It can get difficult to feed your child healthy foods, especially at a birthday party. Most people want to serve pizza, cookies, cupcakes, chips, or cake for a party. However, you don’t need to feed your child junk food to have an awesome party. You can serve fruits and veggies as the party snacks and the kids will still enjoy the food. How? Bright orange colored fruits can liven up a plate and trick your kids into thinking they’re having candy-like treats.
Five Healthy Snacks to Serve
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Oranges – Oranges have many health benefits. It’s full of antioxidants, vitamin C, potassium, calcium, fiber, folate, and thiamin. Oranges are one of the sweetest fruits and children tend to love them just as much as a sugary snack. For party snacks, you can add oranges to a fruit kebab or make jelly oranges. You can use unpeeled oranges to create an arts and crafts game before the children peel and eat it.
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Peaches – Peaches do wonderful things for the body. They are full of antioxidants, insoluble fiber may improve gut health, skin health, and may reduce allergy symptoms. Children often love peaches because they don’t taste like most healthy snacks. Peaches have a very sweet taste similar to candy.
There are dozens of peach snack treats for kids. Many of them won’t even seem like healthy snacks. One option parents can make is peach pie pops. Another is peaches and cream frozen pops. Both are alternatives to popsicles and peach pies.
Peach Pie Pops
You’ll need one nine-inch pie crust recipe or pre packaged pie crust and peach preserves. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F. Roll the pie crust about ¼-inch thick. Cut the crust into circles with a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter. You can even use ones with fun shapes to surprise them!
Place on a lined baking sheet and place one tablespoon of preserves in the center of every other circle and take the second circle to close the pop. Crimp the edges with a fork and leave a small area at the base to insert a stick after it’s cooked.
Brush the top with preserves and bake for 15 minutes. Insert the stick and allow it to cook completely.
Peaches and Cream Popsicles
You’ll need two cups of chopped peaches, ½ cup of sugar, 2 tbsp sugar, 1/8 tsp of vanilla, 1 cup Greek yogurt, and 1 cup milk. Combine water and the sugar in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. When it boils, turn to a simmer for five minutes until the sugar melts. Set aside to cool. This is your glaze.
Combine the peaches and water into a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Crush the peaches as they heat up but make sure they don’t burn. When the peaches are just clumps, strain the mixture over a bowl to keep the juice. Add the syrup you made until it’s as sweet as you want.
Mix the Greek yogurt, milk, and 1 tbsp of sugar, and vanilla together. Take a popsicle mold and alternate pouring the mixture. Add a stick at the bottom and freeze for about two hours.
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Apricots – Apricots are a round yellowish, orange fruit that resembles a peach but has the tartness of purple plums. Apricots are low in calories and packed with antioxidants. It contains vitamins A, E, C, and potassium. Children that love peaches or plums will enjoy these too.
Parents might choose to make apricots in oatmeal and make a little bear face in the food. You can even make bees or clownfish party snacks. These will provide healthy nutrition without all the extra sweetness and sugar from cookies or cakes. Alternatively, you can make apricot energy balls for teens or adults at the party too. They contain plenty of protein and healthy fats to give you natural energy to chase the little ones around for hours.
Apricot Clownfish
You’ll need dried apricots, white chocolate, and currants. Take two dried apricots and cut the first in half. Cut the second into thirds. Heat the white chocolate in a microwave or pan until melted, careful not to burn!
Dip the edge of the first apricot piece into the chocolate and place it firmly against the second piece. Dip the cut edge of the third piece and press it into the second. Dip the rounded edge of the fourth piece into the chocolate and attach it to the “tail” piece.
Take a small currant into the white chocolate and stick it to the first apricot to create an “eye”. Let the chocolate set by placing it into the fridge for about an hour.
Apricot Energy Balls
You’ll need dried apricots, raisins, almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, cinnamon powder, vanilla essence, and desiccated unsweetened coconut.
Take all the ingredients except vanilla essence and pulse in a food processor until it combines. Add the vanilla essence and mix until blended. Then, roll the “dough” into balls and serve!
4. Cantaloupe – Cantaloupe is rich in vitamin A, C, B9, potassium, fiber, and many others. Cantaloupe might be a snack you give your child with their lunch or before bed. However, it makes a great party snack with other fruits and vegetables.
You can make melon fruit kebabs, melon flowers, or cut the cantaloupe into different shapes. Some parents might even choose to freeze the fruit to make an iced treat instead of ice cream or freezer pops. Others might make fruit sushi with the cantaloupe acting as the salmon or crab. You won’t have to worry about your children overindulging in fruit or getting a sugar rush like you would with processed foods.
5. Carrots – Carrots might not seem like the greatest food for a children’s party. However, you can serve them raw with a homemade dip like ranch or hummus. Hummus even comes with various flavors, so it’s something for everyone and incredibly healthy. Carrots are rich in vitamin A, potassium, K1, biotin, and B6.
Alternatively, you can cook the carrots and put them in party favorites like cookies. You can make carrot-raisin cookies or carrot-pumpkin cookies. Some people may even take the carrots and design a cute face or veggie train that’s edible.
Carrot-pumpkin Cookies
Preheat your oven to 350-degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cream margarine and sugar in a mixing bowl. Blend an egg, carrots, lemon and vanilla extracts into the bowl. Add flour, baking powder, and salt, and blend in a bowl. Drop the dough onto the cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. If you desire a topping, whisk sugar and orange juice into a bowl and drizzle when the cookies are cooled.
Final Thoughts
Healthy foods won’t come to your child’s mind when it comes to a party. They’ll want all the sugary snacks that give them a sugar rush and are bad for their health. Luckily, you can still serve healthy foods that taste just as sweet and yummy as candy or cakes. The next time you throw a party, try one of the recipes listed above!
