Healthy (and Delicious) Alternatives to Traditional Birthday Party Food

While popular traditional birthday foods, such as BBQ chicken wings and fried curry puffs, are on the list of favourites for kids, as a parent you’d probably prefer your child to be eating more healthful foods, even if it’s for a party. Fortunately, there are plenty of delicious celebration foods for kids that are also healthy and nutritionally rich.

1. Passionfruit cups

Fruit always makes a great snack for kids, and their bright colours make them outstanding choices for parties. Colourful and filled with flavour, passionfruit cups are easy to make. To make, cut the passionfruit in half and scoop out the seeds. Chop up a fruit salad of four or five different types of fruit. Mix the fruit pieces with the passionfruit seeds and fill the passionfruit cups with the fruit salad mixture to serve.

2. Baked chicken nuggets

Kids love chicken nuggets, but as they’re deep fried, they’re not always the best option if you’re looking for something healthful. You can make them more healthful if you lightly pan fry some floured chicken breast pieces before baking them. For extra flavour, toss them with some minced garlic and allow to marinate for 30 minutes before pan frying.

3. Healthful pizzas

Pizza is another popular food with Singaporean kids, but traditional pizzas tend to be greasy and heavy. You can make healthy pizzas by using cream cheese and topping with tasty yet light toppings such as lean mince, beans, and vegetables, before topping with a thin layer of mozzarella. You can also change up the traditional pizza by making a beautiful rainbow cheese-free pizza, that features circles of chopped roast vegetables in contrasting colours.

4. Make-it-yourself stations

Make-it-yourself stations appeal to kids because they can pick and choose their own toppings and fillings. For a birthday party, why not set up savoury and sweet make-it-yourself stations with tacos or pizza and pancakes? Fill self-serve platters with vegetables and meats for the tacos or pizza, and fruit, yoghurt, nuts, and maple syrup for the pancakes.

Provide tasty toppings and sauces such as ranch sauce and chocolate sauce that the kids can add themselves. Chopped nuts, seeds, and cacao nibs also make healthful toppings for both sweet and savoury make-it-yourself dishes.

5. Frozen pops

Easy and quick to make, frozen pops make wonderful desserts or snacks for parties. Fill ice pop moulds with layers of yoghurt, berries and other fruits, and fruit juice or slushies. Use contrasting colours with each layer you add to make colourful and delicious-looking ice pops. Blended melons, grapes, and bananas would make great layers in your frozen pop. You can also use almond or soy milk, or any other non-dairy milk for a healthful pop.

6. Kid’s club sandwiches

Club sandwiches are a popular meal for adults in Singapore, and the kid’s version is not only easy to make, but fairly healthy. For a birthday party, these layered sandwiches look great and are easy to serve and eat.

To prepare, use layers of bacon, cream cheese or other soft cheese of your choice, tomato, lettuce, cucumber, shredded carrot, and wholemeal bread. For a healthier sandwich, use lean poultry, rather than bacon. Cut into triangles and use toothpicks to hold the layers in place. Serve with baked shoestring sweet potato fries.

7. Baked meatballs

Kids love meatballs, which are a great party food that’s easy to serve at birthday celebrations. For a healthful version, use lean mince of your choice, load with finely chopped ‘hidden’ vegetables, and serve with a selection of appetising sauces. The kids won’t taste the vegetables if you chop them into fine pieces.

8. Chocolate-covered fruit pops

Chocolate-covered fruit pops make delicious treats for birthday parties, and they’re quick and easy to prepare. Start by skewering pieces of fruit – use anything from bananas and apples to grapes and oranges – and dip in melted chocolate. Sprinkle the skewers with chopped nuts and seeds before the chocolate hardens. Dark chocolate is a great choice because it’s lower in sugar.

9. Dips and crudites

Dips are fun party foods that are popular with kids of all ages, and they’re a refreshing, healthful snack for hot days. Prepare a big platter of dips and serve with crudites, toasted wholemeal flatbread, and/or crackers. Healthful dips include nut butters, hummus, bean-based dips, guacamole, and tomato salsa. For the crudites, you can use everything from carrots and celery to bell peppers and cucumbers.

10. Healthful popcorn

Instead of butter-drenched popcorn with lots of salt or sugar added into the mix, make a big batch of healthier popcorn. Get creative and make some low-salt popcorn that’s flavoured with cayenne pepper, or make some brown-sugar popcorn lollipops for a healthier version. Spiced smoky, maple-cashew, parmesan and parsley, and vanilla and cinnamon sugar are some of the other healthier popcorn ideas to consider.

11. Healthier party drinks

No birthday party is complete without drinks. Instead of serving sugar-laden fizzy drinks, make your own homemade lemonade, fruit juice, or ice tea for more healthful versions. Make a lightly sweetened ice tea by adding lemon and maple syrup. Blended watermelon and freshly squeezed oranges make delicious, refreshing juices for kids. Alternatively, make a sparkling pink lemonade by combining lemon juice, cranberry juice, sparkling water, and sweetener of your choice.

Junk food substitutes for birthday parties

Coming up with some healthier options for your child’s birthday party doesn’t have to be difficult. By getting a little creative, you can host a fun-filled birthday party that features a healthful and delicious menu.

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