Children’s birthday: easy and healthy recipes to celebrate

If we try to raise our children in a more sustainable way with the environment and nature and choose to offer them a natural diet based on real food, birthday parties can become a nightmare: the tables of typical parties are full of processed foods full of additives, dyes, sugar and low quality fats such as chips, sweets of all colors of the rainbow, cakes that look like coloring books, hot dogs, pizza, hamburgers…. As parents we can ask ourselves what to do at this time. Is it not possible to celebrate a birthday with healthy food?

Healthier children’s birthday parties

If children are invited to a party, We can try several strategies:

with younger children we can try offering them a healthier snack or snack before you go. So they fill up and instead of eating, they focus on playing with friends.with the older children We can talk, explain to them that many of the foods are very special foods and try to find the best options with them at the party table, such as some dried fruit, popcorn, chocolate cakes or cake.

Anyway, we shouldn’t ban the child try other foods or make you feel bad about trying or wanting to try new things. Thus we would only create a frustration.

In special cases, For example, if we follow a vegetarian or plant-based diet, or if the children do not eat gluten or have a food intolerance, we will most likely have to bring our own food to the party. The ideal in this case is ask the organizing parents what dishes there will be and bring a similar version for the little onesvegetable, gluten-free or whatever corresponds.

If we organize the party ourselves, most likely we will have guests with different children who eat in different ways. For all children to feel good, we should prepare slightly healthier or vegetable versions of typical dishes that children already know and are familiar with, before opting for totally different foods. For example, before offering a quinoa salad, it is better to opt for a pasta salad, or we can prepare hamburgers with vegetable protein instead of preparing the tofu as is.

Appetizers for children’s parties

Here are ideas for snacks for a healthier children’s party:

Variety of nuts such as pistachios, peanuts, cashews, almonds (although beforehand it is advisable to ask the parents if all the children eat and make sure there are no allergies).Whole wheat sticks with spreadable pates such as hummus, cream cheese (can be vegetable) or guacamole.homemade popcorn prepared with coconut oil and a little sea salt (we can add a little nutritional yeast).Omelette with egg or in a vegan version with chickpea flour.olives.Dishes with all kinds of cut fruit and vegetables such as cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks or cucumbers, since especially in summer they go well and refresh.Very Simple Pasta Saladwith pasta, corn, avocado, olives, tomato pieces…Homemade cookies, with healthy fats and without excess sugar.Homemade cupcakes or, if they are purchased, of good quality.Potato or corn chips with tomato sauce or guacamole for dipping.Burgersfalafels or meatballs.Sausages of tofu.Crepes or mini pancakes.homemade pizza cut into pieces.

Healthy Recipes for Birthday Parties

And here you have four healthy recipes to inspire you when setting up the birthday party.

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Pizza-style puff pastry snails

Preparation: 10 minutes – Cooking: 15 minutes

These snails are made in a flash and success is guaranteed. We can prepare them in different flavors, one with mushrooms, another with pesto… If we expect more guests, it is better to double the recipe.

Ingredients (about 25-30 pieces):

2 packages of puff pastry (if you need vegetable or gluten-free, you can also find wholemeal puff pastry) of 250 g of each 200 g of tomato sauce 200 g of grated cheese (it can be grated) 1 beaten egg or vegetable drink Other optional ingredients for the filling (it can be, for example, smoked tofu cubes, 5 chopped mushrooms for each plate, 8 chopped olives, 2 tablespoons of pesto and 1 handful of spinach)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees.If the puff pastry is not flat, roll it out with the help of a rolling pin.Roll out the puff pastry sheet on the surface where you are going to work, leaving the paper that wraps it below.cover it every plate with 5-6 tablespoons of the tomato sauce and half of the grated cheese and the other optional ingredients.roll up well lengthwise squeezing with your hands and cut into 1 cm thick slices.Beat an egg or put some vegetable drink in a bowl and paint the snails.Place on a baking tray and bake them until they are golden, about 15 minutes.

