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.
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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.
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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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Thank you for all the wonderful recipes. Do you have a homemade cinnamon chip recipe?
Thanks!
I use the better homes and garden’s fruit salsa/cinnamon chip recipe. Mix 1/2 cup sugar (I use organic white) with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Brush tortillas with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, cut into triangle shaped wedges(I use my kitchen shears) then bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet at 350 for 5-10 minutes.
Love all of these ideas, thanks so much for the list!
Could you give the recipe for homemade cinnamon chips?
Yes, a recipe for the cinnamon chips, please. And there’s no salt in the recipe for the “salty and sweet” fruit salsa. Was there supposed to be?
We just use some tortilla’s (you can use homemade ones, and I know Lisa has a recipe for homemade tortillas).
Then, we brush them with butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 400 degrees for about 5-6 minutes.
I can’t wait to try the dip. It sounds so yummy! We spend a lot of time at the pool in the summer and I’m always looking for new foods to pack. I often pack hummus and bread, fruit of some kind, peanutbutter and graham crackers, chickpeas to name a few. Today we had carrot and apple salad and a lentil and grain salad from a new Polish vegetarian stand at Broad St Market in Harrisburg, Pa, also cream cheese and crackers.
I love all of the cool ideas to try with my son.
Since we’re boiling the honey I’m guessing that its not worth it to use raw honey?
These are some great summer snacks! I really want to try the frozen fruit kabobs and the homemade pops. :) One of my favorite summer snacks is this vegan raspberry banana sorbet: http://naturalchow.com/2014/05/vegan-raspberry-banana-sorbet/
@Heather- we originally were sharing a mango salsa that was sweet and salty (just forgot to delete the comment about it when it was published! LOL) So, there is no salty in our berry salsa!
@quianna- we still use raw honey, just because that’s what we have.
Finally a dip I don’t have to worry about my toddler eating like it’s a meal in itself Lol it was a hit for the whole family today
I told my daughter to check out your site. She has a boy with Aspbergers (a form of autism) and it is difficult to get him to eat well.He loves sweets and they have made him slightly overweight.Your ideas are so easy and kid friendly, maybe she can find answers to combat his insistence on cake every minute.
Where is the recipe for the homemade cinnamon chips? Thanks! :)
Where is the recipe for the homemade cinnamon chips? Thanks! :)
Love these snack ideas! Is it possible to make granola bars without nuts and seeds? My son is allergic. Thanks!
Where’s the recipe for cinnamon chips? They look delicious!
Sarah- Venae, and CK- we make our chips by using tortillas and brushing them with butter. Then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and baking for about 5-6 minutes in the oven until crispy!
Jennifer= we have a nut free granola bar here:
http://www.superhealthykids.com/blog/delicious-and-chewy-homemade-granola-bars-for-nut-free-kids.php
It’s amazing!
Was wondering did you know that all baby carrots even organic ones are soaked in bleach? How is that healthy?
Can you please give me an estimate of how long the dip will last? Also do you do something to the bananas on the cabobs so they won’t turn black in the freezer? Thank you! I’m new to eating more healthy so I appreciate you answering these rookie questions :).
Hi Betsy- we only keep the dip for 3-5 days. As far as the bananas go, when they are put right into a freezer after they are cut, we haven’t had any browning- they stay their color, even without lemon or pineapple juice.
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!