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Your kids will love these healthy strawberry banana candy canes! Something to keep your little ones busy and eating fruit this holiday season!

Originally Published: August 28th, 2020

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Candy Cane shaped snack made from bananas and strawberries on a white plate with extra banana and strawberry slices and extra whole strawberries in a bowl.

When you think of the food kids eat around Christmas time, as a parent, you’re probably thinking about all the Christmas cookies, desserts, and candy that your kids try to get into and eat!

That’s what you make for Christmas get togethers with friends and family.

Those desserts and cookies are what get eaten first at kids holiday parties!

And who would blame them; they’re pretty, festive, and they taste good. Not like the raw veggies and dip someone else brought!

But, what if healthy food could be festive for the holidays?

What if, instead of offering cookies shaped as candy canes, snowmen, or Christmas trees; what if we make those shapes with healthy food that has natural sugars, not added sugars!

Something fun for our kids to look at and enjoy, while still giving them the satisfaction of something sweet that they’ll want more of…

…and giving us the satisfaction of not just eating junk, but getting the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and more nutrients that their bodies actually need and can use!

Well, you can!

Below are the simple directions and recipe for making a candy cane out of fruit, make as many as you need and enjoy!

Don’t worry about it being ‘Pinterest Perfect’ or ‘Instagram Worthy’, no need to impress other adults, just kids!

You know what, just read through the directions and have them make it themselves. It’s that easy!

Or show them how and then let them do it when they want during this holiday season (or whenever)!

Ingredients

Bananas: Bananas make up the white part of a candy cane.

Strawberries: Strawberries make up the red part of a candy cane.

Alternatively, you could use watercress and sliced tomatoes for a veggie option.

How to make this Healthy Candy Cane made from Fruit

The process for making Strawberry Banana Candy Canes in a 4 image collage.

*Note that these instructions can be printed below

Step one: First, get a banana and a handful of strawberries. Make sure the strawberries are washed and ready to eat.

Step two: Slice them.

Step three: Arrange the slices in the shape of a candy cane, alternating between the two fruits as you go.

That’s it!

You’ve made a candy cane out of fruit and now have one more Christmas snack idea for kids, that doesn’t require you to bake, add sugar, or even really do much work!

Depending on the age of your kids, they could probably make this themselves without much supervision.

Of course, they’ll still want your attention to show you the end result before enjoying how it tastes!

Tips for having the most fun making this Kid Friendly Holiday Snack

These strawberry banana candy canes are cute and all, but having your kids help or make them by themselves is even better! Here are a few tips to make it better:

Give your kids a butter knife and let them slice the fruit themselves, even a toddler can start learning how to slice a banana by themselves with supervision!
Don’t open the banana until they are ready to begin.
Wash (and slice) the strawberries ahead of time, so that they can assemble the strawberries as soon as they have the banana in the candy cane shape.
Have them eat the fruit soon after making the snack, bananas brown rather quickly! Take a picture if they want to show others.
Serve it with a dip, like some type of nut butter or vegan yogurt.
Point out the pattern of strawberry – banana – strawberry – banana.
Turn it into a fun math lesson by having them count the slices.
Most importantly, have fun, and don’t worry if it’s not perfect!

Close up of a strawberry banana Candy Cane snack made from bananas and strawberries on a white plate with extra banana and strawberry slices.

How to Serve

Serve ASAP and possible with some type of dip like peanut butter, almond butter, sunbutter, or vegan yogurt!

If you’re planning this as an activity for multiple children, pre-wash (and possibly slice) the strawberries, and provide the bananas unopened.

Need more healthy Christmas recipes for kids? Check out:

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