Nutritious Children’s Party Recipes
Homemade Multigrain Gluten-Free Nut Butter Sandwiches with Homemade Fig Preserves
This recipe is perfect for feeding a group of toddlers or young children. It makes 14 small nut butter sandwiches, with enough fig preserves for two galettes and one pint of fig preserves, plus a little extra for eating (about one cup). That means it’s a wonderful recipe to help feed a large family for a week while also providing enough for a group or party of kids. If adults are attending the party and you want to provide a unique yet simple pastry with minimal additional work or ingredients, make two 8–10-inch galettes using the remaining fig preserves (with a pint and a cup left for you). The fig preserves last two weeks in the fridge, without canning, although when I am making this recipe I like to can the one pint, which is an easy endeavor. The galettes store well in the fridge and can be made 4 days ahead of time.
For children older than ten, budget two sandwiches per child. Although making a large number of sandwiches from homemade ingredients—plus some sides—may seem complex, nothing could be easier. The main time commitment is cleaning and cutting the kilo (2.2 pounds) of figs and mixing the bread dough, which takes about one hour total. Slicing and assembling the sandwiches, cooking the broccoli, and cutting the apples adds another 30–40 minutes.
This meal provides a wide variety of nutrients and is far more nutritious than typical party foods like hamburgers or tacos. When feeding children, it’s important to consider all the nutrient classes they need. Healthy proteins come from the nut butter as well as the grain, bean flours, and seeds in the bread. The figs and flaxseeds provide soluble and insoluble fiber, while the nut butter and seeds offer healthy fats and essential minerals, including omega-3 fatty acids, monounsaturated fats, and beneficial polyunsaturated fats.Of course, broccoli provides calcium, and apples contribute vital phytochemicals like quercetin and malic acid, along with vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.
Jelly from the store could be gluten-free, or it could not be. You have to look for the ingredients to see if flour (wheat flour) was added. Generally it is gluten-free, but this does not mean it is a healthy option for your gluten-free child. The most concerning facet of store bought jellies or jams is the preservatives, colors, artificial flavors, and high levels of sugar. The levels of sugar are so high in fact, that what was once a nutritious food made by our great grandmothers–large quantities of fresh fruit cooked down with a small amount of sweetness boosting sugar or molasses—is now a food that only adds chemicals and excess added sugars. Avoid this by spending 30-40 minutes making these fig preserves. You could easily can the whole batch and have enough preserves for the month. Additionally, the taste of a real fruit preserve is extraordinary.
Fig Preserve and Filling
Use all honey to make it sugar-free, or if you’re low on honey, use a combination of honey and sugar—whatever is more accessible to you. For me, it depends on what’s in the house, because for such a large volume of figs, this is a very small amount of sugar compared to most preserve recipes, which would typically have at least three full cups of sugar for this amount of fruit. On reason I use tapioca flour is because it allows me to use less sugar–the ingredient that reacts with pectin in fruit and thickens the preserves. Tapioca flour also allows me to cook the mixture for a shorter period of time, preserving nutrients and increasing the yield of the recipe.
I believe sugar and honey should enhance the natural sweetness of fruits. Some fruits are less sweet, and I like their tanginess or acidity to shine through. Even children enjoy a variety of flavors, and the addition of large quantities of sugar stems from eras when women were trying to ensure their families got enough calories to grow and thrive, often relying on simple pantry staples. Then industrial food production came along and started adding excessive amounts of sugar to foods to make them addictive and drive repeat sales.
This recipe is excellent for making large batches of nut butter and preserve filling—perfect for birthday parties or gatherings!
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Sugar-Free Fig Preserve
Equipment
- 1 Large Pot
- 1 knife
- 1 large wooden spoon
- 1 Tablespoon
Ingredients
- 1 kilo fresh figs 2.2 lbs
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/3 cup honey or 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/8 cup tapioca flour
Instructions
- Clean, destem, and slice figs into halves or thirds, depending on size.
