Catch me tomorrow morning on WTHR Weekend Sunrise at 7:45 AM! Here’s a sneak peek of some of the money saving tips I’ll share.
“I’m hungry! Can I have a snack?” These words are looped and repeating in our house this summer. Oh how I wish I could be like French Parents (there is only one snack time a day in grande Paris), but I’m always on the prowl for snacks that are filling, nutritious, and don’t make the Princess roll their eyes at me when I suggest them (let’s just be clear, if they roll their eyes, there are no snacks available). And oh yeah, AFFORDABLE. Here are some snacks with a summer time theme that you can make on the cheap and everyone will adore.
Homemade Popcorn: I’ve talked about our Stovetop Popcorn on WTHR before. It’s easy to make, fairly healthy (no weird chemicals that you can’t name here), and best of all, you can pre-bag or put it in individual reusable dishes, it and place it in the breadbox or a basket that the kiddos can reach. We also LOVE homemade granola, too.
Fruits & Veggies: My girls love blueberries (they’ve been crazy cheap at ALDI lately), carrots, peppers, & peas. Snack time isn’t the perfect opportunity for you to spring a new veggie on them “Hey kids, I know that you’ve never had them before but here are some brussel sprouts!” “Hungry? Try a stalk of kale!” So go with tried and true classics that you know your kids love. The key is preparing the fruits & veggies that you can ahead of time. Wash, chop, individually package, & place them down low in the fridge where they can be reached.
Frozen Fruits & Veggies: Ever since they were teething, my girls have loved frozen peas. They’re especially yummy during the summer months when the weather is hot outside. You can also freeze grapes!
Pre-bagged Snacks on the Go: Spend a couple of minutes preparing non-perishable snack bags to take on road trips or just “around the town” on a summer day. Be sure not to place any melty items in them in case they get left in the car. Cereal, nuts, squeezable apple sauce, granola bars, chips or crackers, trail mix all are great. Just make sure to make identical bags so there’s no arguing and don’t use overly smelly items (like mints, gum, or strong smelling items like banana flavored) that will overtake the entire bag’s content – yep, I learned that one the hard way.
Homemade Popsicles: You can sneak all sorts of fruit & veggie goodness into your own homemade popsicles. I’ve put together a board of Popsicle recipes from sneaky to indulgence on Pinterest {go ahead & give me a follow, I’d love for you to join the Queendom} today! You definitely need to check them out. You can purchase cool popsicle molds. Or you can use dixie cups with sticks or even ice cub trays with a cut up straw for teeny-sicles. 🙂 Some of my favorite molds include:
- Tovolo Blue Rocket Pops, Set of 6
$12.99
- Kidco Healthy Snack Frozen Treat Trays
$6.41
- Orka A47221 Ice Pop Molds, White Base
$10.36
- Zipzicles – The ONLY Zip-Top Ice-Pop Mold!
$2.99
I LOVED this Blueberries & Cream Popsicle recipe but decided to tweak it a bit for our family {we go heavy on the blueberries & light on the cream}. It’s crazy easy & quick to prepare plus it only has 3 ingredients! My kind of recipe. 🙂
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What do you give your Prince or Princess during snacking time during the summer months?
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