Kids parties are crazy enough, anyone who’s ever hosted one will know! They are bouncing off the walls with excitement from the get up. Here’s the conundrum - we want to treat them, but we’ve all seen the sugar frenzy followed by the lows of tears and tantrums on the way home. So here’s our top 5 simple swaps to help balance things out, whilst still keeping the little ones very happy.
Swap 1: Chocolates for chocolate dipped breadsticks
Still chocolate in the eyes of a child! This little swap gives them a lot less sugar and fat, fewer overall calories and they can double as a magic wand. Win win! So simple to make - just melt some chocolate, dip the sticks, add sprinkles and let them set on some baking paper in the fridge.
Swap 2: Ice cream for fruit cones
These colourful cones contain a blast of vitamins, fibre and extra hydration and look beautiful too. Pick your fruit well, it needs to be nice and ripe and sweet. Melons, berries and chopped grapes work well.
Swap 3: Sausage rolls for cheese straws with hidden veg
Wanting something warming for a winter party? This idea is from a great recipe by sneakyvegblog. You’ll gain - a sneaky bit of veg, a vegetarian source of protein and less salt. I suspect the grown-ups will be sneaking a few of these away too.
Swap 4: Crisps for flavoured popcorn
This simple swap gives a wholegrain, lower calorie crunch with a world of possibilities of flavours. Look for air-popped, oil free popcorn or do it yourself. This raspberry vanilla popcorn recipe from myfussyeater is a great one to try.
Swap 5: Cupcakes for fruit muffins
Still ‘cupcakes' in the eyes of a child! Choose a recipe that uses fruit to sweeten and whole yoghurt to reduce the fat needed, we like these healthy chunky monkey muffins by Super Healthy Kids because they also contain chocolate! At a fraction of the sugar and fat they’ll give a slower release of energy to keep them going beyond the bouncy castle.
