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Butterfly Bites Make a Great Spring-Themed Snack

by Karla Heintz (Subscribe to Karla Heintz's posts)
Mar 10th 2010 1:00PM

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Filed under: Big Kids, Tweens, Teens, Nutrition: Health, Mealtime

With spring just around the corner, why not treat your kids to a fun, spring-themed snack that's healthy, too? Typical snacks for kids these days usually fall into the not-so-healthy "junk food and baked goods" category -- think muffins, cupcakes, crackers, chips and candy bars -- offering a big sugar rush, but zero nutritional value. Some parents may think that serving canned fruit or fruit-type bars to their kids is a healthy alternative, but even these foods are still just a lot of sugar with minimal (if any) fibre.

Here's a great snack idea from Picky? Not Me, Mom! A Parents' Guide to Children's Nutrition that is sure to win over your spring-loving little ones. And not only is it easy to prepare, but it's fun and nutritious! The vitamin-rich celery adds some veggie benefits to your child's day, and with a little bit of protein either from hummus or a natural nut butter, it is sure to satisfy a sweet tooth and keep kids away from sugary, unhealthy snacks.

Get the full recipe after the jump...




Butterfly Bites
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Makes six butterflies

3 celery legs
1 tbsp hummus (you can substitute low-fat cream cheese or natural nut butter)
6 mini-loop pretzels
3 raisins, unsulfered

  • Cut each celery leg in half (so the pieces are all about three to four inches long).
  • Cut a small sliver off each side of each part of the celery to serve as the antennae.
  • Place the hummus (or cream cheese, or nut butter) into a small Ziploc bag with the corner snipped. Pipe the spread into the grove of each celery piece.
  • Place a pair of mini pretzels together with the round ends up, into the hummus mixture. This represents the wings.
  • Cut each raisin in half and place 2 pieces on one end of each piece of celery to represent the eyes.
  • Take the small pieces of celery and insert them above the eyes to act as the antennae.

Looking for more healthy snack ideas? Try one of these simple recipes:

Karla Heintz, B.Sc., is a nutrition educator and author of Picky? Not Me, Mom! A Parents' Guide to Children's Nutrition. If you have a question you would like answered please leave it in the comment section below. Thanks!

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