Creative Kid Snacks

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Creative Valentine’s Day Snacks for Kids

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Valentine’s Day can be such a fun day for the kids.  Why not make it even more special by showing your love to them with a creative snack or meal?  Following is some of my favorite Valentine’s Day food that you can serve all day.

6 Cute Valentines Day Snacks for the kids. Can't tell whether the oatmeal one or the apple one is my favorite!

Breakfast

Heart Warming Oatmeal

Heart Oatmeal 16 Cute Valentines Day Snacks for the kids. Can't tell whether the oatmeal one or the apple one is my favorite!

This is a fun and tasty way to start off the day.  Ever since I made this the first time, it has become a staple in our house!  Click here to see how we made it.

Valentine’s Day Pancakes

6 Cute Valentines Day Snacks for the kids. (Snack #3) Can't tell whether the oatmeal one or the apple one is my favorite!

If your child is a pancake lover, then give them a memorable pancake breakfast using heart shaped cookie cutters to make everyone in your family.  See how this breakfast was made here.

Lunch

 

The Giving Tree

Giving Tree Lunch (6 Cute Valentines Day Snacks for the kids. Can't tell whether the oatmeal one or the apple one is my favorite!)

Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to talk about real love and the ways people show it to one another.  Read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein and make this adorable lunch to go with it.  See how we made it along with some questions to get your kids talking about love here.

 

I Love You to the Moon and Back

I love you to the moon and back

Here is another book-inspired lunch.  Check out our post about the message of the story and how to make the snack that goes with it here.

Snacks

 

I Love You

i love you snack (6 Cute Valentines Day Snacks for the kids. Can't tell whether the oatmeal one or the apple one is my favorite!)

Although I’m categorizing it as a snack, this dish is filling enough to be a lunch for some kids.  With refreshing strawberries, grapes, celery, and calcium rich cheese and yogurt, this dish says I love you in more than one way.  See how to make it here.

 

Valentine’s Day Apples

6 Cute Valentines Day Snacks for the kids. Can't tell whether the oatmeal one or the apple one is my favorite!

A super fun snack the kids will go nuts over is this simple apple snack.  Use a cookie cutter to slice apples into heart shapes, add some peanut butter and some crunchy cereal – and the kids won’t be able to contain their love for you!  See all the details about this snack here.

We hope you have a great Valentine’s Day!

The Giving Tree

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The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is one of the most poingant books about the nature of sacrificial love that exist for children.  In light of Valentines Day, I thought a lunch inspired by The Giving Tree was in order.

Giving Tree 1

Creating The Giving Tree lunch

Ingredients used:

Frozen or canned peas – about 6 oz

2 oz meat (pulled pork, rotisserie chicken, lunch meat, etc)

1 strawberry

1 slice of white cheese

1 pretzel

Thaw some frozen peas or use some canned peas and heat in a small glass bowl in the microwave.  Next, take some meat – I used leftover pulled pork, which was beautiful for texture, but you could use lunch meat, rotisserie chicken, or even sandwich bread – and form the trunk.  Before placing the peas on the plate, heat the meat in the microwave, about 30 seconds.  Remove the plate, add the peas to the top, and you have a beautiful tree that looks like the Giving Tree from the story.

Next, create the little boy.  I sliced a strawberry in half and sliced into it to create the shoulder straps and shorts.  Next, I took a slice of mozzarella cheese and made his hands, legs, and head.  I added a tiny currant (small raisin) for his eye, and made his hair out of several pretzel bits.

givngtree 2

Talking about LOVE using The Giving Tree Story

The Giving Tree has lots of implications about what it means to love.  It is quite interesting to find out whether your child picks up on these themes as you read the story.  Following are some before, during, and after reading ideas.

Before reading:

Ask your child ways people can show others that they love them.  (They might give you ideas like hug, give a gift, say “I love you”, etc.)

Ask your child how they know that you love them.  What makes them feel loved?  (This will indicate your child’s “love language”)

During Reading:

After reading the lines, “and the tree was happy”, ask your child why the tree was happy.

After reading the lines, “and the tree was happy.  But not really”, as your child why the tree wasn’t really happy.

After reading:

Discuss which character in the story showed love better.  Why?

Talk about how you love your child no matter what happens.

Ask how the boy could have shown love to the tree.

Think of ways your child can show love to others today.

Giving Tree 1

Have a wonderful Valentines Day.  If you need some other ideas for this special day, check out our “Heart Warming” Oatmeal, Valentines Day Pancakes, Guess How Much I Love You?, Valentines Day Apples, and I Love You yogurt snack.

(Sharing at Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons and Sun Scholars)

Heart Warming Oatmeal

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Do your kids love oatmeal as much as mine do?  Fresh berry oatmeal or oatmeal with fruit preserves is even better, right?  Make a Valentines Day breakfast for your kids that they will love to eat!

Oatmeal is one of the best breakfasts for kids.  It keeps them full and has more protein than other grain-based breakfasts.  It’s something to feel good about feeding the kids.  What’s better, if you top it with some organic berry preserves (such as Costco brand), the kids will love you forever!

