beans.  Top refried beans with ½ of enchilada sauce.  Cover with corn tortillas.  Repeat the meat, cheese, salsa, and kidney bean layer.  Cover with corn tortillas.  Spread remaining enchilada sauce on top. Cover with cheese.  Bake in oven at 350 until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.    

Mexican lasagna is a fun way to serve the best of Mexican flavors in one simple dish.  While this meal may require some prep time, clean up is relatively quick!

Taco or Nacho Bar

Tortillas or tortilla chips

Ground beef (browned)

Chicken (cook in slow cooker with salsa of choice)

Black beans

Refried beans

Fiesta rice

Shredded lettuce

Diced tomatoes

Chopped onion

Cilantro

Ranch dressing

Salsa

Sour cream

Avocado or guacamole

Serve all of the ingredients in individual bowls buffet style and let your guests build their own dinner.  A taco/nacho bar can be especially festive if you serve the individual ingredients in fun holiday containers.

Dinner Activity

Turn your Christmas dinner into a fun activity for everyone involved.  Each person can make their own dinner by setting up a pizza making factory in your kitchen.  

Individual Pizzas

Frozen roll dough, pizza dough, refrigerated biscuits, sandwich thins, or pitas

Pizza sauce

Alfredo sauce

BBQ sauce

Ranch dressing (use as sauce)

Pesto sauce

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Ricotta cheese

Pepperoni

Sausage

Ham

Grilled chicken

Bacon

Fresh tomatoes

Green peppers

Mushrooms

Black olives

Pineapple

Red onion

This dinner activity usually works best with smaller groups of people, unless you have a giant kitchen and multiple ovens.

Brunch

Consider serving the big meal of the day in the late morning.  Brunch is a great time to serve incredible breakfast foods without feeling rushed.  You can even consider serving brunch in the late morning and then serve your traditional Christmas dinner, or one of the other alternatives above, later in the day.  For something a bit unconventional, but very fun, serve brunch on Christmas Eve night!

Here are some suggestions of delicious and festive brunch foods.  You can serve a few as a meal, or make several options and serve a brunch buffet:

Chocolate batter pancakes with crushed peppermint

Pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes or muffins

Cranberry muffins

Quiche

Breakfast casserole (eggs, hashbrowns, sausage, cheese, peppers, onions)

Mini fruit pizzas (use sugar cookies as the crust)

Baked orange french toast

German pancakes with berries and whipped cream

Gingerbread waffles

Cinnamon Rolls

Ham, bacon, or sausage

Fresh fruit

Various juices

Hot cocoa  

Get ready to break out of the box and try something new this holiday season.  One of the ideas above is sure to be a hit with your family.

Disclosure: Mami's 3 Little Monkeys blog has not been compensated for this post nor am I the author of the post. This is a guest post.

Last Minute Halloween Costumes for the Whole Family!

Last Minute Halloween Costumes for the Whole Family

Disclosure: This is a guest post, I am not the author of this article. I received no form of compensation for the publications of this article. 

Author: Victoria Candland

Halloween is almost here and you still don’t have your family’s Halloween costumes planned out. Your friends have been constructing their costumes for weeks now with coordinating outfits for the whole family.

How can you compete with that? You just feel like tossing in the rag this Halloween.

Don’t give up just yet! There are some clever, easy, and cheap costumes you can whip out in a day that will make anyone smile. 

Here are some great ideas for all family members by age:

Infants

Dress your baby as a bee by putting him in a black jumpsuit and then adding a black and yellow striped shirt with a cute antenna headband and he’s good to go. You could also dress your baby as an adorable pineapple with a yellow dress or shirt and pants and a green top made out of green cardstock glued to a green headband. Your baby could also be Harry Potter with a Gryffindor-colored scarf, fake glasses, and a scar drawn on his forehead.

Toddlers and Little Kids

Toddlers and little kids are so fun to dress up because they’re more excited about Halloween than infants and bigger kids. And they are more willing to dress as anything you want them to than your preteens or teenagers.

