Many of you know that I have four kids. What you may not know is that I LOVE to plan birthday parties. We have had lots of themes over the years……..Barney Luau, Elmo, Pokemon, Scooby Doo, Water fun, Sports themes, Sleepovers and Craft parties to name a few. I even remember when my little guy (who is now 20) wanted a 101 Dalmatians birthday party. Unfortunately, they were not popular at the time. There was nothing available at the stores. I had to be very creative. I spent night after night coloring big spots onto plastic tablecloths with my Sharpie just to see him smile. It worked.
These parties were filled with lots of junk food. Everything was brightly colored and much of it came from boxes and bags. I had a blast being creative and overindulgent with sugar. After all, it was a party. That’s what they are for………. right?
Fast forward to now. My views on food sure have changed. I now try to avoid artificial
colors as much as I can. If you don’t know why, you can read my earlier post about artificial colors. I also prepare the bulk of my family’s meals using mostly organic ingredients. I don’t do this to be a snob about food or because I think that I am somehow better than other people. I do this because I have finally had my eyes opened to the fact that good food can provide my family with the best chance of living a long healthy life. This is extremely important to me.
My younger two children have back to back birthdays in April and May. This is both a party planners dream and nightmare come true. I love planning parties, but with working full-time and running the kids to all of their activities, things get a little crazy. This year, I had the added turmoil of what to do about the food? I still wanted the kind of party that would make my kids smile from ear to ear on their special day. As my daughter informed me, “Healthy is fun……most of the time.” This was her gentle reminder that she didn’t want me to go crazy with the healthy food at her party.
Her comment really got me thinking. I’ve given up a lot of treats (junk) that I used to eat. Little Debbie Snacks are long gone. I really don’t miss them. However, it was my choice to give them up and I already had the chance to experience them as a child. Lisa Leake at 100 Days of Real Food has a great post about this. I certainly don’t want to lay this wonderful groundwork of eating a Real Food diet for my children, only to have them rebel against me when they get older and start eating junk. I want them to have information so that they can make informed food decisions for themselves when they get older. I really don’t think this will happen if I force them to only eat what I want them to eat.
After thinking long and hard about my daughter’s birthday party, I decided to make some Real Food compromises. I figured she eats very nutritious food on a regular basis and that is more important than what she eats once in a while. I decided to go with a combination of good nutrient rich foods and typical party foods.
Pizza – We went with pizzeria pizza. Most of the kids we know like cheese pizza so we went with that. This eliminated the concern of nitrates/nitrites in pepperoni. Another option could be to make your own pizzas using homemade pizza dough, whole-wheat bagels, or tortillas.
Cupcakes – What is a birthday without a birthday cake? I liked the ideas of having cupcakes because it limits the serving size and we wouldn’t be left with a lot of leftover cake. This is a nice way to truly make the treat for that day only. I have a friend who makes cakes and cupcakes from scratch. They are still very much treats, but they are at least made with lots of old-fashioned ingredients.
Now for my healthy add-ons…………………..
I made a giant fruit salad full of lots of different fruits. I was hoping there would be something for everyone in this fruit salad. I was a little surprised that not all of the girls were willing to eat it. Most of them did eat it though so I felt good about this choice.
Monkey Bites – My kids would eat these everyday if I let her. It shouldn’t have been a surprise when my daughter asked if I would make them for her party. I often include Monkey Bites in the kids’ lunches and I later found out that they were really a request from some of the party guests who eat lunch with my daughter. They were wanting to try them since they see them so often in my daughter’s lunch box.
Bottled water to drink. Instead of serving pop, punch or those famous pouches, I decided to purchase small sized bottled waters. I was thrilled that they were a hit. I didn’t have one complaint.
Throughout the party, I saw nothing but smiles from ear to ear. That made me happy. Years from now, I hope my children will know that food is important, but it doesn’t have to rule over you. It is far more important to enjoy time spent with good friends and family than to worry about eating a few treats here or there……………as long as they remain only occasional treats.
Now it’s your turn. How do you feel about food at parties? Should we go for it, compromise, or not bend at all? What do you do? How are you teaching your kids about food and nutrition? I would love to hear from you. Your comments mean the world to me and really are a help to all of our readers. We are all on this Real Food Journey together.
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Bonnie Way says
I have Lily's third birthday coming up this week and I'm trying to figure out what to do. I think we're keeping it simple (just having some close friends over) but she wants a pink cake. Like you, I don't want to use lots of colouring, so I'm googling recipes for raspberry cakes and hoping that's pink enough for her! Thanks for the tips. I usually do lots of fruit at our birthday parties too. And thanks for linking up to the Write Mama blog hop. 🙂
Happy Birthday to Lily! Raspberry cake sounds fantastic. Let me know how it turns out. I am always looking for great ideas.
love the healthier food ideas for a kids party. its so easy to just go the junk food route, there are far better options that are sometimes cheaper. for my daughter's 1st bday i made fruit kebabs and they were a big hit!
There seems to be the general impression that kids only like junk food. Maybe some do, but certainly not all of them. Fruit kebabs sound fun and healthy. Two of my favorite things!
Great ideas for a healthier birthday party!
Thanks for sharing at Tuesdays with a Twist at Back to the Basics. Hope to see you again tomorrow!
http://back2basichealth.blogspot.com/search/label/Tuesdays%20with%20a%20Twist
Thanks for stopping by Mary. I look forward to visiting with you each week.
Great tips for a healthy and fun birthday for the kiddos!
Thanks Laura. I hope the tips are helpful for you. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you come back often.
I cannot tolerate any artificial colors, so for my last birthday my husband went to a local baker and ordered a completely white cake, and briefly explained why. When he surprised me with it I was thrilled, but concerned because it had delicate pink roses with green leaves. It turns out she had conferred with my husband and puréed fruit to make natural food coloring, which she mixed with a bit of frosting and used to line her piping bags. The result was beautiful, tasty, and very special!
Wow! What a wonderful gift. It is amazing what you can find if you only ask. If we create a large enough market for foods without artificial colors, it may become the norm. That is my dream every night. I would love to see the cake if you have pictures. Post it on my facebook page maybe? htt://www.facebook.com/jugglingrealfoodandreallife
I think cake and ice cream is a must have but that there should definitely be healthy options. We always have kid friendly snacks like fruit, crackers, and cheese available when we do parties. Your monkey bites look yummy! I think I'm going to have to make those for my little monkeys
I do oil-popped popcorn and put it into cute bags or paper cones. It looks a little more special that way and it is a decent treat. Just make sure the kernals are non-gmo or organic.