Heart Oatmeal 1

Step 1: Prepare Oatmeal and Strawberries

Cook oatmeal as directed and place into a bowl.

To create heart strawberries, slice strawberries in half from top to bottom so they lay flat.  Then, carefully slice a small “V” into the top center to look like a heart.  Use the little fruit hearts as a garnish to your dish.

Step 2: Create Jam Heart

Heart Oatmeal 2

Place several tablespoons of berry preserves into a microwavable container – preferably one from which you can pour later!  Microwave for 30 seconds.

Next, use a small heart shaped cookie cutter to help you make your heart.  Press the cookie cutter slightly into the oatmeal, then pour in your warm preserves, filling the shape.

Step 3: Remove cookie cutter and serve

Heart Oatmeal 3

Carefully pull your cookie cutter straight up from the oatmeal – leaving your beautiful heart-shaped jam in the center.

Congratulations!  You have now created a Valentines day breakfast full of flavor that the kids will love!

Take a look at our other Valetine’s Day Snacks

Valentines Day Pancakes

I love you yogurt breakfast

Guess How Much I Love You? Snack

Valentines Day Apples

 

P.S. – Also check out Super Healthy Kids’ Valentines Day Oatmeal for another great idea!

(Sharing HERE)

Valentines Day Pancakes

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Valentines Day is almost here!  How about a sweet little breakfast for your Valentine?  Make these easy Valentines Day Pancakes!

valentines day pancakes 2

To create this little plate, simply prepare two medium or one large pancake on your skillet.  Next, take your heart shaped cookie cutter and cut out as many little hearts as desired.

Next, give the hearts a little personality, which is what we do on Creative Kid Snacks!  I used chocolate chips for their eyes, and a small slice of a strawberry for their mouths.  How sweet!

As a finishing touch, I added little whipped cream polka dots around the plate for a little something special for my little Valentines.

Valentines day pancakes 1

Enjoy!  (Sharing HERE)

Check out our other Valentines Day Food.

 

Guess How Much I Love You? Snack

 

Valentines Day Apples

 

I love you yogurt breakfast

 

 

Guess How Much I Love You?

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Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney is one of my girls’ favorite books.  With a simple message about the great measure of the father and son bunny’s love for one another, it is a perfect Valentines Day read.  The story ends with the father bunny saying to the baby bunny, “I love you to the moon and back”.

Take a few minutes and read the story while snuggling with your child, then make this lunch.

howmuchlove 3

To make the rabbits, I used some turkey folded up into small squares for their faces.  I added ears using raw almonds, and used chocolate sprinkles (I know, I was lazy) for the eyes.

Next, I sliced several strawberries in half and cut a small “v” out of the center to look like a heart.  I laid them on the plate to look like they were ascending and descending from the moon.

I sliced a banana into a small crescent shape to use for the moon, and finally used some greek yogurt to create the stars, the arrow going to the moon and back, and the bottom portion of the bunnies’ faces.

Below is the super easy technique I used.

Scissor Method

I love using yogurt, especially Greek yogurt, for decorating a plate and creating a great design that would be hard to do using just food.

howmuchiloveyou 2

Of course, you can make this same snack out of anything you wish!  If you have a bunny shaped cookie cutter, you could easily make the two rabbits out of a sandwich.  You could also make the arrows using thin strips of banana if you don’t want to use the yogurt.  The moon could be made out of pineapple, cheese, or a yellow pepper.

Use your imagination!

HowmuchIloveyou 1

Check out our other Valentines Day and Love inspired snacks!  You’ll LOVE them . . .  I promise!

Valentines Day Apples

I love you breakfast

(Sharing HERE)

Valentines Day Apples

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Valentines Day is coming up!  Last year I showed you a cute way to make use of your heart shaped cookie cutter in this Valentines Day Snack.  This year, I have more cute little treats coming up for you soon, but first I’d like to show you a healthy Valentines Day snack.

Valentines Day Apples - Sweet, healthy afternoon snack for Valentines Day

Apples are perfect for cutting into hearts with the cookie cutter!

Slice an apple so that you have a surface area large enough for your cookie cutter to go through.

vday apples 3

Next, spread some peanut butter and sprinkle some Rice Krispies over each slice.  The cereal adds a little crunch.

Valentines Day Apples - Sweet, healthy afternoon snack for Valentines Day

You can serve them open faced like this, or you can put them together for a Valentines Day apple sandwich!

Valentines Day Apples - Sweet, healthy afternoon snack for Valentines Day

Stay tuned for several more Valentines Day treats to make for your little ones this year!

(Sharing HERE)

I Love You

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This Valentines Day inspired snack is plain yogurt served in a heart shaped cookie cutter with grapes, blueberries, and strawberries along with some drizzled honey over top.  The “I” is made of celery and the “u” is made of sliced up string cheese.
A sweet lunch like this is one way I show my little girl how much I love her!  
Try using one of your favorite cookie cutters to jazz up your child’s yogurt and fruit snack anytime!

Best of

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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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