The mere mention of the word party promises a string of treats that all kids look forward to, an excuse to bend the rules.
There are, however, plenty of ways to have fun without it descending into a sugar fest. It is still a party, but using the Trojan horse of chocolate, some cool shaped fruit, cocktails and dinky snacks we can still ensure a degree of balance.
The little healthy treats below are all on the list for Milo’s fourth birthday, coming up this month. The risotto takes a bit of time but I make sure we have risotto for dinner the night before (make extra) and use the left overs to make the cakes when cooled; two birds, one stone.
First, the risotto cakes…
Let’s get the big one out of the way! These are like aranchini but pressed down into little cake shapes, making them easier to fry on the pan with a bit of oil rather than deep fat frying. Follow this basic risotto recipe and just leave out the mushrooms if you prefer.
In addition to the leftover risotto you will also need:
Mozzarella cut into tiny cubes
Flour
Two eggs whisked with a splash of milk
Breadcrumbs (Panko are good)
When cooled, get the kids to help roll the leftover risotto into small balls. Use about two teaspoons of risotto for each ball, then push a tiny cube of Mozzarella into the centre.
Have three trays ready, one for flour, one for the egg mixture and one for the breadcrumbs.
Roll each ball in flour and pat down gently to make a cake, coat in egg mixture and then cover in breadcrumbs. You can prepare them this far the night before and refrigerate on a tray over night if you wish.
Instead of deep fat frying. Pour a glug of oil on a hot pan and fry the risotto cakes on either side until golden brown, drain onto a piece of kitchen paper and cool for a moment before serving to hungry party goers!
Cocktails
Who doesn’t love a cocktail! Red Iced Tea is a recipe that the lovely Yvette Van Boven of the Homemade cookbooks made when she came to make a programme with us over the summer. It’s a lovely refreshing alternative to sugary drinks.
1 red grapefruit, juiced
250mls cranberry juice
6 large strawberries
500mls of Earl Grey tea, chilled
Up to 3 tbsp honey (optional)
Pour all the ingredients into a blender and whiz, serve with lots of ice.
Magic Wands
They’re just a fancy version of the fruit sticks/kebabs we all knew as children (amazingly “the coolest things” at Jake’s last birthday) but these are really cute and even less trouble than chopping up all kinds of different fruit.
Cut the watermelon into slices about a half inch thick, remove the seeds. Use a star shaped cookie cutter to cut out stars of watermelon. Pop about 10 blueberries on a wooden skewer and finish with the watermelon star.
Banana Chocolate pops
These are great, done in minutes and look very inviting with just enough chocolate to keep them interested.
You need wooden skewers or small wooden forks, a silicone baking sheet placed on a tray that fits in the freezer, bananas and a small bit of chocolate.
Melt a little chocolate on the lowest setting of your microwave for a minute or so or by sitting a heatproof bowl over a pot of hot water for a few minutes.
Cut the bananas into circles; insert a wooden skewer or wooden fork and dip just the tip of them in chocolate.
Lay them on a silicone baking sheet and place in the freezer until about five minutes before needed.
With shops such as Tiger and Ikea around you can pick up all kinds of lovely, inexpensive and reusable decorations to make things look even more inviting.
Cliodhna Prendergast is responsible for Breaking Eggs… literally.
