We all know Christmas can be a time of year when we all indulge on extra snacks and treats that are higher in sugar and fat. If you are worried about the amount of unhealthy snacks your child is eating and want some inspiration, then this blog is perfect for you! These snacks are fun, simple, and tasty ideas of how to make this Christmas a healthier one! This is also a great way to help combat fussy eaters and food refusal by making food fun!
Get your kids involved!
Getting your kids involved in helping make meals and snacks has many benefits including bonding time, greater awareness of food, and help with food security. Furthermore, it boosts confidence and helps enhance fine motor skills, maths skills, and reading skills. So, if you don’t already why not try to make these together this December using these ideas from the blog. If your child doesn’t want to help with the food prep or cooking just yet they can still get involved by setting the table, washing food such as fruit and vegetables, or serving up food!
You may be wondering what constitutes a healthy snack?
Nutritious snacks are those with high amounts of:
- Fruit and vegetables
Fruit and vegetables are rich sources of vitamins and minerals needed for your child’s growth and development. Think rainbow when it comes to selecting fruit and vegetables- different colours have different levels of vitamins & minerals so this helps optimise your intake. If your child doesn’t eat many fruit and vegetables at meal times, making fun snacks can help!
We’ve included 5 fun, nutritious fruit snacks within this blog to try with the little ones over this festive period. They are all super affordable and easy to make. To get started you will need a range of utensils but these should be readily available in your house already or you can use something similar to avoid you having to buy anything new. These include:
- Cocktail sticks
- Kid safe and friendly knives
- Cutters such as star /Christmas tree/gingerbread men/snowmen
- Vegetable peeler
- Chopping boards
- Plates
- Novelty cups/bowls
Did you know you can purchase lots of kid’s utensils like safety knives, I have created a list on amazon to help (not an ad and you can purchase these items anywhere!) click here.
5 Creative Fruit Snack Ideas:
1. Candy canes
How delicious does this Candy Cane look? You can make this a big version to share which would go down well with parties or small individual ones as a snack.
Ingredients:
- 1 Banana
- 3 Strawberries
- Wooden stick
Method:
- Chop up banana and strawberries into thick circular rings.
- Alternate banana and strawberry slices onto the wooden stick to create a candy cane shape.
2. Grinch Kebabs
These cute Grinch kebabs are a great snack for your little one. The perfect holiday treat for all you Grinch fans!
Ingredients:
- 1 Cocktail stick
- 1 Green grape
- 1 Banana slice
- 1 Strawberry (remove top)
- 1 Mini marshmallow
Method:
- Cut top off strawberries.
- Cut the banana into circle rings.
- Slide on 1 mini marshmallow, 1 strawberry, 1 banana slice, and 1 grape onto a cocktail stick.
- Serve plain or decorate with sprinkles such as desiccated coconut and enjoy!
3 Banana Snowmen
Simple, fun, and nutritious Christmas treat. These would be great frozen too. Perfect for a festive party!
Ingredients:
- 3 Banana slices
- 1 Strawberry
- 1 Green grape
- 4 raisins
- 1 Cocktail stick
Method:
- Cut the banana into 3 thick circular rings.
- Chop the stem off the strawberry.
- To assemble, slide the green grape, strawberry, and the 3 banana slices onto the cocktail stick.
- Gently press the raisins into banana slices to form buttons and eyes.
- Serve immediately or freeze until set if you want this frozen and enjoy!
4 Kiwi, Pomegranate & Strawberry Wreath
Simple, fun, and nutritious Christmas treat. Perfect for a festive party!
Ingredients:
- 1 Kiwi
- 1 Strawberry
- Pomegranate (avoid in under one)
- Coconut
Method:
- Peel & slice kiwi.
- Chop the stem off the strawberry and cut it into a shape for the bow.
- To assemble, place a kiwi in the shape of a wreath and add a strawberry bow at the bottom.
- Add pomegranate and sprinkle with coconut.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
5 Fruit Christmas Tree
Make this healthy fruit platter to bring to your next Christmas event. It cleverly uses the Kiwi fruit skin as the trunk and berries as the star and decoration.
Ingredients:
- 1-3 Kiwis
- Berries e.g., raspberry or strawberry
Method:
- Peel & slice kiwi.
- Wash & slice berries.
- To assemble, place kiwi in the shape of a tree and add berries as decorations.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
If you have tried any of the healthy snack ideas within this blog, please do tag us, we’d love to see them!
Check out our Christmas article in Belfast Live here
Want more support?
Check out the Nutrition 4 Kids services to support parents with their kids eating with the aim to make them happy and healthy eaters. This includes 1:1 consultations, workshops, and online courses for babies, toddlers, and fussy eating. More information about all of these services is available on the website here.
Make sure to follow @Nutrition4kidsni on Instagram and Facebook where we regularly post lots of free content with recipes, advice, and nutrition information. We love to hear from our followers so if you’ve made any of our recipes or seen success from following our tips please tag or DM us!
Written by Dr Kirsty Porter