Dilemma, you have several children coming for a birthday party but do not want to serve them junk food. You know that you’re going to have cake so that takes care of the sugar rush, but what else can you serve at a birthday party that won’t rot the children’s teeth out but provide them with enough energy to run around like maniacs for the next two hours. A few of our family favorites just happen to be stand-by classics. Once we start snacking we tend to forget that these items happen to be good for us.
The top of the list of birthday party snacks is of course veggies with ranch dip. Offer up things like fresh carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, olives, and celery. If you feel that the ranch dip contains too much fat, you can mix it with reduced fat or fat free sour cream. Still to rich for you then try using hummus, it comes in a variety of flavors.
Don’t leave out fruit. Kids and parents both love fresh fruit. Provide plenty of apples, oranges, grapes, pineapple, bananas, and strawberries. You can also set out a container of warm caramel dipping sauce. (They do have a fat free version.)
A nice alternative to chips and dip is salsa and tortilla chips. If the children are not into salsa and chips then try freshly popped popcorn. Just don’t get to crazy with the butter or the salt.
Trail mix is also a big hit. Just check with parents ahead of time to make sure none of the children have any nut allergies. (You can never be too careful.)
Another big hit at our house is cutting ham and provolone cheese into shapes with cookie cutters and placing them on Ritz crackers. My daughter is really fond of the heart and star shaped cookie cutters we have and we use them often. These make great birthday party snacks. They are also great for an after school snack when friends come over and can be offered in children’s lunches instead of the packages you find in the stores.
Let the kids help fix their own snacks by offering pizza bagels. They are very easy to make and can be personalized to their own unique tastes. Offer the small size bagels, split them in half, put a dab of pizza sauce and allow them to top with their favorite toppings. Try to have items on hand like mozzarella cheese, diced pepperonis, and sliced olives. Pop them in the oven until the cheese is melted and there you have a nice warm snack.
A great treat instead of ice cream could be yogurt. If yogurt isn’t a big hit, you could always pour fresh juice like orange juice into Popsicle molds and put them in the freezer ahead of time. Allow plenty of time for the Popsicle to freeze.
You can even sneak healthy things into the cake like carrots or zucchini without the children knowing it.
Remember healthy doesn’t mean that it tastes bad. Some children are never served these items at home or just plain flat refuse to eat things that are good for them. Once they see other children eating the healthy snacks that are served at the birthday party, they’ll want to give them a try for themselves.
