In another week, all the heart-shaped everything will be gone and Pinterest will be back to being many shades of color rather than a menagerie of red and pink.
Just in case you’re still looking for something to include in Valentine’s cards for your kids and want to avoid candy and sugar, here’s what we did last year to rave reviews:
It’s not the most frugal option, I’ll admit – we bought these pouches (found on Amazon with my affiliate link) without any sugar at Costco, but they were still probably 25-50 cents a kid. (?) But they were cute!
If you want a super frugal, DIY no-food-at-all option, my son chose this mustache idea and we’re DIYing the mustache straws.
We considered a few others:
- fruit strips or cheese sticks here
- pencils here
- whole pieces of fruit with silly Valentine’s themed notes on them, like these free printables or the ones I gathered below…
Fun “Fruity” Valentine’s Notes
Simply going thru the produce section may inspire so fun and healthy Valentine treat ideas. Along with a fun note these will quickly become your kids favorite.
- Will you be my Clementine?
- Hi there, Kiwi Pie!
- Here’s a Cutie for the cutie (with a Clementine)
- I’m blueberry without you
- I’m bananas for you, Valentine
- Orange you going to kiss me?
- Slip into my arms, Valentine (with a banana)
- Cantaloupe tonight, dear, let’s wait for Valentine’s Day.
- You’re awfully a-peel-ing to me, Valentine (with a banana or string cheese or orange…)
Valentine’s Day Breakfast Surprise
Don’t forget to try a heart-shaped breakfast! The kids will be so excited to see this fun breakfast. Or get your kids in the kitchen and let them help with the fun!
Fun and Easy Valentine’s Day Party Ideas
If you happen to have the joy of planning a party for your child’s class, please be inspired by my healthy Valentine’s Day party treats and games.
Due to allergies most schools have a “no homemade” rule. Don’t feel trapped into bringing over processed treats, there are tons of healthy real food options…Healthy School Treats.
Enjoy the week, and Happy Valentine’s Day!
We are planting wild flowers in small red pails with a wonderful love and nature quote attatched for my daughter’s classmates.
Target has lots of non-candy valentine options that are fun. Puzzles, crafts, jokes, tattoos. Our school doesn’t allow food gifts of any kind. Lots of pencils and stickers, which is fun!
That is so.darn.cute Bailey Helton-Torre!!! And good for your school Robyn Whitlock, that’s the best way to go. I just saw one with Mad Libs pages rolled up like a secret treasure note and I LOVED it!
My daughter is doing this one – went and got supplies today: http://www.designmom.com/2009/02/ralphs-madlib-valentines/
Wish I would have come across these ideas before I bought tattoo valentines. I prefer homemade and creative things, but was also looking for candy free.
Jamie,
The kids will love the tatoos, and you can save these thoughts for next year. 🙂 Katie
That’s awesome Margaret A Done I’m pretty sure that’s the one I pinned for next year!
The applesauce pouches are a fantastic idea! I suggested it to my kindergartener. At first, she wanted to give candy to everyone, but I pointed out that there is one girl who has a lot of allergies and we don’t know what candy she could eat. Then we talked about how it’s better to give everyone the same kind of treat if we are able to (rather than candy to everyone and applesauce to the allergic). So, now I need to go buy more applesauce pouches – my daughter even made a request for which flavor to get (cinnamon, her favorite).
Hooray! Good job, mama! 🙂 Katie
I used to buy the cinnamon applesauce pouches with the Apple and cinnamon as the only ingredients. But when they changed the packaging they added Apple juice concentrate and Apple concentrate to the ingredients, which means they’re adding sugar. That is one common misconception that Apple juice concentrate is fruit juice. From what I have read, it does not even resemble juice or anything you would have in the kitchen. The applesauce pouches with concentrate have 2 g more of sugar in them then the old recipe. This is also why I stopped buying stretch Island fruit leathers. Many of my friends believe there is no sugar added, but it is just one more trick by the food industry. Probably still a better option than candy for Valentine’s Day though. 🙂
Really? I’ve not seen that…I don’t think they can add actual cane or beet sugar w/o listing it in the ingredients, but I suppose the apple juice concentrate would be more of the fruit sugars. Dumb food scientists…
Robert Lustig is the doctor that I first heard this information from. I heard him explaining it on a radio program and then I checked out his book “Fat Chance”from the library. He has an e-book on Amazon called Sugar has 56 names: a shopper’s guide.”