I’m hungry! Sound familiar? While summertime is the best time to enjoy the great outdoors, kids’ appetites tend to soar to new heights. Swimming, bicycling and jumping on a trampoline burns a lot of energy and requires constant refueling during the day. Keeping Texas-sized appetites satisfied during the hot summer months is not an easy task. Moreover this year it can pose more of a challenge than ever especially if you’re working from home.
With limited time on your hands we found some simple summertime snacks and recipes to keep you sane and the kids happy. They are super delicious, use pantry and refrigerator staples, and are made with just a few ingredients. Kids no doubt will eat them up. And we’re positive they’ll want to try their hand on making it themselves too. You never know you may discover a budding chef in the works. Let’s get snacking!
Summertime Sandwiches, Snacks and Everything in Between
Peanut Butter
Smooth and creamy, peanut butter is the go-to food that never stops giving. Because it can be spread on just about everything its versatility is a godsend. If peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have run its course in your house, try Fruity Peanut Butter Pitas or Peanut Butter S’more Sandwiches for a change from the ordinary. Or, try the extraordinary and tantalize the taste buds with Peanut Butter, Strawberry and Honey Sandwiches. The Elvis Sandwich shakes things up a bit too. Its yumminess can be attributed to the cooked bacon and mashed bananas that are sandwiched between the bread of your choice then fried. When it comes to peanut butter both savory and sweet choices abound as well as 17 Non-traditional Peanut Butter Sandwiches from the folks at Taste of Home. No bake sweets and treats like No-bake Peanut Butter Bars are easy to assemble.
Granola
Whether it’s in a cereal bowl or in the form of a breakfast bar, homemade granola is a great morning starter. There’s a basic recipe that consists of rolled oats, a sweetener, oil, flavorings and a few additions like dried fruits, nuts, raisins, and coconut to name a few. The recipe is super easy and can be adapted to accommodate both picky eaters and dietary restrictions. Plus homemade varieties tend to contain less sugar than commercial store bought types. Now, here’s the fun part. Once made, granola can be used to top ice cream, open-faced peanut butter sandwiches and French toast. And that’s not all. It’s also crunchy, chewy and there are many other ways to include granola into your kids’ snacks.
Yogurt
While kids may love yogurt for its creamy texture, yummy flavors and overall deliciousness, when it comes to health benefits it packs a nutritious punch. And it’s not just for breakfast any more. Convenient grocery store snack packs makes it ideal for kids to grab this healthy refrigerator snack any time of day. But yogurt is so much more. In today’s recipes it is used as a substitute to lighten up mayo heavy dips and sweet confectionary treats like ice cream. Healthier summertime snack options like yogurt parfaits, frozen yogurt popsicles or yogurt bark will have kids asking for more. But what they’ll love even more is experimenting with different fruits, juices, and yogurt flavors to create their own combinations.
Fruit
Fresh watermelon, pineapple, strawberries and blueberries are ideal thirst quenchers especially when ice cold. As summer heats up keep kids cool and refreshed with a variety of frozen popsicles with fruit as the primary ingredient. They’re healthy, fun to make and even more fun to eat. For a healthy breakfast, snack, or summertime meal accompanient smoothies are sure to satisfy especially when you let kids create their own. A Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie is difficult for any kid to pass up.
Pizza
We realize pizza isn’t a stand-alone food group but we think it should be. And for that reason we added it to our list of mainstay ingredients. What kid doesn’t like pizza? We’re sure if you do know one they must be from another planet. Pizza is one food that is out-of-this-world and on every kids’ eating list. Most kids will eat pizza every day if you let them. But there’s no mom guilt here. There are a plethora of pizza recipes that steer away from the norm and use veggies and grains from the cheesy top of the pie to the bottom. If cauliflower crust is a little out of your kids’ comfort zones, other great crust options include bagels, muffins, flatbreads and tortillas. A variety of meats, cheeses, and veggie toppings lets everyone create their own. Or, mix it up and serve Berry Breakfast Pizza for a change of pace.
Move-in Ready Homes Now Available at Travisso
Are you looking for your dream home? Check out Travisso’s current list of move-in ready available homes today. Specifically built for today’s busy lifestyles they offer open concept floor plans, media and game rooms, and large gourmet kitchens and gathering areas that make entertaining super easy. In addition, Travisso offers gorgeous views, a family-friendly neighborhood and endless recreational possibilities for the entire family. For additional information call 512-243-8583.
