This is a guest post by Natalie Monson and Amy Roskelley from Super Healthy Kids.
We love Lisa and her dedication to real food but also how she makes it real for parents and families to eat this way, which is is why we couldn’t be more excited to guest post for her!
Amy and I are moms and dietitians who love providing parents with fresh recipes and healthy strategies focusing on teaching children to eat more fruits and veggies. We try to make real food creative and fun in order to help growing children develop healthy habits for life. Because we both have children of all ages, we are feeding babies, dealing with picky toddlers, and also attempting to feed busy teens on the go! We believe that feeding your children lots of fruits and veggies is not only possible but can be fun in the process!
Summer is a great time to experiment with different fruits and veggies because there are so many in season. They are great to have by themselves as a snack, but sometimes it is fun to add a little of this or a little of that and come up with a yummy fruit or veggie creation.
5 of our Favorite Summer Snacks
(that are super easy to make and your kids are sure to love)
1. Creamy Lemon Dip
We love to dip! Sometimes kids won’t eat a fruit or veggie plain, but serve it with a delicious dip and they will eat no matter what you serve. This dip is super fresh and creamy and can be served with any fruit. Sometimes we like to pack it in a container and take it with us when we go swimming, to the park, or on a picnic.
Creamy Lemon Dip
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 cup Greek yogurt, plain
- lemon zest, for garnish
Instructions
- Combine lemon juice and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, turn heat down, and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Whisk together Greek yogurt and lemon/honey mixture. Garnish with lemon zest.
- Serve with your favorite fruit.
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
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2. Frozen Fruit Kabobs
We have always loved frozen grapes in the summer, but this snack is definitely a sweet treat for those hot afternoons. You can make a lot at once, so if your kids have friends over you can pull out an entire tray. It is a good compromise for those chocolate covered popsicles that have very little nutritional value. And when you buy this fruit in season, it will likely cost you less than buying popsicles!
Frozen Fruit Kabobs
Ingredients
- grapes
- strawberries
- bananas
- chocolate, melted
Instructions
- Skewer the fruit and drizzle with chocolate.
- Freeze on a baking sheet for 1-2 hours or until frozen.
Recipe Notes
Special equipment needed - wooden skewers
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
3. Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips
We love salsa because you can add so many different ingredients and try new flavors every time you make it. This is a yummy fruit salsa that is both salty and sweet. It is a filling and yummy snack for your kids. We love salsa and chips when we go swimming or to the lake.
Fruit Salsa
Ingredients
- 3 kiwis
- 10 strawberries
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- ¼ pineapple
Instructions
Dice and combine all ingredients together in a bowl.
Serve with homemade cinnamon chips!
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
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4. Homemade Pops
Our favorite thing is to freeze leftover smoothie in pop molds and eat the popsicles later that afternoon as a frozen treat. We also like to blend fruit and pour it into molds if it is too ripe to eat as is, but we don’t want to throw it out. When fruit is ripe and in season, it is so sweet that you don’t even need any added sweetener. These watermelon pops are super easy with just 2 ingredients: pureed watermelon and kiwi! We also love to make Strawberry Creamsicles, Super Kale Pops, and Whipped Pineapple Pops.
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5. Grab and Go Granola Bars
These Grab and Go Granola Bars are great for when kids run in from outside to grab a quick snack and are back out the door in seconds! They are packed full of hearty ingredients like sunflower seeds, almonds, peanut butter, and oats. They are super tasty and will keep your kids going on those long summer days!
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Strategies for Smart Summer Snacking
- Have some throw-in-your-bag snacks prepared. A few things we like are: baby carrots, sliced bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, watermelon cubes, unsweetened applesauce, dried fruit, nuts, and brown rice cakes.
- Keep on hand healthy snacks that won’t go bad quickly. We like Stretch Island fruit leather and bites, whole grain crackers, pretzels, and unsweetened fruit cups.
- Pair your fruits and veggies with protein to sustain your kids longer. Boil eggs and keep them in your fridge, have pre-shelled nuts in your pantry, measure peanut or almond butter into smaller containers for a single serving, or make your own Greek yogurt to have in the fridge.
- Have a plan. Being prepared is half the battle and helps keep you from succumbing to packaged foods.
For more ideas, we’d love to have you follow us at SuperHealthyKids.com, on Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram!
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About Natalie Monson and Amy Roskelley
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I love all of these ideas! We are heading out this Thursday for a 4th of July vacation so I only have time to try a couple this week, but intend to try all of them next week! Thanks :)
Love all this great recipes! Will try them all. Thanks
Hi! Where can I find the cinnamon chips recipe? Thank you!
Vanessa- we just use corn tortillas, cut into strips and baked with some butter and cinnamon sugar. Super easy!