Real Food Friday Feast - Tasty, healthy treats for the school holidays

During the school holidays, we tend to think it's a time to indulge our kids a little more. They go to bed a little later, they have more sleepovers and routines get stretched a bit more and they eat more sweets and other junk "food". It's nice to let them enjoy the downtime they have been given and I'd say it's important. School is hard work for their little brains and it doesn't give them much time to just be kids. We all need time to unwind.

The problem with indulging them with more junk than usual is that they get more hyperactive and moody and they have horrible sugar crashes that just make them feel horrible and can seriously ruin everybody's day. There are ways to avoid this. There are actually plenty of treats that you can make for your kids to snack on over the holidays that WON'T give them, or you, the sugar blues.

I've taken the liberty of putting ALL of my food treats blog posts down in one blog post so that it's easy for you to find, and use! All of these recipes use organic and free range ingredients and contain absolutely nothing that will have a negative effect on your kids (unless of course they are allergic to something but I always try to give alternative options for allergies)

Caramel-Crunch Chocolate Cake - This is a grain-free cake recipe that happened by accident but was so popular the plate was literally licked clean!

Home-made yogurt - This may not seem very dessert-like but kids LOVE yogurt and all store bought yogurts, unless they say "organic" are loaded with things you don't want your kids eating. This yogurt is so easy to make and you can add anything you want to it to make it nice and tasty for your kids.

Banana Bread - If you kids don't like bananas, play around with other options. I've used the same recipe but added apple and cinnamon instead of banana. You can also add cranberries, nuts or even chunks of dark chocolate.

Grain-Free Pizza - Why would you go grain-free? Well, gluten is not something any of us should be eating. Our bodies just don't know what to do with it and it's one of the main reasons for a lot of compromised immune systems. This pizza is low in calories but high in goodness and flavour!

Cabbage/Kale chips and coconut flake chips - Ok, you're reading that and going, "There is NO way my kids is going to eat that!" Well, I can tell you that my nephew loved them and he's 6 years old. He asked me to make more! Don't knock them til you try them and definitely DON'T tell them that the chips are made of cabbage!

Grain-free, refined sugar-free, dairy-free, chocolate cupcakes - My mom used this recipe for my triplet nephews birthday party and it went down exceptionally well!

Banana ice-cream - This is not banana flavoured ice-cream. It's literally ice cream made only with bananas and it is DELICIOUS.

Fruity yogurt popsicles - What kid doesn't like running into the kitchen after playing in the sun for ages, and grabbing a popsicle from the freezer? These are healthy AND delicious.

Gluten-free mince pies - These are considered a christmas treat but honestly, what's to stop you from making them any time of the year!?

Cranberry pie - A gluten-free recipe that is nutritious and too delicious for kids to resist!

Creamy sweet potato soup - This is not a dessert, I know. But it's so sweet and delicious, I guarantee your kids will THINK it's a treat:)

Chocolate custard - What kid doesn't like custard? Problem is, the store bought ones are not good for them. Good news is, this one is!

Avocado chocolate truffles - I put these out at a dinner party a little while back and everyone was VERY wary! Now it's ALL they can talk about whenever they come back for dinner;) They sound strange but are truly delicious!

Home made peanut butter - Kids love peanut butter. But Skippy and its equivalents are just so full of rubbish. Making it yourself is so much healthier AND the kids can even get involved:)

There you go! Plenty of treats to choose from over the next couple of weeks. And don't think they are just for the kids. I guarantee you'll get just as much enjoyment out of them:) If you are thinking it all sounds too much like hard work, just think about happy, healthy children! What more encouragement do you need?