I'm looking for ideas for kid's birthday party theme ideas and reciepes for an overweight child ...HELP!

Question

She's 7. I don't want to just serve a veggie tray or make it so obvious that we're not serving cake and ice cream because of her diet. Please no, "well this one day won't hurt" comments. She's struggling and working hard at loosing weight and I do not want to set her back. We are thinking maybe an Alice in Wonderland theme.

Any suggestions, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks everyone! It's going to be tough to pick the best answer. You've definitely helped and I think we'll probably have an angel food cake with fruit complete with birthday candles.

Answer 1

Snack and Food Ideas:

You can actually add some math into your reading by incorporating cooking into your lesson plans. There are fractions, measurements, addition, subjection, geometry and more as you make themed snacks. Below are some ideas that I've used myself as well as some that I've found across the web and by talking to other mothers and educators.

BUNNY RABBIT SALAD

Create this bunny salad on a lettuce leaf.
Body: 1 canned pear half
Nose: cherry, at narrow end of pear Eyes: 2 raisins, on pear, just above the cherry nose
Ears: 2 almonds, stuck into the pear above the eyes
Tail: a small cauliflower at the wide end of the pear half

HEDGE HOG PARTY SNACK

INGREDIENTS
Small head of cabbage or lettuce
Low-fat ranch dressing or low-fat fruit yogurt
Assorted fruits and veggies such as:
cherry tomatoes
seedless grapes
pineapple chunks
strawberries
olives
pepper chunks
carrot rounds
celery slices
zucchini rounds

INGREDIENTS/MATERIALS
Large plate
Coloured toothpicks
Small bowls, one for each dip


1. To make a foundation for the Hedge Hog, slice bottom off cabbage to create a flat surface. This is the Hedge Hog's body! Set this on large plate, flat side down.
2. Stick toothpicks all over the cabbage to form "quills" for the Hedge Hog.
3. Stick small pieces of fruits and veggies onto the quills, enough to cover the whole hog.
4. Set out bowls of dip
5. Snackers can pull the quills from the Hedge Hog, dip, and eat the goodies on each quill.

MOUSY SALAD

First place a lettuce leaf on the plate, then create this mouse
Body: 1 canned pear half (narrow end is the head)
Nose: small piece of cherry
Eyes: 2 currants or raisin halves
Ears: 2 marshmallow slices (easily cut with scissors)
Tail: 1 green bean

Having a tea party of any kind would mimic both the Victorian historical period the book is set in as well as several of the scenes in the book

Answer 2

I can see the love you have for her in your message. She is a very lucky girl.

I understand not wanting to do the veggie tray thing. It's like a reminder that she is struggling to get healthy.

There are some alternatives to cake and ice cream. Fat free/sugar free ice cream and angel food cake are good. Serve with strawberries too! Almost like strawberry shortcake.

And have a tea party like the Mad Hatter! Use splenda to sweeten the tea (use an herbal tea) and serve cookies made with splenda to reduce the calories.

I would have some kind of veggies, too. Maybe you can come up with a different sort of dip to liven things up. Cut veggies in different shapes.

And have some kind of game where the kids can move about. Maybe dancing?

I hope she has a WONDERFUL day....and that she knows just how much those around her care about her and love her.

:)

Answer 3

How about strawberry shortcakes made with Angel food cake? You could definitely go low cal/low fat but with the whip cream and and cake, it will still seem like a sweet treat and she won't feel deprived on her birthday. You could do a whole Strawberry Shortcake party or make it a summer harvest theme so that everything centers around fruits and veggies without making it obvious that she is dieting.

Answer 4

I don't necessarily think that she shouldn't have cake for her birthday, but that is your family's choice. Perhaps an alternative type of cake. I have made an angel food cake that I cut the top third off, and hollowed out the middle of the bottom 2/3. I filled that with fresh halved strawberries (the large container) & splenda that I have refridgerated overnight. The next day you have a nice liquid. Add 1 c. of no fat cool whip to 2/3 of the berries and mix. Fill the hollow of the cake with it. Then top with the rest of the cake. Right before you are about to serve top the cake with the rest of the berries. I am not sure of the calorie count, but there is no fat, and a relatively low amount of sugar. At least then she will be able to blow out the candles and have a little piece of cake.

