Refreshing, Healthy Summer Snacks for You and Your Kids
When it’s warm outside, the last thing you want to do is spend time sweating over a hot oven. Whenever summer comes along I try to eat outside as much as possible. This is for two reasons. 1) We can make the most of the lovely warm afternoons and evenings and 2) there’s less mess in the house and kitchen for my husband and I to clean up, because seriously, no one likes doing housework in the heat either!
These snacks are perfect for afternoons when the kids and their friends are playing outside in the sun between meals. They’re also great as deserts or orderves and are all easy to make with minimal time in the kitchen!
Yoghurt and Strawberry Lollies
This works with most fruits if you don’t like strawberries. It’s so easy, all you need are 250g of ripe strawberries, 100ml of natural yoghurt (I like to use full fat greek yoghurt as it’s more like ice cream when frozen) and 1 teaspoon of honey. You can replace the yoghurt with fresh orange or apple juice if you want to make an ice lolly.
Mix all the ingredients together in a food processor (taste test for sweetness) and divide between 4 ice lolly moulds or empty yoghurt pots. Stick some lolly sticks into the moulds our pots and pop them in the freezer for around 4 hours or until they’re solid to the touch and serve. They can survive in the freezer for longer if you want to make them a day or so beforehand.
Fruit Kebabs
These have to be the most simple summer snack but they taste great and look really appealing for kids and adults! I like to use green and red grapes, pineapple and strawberries although sometimes I use pitted cherries too.
Once I’ve skewered the fruit onto the kebab sticks, I drizzle them with honey and serve with a greek yoghurt dip. Sometimes I’ll sprinkle fresh mint into the dip too if we have any.
If your kids are too young to eat from a stick, simply slide off the fruit from the kebab onto a plate.
DIY Veggie Wraps
This is another great recipe and you can certainly get the kids involved to help make their own.
You’ll need some chopped vegetables like peppers, cucumber, sweetcorn, lettuce, carrot (I like to shred the carrot) and some whole meal tortilla wraps as well as a sprinkle of pepper and some spreading cheese like Philadelphia. Add sliced ham or rice for a more filling meal!
Lay out the tortillas, spread them with a thin layer of soft cheese (although don’t go right to the edges) and let everyone put in whatever veggies they want. Roll them up and they’re ready to eat!
Apple Nachos
For this you’ll need apples, chocolate sauce and peanut butter with some optional cinnamon, Core three or four apples depending on how many people you’re feeding, cut into slices and spread out on a plate. Drizzle with chocolate sauce and peanut butter and viola!
Tip: If the peanut butter is too hard to drizzle, just warm it a little in a pan or in the microwave.
Halloumi and Avocado Bites
Brilliant for kids and the perfect bbq starter for adults too. Slice one or two blocks of halloumi and toast them on a bbq, under a grill or in a pan until they’re golden brown on both sides. Once they’re done, take them off the heat. Mash up some avocado with a pinch of salt and twist of pepper and spread it onto the slices of halloumi and top with a teaspoon full of homemade or pre-bought salsa.
No-Bake Granola Bars
I love this recipe by Jen at Yummy, Healthy Easy. They take a bit more time to make, but once they’re done you can keep them in a sealed tupperware for a week. Perfect for making as a snack to take with you on afternoons out.
What are yours and your kids’ favourite summer snacks? Let us know by tagging a pic @matchstick_monkey!