You could make your daughter a sheep costume by hot gluing cotton balls onto pillow cases with holes cut in the sides for arms. Then paint her face white with a black nose and lips. Buy some sheep ears from the dollar store or make a pair out of a white headband and fleece. Have your daughter wear white or black leggings underneath and she’ll look simply adorable. You could also dress your daughter in rain boots with a rain jacket and an umbrella with beanie babies glued on top and she’ll be “raining cats and dogs”—a clever and easy costume. Or you could make her into a flower pot using a large plastic tub with duct tape straps, dollar store flowers, and brightly colored leggings.

Big Kids

Big kids (preteens and teenagers) are starting to exert their independence, so they don’t want to hear much from Mom about what Halloween costume they should adorn. If your twelve-year-old boy isn’t that interested in dressing up, just cut two holes on the top of a white sheet and he’s a ghost. This could also work just as well for a girl. He could also be a cactus by using a dark green sweat suit pinned all over with cut plastic straws. For another low-maintenance costume, try writing lots of different names on name tags and putting them all over your son or daughter. He or she will be an “identity thief”.

Moms and Dads

To match the baby’s bee costume, mom could be a beekeeper. Simply wear a white outfit with a white hat, mesh, and fake bees.

As a mom, you don’t get much time to dress up and look nice. Hey, you’re even lucky to get a shower in during the day. You can still be a foxy lady this Halloween with a last minute costume. You could be a pretty Medusa by braiding your hair up and pinning small fake snakes into the braid. Then wear a sarong or other Greek-inspired dress. Put some interesting and nice makeup on with the costume. For a funnier costume, dress up like a cheerleader with the pom-poms and all, and put the words “Go Ceiling” on your shirt. Then you’ll be a ceiling fan!

The father of the family may have a great sense of humor but want a low-maintenance costume, so suggest he dresses in regular clothes with a picket sign that reads “Nudist on strike”. He could also wear a white shirt with the words “Error 404: Costume Not Found” written on it. He could make fun of himself by donning a cardboard box wrapped in Christmas paper with a bow and the sign “To: Women, From: God” on the front—so he is God’s gift to women.

Your husband might be thinking he wants something more masculine like a Batman costume or the James Bond get-up including the high-quality luxury car. For a cheaper and more last-minute look (you can’t really buy a car for Halloween), suggest that he wear his nicest suit with a bow tie, pack a fake gun, and maybe even hold a plastic martini glass as another accessory.

Halloween need not break the bank or stress you out! These budget-friendly, fast costumes will help your family stand out this Halloween.

TMNT Birthday Party Supplies & Ideas!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links



The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have made a comeback with a new movie in theaters on 8/8/14. If your little Ninja has an upcoming birthday party, throwing a TMNT birthday party is a great choice. Birthday Express has a huge selection of TMNT party supplies, party favors, decor and even costumes!

Read along and check out some of our fabulous TMNT party planning ideas.



Food & Drink Ideas - Fill up TMNT themed cups or regular clear plastic cups with ice and green Gatorade, which can be found at the grocery store. The neon green color of the Gatorade will match the party theme. Serve your little party guests a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cookie Asst. as a sweet treat. 

Party Activities - Give each party guest a ninja mask upon arrival. You can easily create the masks using colored construction paper and elastic. Just cutout eyeholes in the construction paper and staple or tape the elastic to the construction paper. To keep guests entertained, you can go the classic party route with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shaped Pinata Kit that's full of fun little party favors and candy. 

Party Decor - Add to your TMNT themed party supplies with some pops of solid color such as blue, red or green. For a fun way to decorate the party table, you can use a TMNT table decorating kit. Make the birthday boy feel extra special by adding a Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Foil Balloon to his chair.

Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Party Packs

Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Personalized Invitations (8)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle - Leonardo Kids Costume

For a full selection of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles party supplies and party decor, visit BirthdayExpress.com!