Healthy Birthday Cakes For Both Kids and Adults

Big sugary cakes are often the centerpiece for birthday parties.  While we enjoy them immensely, there are plenty of dietary reasons why you may want to seek out a healthier alternative to your average birthday cake.  Whether for the benefit of your child, or older guests, there are plenty of delicious ways to make birthday cakes without so much added sugar and fat.

This article provides some great ideas for egg-free or vegan cakes, as certain allergies may not have been detected in very young children. There are also fabulous fruit-based cakes like banana cake (with raw cacao frosting perhaps?), apple sauce cake and carrot cake.   The sweetness of the fruit enables you to use less sugar in the recipe.

Frosting can also be made with considerably less butter and sugar.  This article suggests homemade whipped cream and yogurt-based frostings as an alternative for buttercream or cream cheese.

Here’s their recipe for homemade whipped cream, which can be put on a cake, or served on the side and garnished with fruit.

Homemade Whipped Cream

1 cup of heavy cream 2 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp vanilla

Directions: Chill the heavy cream for 24 hours in your refrigerator. Pour heavy cream in a chilled, large, deep bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat the cream on high until it thickens. Add the vanilla and sugar, and continue beating until soft peaks form. To test the whipped cream, stop the mixer and pull up the beaters, if the cream forms little mountains that stand up, then the whipped cream is done. Makes 2 cups and must be refrigerated.

Healthy Birthday Cakes for Babies.

Green Birthday Party Decorations: 10 Tips For An Eco-Friendly Bday Party

Sustainlane provides us with ten great tips to make your birthday party more eco-friendly.   This includes reusable decorations, utensils, and using cloth instead of paper wherever possible.  It’s a great way to teach kids about recycling. You may even give out eco-friendly birthday party favors!

Written by Planetpals:

1. Have a recycle and trash plan such as pre-designated bins. Mark BINS clearly for easy use by using Planetpals FREE Recycle Sign
2. Use reusable party items instead of disposable paper or plastic dishware and utensils
3. If you are using plastic disposables, encourage people to reuse their cups and plates instead of getting new ones. (As a new idea, why not give everyone a cup with a unique image or their name on it, and encourage them to re-use it all day and take it home as a souvenir !)
4. Use paper items instead of plastics and styrofoam which are not biodegradable.
5. Consider cloth napkins or colorful bandanas instead of paper napkins!
6. Give reusable water bottles as a favor and encourage people to fill them
7. Buy large quantity containers instead of distributing drinks in small bottles and cans…
8. Have an end of party clean up plan in place and encourage the kids to take part in clean up so they can learn for the future
9. Recycle your party decorations by using them for your next party or trade with a friend
10. Give away eco friendly favors and gifts!

Ten Tips To A Greener Birthday Party! – Go Green – SustainLane.

Tote Bag Party Favor, Goodie Bag Idea

These cute tote bags are available for any birthday year. It’s the perfect gift for a birthday girl, as well as a fun and useful party favor. As far as we’re concerned, you can’t have too many tote bags. Something like this, which is personalized to the occasion, will be appreciated for a long time.

1977 Girl, 30th Tote Bag

Teen Fashion DIY Birthday Party

Attention teens into fashion!  How about getting together with a group of friends and some sewing machines?  Take a diy fashion design class at a local college or community center and learn to personalize your t-shirts or jeans.  Read the rest of this entry »

Eco-Friendly Birthday Parties: Quick Ecofriendly Food, Party Favors, Invitations, Birthday Ideas

We are always looking for new ways to make birthday parties more eco-friendly.  Here are some ways to get started with planning an eco friendly birthday party.
1. Keep it small. Less travel and a smaller space will give you more quality time with friends and family.
2. Provide delicious homemade food. Since you’re cooking and baking for a smaller group, the menu wont be too overwhelming if you plan in advance.   Plus you’ll get to enjoy better quality food without all of the packaging.
3. No single-use serveware. You can find durable, inexpensive serveware with any color or theme. With reusable plates, bowls and flatware, you can use this set again and again while minimizing waste.
4. Use the Web. Take advantage of invitation software such as Evite that will help you manage guest responses, rather than mailing paper invitations.  Having a gift registry online is also a great way to leverage the Internet for your party.
5. Give meaningful favors. We love craft or cooking parties because there is always something to take home. Rather than distributing something your guests won’t really use, give them a meaningful memento of the special day’s experience.