Quick and Healthy Summer Snacks for Young Kids

Quick, Easy and Healthy Summer Snacks
for Young Children

A quick, healthy snack for you kids! It's Summer time! What parent wants to slave over a stove in the middle of the day to make their children snacks thru-out the day, Or giving them those Rubbery microwaveable snacks? I was on a mission and searched the web to find some quick and healthy snacks for parents to give to their kids. Below are a few that I've found. I will be posting more soon!

Blueberry-Banana Stacks

These tiny little beauties are so adorable and so yummy! They are also very easy to make! I'm sure they would be a hit, not only for a quick snack for you kids, but at Parties as well! Kids parties and Adult parties.  The Popcorn cakes are very light and make perfect bottoms for the yummy toppings!

Ingredients

• 6 mini chocolate, caramel, or berry-flavored popcorn cakes
• 1 - 2 tablespoons strawberry-flavored cream cheese
• 6 banana slices
• 6 fresh blueberries

Directions

Spread cakes with cream cheese and top with banana slices. If desired, dollop with additional cream cheese and top with a blueberry. Serves 2.

Polka-Dot Waffle Sticks

Ingredients

• 2 square, whole grain waffles
• 1 teaspoon reduced fat cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon blackberry, raspberry, and/or apricot jelly

Directions

Toast waffles and cut into 6 sticks. Spread each stick with cream cheese and use a spoon or squeeze bottle to dot sticks with jelly. Serves 2.

Strawberry PB Crepes

Ingredients

• 1 9 inch store-bought crepe (such as Melissa's)
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1/4 cup chopped strawberries

Directions

Spread crepes with peanut butter and sprinkle with strawberries. Roll up crepes, trim off ends, and cut log into 1-inch slices. Serves 2.

SNACK ART

Much like an arts and crafts project, making a snack can become an after-school activity. The bonus: Kids get to eat their artwork, and you get to sneak nutritious foods into their diet.

Create a work of art using a few of the following ingredients:

•The Foundation Celery, carrots, zucchini or cucumbers cut into sticks or rounds; banana, apple or pineapple slices; melon balls; lettuce leaves; or orange sections

•The Cement Peanut butter, cream cheese, cheese spread, yogurt, jam, pizza sauce or ranch dressing

•The Decorations Seeds, nuts, grapes, raisins, olives, frozen peas or beans.

Lay out the materials and give each child plastic utensils and a plate "canvas." Suggest that they build sharks, monsters, cars, flowers, or have them write their names.

TIP: This makes a great birthday party activity.

WIGGLE WORMS

Ingredients 

• Fruit, such as grapes, melon, bananas or strawberries, cut into bite-size pieces
• Pretzel sticks
• Chocolate sprinkles

DirectionsSpear about four pieces of fruit onto each pretzel, as if making a kebab, to create the worms. Leave a tip at the end for the tail. Parents, you can "pre-spear" the fruit if need be.

Join 2 worms with a piece of fruit to make a longer creepy-crawler.

Use sprinkles to make the eyes, spots and/or tiny feet.

COLD-CUT PUZZLER

Enjoy Some Lunch Time Puzzle Fun!

• Start by making a sandwich with ham and cheese (or other sandwich meat).
• Cut the sandwich into a variety of different shapes in different sizes
• Separate the shapes & mix them up on your child's lunch plate.
• Have her rebuild the sandwich by putting the puzzle back together before she eats it.

Recipes From www.parents.com and www.familyfun.go.com