When you create snacks that make your child smile, he or she is much more likely to increase intake of healthy fruits, vegetables and more. Here are five recipes we like, and you can follow the links to find even more tantalizing possibilities.
Fruity Candy Canes
Inside.AkronChildrens.org lists three festive yet very simple healthy snacks that are perfect for your children over the holiday season. For example, to make fruity candy canes, simply slice a banana, then wash and slice four to five strawberries. Alternate the pieces on a plate, forming a candy cane shape – and you’re done! Check out the site to learn how to make two variations of Grinch milk as well as delicious and nutritious strawberry Santas.
Babybel Cheese Santa
WomensDay.com has done an excellent job of gathering together recipes for healthy holiday snacks from around the web – and here’s one from CuteFoodforKids.com. Look in your grocery store for calcium-rich Babybel cheese. These nutritious round mini-wheels are packaged in red wax and come in multiple flavors, including cheddar, white cheddar, Gouda and more.
To transform these cheeses into delightful Santas on a stick, carefully unwrap them, keeping the red wax on the top half to create Santa’s hat. Use a food marker to create eyes, a round section of the wax for the nose – and, if you choose, a bit of seaweed for the mouth.
Dip the bottom half of the cheese into a tub of cream cheese to create a beard. Insert a stick and then put a small blob of marshmallow on top of the hat – and you’re done. These would make excellent treats for your child’s classroom or holiday party.
Healthy Christmas Tree Snack
360FamilyNutrition.org provides a quick and fun way to “Spice up your child’s snack this holiday season!”
All you need is a slice of yellow cheese, low-fat preferred, a few pretzel sticks, eight slices of green apple and eight craisins or raisins. Place the apple slices on the plate in a way that mimics the shape of a Christmas tree and add the craisins or raisins to each apple slice to decorate the tree. The pretzels form the trunk and, if you cut the cheese slice in half, you can form a star to top off your tree. Take a look at the image on 360FamilylNutrition.org and you’ll see how simple this recipe really is.
Say Cheeeeeeeese!!!!! Savory Pops
Do you wish your child would eat more broccoli? (Or, ANY broccoli, for that matter?) Then you’ll love this quick and easy snack. You simply put cheese wedges on a stick and then add shredded bits of broccoli and chili flakes on the cheese to make a delicious Christmas tree-shaped snack. And, that quickly, you can make eating broccoli – named as one of the world’s healthiest foods – a snap, even for picky children.
Frosty the Snowman
Need something heartier, perhaps because your child just finished playing outdoors? Creative-Food.Blogspot.com.au offers up a simple sandwich, one you can tailor to your preferences.
Make a sandwich by placing a slice of ham and then a slice of cheese on a piece of bread. Then, using a circular-shaped cookie cutter, transform your sandwich into a circle. Create a nose out of a piece of carrot and make the eyes and mouth out of mini-chocolate chips (or use a healthier substitute of choice). Make a scarf out of red bell pepper slices and a hat out of cucumber. Again, once you go to the site and see the picture, it’s all pretty simple!
Explore these sites for even more healthy goodies!
