Tis the season for scrumptious pastries and holiday feasts! Don’t let this stop you from eating some healthy snacks! We have plenty of fantastic options!
Healthy Snack 1: Veggie Platter Tree
A traditional veggie platter can easily be turned into an edible Christmas tree! Use this for an afterschool snack or a pre-dinner appetizer. This snack can be made with any veggies you have!
You will need:
- Large platter
- Small bowl
- Veggies (i.e. broccoli, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, carrots, peppers, celery, etc.)
- Knife & Cutting Board
- Dip
Directions:
- Cut up the vegetables to finger food-sized pieces.
- Organize them on the platter in the shape of a Christmas tree.
- Put dip into small bowl and place beside the tree.
- Enjoy!
Healthy Snack 2: Festive Red & Green Smoothie Cups
These healthy smoothies come in fun Christmas colours! An instant favourite of little swimmers, this smoothie is full of nutrients and vitamins that boost immunity. There are 3 handfuls of spinach and kale your picky eaters will slurp down with delight.
Follow this instructional video from Raw Blend to put these layered smoothies together!
Healthy Snack 3: Home-Made Minty Apple Cider
Mmmm… one of our favourite healthy snacks is a steaming cup of apple cider! Add a minty twist to this steamy concoction by stirring it with a candy cane! Here is a wonderful recipe!
You will need:
- 8 cups raw apple cider
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp. whole cloves
- 1 tsp. whole allspice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Candy Canes
Directions:
- Heat all the ingredients to boiling; reduce heat.
- Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Strain and pour into a punch bowl.
- Pour into mugs and stir with a candy cane.
- Enjoy!
Healthy Snack 4: Fruity Christmas Tree
Check out this sweet Christmas tree! It is sure to delight the whole family. Healthy and delicious, this array of fruits is stacked to resemble a Christmas tree!
You will need:
- A pineapple
- A pear
- A variety of berries and fruits
- Toothpicks
- Long bamboo skewer
- Star-shaped cookie cutter or sharp knife
Directions:
- Remove the skin from the pineapple and the pear
- Cut off a top circular slice from the pineapple and use the cookie cutter or knife to carve out a star
- Pierce the pineapple and pear length-wise with a bamboo skewer to attach the pear to the top of the pineapple – add the star at the top
- Pierce both pear and pineapple with toothpicks to create a prickly Christmas tree base…
Cut your fruits into 1 inch thick chunks and attach them to the toothpicks! Be careful as it is easy to poke yourself on the toothpicks by pressing too hard.
Look at this Tasty Kitchen blog post by Natalie for more information!
Healthy Snack 5: Jolly Octopus!
This under-the-sea veggie and dip duo resemble an octopus! Use red or green peppers (or both) to grace your table with this festive sea creature!
You will need:
- Bell peppers (any colour)
- Creamy, thick dip of your choice
- An olive
- A round plate approximately 9 inches in diameter and 1 inch deep for the dip
- A cutting board and knife.
Directions:
- Cut one pepper into 8 slices.
- Cut the top section off the second pepper and hollow out the inside.
- Spread dip on the plate (approximately 1 inch thick).
- Place hollowed-out pepper upside down in the centre of the plate.
- Surround with 8 pepper slices in the shape of octopus tentacles.
- Slice the olive in half width-wise and use dip to attach octopus eyes to the desired spot.
Healthy Snack 6: Cheesy Snowmen
These cheesy snowmen will brighten up your child’s lunch box in the last few days before Christmas break!
You will need:
- Package of white mozzarella cheese strings
- Blue ribbon
- Permanent markers (black and orange)
- Tape
- Black construction paper or black crafters foam sheet
Directions:
- Open the package of cheese strings and pull them apart.
- Cut ribbon into approximately 4 inch long pieces. Tie them around each cheese string in a double knot.
- Cut out little top hats from the black construction paper. Tape to the top of cheese strings.
- Add eyes, smiles, buttons and a carrot nose using black and orange markers!
- Enjoy!
Healthy Snack 7: Fruit Canes
Use bananas and strawberries to whip up a sweet, but healthy “candy cane” snack for your kids!
You will need:
- A plate
- Banana
- Strawberries
Directions:
- Cut up both banana and strawberries into half-inch slices.
- In an alternating fashion, place them on the plate in the shape of a candy cane.
- Enjoy!
Healthy Snack 8: Eggcellent Little Snowmen
Source: These little snowmen make a great breakfast snack and are ideal for kids during family get-togethers!
You will need:
- Eggs (2 per snowman), hardboiled and peeled
- Black olives
- Carrot
- Parsley
- Toothpicks
- A knife & cutting board
- A platter
Directions:
- Slice a bit off the bottom of the lower egg and use a toothpick to stack two of them.
- Use your knife to carve out small holes for the eyes and buttons, and use little pieces of black olive to fill them.
- Cut a small hole in each side of the bottom egg, and place a small sprig of parsley in each as the snowman’s arms.
- Slice your carrot, and separate the smaller discs from the larger ones. Stack a small disc onto a larger one, and pierce both from underneath with a toothpick. Then place the toothpick into the top of the eggs as the snowman’s hat.
- Finish with a small pointy piece of carrot placed into a small hole in the top egg as the snowman’s nose – be sure that it sticks out a bit!
- Place them on a white platter, and sprinkle with coconut shavings to look like snow!
