By Jennifer Whitmire, MS, MEd, MH, CHES, NEP

One of my favorite “recipes” isn’t really a recipe at all. As a matter of fact, this is what I do on the days when I don’t feel like cooking.

After spending the day coaching clients, writing, recording videos, or teaching classes, there are afternoons where the thought of making another meal feels like one more thing on the to-do list. 

Years ago, I might have ordered takeout or said, “Let’s go out,” but these days, I do something even easier.

I pull out a large platter. Then I grab the hummus out of the refrigerator. I wash and slice whatever vegetables I have on hand, add a little fresh fruit, maybe a handful of olives or roasted chickpeas, sprinkle on some herbs, and dinner is ready.

Sometimes I make this when friends come over or we want an appetizer night. Sometimes it’s lunch on top of salad greens.

No one complains!

In fact, people usually gather around it and begin eating before I even have a chance to sit down.

We Tend to Overcomplicate Healthy Eating

Somewhere along the way, many of us learned that dinner has to look a certain way. We picture a main dish, usually planned around meat or pasta, with carefully planned side dishes, everything timed so it arrives at the table hot and ready to eat. That certainly works for many families, but it isn’t the only way to feed ourselves.

That can work sometimes, but it isn’t the only way to eat.

One of the things I appreciate most about Mediterranean cultures is the way meals revolve around simple foods prepared well. Have you ever been to a tapas restaurant? It’s my favorite way to eat! I love sitting around the table with several small dishes, trying different flavors, and enjoying the conversation as much as the food.

Fresh vegetables, beans, herbs, fruit, olives, nuts, and homemade spreads are placed on the table, and everyone helps themselves. The meal doesn’t even have to have a recipe. It’s just enjoying good food together.

I think we could all benefit with a little more of that.

A Platter Encourages Variety

One of the reasons I enjoy serving food this way is that it naturally encourages variety.

Without thinking about it, I end up including several different vegetables, a variety of colors, fresh herbs, legumes, healthy fats, and some fruit. Everyone can choose what they enjoy, try something new, or go back for more of their favorites.

As a health educator, my number 2 rule is “eat the rainbow.” (Number 1 is “Always read the ingredients.” Different colors in plant foods provide different vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients. 

When we place a wide variety of colorful foods on one platter, eating that rainbow becomes even easier.

It also removes the pressure to create the “perfect” meal. Instead of wondering whether dinner is balanced enough, I simply ask myself, “What fresh foods do I have available today?”

It Makes Healthy Eating Easier

One of the themes you’ve probably noticed in my recent articles is that healthy eating becomes much more sustainable when we make it easier.

Sometimes that means keeping bean dip in the refrigerator, and sometimes it means creating meals around produce instead of recipes. I wrote more about that change in Why Some of My Best Meals Never Start With a Recipe, and it has completely changed the way I think about meal planning.

When healthy foods are washed, prepared, and easy to reach, they become the obvious choice. There is less decision-making, less time standing in front of the refrigerator wondering what to make, and usually less cleanup afterward.

That may not sound revolutionary, but those small changes are the ones people can maintain for years.

As I shared in Why Knowing What to Do Isn’t the Hard Part, lasting health habits are often built by making healthy choices easier rather than trying harder.

Build Your Own Party Platter

There are no rules, which is part of the fun. Start with foods you enjoy and whatever is in season.

Place your favorite dip in the center of a large platter. (If you need a recipe, you can find my Creamy Oil-Free Hummus here. Or…watch me make Cowgirl Party Hummus here!)

Then surround your dip with a colorful blend of foods such as:

Fresh Vegetables

• Cucumber slices
• Bell pepper slices or mini bells
• Cherry tomatoes
• Sugar snap peas or snow peas
• Carrot sticks
• Radishes
• Broccoli florets
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Jicama

Seasonal Fruit

• Cherries
• Blueberries
• Grapes
• Peach slices
• Apple slices
• Orange segments

Crunchy Additions

• Roasted chickpeas
• Pumpkin seeds
• Walnuts
• Almonds
• Seed Crackers

A Few Extras

• Olives
• Cultured vegetables
• Fresh basil
• Fresh parsley
• Microgreens or sprouts

Arrange everything on a large platter and let everyone serve themselves.

The Bigger Lesson

Over the years, I have realized that some of the healthiest meals I eat are also the simplest.

They are not elaborate recipes with dozens of ingredients or meals that require hours of prep. Usually, they are simple combinations of whole foods that are already washed and ready to enjoy.

Maybe that’s one reason I enjoy food this way. It reminds me that healthy eating doesn’t always require another recipe or a complicated meal plan. Sometimes the healthiest meal is the one you can pull together from the fresh foods already waiting in your refrigerator.

More often than not, what begins as a party platter ends up being one of the best dinners of the week.