Wednesday, July 30, 2014

5 Favorite Summertime Snacks For Toddlers





You guys, this week it has gotten up to 114.  Degrees.  This is how we have spent the summer so far:


Playing with outside toys..inside.  Much like this time as well. 
Swinging on the back porch (surprisingly she begs me to do this, multiple times a day).
Hosing down.
Sending her and her dad over to the neighbors' pool every.single.day.  Our neighbors --> the best.

Inevitably we are in serious need of some cold treats around here, so I thought I'd share with you some of my favorites lately!



1. Homemade Popsicles 
(see first picture)

I bought this popsicle maker at my local Fry's grocery store for $3.99.  It has definitely paid for itself in its very greatness. Mia loves the pops especially after we spend 5 minutes outside in the shaded heat of the desert. And they are the perfect little size for her.

One of her favorite combos: Blueberries, strawberries, banana, peaches, and milk.

2. Smoothies



Ok this is very similar to the popsicles...but they deserve to be on the list too. I love sneaking nutrient-rich veggies like spinach into Mia's smoothies because the more nutrients a veggie has, the less likely Mia is to want to eat them (as a general rule).  :)

I make sure to put plenty of sweet fruit in there - especially never skipping the banana - when the spinach goes in there.  She gulps it down.

Here are some of my favorite combos (which can also be used as pops too!)

Green Strawberry-Banana:
Strawberries / Banana / Milk / Cinnamon / Spinach / Ice

Protein Mixed-Berry:
Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries, Banana, Plain Greek 2% Yogurt

PB-Berry:
Blueberries, Strawberries, Banana, Peanut Butter, Milk

Chocolate Avocado:
Extra ripe banana, milk, cocoa powder, avocado, ice


3.  Frozen Blueberries {Straight Up}



Ok so this isn't quite a "complete" snack, but I was introduced to letting Mia eat frozen blueberries lately and I love it so much - especially in the summer!  It means I can buy a huge bag of already frozen, or a huge container of fresh if they're on sale, and pull out a handful for a great cold treat.

My teeth are super sensitive to cold so I never considered it, but Mia loves them.  Which means I love them.


4.  Ants On a Log {toddler version}

Apparently I have a little ant-eater on my hands

Since Mia only has seven front teeth, celery isn't quite the easiest to eat except to just chew on.  Therefore, I sub the celery for banana and voila.

And bonus tip if you don't know already: bananas break easily into thirds the long way.   Bing. Bang. Boom.


5. Frozen Yogurt-Filled Raspberries



Thanks to Pinterest, this one is also a new favorite. If this doesn't scream "I'm still on my first child and have time for things like filling individual raspberries with tiny dollops of yogurt"  I don't know what does.  Nevertheless...they are great, bite-size treats.

Ok friends, if you have any other suggestions I'd love to hear them in the comments!  Stay cool out there and have a great week!

And check out other great Faves at Mama Knows!



4 comments:

  1. My babies LOVE frozen blueberries. It always looks like a muder scene afterwards but they love them so. Have you tried frozen grapes? We wash, dry and slize in quaters then freeze. Just like teeny tiny popsicles.

    Kristen.
    kristen2by2.com

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    1. Kristen - what a great idea to cut up the grapes! I always thought they might be a tad too big to freeze... now I am embarrassed I hadn't thought of that! :) Thanks!!

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  2. Here from Mama Knows - great post! Love the toddler version of ants on a log; never would have thought of that. My toddler has troubles with the celery, too. And the filled raspberries and frozen blueberries - genius! I'll have to try them!!

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