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| Healthier birthday treats for kids in care
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The so called 'obesity epidemic' is a regular feature in mainstream media these days and with this increased exposure has come increased understanding about the importance of instilling healthy eating habits in children from a very young age. The good news is that for most people healthy eating equates to common sense, it's about increasing the quantity of fresh fruit and vegetables, choosing quality proteins and decreasing consumption of highly processed foods.
If children are fed a daily diet composed mainly of high quality unrefined foods and given plenty of exercise it's unlikely they will have to contend with obesity. It's when the 'sometimes' foods become a regular feature of a diet that problems can arise. With this in mind many early childhood centres have really knuckled down on the foods permitted to be brought in lunch boxes and on special occasions such as cultural festivals or birthdays.
'Sometimes foods' are usually permitted on special occasions but increasingly there are strict restrictions on what these foods are and/or should be made from. This can be a bit of a downer for kids who really want to share a cake with their child care friends on their birthday and can also be a bit stressful for parents relying on a sugary neon coloured cake from the local supermarket.
With this in mind we thought it might be helpful to put together a list of ideas that your kids will be happy to share with their friends in care, which will make you look like the parent of the year in the healthy food stakes and will keep the director of your early childhood service happy! Here goes:
Popcorn cups: Grab a stack of cute brightly coloured cups from your local $2 store and pop a load of popcorn. This quick, easy and super cheap snack is a great alternative to cake.
Jelly cups: Jelly is sugary but if you buy a natural brand which is free of artificial colours and use small shot glasses the kids won’t be overloaded with unwanted sugar. As a bonus this treat looks very impressive and the kids will have fun choosing which colour they want.
Cheese and pineapple hedgehogs: Skewer cubes of cheese and pineapple (or olives, pieces of cabanossi etc) onto toothpicks and stick them into a grapefruit half or small melon to create a healthy snack that looks cool too!
Fruit skewers: Small pieces of fruit threaded on to a skewer look amazing and are a treat few children will pass up. Use brightly coloured and contrasting fruit such as kiwis, watermelon, grapes, oranges, pieces of nectarine and/or dragon fruit. Consider supplying a dipping bowl of yoghurt for added taste and fun!
Crunchy muesli cups: Source a yummy, crunchy nut- free muesli and pop a tablespoon into some small plastic shot glasses. Top with a spoonful of creamy natural or vanilla yoghurt and a small piece of strawberry or a blueberry for the perfect parfait!
Dips and tricks: Create or buy a trio of brightly coloured dips such as guacamole, salsa and tzatziki and set them up on a tray surrounded by great dippy items such as a rainbow of vegetables cut into sticks, corn chips, home made pita chips and/or plain rice crackers. The key to this idea is presentation, the more spectacular you can make it look using gorgeous colours and lovely bowls and plates the more popular it will be with the kids.
Teeny tiny mini pizzas: You’ll need to start this one the night before and to be honest it is probably unrealistic to think you could do this for an entire early childhood centre but this idea could work if your child is in family day care. Grab a stack of small pita breads top them with mozzarella, tomato sauce and a range of simple toppings such as ham, pineapple, spring onion, salami, olives cheese etc. Although they will be cold they will still be yummy and pizza always seems like a treat!
Watermelon lollypops: Use cookie cutters to turn watermelon slices into a host of pretty shapes such as stars, hearts and circles and pop them into the freezer. Cut a stack of skewers in half and pop a watermelon shape onto the end of each skewer. These treats are especially delicious on a hot summer day!
Pikelets with jam: Is there anything more delicious than a fresh pikelet with a blob of jam and cream? If you use a fruity jam and keep sugar to a minimum in the pikelet batter this is a really great option. Jazz it up a bit with a variety of different coloured jams and consider applying the old cookie cutter to the pikelets to add some novelty to the shapes.
Freezy banana bites: Bananas taste awesome frozen; they are smooth and creamy and can easily be popped onto a skewer to make them easy to handle. Cut the bananas into thirds or quarters and pop them into the freezer the night before, they are easier to spear once they are hard. If you are feeling decadent consider dipping them in chocolate before freezing them! |
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