Looking for some healthy Christmas snacks for kids that aren’t loaded with sugar and processed ingredients? The homemade snacks we’re sharing today are not only cute, they’re also easy to make, fun to create and full of nutritious ingredients. These food ideas are perfect for a children’s Christmas party and are easy enough for toddlers and preschoolers, but adults can totally eat them too!
There’s nothing better than celebrating the holidays with kids. They bring so much joy and magic to the Christmas season. As kids, we always enjoyed making fun holiday treats in the days leading up to Christmas to get into the Christmas spirit.
While cookies and gingerbread houses are fun to make (and eat), they are also loaded with sugar and don’t contain a whole lot of nutrients. To avoid the sugar overload, I always find that it’s also nice to have the option of having some healthy Christmas treats to serve the kids too. It’s all about the balance!
The Christmas snacks that we’re sharing today are not only super cute and fun to make, they’re also nutritious as well since many of them are made up of fruits, veggies, protein, healthy fats and whole grains! They are also really easy to assemble so they’re perfect to make with toddlers, preschoolers or to serve up at a children’s Christmas party!
The kids can help choose which snacks to make, assemble them and do some taste testing along the way. As an added bonus, if your kids are hesitant to try new things, this is a great activity since getting them involved in meal prep can help encourage them to try new foods. Not to mention, doing these fun food-related activities can create so many amazing memories! After you’re all done your creations, take a fun picture with the kids to remember all of those fun foods that you made.
Below you’ll find eight healthy Christmas snacks for kids (but adults can totally eat them too)! So get some Christmas music on and have fun making these adorable snacks!
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 (we used Enjoy Life 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.
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!
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 cookie cutter, press down and cut out the centre of the apple slices. Repeat for desired number of apple “sandwiches.”
Kiwi 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.
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
Reindeer energy balls
Ingredients:
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 cup cashews
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup dates (soaked in boiling water for 5 minutes to soften)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1-2 tbsp water
To decorate:
- Pretzels
- Pomegranate arils
- Puffed quinoa or white chocolate chips
Directions:
-
Combine almonds, cashews cocoa and cinnamon 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.
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)
Penguin Crackers
Ingredients:
- Whole-grain circular crackers (we used Breton)
- 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.
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