HEALTHY ST. PATTY’S TODDLER SNACKS
Published on March 11, 2020 | Last Updated on February 16, 2022
Thank you Kroger for partnering with me on this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
My groups of mom friends and I typically get together for a festive playdate before each holiday. It’s a chance for us to break up the craziness of our lives and really celebrate fun moments with our littles. We have our St. Patty’s playdate coming up and I’m tasked with bringing some healthy toddler-friendly snacks.
As you guys know, I’m all about pulling together store-bought items and I have to say, both Piper and I are pretty jazzed about how everything turned out!
I’m grateful Piper likes veggies most days but I’ve found when I present them in fun ways, she’s more excited to try them. She loves to dip just about anything so I used that as my inspiration for our snack plates!
I headed to our neighborhood Kroger to pick up all the fresh produce and garnishes to pull everything together. We live down the street from Kroger so we shop there at least a couple of times a week and I’m always so impressed with the quality of the produce and great prices.
I knew I wanted to make an all-green veggie tray and I was pleasantly surprised with all the fresh options available in store!
For the raw veggie tray, I used sugar snap peas, green peas, green cauliflower (Piper’s favorite!), mini endive leaves with a veggie cream cheese spread, and sliced cucumbers. For the dip, I flipped over the bottom of the green pepper and sliced off the base. Then I cleaned out the seeds with a spoon and poured in homemade ranch dip.
You can never go wrong with noodles when it comes to kiddos so I used my air fryer to make crispy spinach tortellini. The spinach gives the pasta a green hue and the breadcrumbs give them a nice crunch.
Crispy Spinach Tortellini
- 1 (9 oz.) package refrigerated Spinach Tortellini
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- Marinara or alfredo sauce for dipping
- Green bell peppers for sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Cook the tortellini in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and keep aside on a plate.
2) Mix together the Panko breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in a shallow bowl.
3) Dip each piece of the cooked tortellini into the beaten eggs, and then coat completely in the Panko mixture.
4) Generously grease the Air Fryer basket. Place a few crumb coated tortellini pieces in it.
5) Air fry at 350 F for 8 minutes. Repeat with the remaining pieces.
Cut off the bottom of the green bell pepper. I found the bottom has more of a clover shape than the top. Use a spoon to scrape the seeds out of the center. Trim the sides of the pepper as needed then pour in the sauce.
Rainbow Yogurt Parfait
- Vanilla Green Yogurt
- Raspberries, clementines, cubed pineapple, quartered grapes, blueberries
- Granola
- Mini marshmallows
- White chocolate chips
- Dried coconut
I find Piper will eat a variety of different foods when I present them in fun ways. I found this serving tray recently and I loved how much it looks like a rainbow! I layered a variety of fruits all cut in toddler-friendly sizes plus a few fun toppings to act as clouds and a granola pot of gold.
When you’re ready to serve, fill small bowls with a few scoops of yogurt then add all the toppings!
Portion Control
When preparing food for toddlers, it’s important to be aware of your child’s portion size. Many random foods can contain hidden sugars and carbohydrates which can cause a sudden rise in blood sugar levels
How To Store Your Leftover Food
When you cook up a big meal and there are leftovers, it can be very tempting to just cover the leftovers and put them in the fridge for the next day’s eating. However, this is not always ideal if you have a toddler at home. Make sure to teach your child how to safely store food. Also, make sure that they know how to identify when food has gone bad.
Foods That Can Be Frozen
Freezing certain foods is actually safer than others can be. Make sure to not freeze anything that contains dairy or eggs, as the freezing will cause the product to curdle and become inedible. Instead, consider freezing solid pancakes, waffles, French toast sticks/frozen bread products.
If you have a lot of meatballs or hamburgers, consider purchasing bread loaf bags and freezing them one meal at a time. You can even label the bag with a marker so that you know what’s in it!
Treats That Can Be Frozen
Frozen fruit is always an excellent treat for toddlers as they love to have a cold snack. Frozen grapes, freeze-dried fruit, and frozen yogurt bites are great treats that you can keep in the freezer for your tots!
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