Most parents dread summer when their kids are home from school. It’s full of “moomm I’m hungry” every 7 seconds or “moomm I’m bored” every 10 seconds. I don’t have kids but as a nanny of 6 years, I totally understand this struggle. Finding new snacks and meals can be tough during the school year let alone when you’re trying to entertain your children all day or still have to work and come home to deal with them. I’ve made a list of some kid friendly snacks that are great for outings to the water park, beach, pool, or just your backyard! They’re going to keep them full longer, so they aren’t asking you every 5 minutes for a snack, but they’ll also be hydrating. Sometimes kids aren’t great at drinking water so giving them foods with a high-water content when it’s hot out is a sneaky way to get it in.
1. “Ants on a log”
This was a favourite of mine when I was younger. It’s so easy to put together and it can even be an activity you give your kids to do. I’ll keep them entertained for a little while and they’ll be super excited they get to help in the kitchen. All you need is;
- Celery
- Peanut butter (any nut or seed butter will work)
- “Ants” (raisins)
Cut celery stalks in half, wash and dry well. Spread peanut butter inside and place raisins on top.
2. Watermelon & cucumber
This is pretty self explanatory, cut up some watermelon and cucumber and you’re good to go! Sometimes kids love different shapes so cutting some of the cucumber into sticks and some into rounds might be a fun option. Both are basically just water, so this is great for those hot days at the water park or beach!
3. Greek yogurt & fruit bark
This snack is good for at home summer days. It needs to be kept in the freezer so when you need it, you could just quickly run inside, grab some and let the kids go at it! What you’ll need;
- 2 cups plain grass-fed yogurt; if your kids (or yourself because we all eat our kids snacks) are sensitive to cow dairy, try goats milk yogurt as an alternative, or even coconut milk yogurt
- ½ cup chopped strawberries
- ¼ cup blueberries
Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Evenly spread on yogurt so it’s about 1 cm thick. Top with berries and push them in a little so they settle into the yogurt. Ideally, freeze overnight but 3-4 hours should be enough time. Break into pieces and enjoy!
*if you want to sweeten the yogurt, you could add a touch of honey or maple syrup
4. Smoothie
Smoothies are such a great go to. They can even be made the night before for a quick grab and go snack in the morning before heading to the park. They’re also super easy to sneak veggies into because the fruit masks the taste. If you have really fussy eaters, I always recommend trying smoothies because there’s so many nutrients you can pack into that one cup. One of my favourite recipes is;
- ½ banana
- ¼ cup frozen blueberries
- A few pieces of whatever veggie you have on hand (broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, kale, zucchini)
- 2 handfuls of spinach
- 1 tbsp hemp seeds
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup (more or less depending on how thick you want it) non-dairy milk
Blend until smooth and enjoy!
5. Fruit & veggie variety bag
I love this one because it’s customizable. If you have one kid who loves cucumber and one who doesn’t that one doesn’t need to have any in their bag. Anything and everything goes for these. Berries, apples, oranges, pineapple, melons, peaches, cucumber, carrots, snap peas…you get it. They also last 4-5 days cut up in the fridge, so you could make a bunch to have on hand for when you really need something!
Sometimes all kids want are goldfish and cookies, and that’s okay! When I was a kid, I remember summertime being the time I got to eat things I wouldn’t normally throughout the year. They were treats and they made me happy (they still do). Don’t stress if one day they don’t have any veggies. The next day they might have some! Stressing and worrying about one day of “bad” eating isn’t going to change or do anything. Start fresh the next day and try again!
-xo Samantha