Encourage children to do something other than open a package or toss something in the microwave when they are looking for a snack. These easy-to-make, no-cook sandwiches and kabobs are simple foods that kids can pull together on their own. They can also help prepare these treats for their own birthday party or for a family function. Children can pack their own backyard picnic lunch or prepare an elegant tea with these tasty finger foods.
Fruit Kabobs
Gather fruit to cut into kabobs, such as apples, bananas, mangos, grapes, berries, etc. Figure that an apple, banana, and four strawberries will serve approximately three people. If more children will be fed, estimate one piece or serving of fruit for each child. Rinse the fruit. Set a piece of fruit on a cutting board and cut the fruit into one-inch pieces.
Apply a little bit of lemon juice to apples bits that won’t be eaten immediately so they don’t go brown. Arrange the pieces of fruit onto toothpicks. Leave some of the toothpick showing so people can pick up the kabob by the stick. Try different arrangements and different orders of the fruit so the kabobs look interesting on a plate or platter. Position the kabobs in an interesting display on the plate, such as in rows or in a starburst or flower pattern. Set the plate in the refrigerator until the fruit is ready to be served.
Sandwich Kabobs
Follow the directions for the fruit kabobs but use one-inch cubes of luncheon meats, cheese, and pickles to create the kabobs. Place on a plate separate from the fruit. If desired, cut up vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers, and thread onto toothpicks with or without cheese for a vegetarian option.
Fruit Dip
Mix one cup of plain yogurt with two tablespoons of brown sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves into the yogurt. Chill the yogurt dip before serving. Provide grapes with this dip or serve with the fruit kabobs. If more than one or two children will be enjoying this dip, make more, keeping the proportions of one cup yogurt to two tablespoons brown sugar.
Cookie Cutter Sandwiches
Each child will need two slices of bread and a favorite filling, such as peanut butter and jelly, turkey and cheese, or tuna salad. If other food will be served, two children may be able to share a sandwich. If several children will be enjoying mini sandwiches along with other food, prepare sandwiches with a variety of fillings.
Make the sandwiches as they’d normally be prepared. Then, take a cookie cutter and hold it up to the sandwich, figuring out if one or two mini sandwiches can be cut from the bread and filling. Gently press the cookie cutter into the sandwich, cutting all the way through both pieces of bread as well as the meat and cheese filling. Pull the cookie cutter away. If the sandwich gets stuck in the cutter, set on a plate and carefully press it out with a spatula.
Set the sandwiches on a plate and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Keep the extra pieces as a snack for later. If the sandwiches will be served during a holiday season or a themed birthday party, try to use cookie cutters in appropriate shapes.
Children can prepare, or help to prepare, kabobs and miniature sandwiches using some of their favorite fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses. Whether as an afterschool snack or for a party, these treats are easy to make.
Finger Food
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