Tropical is all about the fruit - mango, pineapple, guava, starfruit, papaya, and bananas. No berries.

Rice dish

Chicken, fish, or a pig roast

Look up Hawaiian macaroni salad

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hollow out a watermelon and fill with fruit salad, including pineapple.

A pina colada cake is a nice idea, as are coconut and/or pineapple popsicles for the kids.

Cocktail and mocktail with POG juice (everywhere now).

I might grill veggie skewers with red onion, red pepper, zucchini and/or squash, maybe mushrooms, and big pineapple chunks with a Polynesian sauce marinade.

No to the grill veggie, etc. OP does not even want to do the simple grilled chicken. Best that she sticks with make ahead fruit salad and pina colada.

OP here. I love everyone's ideas. I don't want chicken because of the potential cross contamination mess.

Skewers seem really fun, but also seem like a lot of work. Maybe I'll do a make ahead grilled veggies salad. I have a recipe for one but it's not really tropical.

Anonymous wrote:Hollow out a watermelon and fill with fruit salad, including pineapple.

A pina colada cake is a nice idea, as are coconut and/or pineapple popsicles for the kids.

Cocktail and mocktail with POG juice (everywhere now).

I might grill veggie skewers with red onion, red pepper, zucchini and/or squash, maybe mushrooms, and big pineapple chunks with a Polynesian sauce marinade.

No to the grill veggie, etc. OP does not even want to do the simple grilled chicken. Best that she sticks with make ahead fruit salad and pina colada.

Hollow out a watermelon and fill with fruit salad, including pineapple.

A pina colada cake is a nice idea, as are coconut and/or pineapple popsicles for the kids.

Cocktail and mocktail with POG juice (everywhere now).

I might grill veggie skewers with red onion, red pepper, zucchini and/or squash, maybe mushrooms, and big pineapple chunks with a Polynesian sauce marinade.

I’d keep to burgers and hot dogs. You could brush Soy Vey Island Teriyaki on some of them.

Make fruit skewers (strawberries, grapes, melon) and include pineapple and banana on them.

Mango salsa and tortilla chips.

I’d have some regular sides, too, like a mozz/tomato or green salad, corn on the cob, potato or macaroni salad.

For drinks, I’d batch something like a daquiri for adults, and have tropical punch juice boxes for the kids- plus cocktails umbrellas for all

For dessert, I like the cake a PP posted, and I’d have ice pops in flavors like coconut, mango, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can keep it cold, Pina Colada cake would be good for dessert:

Bake boxed white cake mix according to directions. While still warm, poke holes all over the cake. Pour 1 can cream if coconut on top, and then 1 can crushed pineapple. Chill. Too with 1 tub Cool Whip.

This sounds really good

Cool Whip makes me vomit but it would be good with just stabilized chantilly cream which is almost as easy.

A pineapple upside down cake would also be great.

Could you do ginger beer and pineapple juice fo the adults?

Trader Joe’s sells jerk plantain chips that are delicious. I wonder if you could do a jerk flavored potato salad — that would be delicious.

Or a purple potato salad would be Hawaiin.

A purple potato salad sounds interesting. Kids may go either way on it. Ha

Definitely pineapple needs to be involved, and cute umbrellas in drinks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can keep it cold, Pina Colada cake would be good for dessert:

Bake boxed white cake mix according to directions. While still warm, poke holes all over the cake. Pour 1 can cream if coconut on top, and then 1 can crushed pineapple. Chill. Too with 1 tub Cool Whip.

This sounds really good

Cool Whip makes me vomit but it would be good with just stabilized chantilly cream which is almost as easy.

A pineapple upside down cake would also be great.

Could you do ginger beer and pineapple juice fo the adults?

Trader Joe’s sells jerk plantain chips that are delicious. I wonder if you could do a jerk flavored potato salad — that would be delicious.

Or a purple potato salad would be Hawaiin.

Anonymous wrote:If you can keep it cold, Pina Colada cake would be good for dessert:

Bake boxed white cake mix according to directions. While still warm, poke holes all over the cake. Pour 1 can cream if coconut on top, and then 1 can crushed pineapple. Chill. Too with 1 tub Cool Whip.

This sounds really good

We have an ice cream maker, so would do pineapple dole whip!

Other things to add..

Grilled pineapple marinated in teriyaki as a topping or as a side.
Plantain chips.
Anything Ube

Less kid friendly and be aware of shellfish allergies..

Poke
Grilled garlic shrimp

Just have some tiki torches, pretty decorations, and a tropical bar. Then have some BBQ fare.

Unless you want to roast a pig on a spit.

Maybe some tortilla chips and mango salsa, coconut ice cream, etc.

I love a good oxtail stew but that isn’t easy 🙃

If you can keep it cold, Pina Colada cake would be good for dessert:

Bake boxed white cake mix according to directions. While still warm, poke holes all over the cake. Pour 1 can cream if coconut on top, and then 1 can crushed pineapple. Chill. Too with 1 tub Cool Whip.

Grilled shrimp with pineapple
Grilled fish with jamaican jerk spices
Rice and beans

What would you put on a classic family backyard cookout menu with a tropical theme. Doing hamburgers and hotdogs. What else do you serve with all those dietary restrictions and picky kids. I don't want to be grilling chicken also as it's too much work. Any suggestions for easy make ahead sides.