It seems our kids
are always hungry, so
having a variety of
kid snacks under your belt is a
must for the sanity
of every parent. Here are some that are fun to make (and eat!)
together:
Cut bananas in half, and put each half onto
its own popsicle stick. Have the kids dip their bananas into some
melted chocolate, and then roll immediately in crushed nuts or shredded
coconut. (Remember those nut allergies, though!)
Place these between
sheets of waxed paper and let them freeze before digging in. Making a
batch of these together on the weekend provides a good week’s
worth of fun treats.
Another frozen treat kids can make is juice
pops. You can use a premade juice pop mold, but you don’t
have to have one. Get some small paper cups, and have the kids fill
them with their favorite juices.
Cover each cup tightly with plastic
wrap, and poke a popsicle stick through it carefully. (The plastic wrap
should help keep the stick upright. Freeze over night, and you have
homemade kid snacks!
Granola and trail mix are great snacks for
children, too. Granola can be made by combining oatmeal, brown sugar
and wheat germ with a little bit of canola oil and water, and a splash
of vanilla.
Add a pinch of salt. Put the wet ingredients
all in a
tightly-lidded container and shake vigorously, then combine them with
the mixed dry ingredients. Put them all in a shallow pan in a 250
degree oven. Cook for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
Trail mix (also known as gorp) is even
easier for kids to help make, and you can put anything in that they
like. Some favorite ingredients include cheerios, peanuts or almonds,
candy coated chocolate, pretzel sticks, chocolate or butterscotch
chips, Chex, shredded toasted coconut, raisins, sunflower seeds,
pumpkin seeds, craisins, etc.
Some people add Grape Nuts, or even
wasabi beans for some spice. Mix this up in a huge quantity, and divide
it into baggies for kids’ lunchboxes or movie night snacks.
Kid snacks really are so much more fun when
the kids themselves are involved in the choice and in the process!