Hello! We are in full summer mode over here (both weather and life wise). It has been hot hot hot in Houston the last couple of weeks; I’m a little nervous about how our summer is going to go. I foresee lots of afternoons stuck indoors hiding from the sweaty weather or lots of trips to our local pool (maybe this is the summer we pull the trigger and build a pool…. kidding).
Anyways, I’m sure we’ll find lots to do to keep us busy! One thing I have found with my kids, having fun activities planned out helps keep the mood light and fun; one of our favorite activities is building our own snacks! I wanted to share a couple ideas on how to build kid-friendly snacks over the summer. So here we go!
- Make the snack customizable. I already mentioned this, but create snacks that your kids can build or assemble themselves! Now, this might sound like a giant mess in the making, but hear me out. Pick a base, 2-3 toppings, a spread, and let them have fun! Here’s some ideas for each of these:
- Base: fruit like apples or bananas, whole wheat tortillas or crackers, rice cakes, yogurt.
- Toppings: chopped nuts, chopped dried fruit, chocolate chips, unsweetened coconut flakes, pomegranate seeds, flax seed, chia seeds, whipped cream, or really any of your favorite add-ins work great here!
- Spread: nut butters, yogurt, cottage cheese, chocolate hazelnut spread (my favorite is the Justin’s brand!), and cream cheese
- Embrace snack plates! Think of a charcuterie board, but for kids. Kids LOVE having choices and mixing and matching their foods together (like my toddler who likes to dip his cucumbers in ketchup). So put together a plate of snack-type foods and let your kid pick what they want to eat. Aim to include a whole grain carbohydrate like a cracker and a protein or fat on the plates.
- Include a dip! If I’ve learned anything from having children, it’s that kids love dipping and dunking foods… If you are wanting your kid to eat vegetables as a snack, try giving them a dip. Some of my favorites are ranch dressing, hummus, avocado dip, and tzatziki (my husband’s favorite) dip.
- Shoot to offer a vegetable at one snack per day. This helps with continued exposure to vegetables and helps get them closer to their daily recommended servings of vegetables.
Whew, there you go! My best mom dietitian tips to help build a kid-friendly, healthy snack.
Now I want to hear from you! What are some of your favorite kid-friendly snack ideas? Comment below to share some snack inspiration with us all!