5 Plant-Based Recipes for Kids
During this time of staying home to keep ourselves and our families safe, many of us are in the kitchen now more than ever. For those at home with kids, you are likely looking for ways to entertain and educate your kids and fill the days! Cooking and making food is a great activity to include kids in. Not only is the end result delicious, but along the way it’s the perfect opportunity to talk to your kids about ingredients, colors, practice counting and develop culinary skills.
Every week I receive messages on Instagram asking for meal or snack ideas for toddlers and children. As a mama of 2, our days revolve around food and snacks! So today I’m sharing easy, nutritious plant-based recipe ideas for kids. These are some of my daughter’s favorite – and I love them too!
For today’s blog post, I’ve partnered with Sunsweet to bring you 5 Plant-Based Snacks for kids that are so easy to make . All of my recipe ideas below include one of my favorite dried fruits – prunes! These recipes are designed for kids, but are also delicious for parents!
Why Prunes?
Prunes contain many nutrients that are important for maintaining ones’ overall health, including vitamin K, which supports bone health and calcium balance within the body. In addition to being a great snack for bone health, prunes contain 3 grams of fiber per serving, which can help contribute to regular digestive health. Prunes are also lower in sugar compared to other dried fruits and have a glycemic index of 29. This means that prunes are digested slowly providing the body with a slow and steady source of energy!
5 Plant-Based Snack Recipes
Prune Pretzel Trail-Mix
I love making DIY trail-mix for myself and my daughter. When making trail-mix you can get creative and add any ingredients that you love! I recommend at least one serving of nuts or seeds for protein and fat, these are two nutrients that help balance blood sugar levels and help us feel full. An energizing & fiber packed carbohydrate such a dried fruit also adds natural sweetness! We love prunes – they are full of vitamins and minerals and are naturally sweet and so delicious!
Prune Pretzel Trail Mix
Print RecipeIngredients
- 4 Sunsweet D’Noir Prunes
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup pecans
- 8 pretzels
Instructions
- Start by dicing prunes into quarters. I love to roll the prunes into mini balls. Add prunes and all ingredients into a small container, shake or mix together and enjoy!
Yogurt Covered Prune Bites
These yogurt covered prune bites are so fun to make and eat. They are also a great snack to have your kids help you make! Yogurt adds a boost of protein and probiotics while prunes have potassium! Potassium is an important mineral that supports heart and kidney health.
Yogurt Covered Prune Bites
Print RecipeIngredients
- 20 Sunsweet D’Noir Prunes
- 1 cup of unsweetened yogurt of choice
Instructions
- Start by dicing prunes into quarters. Then, I love to roll the prunes into mini balls. In a small bowl add your yogurt of choice, dip prunes into yogurt and thoroughly coat with yogurt using either clean fingers or a spoon. You may need more yogurt depending on the type and brand of yogurt you use. Some yogurts are thick, such as a Greek yogurt,and some are thin,which may require more yogurt to fully coat each prune. Feel free to use as much or as little yogurt as you desire! Place on a silicone lined baking sheet and place in the freezer to setand form coatingfor at least 4 hours. Keep stored in the freezer until ready to enjoy.
Teddy Bear Toast!
This toast is almost too cute to eat! My daughter loves teddy bear toast. While at home we love all types of nut and seed butters, when it comes to school, sunflower seed butter is a school-safe choice being that most schools do not allow peanut butter. Sunflower seed butter contains protein & healthy fats, bananas are rich in potassium and prunes contain manganese, iron and antioxidants!
Teddy Bear Toast
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 slices of bread
- 1 tablespoon sunflower seed butter or nut / seed butter of choice
- 3 slices of banana
- 1 Sunsweet D’Noir Prune
Instructions
- Toast bread and then add on a spread of sunflower seed butter. I recommend making one larger circle for the teddy bear face and two small circles of sunflower seed butter for the ears. Place 2 slices of banana for the ears and one for the nose. Dice one prune into thirds and with clean hands, roll into balls. Place prunes for eyes and one prune on top of the center banana for the nose. Enjoy!
Apple Sandwiches
This snack can be made in just a few minutes! It’s the ultimate healthy fast food that is packed with nutrition and flavor. The apple rounds act as the “bread” for your sandwich and the prunes are a fiber packed alternative to jam or jelly! I love sunflower seed butter because it’s school-safe, contains iron, zinc, vitamin E and the same amount of protein compared to leading brands of peanut and tree nut spreads.
Apple Sandwiches
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 apple
- 8 Sunsweet D’Noir Prunes
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds butter or nut / seed butter of choice
Instructions
- Slice an apple into circles. Spread a layer of sunflower seed butter on half of the apple rounds. Then add 2 prunes to each sandwich. Top with remaining apple rounds to make a sandwich.
Almond Prune Energy Bars
I love making a batch of DIY bars or bites on Sundays. Snack bars are great to toss in a lunchbox or enjoy as an afternoon snack! These Almond Prune Energy Bars I’ve shared on the blog before are made with 7 simple ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen pantry!
I Can’t Wait to See Your Creations!
If you make any of these recipes, share them with me on Instagram by tagging @HealthyGroceryGirl!
Disclosure: This blog post is sponsored by Sunweet
