Healthy Desserts for Kids

Everyone seemed to really enjoy my Healthy Snacks for Kids post a few weeks ago, so I thought I’d do a little follow-up with desserts. I think many people try to avoid desserts at all costs, but they can be a seriously satisfying and nutritious follow-up to any meal. Desserts do not have to mean weight gain. The trick is to keep the portions smaller for all your meals…especially when preparing foods for children.

As usual, leave me a comment if you have dessert ideas to share. I love hearing from all of you! Please note: These snacks are solid foods, not designed for babies.

Chocolate-Dipped Apple Slices
Melt some high-quality dark chocolate in a pot on the stove. Melt the chocolate slowly over low heat to avoid burning. Meanwhile, cut up fresh slices of of apple and dip half of each slice in the chocolate. Arrange slices on wax paper and chill in the refrigerator or freezer until the chocolate hardens. Serve a couple slices each for a light and sweet dessert! For variety, experiment with other fruits such as bananas or pears. I love apples because they are crispy and full of fiber.

Fruit Crisp
Pick 3-4 fresh fruits and cut them up into bite-sized pieces. Mix them together and place in the bottom of a casserole dish. Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup on top of the fruit and add a dash cinnamon and/or vanilla extract on top. Stir up the fruit mixture to coat all the fruits with the syrup. Mix up a cup of old-fashioned oats and 1/2 cup walnuts or almonds in a bowl with 1-2 tbsp. maple syrup or honey.  Cover the fruit with the oat/nut mixture, and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Cover the crisp with foil for the majority of the cooking time. Uncover at the end to make the oats and nuts crispy. Serve warm in small bowls.

Chocolate Banana Milkshake
Mix up my chocolate banana milkshake recipe and split into smaller portions for a satisfying dessert. This one is dairy free, but seriously yummy. Add more ice cubes to make a thicker consistency.

Coconut Macaroons
Coconut macaroons are recently one of my favorite sweet treats. Coconut is great for keeping your skin healthy and is also healing for your digestive system. If you want to bake macaroons on your own, try out this healthy recipe from Cynthia Lair (video included). If you want to buy them ready-made, I personally recommend the raw chocolate coconut macaroons from One Lucky Duck. They are a perfect small portion size for kids.

Sorbet
You can find frozen fruit sorbets in the freezer section of your grocery store. You’ll want to look for all natural brands without tons of added sugars or preservatives in the list of ingredients. A small scoop in a bowl is a satisfying dessert when the weather is warm. Want to make your own? Try this mango blueberry sorbet recipe.