Creative Kid Snacks

make fun of lunch!

Healthy Peacock Snack

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A cute little peacock is a wonderful way to serve all sorts of colorful, healthy food by using it in his beautiful tail.  Awhile back we made this version of a peacock, but I thought he was due for an upgrade!  This version is even healthier than the other, as it is grain free and features veggies that are packed with vitamins and lots of great fiber.

Healthy Peacock Snack

A cute way to serve veggies and hummus! Get the kids excited to eat healthy food this way! Many more ideas on creativekidsnacks.com - great resource!

To make this snack, all you will need will be hummus, and some beautifully colored vegetables.  Simply chop up some veggies (we used carrots, cucumber, celery, and red pepper) and spoon your hummus into a plastic baggie.  You will snip the end off of one corner of the plastic baggie to use as a piping bag, and you will draw the peacock’s body with it.  Use the simple shape shown above.  You can check out our Cucumber and Hummus Cupcake post to get more details about this step and see hummus used in another creative way!

Next, arrange your veggies as shown for the tail.  Use two thin slices of a baby carrot for feet, several thin slices of red pepper for head feathers, and an almond for an eye.

I liked the idea of adding some additional protein to this snack, so I made a little ground out of almonds for our peacock friend to walk on.

A cute way to serve veggies and hummus! Get the kids excited to eat healthy food this way! Many more ideas on creativekidsnacks.com - great resource!

Whichever version you create at home, this snack is sure to be a fun and super HEALTHY one!

Make sure you don’t forget to check out:

Cucumber and Hummus Cupcakes

Our favorite ANIMAL snacks

What is your favorite hummus flavor?  Do you go for original or do you love the different versions out there?

Leave a comment below!

Ladybug Apples

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My oldest daughter checked out a great book at her school library recently.  It is a great book all about ladybugs.  The book goes into great detail about ladybugs’ life cycle, body structure, defense mechanisms, uses as natural pest repellants in agriculture, and much more.  I learned a lot after reading this book with her!  In honor of learning all about ladybugs, we decided to make a special treat to eat after lunch.

Ladybug Apples

Ingredients:

1 apple (we used Honeycrisp)

4-6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

2 cheerios

Directions:

Slice the apple into two halves, just outside the core.  You will have two halves to make into little ladybugs.  Place chocolate chips into a small glass bowl and microwave for one minute, stirring with a rubber spatula at 20 second intervals.  Once chocolate is melted, spoon into a plastic zip baggie and slice a tiny corner off of the bag to use for piping the chocolate.  Pipe a “T” across the back of the ladybug’s back – one central line along the back, and one line to divide what will look like the back from what will look like  the head area.  Fill in the head with chocolate, drizzling it in with the piping bag, then smoothing with a knife, then add little dots around the rest of the back.  Add two cheerio eyes, repeat for the other ladybug, and chill for 10 minutes in the fridge.

Easy, fun, and delicious dessert to celebrate learning new things!  Enjoy!

If you liked these little guys, you may also want to check out our other animal creations.

(Sharing HERE)

Did you enjoy today’s snack?  Learn more about this blog here.

 

Panda Bear Dinner

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Sometimes a fun presentation is in order at dinner time.  We all want to serve our kids a healthy and balanced dinner, so why not use the “trick” of an adorable and creative presentation to get them excited to eat a great dinner?  Today’s Panda bear dinner features rice, black beans, meat, and veggies.  Check him out!

Ingredients:

1  cup cooked white rice

1/2 cup black beans, heated

1 stick celery

3 slices of cooked meat (chicken, pork, beef)

3 sugar snap peas

Directions:

Heat black beans and place in a bowl.  Place a spoonful of beans around the plate for Panda’s legs and arms.  Next, fill in the center of the plate with white rice to look like the panda’s tummy.  Panda’s have a thin black section of fur where there neck is, so add a line of black beans above the white tummy where the neck would be.  Spoon some white rice onto the plate for the panda’s head, and arrange two black beans tilted outward for eyes, add a nose, and slice a final black bean into thin strips for the mouth.  Add two small black bean ears.

Now, give your panda some “bamboo” to eat by placing the celery in his hand.  Bamboo is a grass that is crunchy and fibrous, just like celery would be.  Finally, add a little tree on the other side of the panda, layering your strips of meat together and adding some sugar snap pea leaves.

Also, check out this Hot air balloon dinner featuring grilled chicken, corn, red bell pepper, guacamole, cheese, and carrots.  My kids loved it and I’m sure yours will too!

(Sharing HERE)

Did you enjoy today’s snack?  Learn more about this blog here.

Turkey

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Fall is in full swing, and soon it will be Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays – great food, family, gratitude, and, best of all, no present-buying frenzy!  Build up anticipation for Thanksgiving with this fun and healthy lunch!

Turkey

Ingredients:

Turkey sandwich (fresh turkey breast, whole wheat bread, and mayo) / Substitute a peanut butter sandwich if desired!

