What's a kid's party without great food? Half of the fun of attending the event is eating a variety of tasty foods that might not frequently be served at home. Children are much more open to different foods when they're away from home and away from parents. They may have refused to eat broccoli, for example when their mom serves it, but will go ahead and try it with a dip because the other children are eating it.
If possible, before you do any menu planning, contact the parents of each guest and inquire about any food allergies that their child has. Older children know what they're allergic to and will ask, in most cases, if there are nuts, or whatever food they're allergic to, in the ice cream or cake. Younger children will just assume that anything served to them is fine, because it is at home. It's always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to allergy triggers. Having this information in advance will make it much easier to put together the perfect menu.
Tip number one. Make sure to provide a variety of drinks, especially if the party takes place on a warm day. You don't want the children to get dehydrated, as this condition can turn out to be very serious. Children intent on playing party games forget to drink. Go a few steps beyond having cold drinks available by scheduling drink breaks into the party.
Of course, it's all right to provide a sweet beverage such as juice or soda. But drinks of this kind should be offered in moderation. They can be supplemented with things like water, sugar free lemonade, milk and lightly sweetened tea. Make water festive by freezing maraschino cherries, lemon slices or strawberry halves in ice cubes and then adding them to the drinks. Serve water with swirly straws or in brightly colored bottles. Have a contest to see who can drink their bottle of water the fastest. Label the bottles with the child's name so there aren't mix ups.
Tip two. Don't serve sloppy foods, especially if you will be entertaining younger party goers. Anything drippy or messy such as sloppy joe's, barbecue, or nachos should be avoided. Keep portions to one bite so you won't need to worry about plates or forks. Kids love raw veggies with dip. Serve each child their own portion of dip in a small paper cup to cut down on the mess and 'double dipping.' Keep menu items to things like pizza, mini hot dogs, and baby burgers for best results.
Tip number three. Bake a very small cake for 'blowing out the candles' purposes and serve cupcakes to the guests. This way you won't have to go to the trouble of cutting and serving the cake. Better yet, everyone can have an identical cupcake so there won't be any fights over who gets what. If you're serving ice cream portion it out the day before and refreeze. Or buy single cups of ice cream. Decorate the cups with whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles, or gummy candies.
Follow these kids party ideas for fun food at your party.
If you already own a food dehydrator then you're already on the road to eating healthy snacks and saving money all at the same time. If you don't own a food dehydrator you should. Food dehydrators are a great way to not only store your foods but to create good dried foods that we pay alot of money for in the stores. I want to give you my top 7 items that I love to dehydrate and inform you of why you should own one yourself.
#1.Bananas: Any time you go to the grocery store think about the cost of dried banana chips. Now think about the cost of bundle of bananas. They are not even close in price. I recently went to the store and bought bananas on sale for only 29 cents a lb. However also displayed by the bananas were a 1/3 lb. of banana chips which happened to be $3.99. Now I don't know about you but I think I'll buy my own bananas and produce my own banana chips at a fraction of the cost.
#2. Strawberries: I love fresh strawberries but I also love dried strawberries. Dried strawberries are great for topping cereal with and can be stored for quite awhile longer than fresh strawberries. I am not sure I've ever seen dried strawberries in a store before but trust me they come out nice and sweet when you dry your own.
#3. Deer Meat: I don't hunt but I have hunters in my family and every year they hunt and bring home a deer. I always end up with some of the deer so I make jerky out of it. It is absolutely delicious and has more of a wild flavor than beef. So for something more exciting I always eat the deer meat instead.
#4. Cherries: Dried cherries can be used for just about anything. You can top salads with them, cereals, cookies and even bread. I am sure they have many other uses but those are a few things that I use them for. If you have ever purchased dried cherries you know they are not cheap and the ones that are cheap may not be the best quality. So I make my own dried cherries with high quality fruit and they turn out great.
#5. Apricots: I have always loved dried apricots and they have a natural sweet flavor. Dried apricots have many uses much like cherries. One of my favorite uses is to garnish steak with them to add a sweet flavor to the meat. Apricots are not to expensive but again the tubs of dried apricots are sort of pricey. Also try these in a bowl of grape nuts to have a healthy and tasty snack.
#6. Beef: Beef jerky is wonderful especially for those of us on a high protein diet with low amounts of fat. Using lean meat can help you create a very high protein low fat snack that can be consumed daily to add the power pack of protein for a long workout. This is probably one of the most common uses for a food dehydrator but you can't beat a classic. Beef jerky is also great for the long road trips with the family and kids.
#7. Apples: I love to eat dried apples. Once they are dry add a light dusting of cinnamon to the apple pieces and you have a very good snack. They always seem to store very well to and for at least a few weeks. Apples get crunchy which can add to the uses they have. Toppings, garnishings or just by themselves apples are always one of my favorites.
Hopefully this helps give you an idea of some of the uses for a food dehydrator. Experiment a little bit and without much effort you'll come up with an idea all of your own. Some things do not dehydrate well at all and others dehydrate wonderfully. Trial and error will help you find exactly what type of dried foods you love.
Both Dee Power & Michael S. Brown Brown are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Dee Power has sinced written about articles on various topics from Credit Cards, Sales and Negotiation and Business Plan. Dee Power is the author of several nonfiction books. Free report Dee's hobbies include. Dee Power's top article generates over 450000 views. to your Favourites.
Michael S. Brown Brown has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Improvement, Cats and Pets. michael brown. Michael S. Brown Brown's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.