Just the thought of children's birthday parties makes some parents cringe, as visions of sugar-hyped kids bouncing off the walls fills their heads. With a little planning, though, you can have a party where kids actually consume a well-balanced, nutritious meal and have fun at the same time. The key lies in offering a range of choices, and getting kids involved in some of the food preparation themselves.
Step 1
Set up a make-your-own mini-pizza station. While most frozen or takeout pizza is loaded with fat, the American Heart Association recommends a kid-friendly, healthy alternative made with whole wheat pita bread topped with prepared pizza sauce, part-skim mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, and fresh vegetables such as mushrooms, onions and green and red bell peppers. You may also include some strips of cooked chicken breast or thin-sliced beef for kids.
Have the children assemble their own pizzas. This is not only a fun party activity, but allows them to customize to suit their own tastes and requirements. After the pizzas are assembled, bake them in a 400 degree for about eight to nine minutes, or until the cheese melts and becomes bubbly.
These pizzas are part of a well-balanced diet; they include grains from the whole wheat pitas, vegetables from the pizza sauce and toppings, dairy from the cheese, and protein from the meat, as recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food guide pyramid.
Step 2
Offer healthy snacks for kids to nibble on while the pizzas are cooking. Set out a tray of baby carrots with small bowls of hummus and low-fat ranch dressing for dipping. For kids who prefer fruit, offer apple slices with a small bowl of peanut butter and a knife for spreading, or strawberries with low-fat vanilla yogurt.
These snacks feature fruit and vegetables, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends children consume at least five servings per day. While the low-fat ranch dressing is more of a flavor enhancer than anything else, the peanut butter provides protein, and the yogurt provides calcium.
Step 3
Provide low-fat milk in individual bottles or cartons as a beverage. Milk is a great alternative to soda as a party beverage. It provides calcium, is a good source of protein and supplies a number of other essential nutrients, including vitamins A, B12 and D, potassium, phosphorus, riboflavin, zinc, niacin and magnesium.
Although white milk is the best choice, if that seems insufficiently festive for a party, the Centers for Disease Control say that flavored milks do deliver the same nutrients, and have far fewer calories and much less sugar than sodas and most types of fruit juice.
Step 4
Serve cupcakes instead of one large birthday cake. While one small cupcake has only about 150 calories, a slice of frosted cake is about 450 calories, or the equivalent of three cupcakes. When it comes to ice cream, choose the prepacked three-ounce ice cream sundae cups for a controlled 120-calorie portion. Ice cream does provide calcium, but it's offset by a high fat and sugar content. A small portion of both cake and ice cream is okay as a birthday treat, but it is key to save these treats until after kids have filled up on the healthy stuff, and to provide the sugary snacks only in moderation.
Things You'll Need
- Pita bread
- Pizza sauce
- Part skim mozzarella
- Parmesan cheese
- Sliced onions, mushrooms, green or red peppers
- Hummus
- Baby carrots
- Lowfat ranch dressing
- Apple slices
- Peanut butter
- Milk
- Juice
- Cupcakes
- Ice cream cups
