Simple, Wallet-Friendly Birthdays

Birthdays don't need to be expensive when you are creative! Here are some ideas on celebrating your birthday without breaking the bank.

1) Make Your Own Sundae. Set out bowls of ice cream toppings—crushed cookies, nuts, chocolate chunks, barquillos, strawberry syrup, cherries, you name it. You can choose what fits your budget. Watch kids and adults alike jostle for position around the table as soon as you scoop NESTLÉ Ice Cream into their cup.

2) Less Fuss, More Fun. Minimize cleanup by serving other food items that don’t need individual bowls, saucers and utensils to be eaten, such as brownies or popcorn. This gives the host more time to mingle during the party or to relax afterwards.

3) Giveaway Twists. For children’s parties, hide each wrapped party favor in an area where the children won’t venture to until the end of the party. Tell them to look for one bag each, which they will bring home. Just make sure all bags are found and everyone gets something.

The birthday girl or boy should also get a treat! Decorate a bag to reflect his or her interests: for instance, cutouts of his favorite basketball star or stickers of her pop singer idol. Fill the bag with candy, useful stuff like sticky note pads, and a hand-written birthday greeting.

4) Celebrate Good Health. Arrange fruits that can be eaten without much hassle—oranges, bananas, grapes, etc.—in a basket. Or create a fruit salad with all-purpose cream and just a little condensed milk. Guests will appreciate having vitamin-rich dessert options.

For a nutritious appetizer, serve vegetable sticks with this creamy dip.

Ingredients:

1  250 ml NESTLÉ All Purpose Cream

1  8 g       MAGGI Magic Sarap

1  tbsp     minced garlic (optional)

1  tbsp     minced onions (optional)

1  tbsp     sweet-blend ketchup

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Serves 4–6

(Recipe for Creamy Dip from “Life’s Rich! With NESTLÉ All Purpose Cream” NESTLÉ recipe booklet.)

5) “Ready Made” Sundae

Pamper yourself big-time and share a 450 ml cup of NESTLÉ HEAVEN ice cream series: Cookie Dough Pleasure, Butter Pecan Obsession, Belgian Chocolate Bliss, Strawberry Dream, and Vanilla Almond Secret. They're not your ordinary flavors and are packed with all sorts of premium ingredients so that they're practically ready-made sundae cups! For other exquisite flavors, check out the NESTLÉ freezer in your nearest grocery store.

Source: http://ww1.nestle.com.ph/wellness/wellnesssite/articles.aspx?id=21