Christmas Cooking with Kids

We have now reached the festive season and the team at Way of Life Nutrition could not be more excited! While we love all things Christmas, there is no doubt that Christmas cooking and Christmas treats are one of the most exciting parts of this time of year. It is a wonderful way to get kids involved in the kitchen, create fun holiday activities, and make lovely home-made presents to share with friends and family. However, a month (perhaps longer!) of Christmas treats can really add up for our little ones. So, whilst it is absolutely OK to include some Christmas treats at this time of the year, we recommend keeping these to only 2-3 times per week, such as when we are catching up with friends and family or going to a Christmas event. 

For times outside of this, we recommend choosing some healthier festive treat options for our little ones. Here are some of our favourites: 

  • Frozen yoghurt bark (instead of rocky road)
  • Bliss balls (instead of truffles) 
  • Home-made frozen yoghurt ice-blocks (instead of ice-cream)
  • Christmas trail mix (using pretzels, nuts, dried fruit, wholegrain cereals etc) instead of chocolate/lollies/chips  *age/allergy dependent 
  • Crepe stacks filled with yoghurt and fruit (instead of cakes/slices/biscuits)
  • Home-made vegetable chips (instead of store bought chips)
  • Home-made popcorn (instead of chips) *age dependent

Some other ideas to keep food in the festive theme is to:

  • Use Christmas cookie cutters to cut fruit and vegetables into different shapes (this is also a fun and exciting addition to water for kids, to replace soft drink/juice)
  • Use fruit and vegetables to make Christmas wreath/Christmas tree platters

We hope you have a wonderful and safe Christmas and enjoy your treats (in moderation!).

Written by Madelin Jeffs APD
Paediatric Dietitian

for Way of Life Nutrition
www.wayoflifenutrition.com.au

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