3.30.2015

Healthy Eating Series with Replay | Day 12 {Safe Sweets}

With April being only days away, today is the last post in my Healthy Eating Series with Replay Recycled. If you haven't been following along, I featured a four-week series all about preparing healthy meals for the whole family, with a specific focus on toddlers and children. Each post focused on a specific healthfood and offered three simple recipes for how to prepare it in a kid-friendly form. 

All of the previous posts from this series can be found below:
lovely lentils / carrots / quinoa
broccoli / power greens

Being that dessert is the best part of every meal, I'm finishing up this series with a post all about healthy desserts -- "safe sweets" -- made from fruit.


We don't give Olivia a lot of fruit with her meals, so when I make one of these desserts, they are an extra-special treat for her. I'm especially looking forward to enjoying them in the backyard under the sunshine this summer!


FROZEN YOGURT BLUEBERRY BITES

{A light and refreshing treat perfect for warmer days, these yogurt blueberry bites only require two ingredients and a little bit of patience! Olivia can eat them faster than I can make them!}

what you'll need:
+ Fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried
+ Greek yogurt of choice {We love honey flavored Greek yogurt, plain vanilla yogurt or Noosa lemon yogurt!}
+ Small plate or tray, spoon / freezer

what you'll do:
+ Using a spoon, dip or roll each blueberry in small dish of yogurt until well coated and place on plate or tray
+ Once you’ve done as many as you want, place plate/tray in freezer for 10-15 minutes or until yogurt is solid but blueberries aren’t completely frozen through
+ Remove and serve {I suggest tasting one…or a few before serving to your child to be sure they aren’t too cold / These are especially great for teething toddlers, as the mild cold is soothing to their sore gums}


GRAPE KABOBS

{As much fun to look at as they are to eat, these grape kabobs are a wonderful and healthy dessert either fresh or frozen, depending on your child’s age and preference. I often find Olivia reaching into our fridge to pluck grapes from our colander and know she loves them as much as I always have / Keep in mind you can make these grape kabobs as short or as long as desired, simply by cutting your kabob sticks into smaller pieces}

what you'll need:
+ Fresh grapes; we used a mix of red and green {I left ours whole since Olivia is nearly two, but you could also cut them in half before putting on the skewer}
+ Kabob skewers, cut to size preference {I recommend cutting them versus breaking them, to prevent any sharp ends}
+ Plate or tray / freezer

what you'll do:
+ Skewer grapes onto a kabob stick close together
+ Serve fresh or pop in the freezer for 10-15 minutes until partially frozen {How much fun would these be for kids to eat in the backyard on a hot summer day?}
+ Always taste test food before serving it from the freezer to be sure it isn’t too cold or hard to chew and keep in mind that smaller grapes or grape halves are going to freeze much quicker than larger whole ones}



APPLESAUCE COINS

{Since Olivia was very young, I have been serving her homemade applesauce that contains no sugar, but just apples and cinnamon. Even if you don’t make your own, there are now so many healthy applesauce options without sugar and even with multiple flavors - like berry, pineapple and veggie. If I don’t have any homemade applesauce on hand, I love buying Go Go Squeeze pouches and squeezing the coins directly from the pouch}

what you'll need:
+ Applesauce of choice {low to no sugar if possible}
+ 1 sandwich size ziplock bag
+ Plate or small tray / scissors / freezer

what you'll do:
+ If you are using applesauce that isn’t already in some type of pouch, fill a sandwich sized bag with a small amount and squeeze all into one corner; using a scissor, cut a tiny hole in the corner to create a mock up pastry bag
+ Squeeze applesauce onto plate or tray in small coins, about the size of a nickel
+ Freeze 10-15 minutes or until frozen through enough to handle
+ Top with a dusting of cinnamon if desired and serve


{Keep in mind if you are using a pouched applesauce, simply squeeze the coins directly from the pouch and skip the bag altogether!}


I'd love to hear what you thought of this month's collaborative series and if you would like to see something like this again in the future!

1 comment:

  1. I got some great ideas from this! I'm always looking for snack ideas and new meal ideas too. Thank you for doing this!!

    ReplyDelete


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