Morning tea is often synonymous with sweet treats, but making healthy choices doesn’t have to mean missing out on fun!
That’s why Cancer Council Queensland is encouraging all Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea hosts to try swapping out snacks that are high in fat, sugar, salt and low in fibre, for recipes that are nutritious and delicious.
With one in three cancer cases being preventable through healthy lifestyle choices, ensuring there are healthy options on your morning tea menu will make a real difference to guests attending your event.
Below are a few tips to get started.
One, create colour with fruit and vegetables.
Fruit platters are a great way to add nutrition and fibre to your menu, plus the vibrant colours of fruit make food tables pop. Or for a twist that helps avoid sticky fingers, skewer bite size pieces of fruit onto kebabs.
Halved capsicum, mini cucumber cups and de-stalked mushroom can be filled with couscous salad or salsa, while vegetable sticks and crackers served with low-fat dips like hummus and tzatziki are both quick to whip up and crowd-pleasers.
Fruit and vegetables bring colour and nutrition to a morning tea spread.
Two, shrink the number of sweets you’re serving.
Choose your sweet treats carefully – get creative with fruit, dairy and nut based desserts – and reduce the portion sizes.
For example, fruit muffins, yogurt parfait cups using plain Greek yoghurt and topped with nuts and fruit, and baked apples stuffed with oats, unsalted nuts and a dash of honey.
These healthy chocolate truffle balls also make a fantastic alternative to brownies.
Healthy chocolate truffle balls
Three, balance your spread with savouries.
Quiches, zucchini slice and mushroom fitters are a great way to get some extra vegetables into your cooking. Other ideas include homemade brown rice sushi rolls with avocado, cucumber and grated carrot or caper olive and basil bruschetta.
If there’s no time for cooking, try spreading fruit bread with low-fat ricotta mixed with a little honey, or having a ‘make your own’ wholegrain sandwich, bagel or wrap station, that includes healthy items, so your guests can make their own choices.
Nibbles such as nuts and popcorn can be healthy in moderation too, just try to avoid the varieties with added salt, and high in sugar and fat.
Zucchini slice
Four, add lots of tea!
Tea and coffee are the obvious inclusion for an Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea event, but why not try serving up a few different varieties of tea to mix it up?
Also, make sure to have water out for your guests and at the same time avoid serving sugary drinks and alcohol. To make your drinks selection a little more fun, try still or sparkling water infused with sliced fruit and vegetables, such as lemons, limes, oranges or cucumbers
Try infusing water with fruit for a flavour boost
As you can see it’s easy to round up workmates, friends and family to host a healthy morning tea, raise funds and support Queenslanders affected by cancer.
The official Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea date in 2018 is Thursday, May 24, but Queenslanders can host an event and raise funds anytime throughout May or June
To register visit Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea event, or find out more, visit biggestmorningtea.com.au or phone 1300 65 65 85.
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