Vegetable Art and More
Healthy alternatives to favorite treats.
Here are ten ways to turn healthy snacks into a fun and enjoyable treats the kids will be excited to eat.
Frozen grapes: Freeze grapes after washing. It is a perfect cool treat on a warm day.
Ants on a log: Prepare celery in 2-6" portions. Spread peanut butter over each celery stick. Top with "ants" - raisins.
Parfait: Layer yogurt and fruit (such as berries) in a glass.
Popcorn: Instead of chips, give the children popcorn. Make sure it's not the movie theater flavor or butter flavor as they are filled with a lot of fat and calories. Choose a healthier popcorn or make it yourself on the stove. Top the salt with shredded cheese, flavorings or other favorites.
Shaped fruit: Cut apples into slices, not wedges. Use mini cookie cutters to create a treat your child will want to pick up. You can find all kinds of shapes online and instantly turn fruit into an exciting and fun snack.
Fruit skewers: Make fruit fun by using skewers and mini cookie cutters. Kids love eating off skewers. Pick delicious fruit such as kiwi fruit, apples, cheese, grapes, bananas and other delicious favorites. Then, let the kids help put the fruit onto skewers and watch their eyes light up as they dive in to this delicious and healthy treat.
Honey drizzled frozen bananas: Cut a banana into slices. Freeze. Remove from freezer and drizzle with local honey.
Bag of cereal: Select a low sugar, whole grain cereal. Put in Ziploc bag. Mix with raisins or dried cranberries. Shake and enjoy. This is a grab and go snack for those busy afternoons at soccer and ballet.
Smoothies: Use frozen bananas and frozen strawberries. Blend with orange juice for an icy delicious treat or blend with low-fat milk and plain yogurt for a creamy smoothie.
Vegetable Art: Give children a plate with cut vegetables and peanut butter. Have your children build people or buildings using the peanut butter as the glue. Broccoli makes for perfect trees. Squash makes for a nice, bright sun. Cut the top off cauliflower and use it as a cloud. Let the kids use their creativity and then eat their sculpture.
Do you have a fun way to get your kids to eat healthy snacks? Share in the comments.
Lisa Massey Cain
8:44 am on Thursday, April 14, 2011
Wow! These are great ideas - and the vegetable art is so beautiful. I have written an entire website called Snack Girl (http://www.snack-girl.com/) to help parents with kid friendly healthy snack ideas. I hope it is helpful!
Julia Harris
9:56 am on Thursday, April 14, 2011
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for sharing the website.
I'll check it out!
Julia