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Summer is here, and that means ALL THE SNACKS!
Kiddos playing, skating, biking, running around with friends, and swimming all day means some hungry bellies will be yelling “Mom! There’s nothing to eat!”
One of the most dreaded hurdles of summer time is feeding your growing, active crew. As much as we all love the drive thru, even that gets old after the third or fourth trip.
Here are some summer treats and tips on feeding the kids, keeping it healthy, and, most important, making it easy on you.
Healthy Delights
Dates and almond butter. After the initial look of “Mom, what is this giant raisin doing on my plate” and your kids give dates a try, they will be all about this super sweet treat. Medjool dates are a great option if you have a sweet tooth and are high in fiber.
Frozen berries in coconut milk or yogurt. I call this “berry cereal,” and it is one of my favorite snacks. Frozen raspberries and a bit of coconut milk or yogurt is all you need to beat the heat and stay away from those sugary treats. Top it off with granola or coconut flakes if you want more crunch to it.
Oat balls. These are fun because your kids can help make them. Oats, maple syrup, a scoop of nut butter, and the rest is your call. These are customizable and very easy to take along with you to all of your summer outings.
Banana ice cream. Mamas, rejoice! You can absolutely serve ice cream for breakfast. Frozen bananas and water or milk for smoothness, blend, and serve. This will easily become a family favorite, and you will find yourself always keeping frozen bananas on hand for this simple and healthy treat.
Apple sandwiches. Peanut butter smashed between two apple slices — nothing can top that! Use green apple if your kids like tangy snacks.
Frozen grapes. Simple and budget-friendly for sure, frozen grapes are something that every summer lover should have in the freezer. You can put on a kabob stick or role them in yogurt before you freeze them for a great popsicle substitute.
Banana-honey drizzle. If you want a recipe your toddler can make on his or her own and love, this is it! Banana slices with a drizzle of honey and cinnamon. For added protein, sprinkle hemp hearts on the top.
Yogurt bark. Cookie sheet, yogurt, and some cut up fruit is all you need to make this healthy and pretty snack. This is a real play-date crowd pleaser. Not only is it pretty, but you can also use dairy-free yogurt and any fruit you can think of.
Whatever-you-love trail mix. This is a fun snack to have your littles help make. Throw whatever salty and sweet add-ins you desire to a base of pretzels, popcorn, and nuts. Raisins, almonds, Cheerios, and chocolate chips are some of our favorites.
Sneaky smoothies. Smoothies are a fantastic option if you have a finicky eater who wants nothing to do with veggies. Zucchini and even sweet potato can be thrown into a smoothie along with bananas and berries (and your kiddo will never know). If you need some good fats in your kiddo’s diet, a scoop of coconut oil, nut better, or frozen avocado chucks are also well hidden by bananas and strawberries.
No-Fuss Snacks
Here are healthy, store-bought, no-prepping required snacks that you can stock up on to avoid those hungry summer grumps:
- Organic popcorn
- Edamame (steam in a bag)
- Hummus and baby carrots
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Mini bell peppers
- Frozen yogurt tubes
- Cheese sticks
- Cereal
Pro mama tip: Prepping can help! Take the time to wash and cut veggies, boil eggs, and make snack bags with pre-measured out amounts. You can have the kiddos help prep for the week, and they will also know what is available to them when they get the hunger bug. We love these kids’ snack-sized containers
Also, because we are an allergy household, we do a lot of just plain ol’ fruit for snacks like apples and oranges. That can be boring after a while, so I try to make it fun by making faces with slices fruit on their plates, or drawing a happy face on their banana or giving their apples marshmallow teeth.