Baby Carrots

1 cashew

1 raisin

1 cube pineapple

2 celery stalks

Directions:

Slice a turkey sandwich into a pear shape as shown above.  Next, arrange baby carrots all around the body to look like tail feathers.  You can also slice carrots in half lengthwise to control portion size or to allow them to lay flat on the plate.  Slice a raisin in half and place onto sandwich for eyes.  Place a cashew beneath the eyes to look like a beak.  Slice a pineapple chunk into two thin strips, then slice two thin triangles and place beneath legs.  Finish off the plate with celery “grass” where the turkey is happily frolicking!

Octopus

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Looking for a healthy and fun after school snack for the kids?  Try this fun little octopus, which they’ll be sure to love.

Ingredients:

1 slice cheese (any kind)

8 baby carrots

1 red grape

2 black beans or raisins

Directions:

Slice your piece of cheese into a large, oval head with a bit of a neck on the bottom.  Lay that on the plate towards the top.  Next, slice your baby carrots into 5-7 circular sections each.  Throw all of your little carrot circles into a small bowl.  Arrange eight legs coming out of the octopus’ body, starting with the larger sized carrot rounds and ending the leg with the smaller sized carrot rounds.  This will look more realistic.  Add two black bean eyes, and slice a thin section off of a red grape that has been sliced in half.  Place onto your octopus to look like a happy smile.

Did you enjoy today’s snack?  Check out a whole bunch more SUPER HEALTHY AFTER SCHOOL SNACKS!  Try them all with your kids this fall!

(Sharing HERE)

Did you enjoy today’s snack?  Learn more about this blog here.

Puppy Dog Wrap

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Today I’ll be showing you a simple puppy lunch, and then a variety of other great snacks to make using a high protein, high fiber tortilla wrap.  I’ve recently discovered these babies and have really enjoyed using them with my girls to make creative lunches.  I’ve also enjoyed knowing that the girls are getting significantly more protein and fiber from the wraps than they would from two slices of traditional bread.

Easy Puppy lunch made with a tortilla wrap. Simply fold over a wrap to make a turkey sandwich, and add fruit and string cheese for his face! So fun! By CreativeKidSnacks.com

Ingredients:

1 tortilla wrap (I use Ole brand multi-grain or whole wheat)

1-2 oz turkey breast

1-2 t miracle whip or mayo (here‘s a great healthier mayo recipe)

1/2 strawberry

1 blueberry

1 grape

string cheese

Make a puppy lunch:

Make a turkey wrap by spreading mayo onto tortilla and adding turkey on one half.  Fold over to make a half circle shape.  Slice two “ears” from each corner as shown.

Slice a blueberry in half and lay onto wrap to look like eyes.

Slice a grape in half and lay flat onto wrap for a nose.

Peel two thin strips of string cheese.  Lay in a “w” shape beneath nose to look like a puppy’s face.

Add a strawberry tongue and you are all set!  Simple and adorable.

Other fun lunches to make using wraps (once you’ve bought yourself a package and all):

Rocket ship

Choo-Choo train

Butterfly Quesadillas

(Sharing HERE)

Did you enjoy today’s snack?  Learn more about this blog here.

Butterfly Quesadilla + Weekly Kids Co-op

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Butterflies are a sign of new life.  Spring always gets me motivated to get outside, enjoy nature, and celebrate it with our food, too!  My daughter has been very in to butterflies lately, and she has even requested a rainbow butterfly birthday party!  We’ve already made delicious fruit butterfly for a snack, and today’s butterfly will be a lunchtime butterfly treat.

Butterfly Quesadillas

Buttefly quesadillas by creativekidsnacks.com. Super easy and so fun!

I have two daughters.  I made one quesadilla with a 8-inch tortillas, (I love to use the whole wheat or multi-grain tortilla wraps), and cut it into 4 equal portions.  Place two quesadilla “wings” on your plate.

Create the body by slicing the end off of some beautiful green grapes and laying them on your plate to look like a body.

Thinly slice a baby carrot into strips to use for antennae, and place two blueberries on top of the carrots to complete the look.

If you feel so inclined, you could even use a food marker to draw a happy face on the top grape for your butterfly.

That’s it!  Super easy and so fun for the kids.

If you enjoyed this, check out our other animal snacks, as well as our nature themed snacks.  The kids will love them!  I know mine did!

By the way, I found another blogger who has another take on the butterfly quesadillas.  Check her version out here!

(Sharing HERE)

Did you enjoy today’s snack?  Learn more about this blog here.

 


Butterfly

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When Spring starts to peek around the corner after Winter finally ends, it’s fun to embrace the feeling of new life, warmth, brightness, and outdoor fun.  Nothing says new life to me like a butterfly!  The butterfly snack we have for you today is refreshing, super healthy, and beautiful for the kids to enjoy.

Butterfly Snack made of fruit from creativekidsnacks.com

Ingredients:

1 piece string cheese.  (You can also use just half of one, sliced lengthwise).