Other than that you can have fruit and veggie trays, just make them interesting. For example, this was a staple in my home as a child and I started reinventing it. Celery and peanut butter. For adult parties I top it with toasted sesame seeds. It really is good. For the kids you might like to add raisins, nuts, or blueberries. You can also fill with no fat cream cheese. YUM!

Another good thing would be fruit kebabs with yogurt dip. There are a few key things here to make it really good. First, place the kebabs in something fun. Get a block of that green florist foam and top with fake grass, cooked pasta that has been dyed with food coloring, etc. Use no fat plain yogurt and drain over cheese cloth for about 3 hours until most of the water has drained out. Then mix with splenda and vanilla extract. Let them dip away.

One thing that I make for my daughter is fake doritos. I don't do this for calorie issues, rather I am not a big fan of fake ingredients. Take some organic tortillas and spray lightly with Pam. Then top with salt, pepper, a little chili powder and a little taco cheese. You might like to use no fat cheese that you have seasoned. Bake until they are crispy on 400. It generally takes about 15 - 20 minutes. They are good as is, but have some salsa on the side.

I don't know how well the kids will like this, but mine does. And I love it. Take one cucumber and half it. Scoop out all the seeds and season with salt and pepper. Fill it with cottage cheese dip. Just drain the cottage cheese over cheese cloth, add some salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Pop in the food processor and whip until it's creamy and light. Fill the hollow of the cucumber and slice in 1" sections.

Another thing to have out is pickles. They have generally no calories, and no fat, and kids love them. My daughter loves the Vlassic mini pickles. She eats them all the time.

Answer 5

Unfortunately, her guests are going to wonder where the birthday cake is and this might ultimately draw attention to the fact that she's struggling to lose weight and make her feel bad on what should be her special day. Here are some ideas:

1. Chicken tenders with fat free ranch dressing. Make your own by taking chicken breasts, cutting them into "tenders" seasoned with salt and pepper and dipping them into a mixture of 1 egg, 1/2 cup lowfat milk, 1 tsp dijon mustard. Roll them in panko bread crumbs and bake.
2. Fresh fruit kabobs with fat free yogurt dressing
3. Carrots and celery with fat free ranch dressing
4. Baked chips and fat free dip

For your "cake and ice cream", how about making an ice cream cake? There are lots of varieties of fat free or low fat ice creams and you can decorate with a whipped cream substitute such as Cool Whip Free. For the crust, you can crush the new Oreo Sugar Free Cookies mixed with a little diet margarine.

I was placed on a diet when I was 5. My parents were well meaning and did what they thought was right to help me lose weight, but it was an incredibly painful process. Let your child know that you love and support her regardless of her size and help her develop healthy eating habits instead of seeing herself on a "diet". Don't forgoe the birthday cake! Just get creative in how to make one for her!

Answer 6

I love jbuns idea for cake, my kids always love things that were cut into shapes like jello with the low fat cool whip and a big hit at our house was fruit pizza. We actually use a pizza crust sprinkled with splenda, mix fat free cream cheese with some splenda and skim milk for the "sauce" and then cut up all kinds of fruit. We found strawberries, keywie fruit, grapes, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries were popular toppings. Ants on a log were always fun too (celery filled with lowfat peanut butter topped with raisins). Good luck to you!

Answer 7

you can make healthy pizzas!. buy wholegrain pizza bases,add grated low fat cheese,tomato puree. then any healthy toppings,you think the kids will like.

make sugar free jello,adding sliced banana and a blob of low fat cream or similar on top!

fill small bowls with a yummy dip,and put the bowls onto bigger plates.arrange breadsticks,sticks of carrot,red peppers around the bowl.

make jugs of milkshakes.add bananas and strawberries to the milk and simply blend!.serve in pretty beakers with straws.

instead of a big cake,how about making cupcakes,with each childs intials iced on. you could tell them all to "find" their own cake!.
the above are all healthy,but fun too,and the kids would not realise the reasons behind it!. they would just see a colourfull table of food!.

Answer 8

Create a salad bar and cook grilled chicken on skewers. Make chocolate covered strawberries and sugar free jello molds in fun shapes. Play lots of outdoor games (relay races, tag, etc...)

Answer 9

Go Roller skating, bowling, or to the movies, thoes always big hits. And make sure the "Goodie bags" arn't filled with cheap games, try to make things that kids will accually use.

Answer 10

12 year girl birthday party ideas