This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Heinens! Thank you for supporting the brands that The Thome Home loves so much!
I said it once, I’ll say it again. The key to entertaining successfully is setting boundaries. I, for one, love to cook. Five years ago when prepping for a birthday party, I would go on a bender planning every last morsel of food – making each from scratch as if I had a staff helping me. Endless amounts of parties later, I’ve learned that the key to having a great party is making yourself available to enjoy it too!
If you have a Heinens Grocery Store near you, I am sure you have tried a multitude of their “on to go” bites. From their fresh salad bar, soups, wraps, pasta salads, sushi … my gosh, I could go on and on! The quality of ingredients are superb, and leave you feeling GOOD about the choices you make for your meals. Whats even better, is that Heinens has an entertaining menu!! From appetizers, artisan cheese trays, main courses, sides, breakfast trays …. my loves, you will not believe it until you see it!! Take a look here – Forget trying to grocery shop for your next gathering, panicking about each item, worrying about the time it takes to prep everything! Turn to Heinens to help you out!
Owen and Max have birthdays just one day apart, so combining the celebration always works best and we end up throwing a bash every year. For the party this year, we chose to serve a multitude of wraps and I made my insane Summer Kale + Quinoa Salad that’s a knock off of Heinens salad they serve! (Shhh.. mine may or may not be better!)
The Ceasar Chicken wraps, and Turkey Bacon were a HUGE hit – it was so nice to switch things up and serve something light and healthy!
The Godfather Wraps were gone in the blink of an eye, who knew that this classic deli combo was such a smash?! Tip: These wraps are BIG, so one wrap is cut in half, each guest could easily have 1/2 a wrap and sides. It was so fun to see guests pile their plates high with a plate full of healthy food!
This Summer Kale + Quinoa Salad is getting a post all of its own, and even a fun little video to go with it! So Stay tuned for the recipe launch. It will, hands down, be your ultimate summer salad that will become a weekly staple in your home!
As for the cake, leave it up to Heinens to create the most delicious 1/2 vanilla, 1/2 chocolate cake with the fluffiest frosting. Another party planning tip : LET THE PERFECTION GO.
Little ones will stick their fingers in icing, throw a fit over which slice they want before you even light the candles. Speaking of candles, a great way to calm impatient little bodies for cake time – hand them candles to place in the cake themselves. It makes them feel involved, and makes them feel so special too!
The entire night was so relaxing – the kids ran wild. Guests enjoyed every drop of food, and most importantly, Dan and I were able to sit back and watch the entire evening unfold.
If you have an upcoming gathering, big or small, I could not recommend turning to Heinens more to help you take a little off of your shoulders when it comes to planning a party!
Happy Birthday Owen and Max!
