Healthy Snacks for Summer

Summertime in our family means grabbing our bathing suits and heading to the pool at the . Swimming makes for hungry kids and lots of snacking. Sometimes I just grab a bag of chips or package of cookies because it’s easy. It’s also difficult to come up with creative ideas for healthy snacks that the kids will actually eat.

The American Dietetic Association has a section on its website dedicated to healthy eating. It has an information sheet called "25 Healthy Snacks For Kids." All of the ingredients can be found at just about any grocery store, like or , here in Brecksville. Here are a few of their suggestions:

• Make snack kabobs, jut skewer cheese cubes and cut-up fruit.
• Toast an English muffin, add tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese for instant pizza.
• Layer vanilla yogurt and fruit, like mandarin oranges or blueberries in a tall glass and top with granola.
• Stuff a whole-grain pita pocket with ricotta cheese, apple slices and  a dash of cinnamon.
• Roll up a flower tortilla with turkey or ham, mustard and low-fat cheese and lettuce.
• Fill small bags with dry cereal, dried fruits, and nuts for an easy on-the-go snack.

Here’s a healthy snack that sounds crazy, but my kids love it. I heard about this recipe a few years ago from a friend: 

• Oatmeal ice pops - Make oatmeal and add raisins, maple syrup, milk and chopped walnuts. Spoon into popsicle molds and freeze until hard.

Some of the snack recipes include nuts or peanut butter. Nuts are a healthy snack, but according to Food Allergy.org nut allergies have become more common and can be very serious. 

If your kids have nut allergies, or if you’re taking snacks to a party or serving them to friends, you can just leave the nuts out of any of these recipes. Some people have such severe nut allergies that eating food prepared in a kitchen where nuts are used can cause severe reactions. The  website has more information for how to avoid unexpected peanut and tree nut ingredients in your food.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest says that water should be the beverage of choice for kids at snack time. It satisfies thirst, doesn’t have sugar or calories and is inexpensive.

This summer I’m going to try to have more healthy snacks available for my kids. I also tend to eat what they’re eating, so not having chips and cookies around will be good for me, too.