Summer is upon us, and that means that you may have some hungry kids on your hand! I have just the thing that can help. Healthy snacks! I’ve put together some healthy Summer snacks that you can make for your kids with minimal effort.
Race Balls
I made this one up, and it’s been a favorite staple at our house for many years. The name keeps changing in our family, so feel free to rename it to fit your family! The beauty of race balls is that you can add ingredients, leave out ingredients, or change it up how you want. Here’s how we made race balls in our house:
Ingredients
- 2 cups honey
- 1 cup Adams Peanut Butter (or any peanut butter without preservatives. Look for peanuts and salt as the only ingredients)
- 1/2 cup organic molasses
- 1 cup Almond Butter
- 1 Cup Sunflower Butter
- A dash of cocoa
- 2 cups rolled oats
Directions:
Slightly warm all but the rolled oats in a pan. I like to use a cast iron pan for this since the recipe can absorb some of the beneficial iron from the pan. Take off the heat, and add in rolled oats. Form into balls and refrigerate. You now have a healthy energy filled snack for anytime you and the kids are on the go. In our house, we even use these as a quick and healthy breakfast.
Fruit Salad (With or Without Glaze)
You really can’t go wrong with fruit salad. It’s a low-calorie snack and also healthy for kids of all ages. What I like about fruit salad as a healthy kid’s snack, is that you can make it with any fruit that you’d like to use. I’ll list some fruit ideas on the ingredient list followed by an optional fruit glaze recipe to put over the fruit.
Ingredients (Add or Subtract. Anything goes!)
- Bananas
- Apples
- Oranges
- Pineapple
- Papaya
- Kiwi
- Grapes
- Cherries
- Blueberries
- Watermellon
- Cantelope
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
Directions
Cut up the fruit into small pieces. Use a melon ball scoop if you have one for the melons.
Optional Glaze
Warm up 1 cup of pineapple or orange juice in a pan along with a small box of instant vanilla pudding. Apply to fruit salad. (Note: The pineapple juice will produce a translucent glaze while the orange juice won’t be as translucent.)
Veggie Tray
A veggie tray can be an easy way to give your children the nutrients that they need. Similar to fruit salad, a veggie tray can have any vegetables that you want in it. I’ll go over some common ingredients in veggie trays.
Ingredients (You can add more vegetables or less. It’s your choice!)
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Celery
- Cucumbers
- Bell Peppers
- Snap Peas
- Veggie Dip (Your choice of flavor)
Directions
Slice the vegetables into small pieces (except for the cherry tomatoes and snap peas). Place the veggie dip in the center of a platter. Arrange the vegetables so that they surround the veggie dip. For added fun, you may want to make the celery look like caterpillars. To do this, put some peanut butter on a celery stick. Place two raisins on the end of a celery stick so that they look like eyes. You may want to add some raisins along the back of the caterpillar. Serve and enjoy!
Frozen Fruits
During the Summer months, the weather can be very hot. This is a great time to serve cold fruits. Any fruits will work. Sliced watermelon, kiwi, strawberries, bananas, and grapes are common fruits to freeze. The next time your child wants a snack, pull one of these fruits out of the freezer.
Trail Mix
Trail mix can be a healthy snack that contains the nutrients that your child needs, along with a delicious taste. You can buy trail mix already made, or you can make your own. If you decide to make your own, here are some ingredients you may want to include.
Ingredients:
- Peanuts
- Almonds
- Cashews
- M&Ms
- Raisins
- Dried bananas
- Dried cranberries
- Granola
- Chocolate chips
Directions
Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. For an on-the-go snack, you may want to put some of the trail mixes in a small sandwich bag. Serve and enjoy!
Homemade Granola Bars
Granola bars can be a fun snack that can be eaten either at home or on-the-go. Although you can buy them at the store, it can fun to make them yourself. Plus, you won’t have to add all of the preservatives that some granola bars contain.
Source: Bless This Mess
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup nuts, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cups total extra mix-ins (about 1/4 cup of 3 different ingredients such as dried fruits, coconut, chocolate chips, etc.)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment or foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.
- Place the oats and nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly toasted. Place the nuts and oats in a large bowl.
- While the oats are toasting, add the honey, butter, and brown sugar to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. When the butter mixture is ready, remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Pour this mixture over the oat and nut mixture and stir to combine. Add any extra ingredients (except for chocolate) and stir to combine. Make sure none of the oats are dry.
- If you are adding chocolate, wait about 15 minutes for the mixture to cool a bit before adding the chocolate and then stirring to combine.
- Place all of the oat mixture in the prepared pan. Use a rubber spatula or the bottom of a greased measuring cup to press the mixture into the pan. Chill the granola bars for at least 2 hours. Lift the bars from the pan using the edges of the foil or parchment and place them on a cutting board. Cut into desired shape/sizes and serve.
3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Banana Cookies
Source: Feel Great in 8
Ingredients:
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 cup oats (quick or regular)
- 2 tablespoons PB2 or natural peanut butter
- optional mix-ins – dark chocolate chips, walnuts, coconut, cinnamon, raisins, etc.
Directions:
- Grease a cookie sheet and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix the bananas, oats, and PB2.
- Because bananas vary in size, you may need to adjust the number of oats you add. The texture should be like wet cookie dough.
- Add any mix-ins you want. Whatever you decide to add, stick to ¼ cup or less, or the dough won’t stick together.
- Scoop dough onto the greased cookie sheet. I got 12 cookies from this recipe.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 350.
Raspberry Quinoa Smoothie
Source: Super Healthy Kids
Ingredients:
- 1 cup – quinoa, uncooked
- 2 cup – milk
- 2 cup – Greek yogurt, plain
- 4 cup – raspberries
- 2 cube – ice
Directions:
- Cook and cool quinoa according to package directions.
- Add all the ingredients to a blender and blitz until smooth (add more ice if needed). Pour into glasses and serve immediately.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it. Some healthy Summer snack ideas for kids. Try making some of these and don’t forget to have fun by experimenting. Tweak one of these recipes to make it suit your family’s taste buds. Or come up with a whole new recipe of your own. If you start with healthy ingredients, you really can’t go wrong. Be original. Be spontaneous. Try combining fruits and veggies. Or make a peanut butter/banana sandwich on whole grain bread. If it tastes good and has healthy ingredients, you’ve got a winner. Let us know your favorite snacks for the Summer in the comments below!
