Choose fruits and other naturally good-tasting foods for preschool parties.
Preschoolers are often picky, but they need plenty of nutrition to grow into healthy adults. Making healthful and appealing snacks is important, and often requires some creativity. However, when kids learn to eat healthy at a young age, they often continue to crave those foods. Encourage healthy eating habits by bringing in tasty snacks that are also good for kids. Does this Spark an idea?
Fruity Treats
Create a kid-friendly fruit salad by spearing chunks of melon, pineapple and other fruits like grapes on wooden shish kabob sticks. Cantaloupe, which has Vitamin C and beta-carotene, is especially good for kids who don't like vegetables, says Family4Life.com. If you're feeling really ambitious, cut the fruits into different shapes, like triangles, circles and squares.
Frozen Treats
Likewise, natural fruit treats, which you can make at home to save costs, give kids nutrition instead of empty calories. And they typically have much more flavor than popsicles made with fake juice. Many grocery stores sell popsicle molds or you could chill fruit slushies in cups. Blend a mixture of fruits and juice for these treats, which will give them a much better texture than juice alone.
Ants on a Log
Create this healthy snack with celery, peanut butter and raisins. Cut celery into pieces about four inches long, fill with peanut butter and then stick a few raisins on top.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza
Cover a plain pizza crust, homemade or store-bought, with a layer of peanut butter. Then help kids to create their own pizza, giving them each a slice. Spoon or squirt on different kinds of jam and add banana slices if kids want them. Keep wet towels on hand to clean sticky fingers.
Macaroni
Make homemade macaroni and cheese with pinwheel noodles. Or, make a creamy cold salad with fun noodles, like pinwheels and spirals. Mix in peas and small chunks of carrots for nutrition.
Pizza
Most kids love pizza and it's an easy dish to prepare. Plus, you can incorporate several food groups to create a balanced meal. Buy or make a whole wheat crust to add nutrition.
Cookies
If you're having other sweets like cake, bring cookies that are tasty but not extra sweet, which kids can decorate themselves. Choose a recipe that's low in sugar and high in nutrition, like the one featured on WholeGrainGourmet.com. Bring toppings like peanut butter, cream cheese and jam for frosting the cookies and raisins, sprinkles, nuts, and chocolate or butterscotch chips to put on top. If cookies will be the main dessert, bring sweeter toppings like chocolate frosting as well.
Cake
Many parties aren't complete without a cake and you can opt for a traditional cake or a healthier version that tastes just as good. If there are lots of kids, make a chocolate cake and a yellow one to give them an option. Or make cupcakes, which are fun to eat and easy to pass out. Bake colorful sprinkles into the cake and sprinkle them on the frosting.
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