Healthy Holiday Snacking for Toddlers

‘Tis the season for everything shiny, jolly, and of course sugary! While all of our holiday celebrations, especially those with kids, come with sprinkles of sparkles and sweets, it’s always nice to have a little holiday away from the sugar rush. But that doesn’t mean we have to take out all the fun or buy a lot of special ingredients. A few clever substitutions like using fruits and veggies for color and decoration, or using veggie purees or hummus instead of frosting will do just as well.

Here are a few recipes we can DIY with our kiddos this holiday season. Happy Holidays!

1. Santa Banana Kabobs

Ingredients:

  • Wooden skewers 

  • Ripened bananas

  • Strawberries 

  • Chocolate chips

  • Red colored M&Ms (optional)

Directions:

  • Cut a banana into thirds and half way down a skewer. 

  • Flatten a marshmallow or use a banana slice for the bottom of the “hat” and place it on top of the banana.

  • Remove strawberry stem and place it wide side down on top of the marshmallow/banana slice. 

  • Place a small marshmallow to top off the “hat”. 

  • Use chocolate chips to make eyes and a small red M&M to make a nose. You can also use a small piece of strawberry for the nose.

Credit: https://www.healthylittlefoodies.com/18-healthy-christmas-snacks/#santa-banana-kabobs 

2. Holiday Toasts

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.)


Directions:

  • 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 


Credit: https://www.hauteandhealthyliving.com/8-healthy-christmas-snacks-for-kids/.  

3. 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. 

Credit: https://www.hauteandhealthyliving.com/8-healthy-christmas-snacks-for-kids/ 

4. Almond Coconut Ball Snowmen

Ingredients: 

  • 150 g unsweetened shredded coconut plus extra for rolling

  • 6 tablespoon ground almond almond meal

  • 3 tablespoon unsweetened coconut milk shake the can well first

  • 3 tablespoon coconut oil melted

  • 2 tablespoon maple syrup

  • ½ teaspoon almond extract or vanilla 

  • chocolate chips or raisins

  • dried apricot or carrots

Directions: 

  • Whiz all snowball ingredients in a food processor or blender, scraping the sides down often, until it sticky and well combined.

  • Roll balls of the mixture into balls, and roll each ball into more shredded coconut. Thread three balls onto each stick. 

  • Cut the raisins or chocolate chips into small pieces for the snowman eyes and mouths, and buttons. Cut dried apricots or carrots into triangles for the noses. Store in the fridge.

Credit: https://www.superhealthykids.com/coconut-snowballs/ 

Sudha Bhadariraju

Sudha is a Pulmonary Critical Care Physician at Mills Peninsula Hospital in Burlingame. She spent the last 3 years on the front lines of the pandemic and now takes her first go at motherhood in stride. She enjoys Indian music and dance, cooking, and traveling, and is still trying to find room for hobbies.