Cool and healthy snacks for kids
Got kids? Got kids that get bored, hungry and hot in the summertime?
If you do have kids you know all of those things go together whether we want them to or not, right? You need to stock cool and healthy treats to keep them happy. The problem is that routines are less strict in the summer for kids but usually not so for parents who still haveto carry out normal tasks. Here comes some help.
Do you get tired of hearing, “but I don’t like THAT mom” or other complaints when you offer them a quick snack? Are you looking for some healthy, delicious, “cool” (as in refreshing AND neat) treats to satisfy kids of all ages? Then look no further! Here are five treats your kids will love and ask for over and over. Not only will your kids love them but so will you because they are easy to make, delicious and healthy. Who could ask for anything more?
Fruit pizza
Delicious and oh so easy to make; fruit pizza will please every person in your household and it will help get your kids (and hubby) to eat more fruit.
The ingredients for fruit pizza
- 1 pkg. refrigerated sugar cookie dough mix
- 1-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 4 cups assorted fruits, sliced (strawberries, bananas, oranges, blueberries, etc.), you can throw these together in a bowl if you wish.
How to prepare the pizza
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F (180° C). Roll cookie dough into a ball and place in the center of a pizza pan and spread evenly over pizza pan, into a 12 inch circle. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Mix the sugar and cream cheese together and spread over the cookie crust. Top with the fruit and then sprinkle the lemon juice over the fruit (this helps to keep it from turning brown). Refrigerate. Slice into 12 pizza wedges and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Tips
This is also a great treat to serve at a birthday party. Kids and adults love it!
Fruit juice spritzer
Do your kids like soda, but you hate for them to have it all the time? One of our favorite beverages any time of the year is a fruit juice spritzer. It’s refreshing, cool and tasty. Plus it has the added benefit of fruit juice so you can count is as a fruit serving for the day! We prefer using 100% Juicy Juice, being that it’s, well, 100% all natural juice. But you can use any juice you prefer. You’re kids will love it and it’s a cool, easy to serve beverage made of ingredients you probably already have. It’s also healthier than letting them have a full glass of soda.
It’s so easy. All you do is pour about 1/2 a glass of juice in a cup over ice and fill the rest of the glass with 7UP or Sprite. Voila! You have a Fruit Juice Spritzer. It’s better than a full glass of soda and your kids get the fruit serving they need. You can vary the amounts of course; a little more juice or a little less, depending on your taste, but don’t defeat the purpose of cutting down on the soda.
For an added treat you could blend the juice with some ice in the blender and make “slushies.” Just fill the glass with the slushie mix and pour the soda over the icy juice.
Homemade juice or popsicles
One of my kid’s favorite treats growing up was homemade popsicles. They loved helping make them and of course eating them. Plus they are super easy to make and oh so handy when your kids need a quick snack to tide them over until dinner.
What you will need for those homemade posicles
- Make juicy pops using your favorite fruit juice, but mix with water first, 5 parts water to 1 part juice.
- Freezer pop molds. If you don’t have them, just use ice cube trays.
How to prepare the popsicles
Pour the prepared drink mix or Kool-Aid into freezer molds or ice cube trays and freeze. If you want to put a popsicle stick into the ice cubed pops, freeze slightly first, and then insert in the middle of the ice cube pop so it will stand up.
Voila! Easy, handy, yummy and cool! You’re kids will think you’re the best mom ever.
Tips
If you don't have natural juice, substitute it with a pitcher of Kool-Aid or other drink mix, prepared.
Ice cream float
Who doesn’t love ice cream? What better summertime treats than a delicious ice cream float? It’s so quick, easy and refreshing. Here’s a neat twist on the traditional float:
Using your choice of ice cream put two scoops in a dessert or tall glass. Break up your favorite candy bar into pieces and place in glass. Fill with your favorite soda, like root beer or cola.
Yogurt and fruit lollies
When I was a kid I loved having something I could grab and go outside with my friends. (Where have those days gone?) Better yet, I loved having a treat I could share with my friends. These yummy yogurt and fruit lollies are the perfect summertime treat. They are cool, refreshing, healthy and easy to take on the go.
What you need to prepare fruit lollies
- Popsicle molds with sticks, preferably the flat molds
- A container of flavored yogurt, preferably a fruit flavor
- Sliced fruit
How you make the lollies
Fill the molds with the yogurt, insert stick and place fruit on the top. Freeze. Place mold in warm water to remove the lolly when ready to eat.
Relax with those cool snacks
Healthy, delicious, and handy all wrapped up into one! Every mother’s dream and every kid’s treat. Making kids happy and keeping them healthy doesn’t have to be a huge chore, nor does it have to taste bad. Using these simple ideas will serve both purposes, quick, easily and efficiently. Your kids will thank you for it.