A Life In Review

I was wracking my brain trying to come up with fun things to do this summer other than have a cook out or go to the beach (I love a good cook out but did a post on that last summer, and I’m not a beach fan, so that’s out). Then I thought about what kids love the most. Summer time kiddos seem to require a lot more snacks than school time kiddos. This post can be taken one of two ways. First, you could use this to throw a fun backyard party with your friends and their kids where everyone has to bring a creative snack food. If parties aren’t your thing, you could pick two days a week to try out a new fun snack this summer and get the kids hands dirty.

I’m here for the snack ideas. I’ve cultivated yet another list for you with some fun (and a few out of the box) snack ideas. I tried to find things that were quick and easy. Along with each snack recipe you’ll find the link to where I found the snack so that you can see what they look like (because we all know that I didn’t take any pictures 😂).

1. Pancake Poppers (source: Random Facebook Picture):
   I tried these out with my toddler earlier this year and not only were they fun, they were so easy. They are small too which means they make the perfect snack.
   
   – What You’ll Need: A Mini cupcake pan || Non-stick spray || Instant Pancake Mix || Small Things to Put into Pancakes (choc. chips, M&M’s, cinnamon, apple chunks etc.) || Bowl and Whisk
   – Directions: *Preheat the oven to 350 degrees* If you have older kiddos, they can help prepare the batter (prepare it as directed on the back of the pancake box). If you have little kids, prepare the batter for them. Spray the cupcake pan with nonstick spray, then fill each cupcake spot 3/4 full with batter. At this point, let the kids choose what they want to put into their pancake poppers (we used M&M’s and chocolate chips). They can each drop in what they choose (I suggest 4-5 choc. chips per pancake popper). Once every popper has something added, put them in the oven for 12-14 minutes. They should be a light golden brown when they are done.

2. Frozen Banana Pops (source: Hello Wonderful blog)
My family is full of banana haters, but I love them and I’m sure I can’t be the only one. These frozen banana pops are the perfect (semi-healthy) treat for a hot summer day.

– What You’ll Need: 3 Bananas (yellow NOT green) || 6 Popsicle Sticks || Wax Paper ||
Plates || Yogurt (can be any flavor that pairs well with banana) || Variety of Sprinkles
– Directions: Lay out the wax paper over 3 paper plates (this is assuming you have 3 kids). Let the kids each cut one banana in half. Help them place a popsicle stick into the flat end of each banana half. Place the yogurt into a bowl with a spoon so that they can dip their bananas. After they dip their bananas (you can check and make sure they covered the whole half of the banana), have them sprinkle the sprinkles all over. Once they finish with the sprinkles, put the bananas in the freezer (still sitting on the wax covered plates) for at least 1 hour. Then pull them out and enjoy!

3. Pizza Crescent Rolls (source: Hip2Save blog):
Hear me out, I know this sounds more like a meal, but in summer kids are usually snacking more than they are sitting down for meals. This would be a great option for a rainy summer day when you are all gathered around a movie!

– What You’ll Need: 1 Tube of Crescent Rolls || 4 Cheese Sticks || (at least) 16 Slices of Pepperoni || Marinara or Pasta Sauce || Wax Paper || Baking Sheet
– Directions: *Preheat the oven to 375 degrees* Have the kids roll out the crescent rolls on wax paper (you can determine how many each kid gets to make). With your assistance, have the kids cut the cheese sticks in half. You will need half a cheese stick for each pizza roll. Have them lay at least two slices of pepperoni down on their rolled out crescent roll. Next have them place the cheese stick on the crescent roll and show them how to roll it up. Place the rolled up crescent rolls onto the baking sheet and bake for 10-14 minutes (until they are a golden brown color). Serve them with warm marinara or pasta sauce.

4. Apple Monster “Cookies” (source: Love to Be in the Kitchen blog)
I know this sounds really weird, but if you click the link and look at the picture, you’re going to laugh at how easy and yummy these apple “cookies” are.

– What You’ll Need: 1-2 Sweet Apples || Apple Corer || Plates || Paring Knife || Peanut Butter || Chocolate Chips || Granola || M&M’s
– Directions: Unless your kids are older and/or good with knives, you will probably have to prep the first part for them. You are going to core out the center of the apple(s). Then you are going to slice them into 1/4 – 1/2 inch slices (similar to how you would cut a tomato for a sandwich). Once that is done you can place a few slices on each kid’s plate. Dab the top of the apple slices with a paper towel to take out some of the moisture so that it’s easier for the kids to get the peanut butter to stick. Then the kids will place a layer of peanut butter onto each apple slice. Once they have a layer of peanut butter, they can go to town adding the granola, chocolate chips and M&M’s. This is a great way to sneak a little protein into your kids throughout the day too!

5. S’more’s Popcorn (source: Lemon Tree Dwelling blog)
This is probably the simplest of the snack ideas. The kids may not even need much help with this one. I can see this s’more’s popcorn being used at a summer sleepover, or for another one of those random rainy summer days that we get here and there.

– What You’ll Need: Big Mixing Bowl || 12 cups of Popped Popcorn || 4 Graham Crackers || 1/3 cup of Peanut Butter Chips || 1 Hershey Chocolate Bar || 1/4 Cup of M&M’s || 1 cup of Marshmallows || Measuring Cups
– Directions: If you have older kids they can take over and do all of the following. If your kids are younger you can do some prep and let them take over from there. Start by popping enough popcorn to fill the big bowl (about 12 cups of popped popcorn). Have the kids break up the graham crackers into smaller chunks. Have them also break up the Hershey bar into smaller chunks. Once that is done, help them measure 1/4 cup of M&M’s, 1 cup of marshmallows and 1/3 cup of peanut butter chips. Either taking turns, or all at once, have them add the ingredient. Using a giant spoon (or their hands), have them mix everything together, and that’s it! Then they can sit down and enjoy this sugar filled snack.

There are so many more cool snack ideas all over the internet. I wish I was talented enough to have come up with these, but as you’ve seen, I am not. I cannot wait to try out more of these in my house this summer with my toddler who loves to be in the kitchen. Please feel free to share and comment if you have any more summer snack ideas to keep these kids going! Happy snacking!