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Chocolate and fruit fondue

Preparation: 15 minutes – Cooking: 5 minutes

Children are experimenters and love to eat with their hands. Since chocolate is one of the flavors that everyone knows, try making this easy fondue.

Ingredients:

250 g vegan chocolate 120 ml vegetable drink such as oats or coconut 2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional, depends on sweetness of chocolate) 1 tablespoon coconut oil or vegan butter

At your service:

Fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, bananas, kiwi, pineapple, mango, orange, peachMini rice pancakes or other cerealWholegrain sticksSmall pieces of cakeBiscuitsDried fruitCrunchy toppings such as nuts such as peanuts, almonds or chopped hazelnuts, shredded coconut, pistachiosSkewer sticks

Preparation:

Prepare all the fruit. Wash it and cut into pieces.Prepare the toppings in small plates. Cut the skewer sticks about 10 cm long.Prepare the sauce. Put all the ingredients in a pot and melt in a bain-marie, mixing. Be careful, because it is boiling water, it does not touch the chocolate. If necessary add a little more vegetable drink. If it seems oily to you, also add a little vegetable drink.Serve on a large plate with the fruit and other ingredients for dipping and the toppings and sticks for each child can prepare their skewer.If it starts to solidify, heat again. You can divide the sauce into two parts and if one begins to solidify, add another and thus alter it.

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Vegan vanilla cupcakes with pink cream

Preparation: 20 minutes – Cooking: 25 minutes – Soaking: 6 hours

These vegan cupcakes are simple sponge cakes, accompanied by a soft cashew cream. if we want, the recipe can be prepared in the form of a cake.

Ingredients (24 cupcakes):

440 g spelled flour 400 g whole cane sugar 6 teaspoons baking powder a pinch of salt 480 ml vegetable drink 160 ml light-flavored oil 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the cream:

210 g raw cashews soaked for about 4 hours 120 ml tinned coconut milk 5 tablespoons maple or rice syrup 4 tablespoons coconut oil (can be deodorized) a little lemon zest 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract a pinch salt 1 tablespoon ground beetroot (or freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries) (optional, to give the cream a pink color)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven at 220 degrees. Line the cupcake mold with your papers.In a bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. On the other hand, mix the oil with the vegetable drink and the vanilla extract. Add to the dry mix and mix well. Fill 24 cupcake liners, place in the oven and bake 20-25 minutes. Let it cool.To make the cream, You have to leave the cashews to soak for about 6 hours. Put the cashews in a bowl, cover with water and leave at room temperature for 6-8 hours. Drain and discard the soaking water. Add all the ingredients for the cream to the mixer and beat well until completely smooth. If you want to give it a pink color, add 1 tablespoon of beetroot powder, which can be found in health food stores and herbalists. Go adding the powder until you get the desired tone. You can also use 2 tablespoons of freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries, crush them into a powder and add it to the cream.Taste the taste. Pour the cream into a bowl and freeze for 45 minutes. Beat and take to freezer again, freeze another 45 minutes and beat again. This will make the cream smoother. Decorate the cupcakes and serve.

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Bean meatballs with tomato sauce

Preparation: 20 minutes – Cooking: 25 minutes

Meatballs are among the most popular children’s dishes, and they are also a perfect option for parties. Prepare this vegetable version with beans and you will see that everyone will love it.

Ingredients (50 meatballs):

250 g oat flakes 800 g cooked black beans 1 large onion 2 garlic cloves 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 1 teaspoon cumin 2 tablespoons parsley 2 tablespoons psyllium 3 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast 2 teaspoons tomato sauce for dipping

Preparation:

Crush the oat flakes until you get flour. Drain the beans well.Chop the onion and garlic very very fine Chop the parsley.In a frying pan Heat the oil and once hot, fry the onion and garlic very well, about 10 minutes. Add the paprika and cumin and give it a few turns in the pan.Put the beans in a bowl and mash very well with a fork or pulse a couple of times in a food processor. Add the oat flakes, the sauce and the rest of the ingredients.Let stand about 10 minutes. Shape meatballs and cook in a oven at 200 degrees about 20-25 minutes or in a pan.Serve with sauce tomato to dip.