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The holiday season has arrived and with it all of the class parties, neighborhood get-togethers, family outings, and celebrations. Not only that, but you can also expect a constant barrage of holiday goodies coming in the mail, on display at the store, or in commercials on television. If you’re hoping to implement a sense of nutritional balance for your kids this Christmas, here are 10 healthy Christmas treats to keep your family on track.
Making healthy treats: Ingredients and substitutions
One way to clean up your holiday recipes is to begin experimenting throughout the year, substituting and exchanging ingredients as you see fit.
“Bleached white flour has been stripped of its nutrients and it has been treated with chemicals like benzoyl peroxide and chlorine. Whole wheat flour has way more nutritional value than its white counterpart,” wrote Amanda Perlick, recipe developer for Get Healthy U.
Perlick suggested the following substitutions to help lighten up your favorite recipes:
- Substitute 3/4 cup whole wheat flour to 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Most gluten-free flours can be substituted 1:1 for all-purpose flour
- Avocado oil and applesauce can be substituted 1:1 for vegetable oil
Vegan Christmas treats everyone will love
Plant-based eaters often have a difficult time convincing loved ones that vegan versions of their favorite foods taste just as good as the meat-based originals. However, most everyone can agree that vegan sweets are good no matter what is in them. These vegan Christmas treats will please all diets and preferences.
1. Dairy Free Sugar Cookies
If you need plant-based cookies for a decorating party, these Dairy-Free Sugar Cookies are the perfect choice for those looking for allergen-friendly healthy Christmas treats.
2. Vegan Christmas Cookies
These festive Vegan Christmas Cookies use plant-based chocolate chips and dairy-free ingredients and come together quickly. Be sure to read recipes all the way through, as many require the dough to chill for several hours or overnight.
3. Vegan Sunbutter Cookies
These Vegan Sunbutter Cookies work double duty as a plant-based healthy Christmas treat and a nut-allergy-friendly option for those who cannot eat traditional peanut butter cookies.
4. Eggless Christmas Cookies
This Eggless Christmas Cookie recipe is the perfect choice when you’ve got dietary constraints to work within.
Severe egg allergies can cause anaphylaxis, skin irritation, and hives, so finding eggless recipes for the holidays is imperative if you’ve got a family with an egg allergy in your cookie exchange group. In fact, egg allergies are one of the most common types of allergies among young children.
“Products like JUSTegg and Bob’s Red Mill Egg Substitute are very easy swaps as long as you aren’t also sensitive to the ingredients in these products; soy and corn to name the top offenders,” wrote Perlick. She also suggested using ground flaxseed to make flax eggs for plant-based recipes.
Low-sugar treats for the holidays
The abundance of sugary sweetness during the winter holidays can be a shock to the system. Plus, too much of the sweet stuff can have you feeling sluggish and your kids on a sugar high; definitely not a good balance. Cut back on the sugar and calories with these healthy Christmas treats.
5. Healthy Peppermint Patties
Peppermint and chocolate go hand-in-hand at Christmas and these 4-ingredient Healthy Peppermint Patties are sweetened with honey and feature heart-healthy dark chocolate. Kids can gather around and help dip the mint discs into the melted chocolate.
6. Dye-free Sugar Cookies
Sometimes, it’s not so much the sugar but the artificial dyes in the icing that make Christmas sugar cookies off-limits for kids with sensitivities. These healthier Christmas cookies get their color from beets and spinach, but also include white beans for an extra boost of protein to cancel out the sugar content.
7. Pecan Pie
The perennial holiday favorite, pecan pie, gets a healthy do-over with this corn syrup-free version from Laura Sampson at Little House Big Alaska. The mom of two teen boys reports that, unlike in most recipes, you won’t find two cups of corn syrup in her Pecan Pie Recipe. “I was surprised that the traditional pecan pie recipes didn’t call for molasses or pure maple syrup as a corn syrup substitute,” Sampson wrote. “Nope. They called for brown sugar and just a little white sugar, and that’s it.”
Healthy treats kids can make on their own
If there’s one thing you don’t need for the holidays, it’s yet another item to add to your to-do list. These kid-friendly healthy Christmas treats are so simple that you can hand the reins over to your kids and let them create to their hearts’ content.
8. Santa Cheese Snack
Healthy Christmas treats don’t have to be sweet to be fun. A few strips of construction paper and a mini round wax cheese like Babybel make for an adorable Santa Belt Buckle Cheese Snack.
9. Grinch Fruit Kabobs
You’ll bring on the laughs when you present the supplies to make these Grinch Fruit Kabobs. Your kids will enjoy layering banana slices, green grapes, a strawberry for the Santa hat, and mini marshmallows for the pom-pom, to create an adorably grumpy healthy fruit-based snack.
10. Banana Santa Pops
A Little Pinch of Perfect blog keeps the fruit kabob theme going with these Banana Santa Christmas Treats. Pair the snack with some of the engaging educational components on the site as a tasty circle time activity.
Overall, the holidays should be a time of having fun, enjoying family and friends, honoring traditions, and making memories. Staying on task with healthy eating is important, but not at the expense of your well-being; moderation is key.
Consider an 80/20 approach when it comes to holiday goodies vs. healthy Christmas treats; encourage your child to choose nutrient-dense, whole foods 80% of the time and holiday treats 20% of the time.
