Healthy celebrations

Are you planning the next celebration? Whether it is a birthday, family gathering or a special day at your school or childcare service, celebrative catering is a great opportunity for you to promote healthy foods as celebration foods! Seeing healthy foods in this positive manner also helps children develop positive attitudes towards healthy foods.

Here are some quick and easy healthy celebration food ideas to get you started:

• Vegetable dippers with delicious dips – carrot, celery, cucumber, capsicum and broccoli sticks with hummus, tzatziki, carrot and chickpea dips (See the ACTNSS website for recipes www.actnss.org/recipes).
• Fruit dippers with delicious dips –fruit skewers using paddle pop sticks paired with a creamy fruit dip such as pineapple and yoghurt or whipped ricotta and blended berries.
• Fruit toast fingers
• Sandwich sushi – simply flatten bread with a rolling pin, add filling and roll. Cut into 3 rounds. Try cream cheese and carrot, tuna and avocado or cucumber and creamed corn.
• Bruschetta – chopped tomato & basil on toasted French sticks.
• Mini corn cobs
• Mixed platters – whole grain crackers, cheese pieces (use a cookie cutter to make them fun) and vegetables (time to get out the vegetable spiralizer).
• Pita crisps wholegrain rice crackers and/or rice cakes, multigrain crispbreads – served with hummus, beetroot or carrot and chickpea dip.

If you have some time to prepare, check out these ACT Nutrition Support Service recipes which are sure to please everybody:

• Mini meat balls
• Chicken bites
• Pikelets
• Healthy sausage rolls
• Vegetable fritters
• Chicken nuggets
• Mini pizzas