Summer is a great time of year; there are so many yummy fruits and veggies in season.
Children love bright colours, textures and fun shapes, so why not be creative with your fruits and veggies. Try some of these yummy snack ideas this summer, they are sure to get your children excited to eat their fruits and veggies.
Fruit Art
Fruit art is a great way to turn your usual fruits into something fun. Create different animals using fruit, a knife, and edible markers. If your children want to help, just cut the fruit into different shapes and let them create their own masterpiece. Here are some pictures to give you some inspiration.
Make a Kebab
Fruit kebab:
This is a great snack idea you can make with school agers. This will not only help them with their hand eye coordination, but also serve as a yummy, healthy snack.
Use kebab skewers, fresh fruit cut into bite size pieces (optional: serve with dip made of equal parts yogurt and cream cheese).
Strawberry Shortcake Kebab:
You could also make a strawberry short cake kebab using pieces of angel food cake cut into squares and strawberries (optional: serve with dip made of equal parts yogurt and cool whip).
Caterpillar Kebab: Place grapes and grape tomato on skewers to make caterpillars.
Cheese and Crackers with a Squeak
Here is a new way to present the classic cheese and crackers. Turn that slice of cheese into a mouse using a few blueberries, cream cheese and a couple of small crackers.
Cut your cheese into a triangle and use small dots of cream cheese to stick your blueberries and cracker onto the “mouse”.
Snail on a Log
Forget about Ants on a Log and try making a snail on a log. Slice your apples thinly and
place them in a container with water and lemon to prevent them from turning brown. Cut your celery about an inch longer then the base of your apple slices. Place the peanut butter along the inside of your celery. Pat the apples dry and place an apple slice into your celery, standing up. You can add the carrot sticks and raisins to your snail. This is a great activity for children ages 2 years and up that want to help.
Choco Banano
Start by peeling and slicing the bananas. Putting lollipop sticks in them and put them in the freezer on a tray for a few hours. Prepare your work station with your toppings. Try using crushed nuts or even edible sprinkles. Place your toppings in bowls. Once the banana is frozen, melt the chocolate. When the chocolate has melted dip the bananas in the chocolate and immediately into your toppings. The chocolate should harden quickly since the banana is frozen.
Tuna Egg Sailboat
This is a wonderful snack to have during the summer especially if you are talking about 
the beach or transportation. Start off by boiling some eggs. Once they have been boiled and peeled cut them in half and remove the yolks. You can put the yolks in a bowl; add a can of tuna, a squirt of mayo, and mustard in the bowl. Mix all of your ingredients. Your tuna salad should be thick. If it is thick you have just finished your devilled egg tuna salad. Use a teaspoon to transfer your tuna salad back into the egg whites that you cut earlier. Once ready to eat serve with a Nacho chip on top.
Frozen Fruit in a Cone
Want a healthier alternative to cool off this summer? Why not try frozen fruits?
Wash and pat dry some fruit. Berries and grapes work best. Once the fruit is dry place in a Ziploc bag and freeze for a couple of hours. When it’s time for a snack place your fruit in an ice cream cone and serve (the bonus is you have a healthy snack and no dirty dishes to clean).
Ladybugs on a Ritz
Spread some cream cheese onto Ritz crackers. Wash and pat dry some grape tomatoes
and olives (make sure they have no pits in them). Cut the grape tomato into four and place 2 wedges of tomato on to your cracker touching on the end where the olive will go. Place the olive. Use chives for the antennas. Make the dots by adding black food colouring to a bit of cream cheese and mixing. Use a toothpick to add black cream cheese dots onto your ladybug.
Here are some other ideas you can try making. Have fun!
