Healthy Snacks for the Classroom, Holidays and More
Tis’ the season for parties and lots of treats & sweets! Most parties are filled with not-so-healthy options, so like my Halloween experiment I am trying something new this holiday season. I’m also doing my small part to change the cultural norm in regards to healthy holiday snacks.
My dad and sister are on week 3 in their Life in 56 journey and I truly applaud them for their healthy changes during the holidays! Dad had his holiday office party this week and I asked him if there was anything for him to eat. He said no, but he enjoyed the time chatting.
Unfortunately, this tends to be typical for parties, whether at work, with friends or in the classroom. You can always count on someone bringing desserts, heavy appetizers, etc., so why not be the one to bring the more nutritious option?!
I brought the snack for my 2nd graders winter party this week. I have been guilty in the past (even just last year) for bringing in packaged holiday cookies loaded with icing and food dyes. I’ll admit the thought did cross my mind again this year because of the convenience, but I knew the little extra effort would be worth it.
With just a quick search, I found several simple, fun and healthy snack options! Pinterest also makes it quite easy….I saved several here.
Here are a few of my favorites for this holiday season –
FRUIT
Christmas Fruit Tree
Fruit Candy Canes
Or apples
VEGGIES
Trail Mix
Another idea I was considering was having the kids make their own trail mix. I would have a variety of healthy options like dried fruit, raisins, sunflower seeds, popcorn, pretzels, or dark chocolate. There are no nut allergies in the classroom, so I could include walnuts, soy nuts, or almonds.
Trail mix is also a great one to bring to adult parties!
Yogurt Parfait
We make yogurt parfaits at home all of the time, so I was excited when one of my friends told me she was doing a yogurt bar at her 3rd graders holiday party.
They will have vanilla yogurt in a cup and several toppings they can choose: strawberries, granola, blackberries, red and green m&m’s. Of course, you could eliminate the candy to make it more healthy!
Check out my Pinterest board for more examples:
Healthy & Festive Snacks, Appetizers & Sides!
Once I made the decision to bring a healthy snack, it was fun looking into ideas. The hard part was deciding what to choose! I finally picked something that traveled well and was simple to distribute to the kids at their desk…
Snowman Popcorn Cups & Fruit Kabobs
These were fun and simple to make. The kids were so excited about popcorn! I LOVE popcorn and we have it as a snack often at our house. I have switched from the microwave bagged popcorn to air popping on the stove or this convenient microwave option. I usually make it with a little olive oil and sometimes sea salt.
Fruit Kabobs
Fruit kabobs are always fun and usually popular with kids. I went with red and green fruit (strawberries, red & green apples, and grapes) for the Christmas season. I also added mini-marshmallows for an added treat.
The kabob sticks I found were huge, so I bought plastic cocktail stirrers that can also be re-used. They were a perfect size for the students and the kabobs were also a hit!
Keep healthy snack and appetizer options in mind next time you are bringing food to a school, work or holiday party!
I would love to hear your experience on bringing healthy options to classroom parties. Do you have any other suggestions??
Happy Holidays!!
Love,
Molly
