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Summer break can be filled with many different activities, camps, play dates, and travel. As busy as summer gets, there is also a lot of downtime at home. During those days at home it seems like my kids (10, 8 and 4) turn into nonstop snack eating monsters! No matter what they have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner they are always asking for snacks over and over again...
When my son N(10) was in preschool we went to a school where the parents made snacks for the classroom two weeks a year. Each day during those two weeks when you dropped off your child you’d bring a morning snack and an afternoon snack for the class of twelve kids. I loved doing this, and I even did extra weeks one year because I was having fun thinking of ideas for the kids to try! After two years of those snack days I created a list of what snacks the kids liked the most, and which were the easiest to put together.
I also realized that any day I offered muffins the kids always ate them! So, when we have demanding snack days at home I always always always look in my freezer to see what muffins I’ve made and frozen for occasions just like this. If I don’t have any muffins I will look at my snack list for some ideas, and then I bake a double batch of muffins as soon as I can and I’ll help my future self by freezing a batch to heat up as needed.
I’m sure many of you are in the same snack attack situation this summer! So, to help when the snack demands seem endless, below is my list of simple snack ideas that you can easily put together quickly when your kids say they’re starving, and I’ve listed a few of my kids’ favorite muffin recipes for you to try. I hope you enjoy these snacks too!
SNACK LIST
Smoothies (the below recipes make 2-3 kid servings):
- Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie: 2 Tablespoons peanut butter, 1 banana (use frozen bananas or older bananas), 1 Tablespoon flax seed, 1 cup almond milk (if plain almond milk then add a drop of vanilla) or milk, ice and water as needed to blend
- Orange Strawberry Banana Kale Smoothie: 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 banana, 1/2 cup strawberries (use frozen), handful of kale (frozen or fresh), 1 teaspoon vanilla, ice as needed for blending (for extra vitamins I often add one serving of liquid vitamin c to each cup when I pour)
Snacks (the reason I pair different items together is to keep kids fuller longer by making the snack more of a “mini meal”):
- Sliced apples and cheese
- Seaweed and chips to dip into guacamole (simple guacamole recipe - smash avocados and add a pinch of salt)
- Hummus and sliced veggies (carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, sugar snap peas)
- Avocado rolls/veggie rolls from the market
- Rice cakes with peanut butter or almond butter and clementines
- Sliced banana circles with a dab of peanut butter or almond butter on each
- Plain yogurt with honey to drizzle and berries on the side
- Granola / trail mix with plain yogurt or milk
- Pretzels and cheese or milk or hummus
- Nut crackers and cheese
- Hard boiled eggs and fruit or veggies
- Mini bagel sandwiches - cream cheese and jam, turkey and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, etc.
- Graham crackers and applesauce
MUFFINS
These are the muffins I bake on repeat in my house - all are free of refined sugars (unless you add chocolate chips). When baking these I will make a double batch so I can freeze one batch (note: I do not freeze the egg muffins). To freeze, I’ll cool them completely then wrap each muffin in tinfoil and then place all into a freezer Ziploc bag and will write the muffin name and date on the outside of the bag. Then I will unwrap one muffin at a time as needed and will microwave for 25 seconds and serve. I pair these with plain yogurt, clementines, cheese slices, milk, or berries.
- Vegan Banana Buckwheat Muffins - I discovered these because my daughter C(8) is allergic to eggs so I needed vegan options. This recipe is delicious and my kids ask for them often!
- Spinach Muffins - The bright green color is fun to look at and they are sweet but not too sweet. Definitely a big hit with my kids and their friends when we have play dates!
- Egg Muffins - These are mini frittatas that are easy to personalize by adding whatever vegetables your kids like. I usually add frozen peas, carrots that I grate with a cheese grater, I chop broccoli really tiny, sometimes I add bell peppers I’ve cut really small, and I add shredded cheddar and jack cheese.
- Pumpkin Oat Muffins - I usually add mini chocolate chips to this recipe.
- Muffins Mixes - I use Simple Mills and Kodiak muffins mixes when I’m short on time but know I need to get muffins made! (note: Kodiak muffin mixes do have refined sugars in them but they are high in protein which I like)
I hope these ideas help you during your demanding summer snack days!
*These are what work for my family and our allergy profile - please check all ingredients before making any of these for your family if you have allergies
