Fun and Festive Healthy Snacks KIDS WILL LOVE!!
Looking for some DIY healthy Christmas snacks for kids that aren’t loaded with sugar and processed ingredients? The fun Christmas snacks featured in this post are not only cute, they’re also easy to make and full of nutritious ingredients. These holiday snack ideas are perfect for Christmas parties and easy enough for toddlers and preschoolers to make, but older kids and adults can totally make and eat them too!
Healthy Christmas Snack Ideas For Kids
1. Banana Snowmen
How adorable are these banana snowmen on a stick? They’re super easy to assemble and even more fun to eat. The kids will love this DIY Christmas treat!
Banana Snowmen
Ingredients:
- Wooden Skewers (we tried popsicle sticks but they were a little too short. Be very careful if handling these skewers with little ones or use ones safe for children)
- Banana
- Green grapes
- Strawberries
- Mini chocolate chips
- Small slices of carrot
Directions:
- Slice the banana into 1/2 inch pieces. Place three of the slices on the skewer.
- Cut the stem off the strawberry and add it to the skewer as the “hat.”
- Skewer half a green grape on top of the strawberry.
- Poke two mini chocolate chips into the top banana slice for the eyes, and two or three into the second banana slice for the buttons.
- Cut a small triangle out of the carrot slice and poke into the snowman’s head as the nose.
2. Pita Christmas Trees
If your kids love decorating the Christmas tree, let them go nuts decorating their own little pita Christmas trees. It’s the perfect healthy snack!
The avocado acts as a sticky base that you can stick the veggie ornaments and cheese stars to, and adds some delicious flavour and healthy fats too.
Pita Christmas Trees
Ingredients:
- Whole-grain mini pitas (you can also use regular-sized pitas as well)
- Pretzel sticks
- Avocado
- Lime juice
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Cheese slices
- Assorted veggies to decorate
Directions:
- Cut the pitas into wedges. We used the whole-grain Ozery Bakery Mini Pitas and cut them into six triangles. They were the perfect size for the Christmas trees!
- Break the pretzel sticks in half and poke one into the bottom of each pita (the non-pointy end).
- Mash the avocado with the lime juice, garlic powder and salt, to taste. I didn’t really measure the ingredients; I just put in a little of each.
- Use a small star cookie cutter to cut out stars out from the cheese. We used provolone cheese slices, but you can sub in any cheese you prefer.
- Decorate the Christmas trees using assorted veggies! We used red, orange and yellow pepper and tiny pieces of broccoli, but you can use any that you have on hand. Finely diced tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots would also work well!
3. Apple Christmas Sandwiches
Kids love fun-shaped cookie cutters, so why not let them cut their own festive shapes out of apple slices! You can double up and fill them with peanut or almond butter for a healthier twist on Christmas cookies!
Apple Christmas Sandwiches
Ingredients:
- Apples
- Peanut butter or almond butter
- Mini Christmas cookie cutters
Directions:
- Cut the apples into 1/4 inch circular slices. Spread the nut butter over the apple slice.
- Place another circular apple slice on top to form a sandwich.
- Using a small Christmas cookie cutter, press down and cut out the centre of the apple slices. Repeat for desired number of apple “sandwiches.”
4. Kiwi Wreaths
Snacks don’t get much easier than these Kiwi Christmas Wreaths. It’s such a cute way to put that fresh fruit to good use!
Use a circular cookie cutter with a rippled edge to create a “wreath” and cut a little bow out of fresh strawberries. It makes eating fruit so much fun, and as an added bonus, this snack is packed with vitamin C!
Kiwi Christmas Wreaths
Ingredients:
- Kiwis
- Strawberries
- Circular cookie cutter with rippled edge
Directions:
- Cut the peel off the kiwis. Cut them into 1/4 inch circular slices. Use a circular cookie cutter with a rippled edge and press around the edges of each kiwi slice so that it resembles a wreath.
- Next, cut thin slices of strawberry and place little pieces on top of each kiwi slice to form what looks like a bow.
5. Holiday Toast
Transform plain old toast into fun-to-eat Christmas shapes! Use a spread such as cream cheese, peanut butter or mashed avocado as a base on the toast and get creative with the decorations!
Try making shapes like candy canes, snowmen, snowflakes, Christmas trees and ornaments and spruce them up with chopped veggies, fruit, cheese, shredded coconut and chocolate chips.
