Quick and healthy party food ideas for children

Children love parties, and it's a fabulous opportunity to celebrate with some delicious tucker! Party food doesn’t have to be unhealthy, and healthy food doesn't need to be boring - it can be fun, colourful and super tasty! Parties are often overshadowed by junk and sweets, but we believe healthy options should be available as well!

Healthy options are also fun and easy to create with minimal fuss. The key to success with wholesome options is to present them in a fun and colourful way that will excite your little learner. At Genius, our in-house chefs often prepare healthy food to help celebrate our children’s birthdays – and our little ones love seeing what they come up with!

Let your imagination run wild and check out some of our quick and easy party food ideas below!

Homemade Sausage Rolls

Homemade sausage rolls are hands down a crowd-pleaser no matter what your age. The beauty of making them at home as opposed to store bought is that you can add in extra veggies to the mince without changing the flavour, which makes them extra nutritious! Here is our yummy sausage roll recipe.

Ingredients

500g lean beef mince
1 egg
½ cup salt-reduced tomato sauce
3 slices of bread (a little stale is fine)
2 carrots grated
1 onion finely diced
2 celery stalks chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic crushed
2 tbsp mixed herbs
4 sheets of puff pastry
Whisked egg to brush over pastry

Method

• Preheat oven to 220C/200C fan-forced. Line your baking tray with baking paper.
• Leave puff pastry on the bench to thaw. Crack an egg into a small bowl, whisk well, and set aside for later.
• Soak bread slices in water or milk. Squeeze off excess liquid before using (bread should be soft enough to break up when mixing but not wet).
• Combine mince, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, soaked bread slices and sauce in a large bowl—season with salt and pepper. Mix well and divide the mixture into 8.
• Lay a sheet of puff pastry on a chopping board. Cut the sheet in half horizontally. Spoon 1/8 of the mince mixture down along the long side of one pastry half, shaping into a long sausage shape. Brush opposite long edge with a bit of egg mixture
• Roll over the pastry to enclose the filling, finishing seam side down, and brush the top of the log with egg mixture.
• Cut into six short pieces. Place pieces seam side down into the baking tray, 2cm apart. Repeat with remaining mince mixture, pastry and egg wash.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Bliss Balls

Bliss balls are excellent for parties, little learners love finger food and something sweet, and a bliss ball fits the bill. These are a healthier version of rum balls and can be tweaked with a range of flavours to observe different allergies or tastes. These sweet treats are fun and easy to make and give that sweet hit that little ones love at a celebration. Here’s our recipe:

Ingredients

Coconut and Raisin Bliss Balls

1 cup sultanas, raisins or currants
½ rolled oats
2 tablespoons cocoa
½ cup desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons of coconut oil.

Fig and Coconut Bliss Balls

1 cup dried figs
½ rolled oats}
½ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
½ cup desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons coconut oil.

Cranberry, orange and sunflower seed Bliss Balls

1 cup dried cranberries
½ rolled oats
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons coconut oil.

Method

• Place all of your ingredients into a blender. Blend until combined to your liking, chunky or smooth.
• Roll into balls and coat with coconut or cocoa.

*Bliss balls can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Read more about being careful about allergies at preschool

Cacao and Banana Sushi

Chocolate and banana are one of those classic flavours and a match made in heaven. To tantalise the tastebuds of that little learner with a sweet tooth, try this cacao and banana sushi recipe. This recipe can be made with chocolate spreads other than cacao, but to keep things allergy friendly (nut-free) and ensure all party guests can indulge, we have chosen to use a cacao spread. The no-bake recipe is sure to be a winner with these three ingredients!

Ingredients

Banana
Cacao Spread
Tortilla Wraps

Method

• Place the tortillas on a chopping board and spread with the cacao spread.
• Peel bananas and lay them on the edge of the tortilla.
• Roll banana in a tortilla.
• Slice into equal size rounds and arrange on a plate.

Watermelon Pizza

Little ones love fruit, but the thought of fruit at a birthday might not be a hit with some. A traditional fruit platter may not be too popular - however, when you jazz up the presentation you won't see a 'slice of pizza' left at the end! For this recipe, you can dress your pizza slice with any fruit you like by glueing the fruit to the watermelon slice with some yummy natural yoghurt.

Ingredients

Triangles of watermelon (the pizza slices)
1 cup of natural (Greek) yoghurt
Strawberries
Blueberries
Grapes
Kiwi Fruit

Method

• Cut watermelon into pizza-like slices, leaving the skin on.
• Chop fruit into desired sizes and shapes.
• Top watermelon slices with a bit of yoghurt, then add your toppings. The children could even do this themselves if you’re feeling brave with mess!

Creating a colourful and abundant fruit and veggie board in other shapes like animals, vehicles and faces is the perfect way to engage and excite all your party guests!

When searching for wholesome food alternatives for parties, it can be easy to fall back on veggie sticks and dip or a fruit platter. While these are great options to excite pre-schoolers and encourage them to try healthier alternatives, we suggest using your imagination and getting creative. Children like variety, and we ensure that these recipes will keep them coming back for more!

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