‘Tis the season for Christmas parties, which usually means loads of sugary treats.
We often let our kids go overboard with unhealthy food in the spirit of Christmas, but there are plenty of ways to make healthy Christmas treats that are fun, easy and low sugar.
Our home doctor experts have their top healthy Christmas treat recommendations, perfect to snack on this holiday season!
Watermelon Christmas Trees
Fruit is the perfect ingredient for healthy Christmas treats. They’re easy to cut and shape and you can decorate them with all kinds of toppings. Watermelon Christmas trees are a refreshing, fruity snack that are incredibly easy to make and fun to decorate. All you need are three ingredients, watermelon, yoghurt and dried cranberries and you’re good to go! Here’s a link to the recipe.
Banana Snowmen
This simple, fruity rendition of the humble snowman is perfect for little hands and can be frozen too! The strawberries, bananas, grapes and carrots provide a great natural energy boost as well as natural sugars, essential b vitamins, magnesium, potassium, fibre, vitamin c and antioxidants. Just a heads up – be careful of the skewers around little ones. You can find the recipe here.
Low Sugar Christmas Cookies
Sugary, sweet and scrumptious Christmas cookies are a staple in Christmas, but they don’t have to be unhealthy! This recipe is low on added sugar (as defined by the world Health Organisation) and consists of no refined sugars. To keep these cookies healthy, try skipping the icing this time around-trust me, they’re still just as delicious without it! If you’re a fan of raw cookie dough, these cookies use chia seeds as an egg replacer so you and your kids can make a little sneaky snack out of the dough while baking! Click through for the recipe.
Easy to Make Healthy(er) Gingerbread
A classic Christmas gingerbread with a healthy twist! These cookies have just enough sugar and spice for your oldest children to enjoy, but not so much that your youngest can’t have a mouthful. Get the kids involved with cutting out shapes from the dough and decorating. The cookies are also egg and nut free! Get the recipe here.
Strawberry Santa’s
These strawberry Santa’s are sure to be a hit! Sweet and oh so easy to pop in your mouth – these are a great healthy snack to prepare for class parties or to add a little fruit into your Christmas gatherings. You can find out how to make these here.
Crispy Vegetables Christmas Trees
If fruits aren’t your thing how about some veggies? This colourful combination of red, yellow and orange capsicum, snow peas coupled with a cheesy little star adds just the right amount of crunch to your line up of Christmas treats. Not only is it a healthy on alternative but its chance for your kids to get in another serving of their daily veggie intake! Get the recipe here.
Reindeer Energy Bites
These chewy, gluten and dairy free energy bites are a great healthy treat for everyone. The Rudolph themed balls are vegan (with the head primarily made of dates) and are a fantastic combination of healthy fats, fibre and antioxidants. Go ahead and make a huge batch as they can be stored in the freezer until you and your kids are ready to decorate and serve them. You can find the recipe here.
Christmas time is one of the busiest times of the year and it’s easy to get a little carried away with yummy food and sweet treats. It’s important to take the time to remind children to balance unhealthy treats with some healthy ones too! While it might be hard at first, make the process easier by offering easy access to some of these healthier Christmas treat options.
