HEALTHY HOLIDAY TREATS KIDS WILL EAT

Every parent wants their kid to have a healthy diet, but somehow our children always seem to find a way to sneak in junk food. Holidays make this task even harder because cakes, cookies, and candies are offered in every direction you turn. The trick is to provide your kid a healthy alternative – especially if they don’t realize it’s a healthy snack (wink, wink). Check out these recipes that kids are guaranteed to love!

 

 

 

  • Banana Pudding. A healthy dessert, to begin with, you can turn this creamy treat into a slam dunk that’s healthy and that your kids will love! You can cut out the excess saturated fat by using low-fat milk, fat-free condensed milk, and plenty of vanilla extract. The bananas naturally sweeten the dish and add vitamin B6 to the mix; use egg whites only, and you’ll also lower the cholesterol! http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/banana-pudding-10000000222208/

 

 

 

 

  • Sugared Cranberries. Another recipe for the kitchen-challenged, this treat is exactly what it sounds like: cranberries covered in sugar. Even though there’s sugar, the benefits of cranberries far outweigh the disadvantages of eating sugar in this recipe. Enjoy the golden opportunity to get your kids to eat cranberries and think they’re eating candy because that’s precisely what this is. http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/sugared-cranberries-10000000554659/

 

 

  • Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies. Kids with Celiac disease appreciate cookies a little more than kids that can eat any cookie at any time. Use the holidays as an opportunity to make some gluten-free cookies for your gluten-free kid! If you don’t want to make cookies from scratch, some great gluten-free cookie mixes taste like regular cookies. http://www.elanaspantry.com/chocolate-chip-cookies/

 

  • Healthy Diabetic Christmas Cake. Okay, so maybe give this dessert a different name before you tell your kids what it is, but the treat will still taste just as delicious! People with diabetes have it just as severely as those with Celiac around the holidays, and it’s even harder for kids because they sometimes don’t understand why they’re so different. This recipe will give your diabetic kid a holiday cake he can eat (and he won’t even know it’s healthy)! Hmm… maybe you can switch this one out with your hubby’s usual dessert, too! http://www.mouthwateringmunchies.com/?p=1190

 

These are just a fraction of the healthy holiday treats waiting to be baked. Don’t let the holidays get you and your kids down this year… start baking! (Or start putting banana slices on sticks – don’t overexert yourself.)