Many dads can teach kids how to do a perfect lay-up or field a ground ball, but how many can impress players and other parents by bringing healthy, kid-friendly treats to practice?
Here are a few snack ideas that will help you win the adoration of hungry kids who need a pick-me-up after ball games, dance practice or play dates:
It’s All in the Presentation
When it comes to kids, they often won’t eat something if it doesn’t look appealing. Draw a basketball on a mandarin orange or a volleyball on top of a prepackaged clear container of peaches, and suddenly everyone wants to try it.
Another idea is to put grapes in one side of a plastic zipper bag and baked cheese crackers in the other side. Clip the middle of the bag with a clothes pin and draw a smiley face on the pin. The end result looks like a butterfly, especially if you embellish the pin with a marker and chenille stem antennae.
Make It Fun
Kids love to eat creative treats, especially if the food looks like a cute animal or a shape they love. Use a cookie cutter to create fun shapes from pieces of watermelon. Then, slide the melon on a wooden stick, making a nutritious Popsicle.
You can also slide grapes onto a wooden skewer and, voila! A caterpillar. To complete the look, attach mini chocolate chips with a tiny dab of marshmallow cream to make a face on the last grape.
Offer Up a Surprise
Dip strawberries or blueberries into plain or vanilla yogurt and then freeze until solid. Kids will delight in finding the sweet fruit inside the frozen treat.
Another idea is to spread peanut butter on a whole-grain tortilla and top with sliced bananas and mini chocolate chips. Roll the tortilla up and slice into one-inch pieces. Serve with toothpicks for a geometrical treat everyone will love. To mix it up, you could use hazelnut spread instead of peanut butter.
Making healthy snacks for a group of kids can be intimidating for even the most seasoned parents. But these simple ideas can help anyone can become the coolest parent at the ball field, playground or dance studio.
Do you have any ideas for snacks? Let us know by commenting below.