Simple Yet Special: Real Food Afternoon Tea Party (grain-free : gluten-free)

I often find it hard to take the time to leisurely enjoy activities with my kids.  There always seems to be one more thing on my to-do list, yet I know that being present with my kids, really connecting with them, is something that should take precedence over most other things on my list. Today my kids were asking for a tea party, and I thought it was a great opportunity to slow down a bit. 

Since this was a spur-of-the-moment activity, I didn't have any fancy tea party foods.  Nonetheless, I pulled together several different items that were on-hand, and took the time to lay them out nicely so that it felt like a special occasion. The kids placed flowers on the table and set our places with cups, saucers, and spoons.

More Tea, Please!

• Passion Tea
• Add-ins:
• Sucanat or sugar
• Maple syrup
• Raw milk

I chose Passion Tea because of it's beautiful pink color and aroma.  Rather than heating up the house, I chose to make cold tea; Passion Tea is wonderful because it can be "brewed" by just placing a tea-bag in cool water and allowing it to sit for 5-10 minutes.

My kids delighted in pouring their own tea and adding in milk and sugar (or sucanat).  We sweetened our second glasses of tea with maple syrup, and it was delicious!

Savory Plate

• Kalamata olives (organic)
• Fresh cherry tomatoes
• Raw cheese, cut into little spears
• Macadamia nuts
• Grapes
• Crispy dried peas

My goal in putting together the savory plate was to combine lots of different flavors and textures: salty & sweet, crispy & soft, tangy & creamy, juicy & dry.





 
Sweet Plate

• Dairy-free, soy-free chocolate chips
• Homemade, grain-free maple brown sugar cookies, cut into wedges
• Banana spears

The sweet plate combined different textures and flavors that all complimented each other.  I included the chocolate chips as a treat that my kids would be very excited to see. Bananas dipped in the chocolate chips were superb.

We read from the Treasury of Children's Poetry during the tea party, and had fun trying to remember some of the poems without looking at the pages.  My 3-year-old astounded me by reciting most of a poem he only heard one night a few weeks ago. My daughter relished reading some of her favorite poems aloud for everyone.

After the first few minutes, I put the camera away and got down to the business of enjoying the tea party with my children. 

What special activities do you enjoy with your children?