This summer I’m determined to find healthy snacks for my kids – snacks they can enjoy eating and enjoy making. They don’t know it yet, but it’s part of my ploy to get them involved in the kitchen with the hope they will pick up healthy habits early.

With our first week of summer vacation almost behind us – and the box of ice cream drumsticks nearly gone, I spent time last night on the internet searching for fun, tasty and healthy summer recipes. Some sounded better than others. Some sounded simpler, with less fuss. Some just had better pictures and whet my appetite.

 As a busy, working mom of two kids (ages 7 and 4), I look for the simplest recipes I can find. Trust me, there are a lot of great recipes out there, but I stuck with the ones I thought my kids and I could make together – and ones they might actually enjoy making and eating.

 So, here are my top five favorite picks:

 Frozen Orange in Orange

• Ingredients: Oranges and orange juice
• Directions: Cut tops off oranges and remove insides. Place insides with orange juice into blender and pour mixture into empty orange shells. Freeze.

 Push Pops

• Ingredients: Nonfat plain yogurt, frozen blueberries, push-up pop molds
• Mix 1 cup of yogurt with 2 cups frozen blueberries in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into molds and freeze until solid.

Banana Pops

• Ingredients: 3 bananas, 6 Popsicle sticks,  1/4 cup peanut butter, softened , 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, granola, crispy rice cereal or sunflower seeds
• Directions: Peel the bananas. Cut them in half, widthwise, and push a Popsicle stick through the cut end of each half. Spread peanut butter on the bananas, roll them in the nuts, cereal or seeds. Wrap them in waxed paper and freeze for 3 hours.

Fruit Kabobs

• Ingredients: Bananas, grapes, cantaloupe, watermelon (and any other favorite fruits)
• Directions: Cut up fruit and thread on skewer

Homemade Granola

• Ingredients: 4 cups quick cooking rolled oats, ½ cup Grape Nuts cereal, granulated sugar substitute equal to ¼ cup sugar, 1 cup chopped peanuts, 1/3 cup honey, ½ cut wheat germ and ½ cup raisins.
• Directions: Spread oats on ungreased baking sheet; bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Mix all together.

If you have recipes for summer snacks (with few ingredients and are easy to make), please share.

Tags: eating healthy, healthy food, healthy snacks, Nutrition

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