- Add them to a large pot with 1/2 cup of water, the honey, sugar, and cinnamon stick.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat, covered.
- Uncover and simmer for 35–50 minutes until slightly reduced. The goal is to have it about 30% closer to the final consistency you desire.
- The mixture will thicken further with the tapioca flour and again as it cools and liquid evaporates.
- Dissolve the tapioca flour in a bit of water (2 tablespoons or less), and temper it with the hot liquid before pouring it into the pot.
- Simmer for 8-12 minutes. It will continue to thicken off the heat.
- I like to leave it uncovered for at least four hours, or (shhh…) overnight in cool weather outside the fridge, to allow it to thicken further. Then, I chill it immediately.
- You can also use it right away. If you’re using it as a filling, such as for a fig galette, let it cool first.
Notes
Instructions for assembling all the food, including broccoli and apples.
Wash the apples in a jar of baking soda and vinegar for 15 minutes. Use filtered water if yours is not potable. Bring a pot of filtered water to boil. Cut the florets off the top of the broccoli, then thinly slice the stem. Use 2-3 bunches. I suggest a minimum of two bunches for 14 children 4-5 years of age. Budget 2 florets per child. Some children will eat one, and some will want 3. Budget 3/4 an apple per child plus 1 additional apple per 6-7 children to account for adults or longer parties. There is always a child who can polish off 2 apples in 3 hours, and one child who will only eat a slice.
Double Recipe Seed Bread
If you are going ahead with the kids party plan, here is a link to a double recipe of seed bread, that is dairy free, and is made from a pantry stocked replete with seed options.
Nutrition Facts for Full Meal: 1 Almond Butter Sandwich, 1/4 c broccoli, 1/2 apple
Nutrition Facts
Note that the %DV are for adults, kids values are in the image below.
vegan peanut butter and jelly bars
| Vitamin D 0.1 µg | 1 % |
|---|---|
| Calcium 138.1 mg | 14 % |
| Iron 4.3 mg | 24 % |
| Potassium 438.8 mg | 9 % |
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Nutrition for Fig Preserves:
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1/8 c or 2 Tablespoons
| Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 42 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 0.1 g | 0 % | |
| Saturated Fat 0 g | 0 % | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | ||
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0 % | |
| Sodium 0.7 mg | 0 % | |
| Total Carbohydrate 11 g | 4 % | |
| Dietary Fiber 0.8 g | 3 % | |
| Total Sugars 9.9 g | ||
| Includes 5.8 g Added Sugars | ||
| Protein 0.2 g | 0 % | |
| Vitamin D 0 µg | 0 % |
|---|---|
| Calcium 9.9 mg | 1 % |
| Iron 0.1 mg | 1 % |
| Potassium 62.1 mg | 1 % |
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Fat
0.1 g
0 %
Saturated
0 g
0 %
Trans
0 g
–
Monounsaturated
0 g
–
Polyunsaturated
0 g
–
Carbs
11 g
4 %
Fiber
0.8 g
3 %
Total Sugars
9.9 g
–
Added Sugars
5.8 g
–
Protein
0.2 g
0 %
Cholesterol
0 mg
0 %
Sodium
0.7 mg
0 %
Calcium
9.9 mg
1 %
Magnesium
4.5 mg
1 %
Potassium
62.1 mg
1 %
Iron
0.1 mg
1 %
Zinc
0.1 mg
0 %
Phosphorus
3.8 mg
1 %
Vitamin A
1.8 µg
0 %
Vitamin C
0.5 mg
1 %
Thiamin (B1)
0 mg
1 %
Riboflavin (B2)
0 mg
1 %
Niacin (B3)
0.1 mg
1 %
Vitamin B6
0 mg
2 %
Folate (Equivalent)
1.6 µg
0 %
Folate (Food)
1.6 µg
–
Vitamin B12
0 µg
0 %
Vitamin D
0 µg
0 %
Vitamin E
0 mg
0 %
Vitamin K
1.2 µg
1 %
