Healthy Summer Snacks for Kids

Rebecca is a guest blogger for the DietsInReview.com special series on Healthy Summer Kids. Rebecca is a stay-at-home mom to four little boys and is committed to fitness and health. She blogs at Life With Boys where she shares her experiences as a mom, and her journey toward weight loss and fitness.

One of our biggest challenges as moms is to feed our kids a healthy diet that they will actually eat. The busy, hot summer days add the extra problem of having the school agers at home all day long. They want snacks and they want them now!  They don’t care if the food is wholesome or junk, in fact they’d often prefer the latter. So begins the battle of what mom wants versus what they want. Here are a few ideas that have helped us reach a compromise.

Presentation is key. If it’s fun it’s a winner. If I put some pineapple chunks, grapes, and banana slices on a skewer and call it a fruit kabob they are on cloud nine.

Strawberry smoothies are another favorite around here. You can even make your own yogurt for the smoothies in your crock pot if you have a little time. The smoothie is simple and your kids can do most of the work. Just throw 1 cup plain yogurt, 2 bananas peeled and sliced, 2 cups strawberries (fresh or frozen), and one cup of milk into your blender and mix. If your child has a dairy allergy, another option is to swap the milk and yogurt for ½ cup apple juice, 1 cup crushed ice and 1 tablespoon honey. (1) Either way, you have a refreshing smoothie for snack time in just a few minutes.

My guys love bagels, but not cream cheese. A good, healthy option is to take half of a whole grain bagel, a slice of cheddar cheese and a slice of green apple and eat it as an open face sandwich (2). This provides a balanced snack of dairy, protein, fruit and whole grains. If you or the kids don’t like the idea of cheese and apples together, try substituting peanut butter.

Here’s to healthy summer snacking!

1. “A Berry Good Banana Smoothie.” Recipe. Kids Cooking a Very Slightly Messy Manual. California: Klutz, a subsidiary of Scholastic Inc., 1987. 69.
2. “Happle Sandwich.” Recipe. Kids Cooking A Very Slightly Messy Manual. California: Klutz, a subsidiary of Scholastic Inc., 1987. 21.

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