5 Fun and easy summer snack recipes

It isn’t easy being a mom during summer. Apart from perpetual complains of being bored, kids demand snacks with equal regularity. Now planned snacks are fine. We can plan and prepare them ahead of time and choose to be a little creative even if it takes longer than it would have otherwise. But what about those out of the blue snack demands? You just had lunch, how can you want a snack already?

Here are a few ideas that don’t take much time, are fun and easy to make – not to mention perfect for Dubai’s insanely hot summer!

Chocolate Covered Banana Pops

These are fun to make and oh so yummy!

• Peel bananas and cut them into 3 pieces.
• Stick popsicle sticks in them and put them in the freezer to freeze.
• While the bananas are freezing, melt a bit of chocolate and pour it in a narrow container. A glass works great for this. Leave 1/3rd of it empty so that the chocolate doesn’t spill over when you dip the bananas in it.
• Once the bananas have frozen, take them out, dip them in the chocolate, and put them back in the freezer for a few minutes to set. Don’t forget to put parchment or butter paper on the tray that goes in the freezer.

Want to make it even cooler? Sprinkle nuts on the chocolate covered banana pop before putting them in the freezer.

The best part about this is that you can get your kids involved. After all, if they want snacks, they can very well help make them!

Smoothies

We can’t survive summer if we don’t know how to make smoothies. Our kids would rebel! This is as simple and fun a smoothie idea as it comes. Here’s what you’re going to need

• 3 cups of your chosen fruit – frozen.
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Blender
• Spatula
• Ice cream scoop
• Mini ice cream cones

Blend the fruit, cream and sugar till smooth. Pour it in a container and freeze until firm enough to scoop. Once that done, scoop the smoothie onto the ice cream cones and serve – the kids and yourself!

You can also let go of the ice cream cones and just scoop the smoothie in a bowl. Throw more fruit on top as garnish. It just looks really pretty.

Milk Shakes

Milk shakes are delicious and so easy to get creative with. You can make them from fruits, chocolate, vanilla and even coffee. Though the last might not be kid friendly depending on your decision of how much caffeine (if any) your child gets.

Add milk, sugar, ice cream, cream and blend. I add ice (Ice makes for a nice slushy shake) if I don’t have or want ice cream and I usually don’t add cream unless I’m feeling indulgent. The option however is there and cream does make a shake, richer, fuller and yummier!

If you’re using fruits in your shake, blend less to leave a few chunks of fruit in the milk shake. And if you like thicker milk shake, add less milk.

So all you have to do is put everything you need in your blender and turn it on. Once your shake is ready, pour it in your child’s favourite glass or mug and serve!

Salad Bar

This is a personal favourite. I absolutely love how easy it is and how much fun it is for kids. To set up a salad bar all you have to do is – use stuff that’s already in your home. You can also choose the level of effort you want to put into it.

Carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes (or grape tomatoes), boiled potatoes, eggs (cut into pieces), beans, fruits, olives etc are all great item for a salad. You can also include other foods such as Chicken (boiled or grilled and cut into small pieces), cheese, nuts, pickles, pasta and pretty much anything else you want to put in your salad bar. Oh and if you have a salad dressing to go with it, all the better!

Once you’ve decided on what you want to include in the salad bar, set them all up in bowls and line them on the table. Hand your children a plate and let them make their own salad. Watch them pick and choose and feel smug that they’re eating healthy. You never know, they may even surprise you with their choice!

Do let your child have complete freedom in his choice. If all he wants to eat is carrots and cucumbers, let him eat those. The entire point of a salad bar is that they eat what they want. It’s a snack after all and you’ve made sure that all the options are healthy.

Cucumber sandwiches

Cucumber sandwiches are a weakness of mine. Easy to make, delicious and once you start eating them, it’s hard to stop! Or maybe that’s just me.

To make cucumber sandwiches in no time all,

• Grate a cucumber, put it in a strainer and allow it to drain. Whether you peel the cucumber or not is up to you.
• While the grated cucumber is being drained, mix 3-4 tbsp mayonnaise and 2 tbsp cream cheese in a bowl.
• Sprinkle salt and pepper (or paprika) to taste. You can also use a little garlic powder if you like.
• Mix the grated and drained cucumber in the mixture, spread on bread and refrigerate.

Don’t forget to cover the sandwich tray with cling wrap or the bread will dry out. And if you want to add something more, mixing mint leaves in the mix adds a great taste to the sandwiches too!

Got any favourite summer snack recipes that are guaranteed to make kids happy? Do share and make our lives easier!