8-10 green grapes, sliced in half

3 strawberries

1 baby carrot

Directions:

To make this guy, simply place a piece of string cheese in the center of the plate.  Next, slice your green grapes in half and lie them on the plate as the outline of the butterfly’s two wings.  Slice strawberries and fill in the outline formed by the grapes.  Next, slice two round slices from the end of a baby carrot.  Slice two thin sticks, and slice a tiny bit off each stick.  Arrange antennae as shown, place two tiny carrot bits on the string cheese for eyes.  Enjoy!

Continue the Fun with a “READ.PLAY.EAT” activity

READ.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is such a classic story book!  Just like Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?, The Very Hungry Caterpillar is an Eric Carle staple I’ll bet most of us have in our bookshelves (if not memorized) and read often.  I know it’s been a favorite for my girls.

The story is told of a caterpillar that hatches from an egg, grows, and eats and eats and eats until he is so full that he becomes big and fat.  He builds his cocoon, stays inside for more than two weeks, and becomes a beautiful butterfly.  It’s the classic metamorphosis story.

 

PLAY.

Create a “beautiful butterfly” with your child that they can play with over and over again.  Follow the simple steps shown below:

Butterfly Craft

My girls love to make these, and they only take about 5 minutes.  I love them because they aren’t messy, and they don’t involve too much skill on the parent’s part!  We have quite a collection, and my oldest daughter Grace plays with hers often.  She loves to hold the butterfly by the stick and swing him around to flap his wings.

It is also fun to make each one unique and different.  One thing we have done is make a butterfly for everyone in the family.  The kids have fun deciding which colors, patterns, and designs best reflect each person.  So fun!

 

EAT.

Make a healthy caterpillar for lunch!

Very Hungry Caterpillar: Creative Kid Snacks

Take a large strawberry and slice to create his head.  Next, create his eyes by using little bits of pineapple cut into circles and place sliced green jelly belly candies in front.  Form his body with green grapes , carrot feet, raisin mouth, and ham antennae.  He is walking on an oatmeal ground and taking in the cheddar cheese sun!

If you enjoyed this, check out our other animal snacks, as well as our nature themed snacks.  The kids will love them!  I know mine did!

(Sharing HERE)

Did you enjoy today’s snack?  Learn more about this blog here.

Hello Kitty Lunch

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Hello Kitty is a beloved character that I used to watch when I was a young girl, and who has now made a comeback.  My four year old daughter carries a bright pink Hello Kitty backpack to school with her every day.

With Hello Kitty‘s recent surge of popularity, we had a request by a Facebook friend to share some Hello Kitty inspired food.

Hello Kitty Lunch

Hello Kitty Lunch

Ingredients: 1 half bagel, 2 T whipped cream cheese, 2 blueberries, 1 slice banana, 6 thin slices apple, 1 strawberry, and 1 raspberry.

To create this easy and cute Hello Kitty, I used a half bagel spread with a thin layer of whipped cream cheese.  I cut a small section from the top to create her ears.  Next I added two blueberry eyes, a small banana nose, and thinly sliced apple whiskers.  For her bow, I sliced one strawberry in half for the two sides of the bow, and used a raspberry for the center.

That’s it.  A delicious and fun lunch with a great variety of wonderful fruit.

Here is another Hello Kitty Lunch we’ve created in the past.

hello kitty lunch

See the blog post about this Hello Kitty here.

And coming up soon I have a Hello Kitty Breakfast!  WooHoo!

(Sharing HERE)

Did you enjoy today’s snack?  Learn more about this blog here.

Porcupine

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Who doesn’t love peanut butter?  A peanut butter porcupine is even better!  Make this snack for your peanut butter-loving child and he will be delighted to dip every part of the snack into the yummy peanut butter.

My girls love to make snacks that reflect nature.  Things that they see around them every day.  Some examples of our nature snacks include Solar System, Flower Garden, Dragon Fly, and others found here.

Pocupine peanut butter dipping snack

This guy is super easy to make and the kids love dipping everything in the peanut butter.

First, spread a tablespoon or two of peanut butter in the center of the plate.

Next, give him some spikes using mini pretzel sticks.

Cut several slices of banana into circles and slice two of those circles in half to lay flat on the plate.  Now place a head and a tail on each end of his body.  Add a tiny dollop of peanut butter for his nose, and break off a small end of a pretzel stick to stick into the banana for his eye.

Finally, add some celery as the grass he’s playing in, and you are done!

When I made this snack for my girls, They loved dipping everything in the peanut butter to eat.  This snack is definitely a winner!

Pocupine peanut butter dipping snack

Make sure to check out our other nature and everyday scenes snacks!

(I’ll be sharing this HERE)

Did you enjoy today’s snack?  Learn more about this blog here.

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Copyright Note

Please feel free to use any of these ideas with your children at home, school, church, or anywhere you are inspired to make fun of lunch. If you would like to share a post on a blog or site, you may use one picture so long as you include a link to the original post. Please do not re-post the whole article or distribute printed-out content without written permission from the original author.

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