Healthy eating along with a healthy lifestyle are important to leading a happy, healthy, active life. Let’s face it, we really are what we eat. Naturally as a parent we want to feed our kids healthy food but sometimes we experience push back from kids that won’t eat their veggies or we may just run out of ideas. Well, here to help you with the later problem is a new book from health guru, Lee Holmes, called Supercharged Food for Kids. If you are looking for wholesome, nutrient-rich meals and fun healthy snacks kids will actually eat, there are plenty of fantastic ideas in this book. I will give you a brief run-down on the book and then share a fun healthy snack recipe from the book that just may make you want to play with your food and eat it!
Supercharged Fun Snacks
The book is all about “Building stronger, healthier, brighter kids from the ground up”. It is divided into two parts. The first part is full of resources to help kids establish positive eating habits. You will find plenty of information on your child’s nutrient needs and food allergies and intolerances. You will also get great tips for removing sugar and additives from your child’s diet and packing and presenting a creative lunchbox.
The second part of the book is packed with supercharged food recipes. From shakes and drinks, to breakfasts, lunchbox ideas, and healthy meals, you will find plenty of meal solutions that your kids will love to eat and that will deliver the nutrients needed to help sustain their energy levels, keep their mood up, concentrate and perform at their best. Plus, she had plenty of fun healthy snacks kids will enjoy and that will help transform fussy eaters into healthy eaters. The book is available at your local book retailer or through my affiliate link at Amazon.
Sometimes, It Is OK To Play With Your Food
Little hands will love these little hands healthy snack options if they can play with them. Playing with food can be surprisingly beneficial, especially for children. Here are some of the main benefits:
- Sensory Development: Exploring textures, colors, and smells helps kids develop sensory awareness, which is essential for brain development.
- Fine Motor Skills: Squishing, pinching, and pouring food helps improve fine motor skills, coordination, and hand strength.
- Food Exploration: Playing with food can reduce picky eating by making kids more comfortable with different types of food, encouraging curiosity rather than resistance.
- Creativity and Imagination: Using food to build, make patterns, or create art allows children to exercise their creativity in a playful and low-stress way.
- Early Science Concepts: Food play often involves experimentation, such as mixing colors or observing changes when food is squished or mixed with water, introducing basic scientific concepts.
Some fun, healthy snacks kids will love because they can play with them! Children of all ages enjoy engaging with their food. If fun presentation helps get kiddos to try new foods and adopt positive eating habits, it is worth a shot! Add creative fun foods to the snack rotation and watch for their smiles and giggles. It will be worth the extra effort once in a while!
The following recipe was excerpted with permission from Supercharged Food for Kids (Murdoch Books / August 7, 2018).
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VEGIE NOUGHTS AND CROSSES (British English or as we would say in the USA , Veggie Tic Tac Toe)
SERVES 2
2 slices brown rice or buckwheat bread
1 slice sourdough bread
2 teaspoons Hummus the hero (below)
2 teaspoons Cucumber and yoghurt dip (below)
1 celery stalk
4 thin slices carrot
Cut five 4 cm (1 1 2 inch) squares from the brown rice bread and four 4 cm (1 1 2 inch) squares from the sourdough and set aside. Spread the sourdough squares with hummus and the brown rice bread squares with yoghurt dip.
On a large platter or tray, arrange the bread squares to form a checkerboard pattern with the brown rice bread in the corners and centre. Cut ten 5 cm (2 inch) long thin pieces from the celery stalk to make crosses and place on the brown rice squares, then place the carrot slices on the sourdough squares to make noughts.
More fun snacks ideas for kids
These fun snacks kids will love are perfect for after school snacks and you just may want to join in on the veggie tic tac toe fun with your kids. These fun, healthy snacks could be prepared with store bought dip but for extra supercharged goodness, the dip recipes are included in the book and reprinted with permission below. Dips are fun because they add an interactive and hands-on element to eating. Let’s face it, dips are great for making snack time more fun! For picky eaters, dips can be a great way to make unfamiliar foods more appealing, as the dip can add a familiar flavor or texture.
CUCUMBER AND YOGHURT DIP
WF GF SF NF
MAKES 375 ML (13 FL OZ/1 1 2 CUPS)
- 1 medium Lebanese (short) cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthways, seeds removed
- 260 g (9 1 4 oz/1 cup) plain full-fat yoghurt
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- large handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
- Celtic sea salt, to taste
Grate the cucumber using the large-holed side of a grater. Transfer to a sieve and squeeze the liquid out with your hands. Combine with the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and stir well.
HUMMUS THE HERO
WF DF GF SF VG NF
MAKES ABOUT 220 G (7 3 4 OZ/1 CUP)
- 400 g (14 oz) tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 60 ml (2 fl oz/ 1 4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
Whizz all the ingredients together in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Serve with vegies, 4 pm Pick-up bicks (page 78), or rice or gluten-free crackers.
Conclusion
Fun snacks are more than just tasty treats—they add value to mealtime by making eating an enjoyable, engaging experience for kids and adults alike. Snacks that are interactive, colorful, or hands-on help foster creativity, encourage exploration of new flavors, and promote fine motor development, especially for children. They also provide a unique opportunity for social interaction, bringing people together around food in a relaxed, playful way. Ultimately, fun snacks support a positive relationship with food, making healthy eating habits feel less like a chore and more like a joyful activity.
I hope you enjoy these fun snacks to make and play with. I hope you enjoyed these fun, healthy snacks kids will love. You can get the book for more great recipes!
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Fun lunch ideas for kids- creative presentation!
Stacy B says
Saw this great TED talk that relates a bit! Anyway, we love playful and fun food ideas that can add creativity to your meals or snacks. Our favorite is DIY Pizza Faces where kids use pita bread or mini pizza bases as a canvas. I provide various toppings (pepperoni, olives, bell peppers, cheese) for my kids to create their own pizza faces. They love it!