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Excited for the holiday season? I know I am! With just 4 weeks to go before the big day, I'm most excited to spend time with my children cooking and crafting up some delicious and fun treats. Making fun and delicious holiday treats doesn't have to be unhealthy though!
In our home there are several factors to take into account when we head into the kitchen. A few of us don't have a huge tolerance for sugar, and we also have several other food allergies to consider. So, this season, I'm actively working on swapping out some of the high-sugar ingredients and other allergens for our family, with healthier alternatives.
Read on for my super simple 2 ingredient low-sugar icing recipe, and for my easy step-by-step tutorial on how to assemble healthier holiday houses with the kids this season.
Last weekend, we carried on with our annual tradition and put up our Christmas tree together. This year we actually put up two, so it was twice the fun! Before we decorate the tree each year, we make hot cocoa and read our favorite children's book "Snowmen at Night" with the kids. It was fun this year to see our toddler's reaction. He was still too young last year to grasp what was going on, so it was definitely a treat fun to see him take it all in!
After we finished decorating our home, the kids and I made some adorable {and delicious} snow covered holiday houses as a special treat. These"healthier" holiday houses are a great alternative to traditional gingerbread houses that are often overloaded with sugar. Everything we used to make our holiday houses, from the Honey Maid Graham Crackers, to the blackberry and grape bushes, to the 2 ingredient low-sugar icing, is edible! So the kids will love snacking on their creations after they're complete, and parents won't have to worry about sugar over-load. It's a total win-win!
What you'll need:
- Piping bags or zippered sandwich bags to create your own DIY piping bags (see tip below)
- Honey Maid Graham Crackers
- 1 8oz Package of Cream Cheese
- 3 oz of Vanilla Greek Yogurt
- Coconut Flakes
- Grapes, Blackberries, Strawberries, Raspberries,
- Optional: Nonpareils in holiday colors / holiday themed
How to:
Start, by making the icing. To make your own low-sugar icing, simply combine 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese and 3 oz of vanilla Greek yogurt in a mixing bowl. Stir until smooth.
After you've made your low-sugar icing. Spoon it into a piping bag OR make your own DIY piping bag using a zippered sandwich bag and the tip below.
Tip: Don't have a piping bag for each of the kids? That's OK! Just spoon some of the icing into a zip plastic sandwich bag. push the icing down into one corner. Snip the tip (just enough to create a tiny hole) of the corner of the bag where you've pushed all of the icing. Use the bag to pipe the windows, door, icing on the roof etc.
Place your graham crackers flat on a plate (4 for the sides and 2 for the pitched roof). Pipe the windows, door, snow on the roof pieces etc., using your low-sugar icing and a piping bag or homemade icing bag (see tip above). When finished decorating your graham crackers. Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to "set" the icing/decorations.
Next, pipe a line of icing onto the ends of the graham cracker "walls" [refer to image above].
Assemble/affix all four sides/graham crackers using the above step to create the base for your holiday house [assemble your holiday house on a paper plate].
Position two graham crackers together and affix using icing to create a pitched roof for your holiday house. To complete your holiday houses, let the kids get creative and decorate!
Healthier garnishes/decoration suggestions:
- Use coconut flakes and low-sugar icing for snow.
- Use blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries for trees/bushes.
- Optional: you can also give the kids a few holiday themed/colored Nonpareils for added decor. While they are made of sugar and starch, The sugar content per serving is significantly less than candy alternatives.
We had so much fun decorating for the holidays and making these delicious treats with the kids. They're sure to become apart of our annual family holiday tradition!
Ready to get creative in the kitchen? You can find Honey Maid Graham Crackers, and all of the ingredients to make your own healthier holiday treats with the kids, at Walmart.
To find more #HoneyMaidHouse holiday treat inspiration CLICK HERE. What's your favorite idea/recipe from the site? Share in a comment below!