Holiday Toast
Ingredients:
- Whole-grain bread, toasted
- Holiday-themed cookie cutters (i.e. snowflake, gingerbread man, Christmas tree, candy cane, ornament etc.)
- Assorted spreads (i.e. peanut butter, cream cheese, mashed avocado or guacamole)
- Assorted decorations (i.e. diced veggies, fruit, mini chocolate chips, etc.)
Here are some ideas!
Ginger Bread Man: Peanut butter + diced strawberries for mouth + mini chocolate chips for eyes and buttons
Candy Cane: Cream cheese or laughing cow spreadable cheese + diced strawberries for stripes
Christmas tree: Mashed Avocado + diced veggies for decorations (i.e. peppers, cucumbers, broccoli) + cheese for star
Ornament: Cream cheese + assorted veggies for decor + chunk of cucumber for top of ornament
Snowflake: Cream cheese + mini chocolate chips + coconut
6. Pretzel Reindeer Bites
Kids go nuts for these cute reindeer-inspired energy bites. Simply roll up the chocolate balls and decorate them with accessories. The hardest part will be not devouring this fun holiday treat before it’s assembled!
Reindeer Pretzel Bites
Ingredients:
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 cup cashews
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup dates (soaked in boiling water for 5 minutes to soften)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1-2 tablespoons water
To decorate:
- Pretzels
- Pomegranate arils
- Puffed quinoa or white chocolate chips (or use candy eyeballs)
Directions:
- Combine almonds, cashews, cocoa, cinnamon and salt in food processor. Process until crumbly.
- Add dates, vanilla and coconut oil. Process until mixture is combined. If mixture is still dry, add one tablespoon of water at a time until mixture adheres together.
- Remove mixture from processor and form into approximately 1 1/2 inch balls. Place the balls on a large plate or piece of parchment paper.
- Break the pretzels into pieces that resemble antlers and poke into the top of the energy ball. Poke two brown rice puffs into the face of the reindeer for eyes and the pomegranate aril underneath for the nose.
- Place balls in fridge to allow chocolate to harden. Store in fridge for one week or freezer for up to 3 months.
7. Frosty Yogurt Cups
This fun edible craft is super easy and festive. Decorate the cups with eyes, a carrot nose, smile and buttons and fill them up with yogurt or cottage cheese so that it resembles Frosty! You can even top them with fruit for more color and flavor!
Frosty Yogurt Cups
Ingredients:
- Clear plastic cups
- Black permanent marker
- Orange permanent marker (or use orange construction paper)
- Plain yogurt or cottage cheese
- Honey or maple syrup
Directions:
- Take a plastic cup and draw two black eyes, black dots for the mouth and buttons. Draw the nose on with an orange permanent marker or cut a small triangle out of construction paper and glue onto cup underneath eyes.
- Place yogurt or cottage cheese in cup, filling almost to the top. Mix with a bit of honey or maple syrup to sweeten, if desired. You can also top with fruit to form the snowman’s hat, if desired (i.e. strawberries or blueberries would work well).
8. Penguin Crackers
Spruce those crackers up by transforming them into cute penguins! Spread on some cream cheese or laughing cow cheese, add some olive wings, carrot feet and noses and pepper corn eyes. Hard to go wrong with this crunchy and savoury Christmas snack idea!
Penguin Crackers
Ingredients:
- Whole-grain circular crackers
- Cream cheese or laughing cow wedges
- Black olives, cut in half lengthwise
- Baby carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
- Black peppercorns
Directions:
- Place the crackers on a flat surface. Spread the cream cheese over the surface so that the whole cracker is covered.
- Place the olive halves on either side of the cracker for wings.
- Cut a little triangle out of each of the carrot slices and place two on the bottom of the cracker for feet. Stick the little triangle on the cracker for the nose and two peppercorns for the eyes. Serve immediately.
9. Grinch Fruit Kabobs
Christmas snacking doesn’t get much easier than these cute little grinch kabobs! Simply skewer the fruit onto toothpicks and eat!
Grinch Fruit Kabobs
Ingredients:
- Green grapes
- Banana slices
- Strawberries, green stem removed
- Mini marshmallows (optional)
- Toothpicks
Directions:
- Start by poking a grape onto a toothpick.
