It is summertime! Time for sunshine, pools, running through sprinklers, bike rides, and of course….snacks! If your children are anything like mine, snacks are a staple of summer. Just when I thought my latest trip to buy items in bulk would last me through the long days of summer, reality struck as Pirate’s Booty ran out. How are we going to get through summer at this rate?
I set out to spice up our summertime snack list. Here are 10 simple (and fun) summertime snacks.
Smoothie Pops: We love making smoothies and we love popsicles so why not combine both? After making our favorite smoothie (I like to throw in some chia seeds as well) we pour the smoothie into this mold and enjoy them as popsicles.
Watermelon Slice Pops: These are super easy and my kids were much more eager to eat than watermelon slices. Just cut a slit in the watermelon and put a popsicle stick inside.
Make your own Fruit Kabobs: Place your favorite fruit out and have the kids make their own kabobs. We use cut up strawberries, bananas, cheese, blueberries, and grapes. Or try these adorable animal food picks!
Apple Chips: We use our air fryer and slice apples (mandoline works best). We season the slices with cinnamon and sugar and place them in the air fryer. Make sure to toss a few times to prevent burning. Cool and enjoy!
Fun Sandwiches: We use cookie cutters to cut out fun objects. We also found this cutter that makes the sandwiches into your own uncrustable!
Protein Pack: I constantly feel like my kids eat snacks and are hungry five seconds later. We started filling a container with cut up veggies, cheese, nuts, salami, and deviled eggs for a quick snack between sports games.
Butterfly Bag: quick and fun idea. Use a cheese stick for the middle, add two bags for the wings. You can fill up bags with fruit or pretzels, chips, and crackers. Add some pipe cleaners on top for antennas.
Make your own French Fries: The kids loved helping me make homemade fries. Use this machine to help!
Graham Cracker Banana Sandwich: Make it with sunbutter or peanut butter! Smear some sunbutter, peanut butter, or nutella, add some bananas on top and enjoy!
Muffin Tin Snacks: Use muffin tins and fill each compartment with different snacks. Some ideas: fruit, marshmallows, crackers, chex mix, goldfish, popcorn, cheese, cereal, veggies, and whatever else you and your kid can think of filling it.
Sometimes all it takes is a twist on summertime snacks to have kids eat a little variety!