Our 8 Favorite Summer Snacks

Summer break is about halfway over, which means there's still plenty of time for visits to the pool, the park, and road trips! We've been packing lots of portable snacks ourselves so far this summer and the following are some of our favorites. Check out these Healthy Snack Ideas too!

1. Banana Ice Cream in a Thermos
   We are huge Banana Ice Cream fans at our house. All you have to do is blend frozen bananas together with your milk of choice and you magically have a snack that is the exact consistency of ice cream and much better for you, of course. This is one of my daughters' favorite snacks to bring to the pool (in an insulated thermos container that keeps foods cold or hot for up to five hours) and I have to agree it's a pretty great way to cool down on a hot summer day!-
2. PB&J (or Peanut Butter & Honey) "Sushi"
   Most kids love Peanut Butter & Jelly (or, in the case of my daughters, Peanut Butter & Honey) sandwiches, and rolling it up like sushi is an easy way to change it from a lunch sandwich into a fun, portable snack.
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3. Frozen Cheese Sticks
   In case you've never tried it, cheese is one of the many foods that can be frozen with no negative consequences. It's one of the best kept secrets when you've got a long travel day (or hot day at the pool) ahead of you because it will last for hours until you're ready to dig in.
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4. Frozen Yogurt Pops
   Wasn't sure if it would work, but I recently packed homemade frozen yogurt pops in my cooler for the pool (along with several ice packs, of course!), and they held up beautifully. I gave it to my daughters and their friends about an hour after we arrived, and we had no leakage or other issues at all. I love knowing another yummy homemade snack that can be portable on a hot summer day - anything to keep their eyes off the pool snack bar!
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5. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough LARABARS
   I'm a Cashew Cookie girl myself, but my daughters have both recently become big fans of the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough LARABARs. Since this flavor contains chocolate chips it does have a small amount of added sugar, and since my daughters are both pretty picky when it comes to snack bars that I'll actually buy, these have been a big winner at our house this summer.
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6. Homemade Trail Mix
   Trail mix is no new concept, but we do love to keep things interesting with our own homemade versions. Some of my favorite things to add are popcorn, roasted pumpkin seeds, dried apricots (chopped), and even broken-up pieces of whole-grain crackers. Be creative and it will never get boring!
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7. Frozen Smoothie Pops
   There are a thousand different smoothie recipes out there and one of our favorite things to do is freeze them in silicone ice pop molds. Simply blend together your favorite fruits, greens, liquids and nut butters, and pour them into ice pop molds to freeze so you'll have a portable good-for-you snack to grab and go next time you head out the door.
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8. Good Ol' Watermelon
   It's hard to go wrong with watermelon and I've got say - this one truly is a crowd pleaser. So, especially if I know I am feeding kids other than my own, this is a go-to summer snack of ours whether at the pool or at home!
   

My daughter and I had the chance to share our snack ideas on our local Charlotte Today show this week. Here is the clip if you want to check out the video!