Given the abundance of ads about and the accessibility of junk foods, it’s not surprising for kids to choose these unhealthy snacks over an apple or a banana. Hence, you must make an effort to make fruits more appealing to your children. Below are some recipes which can make kids choose fresh fruits over unhealthy snacks.
Rainbow Fruit Skewers
These colourful fruit skewers are definitely going to get your children’s attention. Composed of raspberries, blueberries and grapes, these are also packed with vitamins and minerals! Make it with your kids to get them even more excited about eating these —-
Ingredients: 10 green grapes, 10 red grapes, 20 blueberries, 10 hulled strawberries, 10 peeled kiwi chunks, 10 peeled mango cubes, 10 tangerine segments, 10 peeled pineapple chunks, 10 wooden skewers
Procedure: Lay out your fruits in neat columns following this order: from top to bottom, 1 raspberry, 1 hulled strawberry, 1 tangerine segment, 1 mango cube, 1 pineapple chunk, 1 kiwi chunk, 1 green grape, 1 red grape and 2 blueberries. Get one wooden skewer. Then, skewer the fruits through the sharp end. Start with the fruits at the bottom of the column and work your way up.
Notes:
- This recipe makes 10 servings.
- Your children may not like all the fruits in this recipe. As an alternative, instead of using all the fruits, ask them to choose four or five fruits they want on their skewer.
Fruit Pizza
Without a doubt, most kids have no trouble gobbling up a slice of pizza or two. How about using fruits as toppings to make it healthier? Plus, you don’t have to bake to make this pizza!
Ingredients: Fresh fruits (sliced into small pieces) such as kiwis, apples, bananas, raspberries and grapes, 1 wheat tortilla (with an 8-inch diameter), non-fat Greek yogurt, sliced almonds, granola
Procedure: The tortilla will serve as the crust and the yogurt will be the sauce. Spread some yogurt into the tortilla. Then, arrange the fruits on top of the tortilla. Sprinkle some almonds and granola. Cut into wedges and serve.
Notes:
- Instead of cutting it into wedges, you could cut the tortilla into small circles to make mini-pizzas.
- If you love baking, you can make a sugar cookie and use it as your crust.
- Fruit jelly, jam, peanut butter and cream cheese may also be used for the “sauce”.
Fruit Tarts
If your child has a sweet tooth, he/she won’t be able to resist this fruit tart recipe! You could even ask him/her to pick and arrange the toppings on his/her tart.
Ingredients: For the toppings – 100g strawberries and 100g blueberries; For the pastry – 2 eggs (whole egg and 1 egg yolk), 1 egg (yolk only and beaten), 125g unsalted butter, 350g plain flour, 125g granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon salt; For the pastry cream – 6 eggs (yolks only), 500ml whole milk, 2 vanilla pods, 50g plain flour, 120g sugar, 4 tablespoons kirsch
Procedure: Make the pastry: In a mixing bowl, stir flour, sugar and salt together. Then, add the butter and mix for about 5 minutes. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk and add to the mixture. Mix using a spatula until the dough comes together. Gather the dough into a ball and place it on your work surface (make sure the surface is lightly floured). Knead until the dough becomes soft and smooth. Then, shape it into a square and tightly wrap it in a plastic. Refrigerate for an hour or overnight (for best results). Lightly grease and flour 12 tart pans (12x8cm/3 in). Remove the dough from the fridge. Place it on your lightly floured work surface. Roll out pastry (about 2-3mm thick) and line the tart pans. Make sure you gently push the dough into the bottom and against the side of pan. Cut off excess dough. Using a fork. Prick the bottom and sides of the dough. Then, place the tart pans in the freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Take the pans out of the freezer. Place them in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and brush with beaten egg yolk. Bake for another 8 minutes or until golden brown. Let them cool for 10-15 minutes then, lift them out of the pans onto a rack.
Make the pastry cream: Pour milk in a large sauce pan. Add the vanilla seeds and pods. Heat the milk until bubbles begin to form at the edges. In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and flour until the mixture’s colour becomes pale. Gradually pour hot milk into the mixture while whisking. Then, transfer the contents of the bowl into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat. Constantly whisk the mixture for 5 minutes or until it thickens. Pour the mixture into a bowl. To prevent skin from forming, place a greaseproof circular paper on top of it. Add kirsch once the crème is cold.
Make the fruit tarts: Fill the tart shells with pasty cream, about ¾ full. Top each tart shells with strawberries and/or blueberries.
Notes:
- If you are pressed for time, you may purchase ready-made tart shells.
- Other fruits you may use are raspberries, kiwis, peaches and nectarines.
- You may glaze the tarts with jam and/or garnish it with nuts.
To ensure that these fruit recipes for kids turn out delectable, only use fresh fruits! If you need fruits like blueberries, raspberries, kiwis, peaches and nectarines, call us at 01 4624811!
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Photo by mazaletel 