- Next slide on a slice of banana for the bottom of Santa’s hat.
- Add the strawberry with the stem removed so that the flat side is on top of the banana slice.
- Add a mini marshmallow on top of the Santa hats, if desired.
10. Celery Reindeer
Crunchy celery is a great snack, but it’s even better when it resembles a reindeer! Loaded with healthy fats and fiber, these celery sticks are both filling and fun!
Celery Reindeer
Ingredients:
- Celery sticks (use wide ones if possible)
- Natural peanut butter
- Pretzels
- Candy eyes
- Fresh raspberries
Directions:
- Cut the celery into sticks about 4-5 inches long. Next, cut a thin strip off the back of the celery stick so that it lies flat.
- Fill each celery stick with peanut butter.
- Break pretzels into shapes that resemble small antlers.
- Place the candy eyes side by side just below the antlers.
- Close to the bottom of the celery stick, add a raspberry for Rudolf’s nose.
11. Christmas Tree Fruit Platter
How cute is this raspberry Christmas tree? Simply assemble the fruit, pretzels and cheese star on a plate for a festive snack that can be made in less than 5 minutes!
Christmas Tree Fruit Platter
Ingredients:
- Fresh raspberries
- Pretzel sticks
- Mozzarella cheese slice
- Sprinkles (optional)
Directions:
- Arrange the raspberries on a plate in the shape of a Christmas tree, starting at the top and working your way down.
- Add three pretzel sticks to the bottom of the raspberry tree to resembles a tree trunk (you can also use these as “toothpicks” to eat the berries).
- Use a small star shaped cookie cutter to cut a star shape out of the cheese slice. Place at the top of the tree.
- To further jazz it up, you can add some festive sprinkles to the tree to act as decorations, if desired.
12. Christmas Pancakes
Pancakes are a great idea any time of year, but they’re even more fun and tasty with festive toppings! Transform your favorite pancakes into reindeer, snowmen or Christmas trees for an adorable snack that’s sure to make the kids smile!
Christmas Pancakes
Ingredients:
- Pancakes
- Peanut butter
- Cream cheese or yogurt
- Fresh blueberries
- Fresh strawberries
- Pretzels (curly and sticks)
- Green grapes
- Kiwi
- Banana
- Carrot
Directions:
- Prepare your favourite pancake recipe. Decorate with different spreads, fruit and pretzels to create holiday-themed pancakes.
For the Christmas tree pancakes: Spread pancakes with yogurt or cream cheese. Cut kiwi into circular slices, and then cut each slice into halves. Arrange the kiwi slice halves in the shape of a Christmas tree. Use a small star cookie cutter to cut a star shape out of a banana slice. Use a pretzel stick for the “trunk” of the tree.
For the Rudolf pancakes: Spread pancakes with a layer of peanut butter. Break curly pretzels so that they form two antlers and stick to the top of each pancake. Add banana slices topped with two blueberries under the antlers to form the eyes. Add a raspberry under the eyes for the nose.
For the Snowman pancakes: Spread pancakes with yogurt or cream cheese. Use two blueberries for the eyes. Cut a small triangle wedge out of a carrot slice and stick under the eyes to form the nose. Cut strawberries into very small pieces and form in the shape of a smile under the nose. Cut a green grape in half and place one half on each side of the snowman’s head. Join the grapes with thin strips of cut strawberries at the top of the snowman’s head to form ear muffs.
13. Watermelon Christmas Trees
How adorable are these watermelon Christmas trees? They’re fun, refreshing and nutritious all at the same time! The kids will love to help you decorate the trees with their own festive flair.
14. Christmas Fruit Wreath
This holiday-themed fruit wreath is such a fun and tasty way to eat fruit! It takes only minutes to prepare, but the final outcome is so cute and festive!
15. Apple Christmas Tree
These apple Christmas trees are such a balanced and colorful snack! Get the kids to decorate their own trees for a yummy snack that doubles as an edible craft.
Who says you can’t have pancakes for a snack? Especially these adorable Santa face pancakes that are loaded up with fruit and Greek yogurt for extra protein. So perfect for the holiday season! Get the full tutorial on how to make these Santa pancakes with strawberries here!
The kids will have a blast making these chocolate covered strawberry penguins! You only need five simple ingredients and about 20 minutes of prep time to whip these cute little guys together!
Comments
Post a Comment