Healthy Kids' Birthday Party Snacks

It is one of the best times of your child's life: Their birthday party. Recently, I have looked at traditional food served at my children's birthday parties, and decided to do a little renovating. I began looking through my family cookbook, and I found some tasty tried and true snacks that would make any parent a proud party provider.

Ants on a log:

You will need:

1 jar of peanut butter (your choice, but in my opinion, organic is best)

1 box raisins (your choice, but in my opinion, organic is best)

2 bags of organic celery (you may use regular celery, I just happen to like organic better.)

Clean off celery under running water, and remove strings. Cut celery into 5-inch pieces. Spread peanut butter on the inside of the celery, and sprinkle raisins on top.

This recipe makes about 25 ants on a log sticks.

*NOTE: For children with nut allergies, please keep plain, clean celery in view, and offer a simple dip or a slice of natural cheese.

Garden Veggie Pizza Squares

I discovered this recipe on allrecipes.com around Christmas time. I used it at my Fiancé's employee Christmas party, and the kids loved them!

The recipe is a follows:

1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (1 ounce) package Ranch-style dressing mix

2 carrots, finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup fresh broccoli, chopped

1/2 cup chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Roll out the crescent rolls onto a large non-stick baking sheet. Flatten crescent rolls to form a rectangular shape on the baking sheet. Bake 11 to 13 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Allow to cool.

Place cream cheese in a medium bowl. Mix cream cheese with 1/2 of the ranch dressing mix. Adjust the amount of dressing mix to taste. Spread the mixture over the cooled crust. Arrange carrots, red bell pepper, broccoli, and green onions on top. Chill in the refrigerator approximately 60 minutes. Cut into small squares and serve.

I doubled this recipe for Christmas, and it made 25-30 pizza squares.

Juicy Juice fizzy:

This is my very own punch recipe for the best tasting punch in the world! I have used this punch recipe at every one of my children's birthday parties.

The recipe is as follows:

1 can of juicy juice (any flavor, our always used mixed berry)

One 2 liter of sprite or equivalent

1 liter of Schweppes ginger ale

1 bag of ice

Mix ingredients together, add ice, and serve

Super Salsa

This recipe is my own way of making great salsa! Again, I use organic ingredients, but you are welcome to make it with your choice of non-organic vegetables.

1 whole white onion, finely diced

1 green pepper, finely diced

1 cup of cooked yellow corn

2 fresh tomatoes, finely diced

1 package of pace powdered taco seasoning

1 can of black beans

Add ingredients together and stir. Add the powdered taco mixture and continue to stir until blended. Chill and serve with tortilla chips. Serves 12.

This is a versatile recipe. You can either served refrigerated or as a semi-frozen treat.

Yogurt Breeze

This recipe is a nice treat in the summer, and is a better alternative to ice cream.

You will need:

Two 32 oz container of plain, non-flavored yogurt

5-6 Fresh organic peaches (you may use any fresh fruit in substitute of peaches)

2 cups of granola (use only in the refrigerated version)

Smash fresh fruit by hand or on low in a blender. Gently fold into yogurt and stir. Refrigerate until use or freeze for 1.5 hours, or until yogurt is at a hard serve ice cream consistency. Serve in small desert cup. Recipe makes 16 half-cup servings.

Skim milk whipped topping

This topping is versatile and exceptional on any type of creamy desert or shortcake. It is very low in calories (10 calories per tablespoon, 0 fat calories) You will need a high powered hand held blender to make this topping.

You will need:

3 cups of ice-cold milk

¼ cup of liquid Splenda or any other liquid sweetener you prefer

Mix the skim milk and liquid sweetener together, place milk mixture in a bowl of icy water for 1 hour, and refrigerate.

Check for coldness by noting the color of the milk. Skim milk will turn a bluish color when ice cold. Once the milk has achieved the bluish color, place in deep, tall, container and immediately whip, using an up and down motion. This motion will incorporate air into the mixture and make the mixture thick. Chill until ready to use. This recipe can be used as a topping or as a substitute for ice cream. Add your favorite fresh fruits to the mixture for a delicious, healthy treat.

I hope these ideas will inspire your family to break away from tradition and make birthday time a healthier time! Enjoy!