Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite hol­i­days, and not because of choco­late, roses and roman­tic din­ners (let’s face it, I have three young kids…so not hap­pen­ing!). I’m actu­ally in love with the food! Pink, red and heart shapes lend them­selves to fab­u­lously fun and healthy treats for school par­ties (as well as break­fasts, lunch­boxes, snacks and din­ners, of course).

 

To help with your school cel­e­bra­tion plan­ning, I put together this round-up of 4 theme par­ties that will both nour­ish and excite the kids. Remem­ber: Pre­sen­ta­tion is key when it comes to mak­ing healthy fun. So tap into your cre­ativ­ity and don’t for­get dec­o­ra­tions! (See A Year of Healthy Class Par­ties: A Plan­ning Guide for Par­ents & Teach­ers for more tips).

 

 

Get a blender (or two, depend­ing on the size of the class), frozen straw­ber­ries and/or rasp­ber­ries, bananas, liq­uid (milk, unsweet­ened vanilla hemp milk, coconut milk/water or car­rot juice), a splash of beet juice (for color) and blend! Add a touch of honey, maple syrup or pure vanilla extract, if desired. Serve in spe­cial Valentine’s paper cups with fun straws. Or, use adorable Lil’ Reds mini cups for a “tast­ing” party.

 

Love Potion Smoothie Party activ­ity ideas: Cupid Cot­tages, Who Do I Love.

 

 

Healthy banana splits are a favorite in my house. And since they qual­ify as break­fast, they’re per­fect for a morn­ing class­room cel­e­bra­tion. Sim­ply peel and half ripe bananas and place one half on each plate. For top­pings, try heart-shaped straw­ber­ries, fresh rasp­ber­ries, pome­gran­ate seeds, Greek yogurt mixed with a touch of honey or home­made whipped cream, dye-free sprin­kles, choco­late shav­ings, gra­nola, and a home­made berry sauce. Set up like a “break­fast bar” and let kids serve them­selves, or assem­ble the treats for them.

 

I’m Bananas for You activ­ity ideas: Cutie Patootie Spoon Races, Match­maker Game, Hugs & Kisses.

 

 

Get a set of heart-shaped cookie cut­ters, and you have a Valentine’s heart theme party in the mak­ing. Think heart-shaped fruits (melon, kiwi and straw­ber­ries) and veg­gies (car­rots, cucum­bers, pep­pers and avo­cado) served solo or with dip. Add a lol­lipop stick and serve on a plate or in a bou­quet. Larger cookie cut­ters can be used to make tea sand­wiches (Sun­but­ter and jelly or egg salad, for exam­ple). For a sweet treat, try heart-shaped home­made gra­ham crack­ers or raw brownie bites.

 

Sweet­heart Party activ­ity ideas: Heart Hop­scotch, Heart Beat, Heart Relay.

 

 

What do apples, straw­ber­ries, rasp­ber­ries, cher­ries, pome­gran­ate seeds, red anjous, blood oranges, red pep­pers, toma­toes, beet chips, and radishes have in com­mon? They’re all healthy–and red! Con­sider hav­ing kids come up with the menu using their favorite, 100-percent nat­ural red foods for the main spread. Serve with yummy dips such as ranch dress­ing, honey vanilla yogurt, and home­made whipped cream.

 

Nat­u­rally Red Party activ­ity ideas: Nature’s Valentine’s Neck­laces, Valentine’s Story, Heart Stomp.

 

Find more Valentine’s food ideas at Healthy Valentine’s Day Treats: 18 Fresh Food Ideas for an All-Natural School Party and 12 (Nat­u­rally Sweet) Ideas for a Healthy School Valentine’s Day.

 

For more healthy party activ­i­ties, check out 12 Coolest Valentine’s Day School Party Games Part 1 & Part 2.

 

Don’t for­get to talk to your child’s teacher and/or school prin­ci­pal about hav­ing a Candy-Free School Valentine’s Day! Or, sim­ply ask if they can encour­age sug­ar­less (but just as spe­cial and sweet!) cards like these: 12 Best DIY Candy-Free Valen­tines.

 

I am very excited to be part of an amaz­ing group of fam­ily health blog­gers that has banded together to make some healthy noise for Valentine’s Day. Like our #Love­Healthy Face­book page to get our all our fun, heart-healthy ideas, recipes and give­aways. Through Feb­ru­ary 14, we will have daily give­aways from top brands includ­ing Kids Kon­serve, Lap­top Lunches, Thrive Mar­ket and more!

 

Par­tic­i­pat­ing blog­gers include:

Alli @ Don’t Panic Mom

Sally @ Real Mom Nutrition

Bri @ Red, Round, or Green

Donna @ The Hang­ing Spoon

Jill @ Just the Right Byte

Kia @ Today I Ate a Rainbow

Bet­tina @ The Lunch Tray

Natalie & Amy @ Super Healthy Kids

 

Fol­low our #Love­Healthy Pin­ter­est page for a trea­sure chest of health­ier Valentine’s Day ideas, from party games to mom-approved eats.