Favorite Warm Weather Snacks

In Arizona, we have already seemed to bypass spring and headed directly into summer! Due to the recent warm up, it really got me thinking about delicious, cool you off snacks that will hit the spot, but also help fulfill some daily nutritional requirements. Here are some of my family's favorites.

1. Frozen Fruit: Grapes and Blueberries are our favorites! Just wash and pop into the freezer for a yummy and healthy treat. I am surprised my 4 year old isn't blue from all of the frozen blueberries he eats!
*If you have very young children, these can be a choking hazard. Please take the proper precautions.

2. Healthy Popsicles: These can really be anything you dream up from a simple frozen orange juice to more elaborate concoctions like Apple-Beet-Carrot! Yum!
Go here for some ideas.

3. Stonyfield Farms Organic YoKids Squeezers. It is organic yogurt in a tube that has less sugar and icky stuff kids don't need than your average brands. At only 60 calories, kids will get a sweet treat with 10% of their calcium and Vitamin D needs! These are yummy just as they are or you can freeze them for an extra special treat.

4. All Fruit Smoothies: These are fun and easy to make at home, not to mention so much cheaper than buying at the specialty smoothie stores. Even better than saving money? You know exactly what's in it! Here's a link to one of our faves!

5. Cool dips: When the kids want something a little less sweet and more substantial, try serving homemade salsa and whole grain baked chips. Or try my white bean dip with homemade pita chips and a plateful of fresh cut veggies. It's full of flavor and fiber!

Amy's Nana's Spiced Pecans

These are, in a word, scrumptious! My friend, Amy, shared her recipe with me and I loved them so much I wanted to share them with all of you. Crunchy, sweet, salty, roasted, nutty goodness ready for the holiday season. Perfect to give as gifts to friends, family, teachers and anyone else you think is extra special. Just be sure to keep a batch for yourself at home. With only a 1/4 cup of sugar per 3 cup batch, the kids can have a special snack without blowing their daily sugar budget. These are delicious alone or as a topping for pumpkin pancakes(just add 1/2 C. canned pumpkin puree and 1-2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice to your favorite pancake batter) or Greek yogurt. Happy holidays from my kitchen to yours!

1 egg white
1 TBS. water
3 C. Pecan halves
1/4 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves*
1/2 tsp. nutmeg*
1/2 tsp. cinnamon*

*I used 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice which also has ground ginger. Delicious! You could also add 1/4 tsp(or more) cayenne pepper to add a little spice to the season.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly coat a cookie sheet with non-stick spray or with aluminum foil. Combine spices and sugar in a small bowl and set aside. In a bowl, lightly beat egg white and water together. Add in nuts to coat. Then pour spiced sugar over the top and toss to coat evenly. Spread on the cookie sheet in an even layer and bake for 30 minutes. Stir once or twice while cooking to dry evenly. While warm, spread roasted nuts on a sheet of wax paper to cool.

Mommy's Secret Weapon--Revealed!

As a parent, you can't leave the house without being fully prepared for anything to come your way, even if it is just for a quick trip to the grocery store. I remember the days when I would check and recheck Jack's diaper bag to make sure I could handle ANY emergency. Diapers and wipes, check. Change of clothes, clean bib and burp cloth, check. Bottles, teethers, rattles-check, check and check. When he was old enough to eat snacks on the go, things got a little trickier. I have always been super careful about what I feed him and being in a hurry didn't qualify as an excuse to give him something less than healthful, but let's face it. It is hard to find a huge array of nutritious items that will keep well in your diaper bag without refrigeration(which doesn't last long in AZ) that will also satisfy your child without making a HUGE mess! Well, the answer to this is Just Tomatoes freeze dried fruits and veggies! I have been giving these to Jack since he was about a year old and now we are coming up on his 4th birthday and I am still never without these snacks for days on the go. Our favorites are the strawberries and bananas. These fruit and veggie snacks are sweet and crunchy and have absolutely no salt, sugar, or preservatives of any kind. They make it easy to make sure your child gets all the nutrition they need even when you can't be at home at snack or meal time. Just Tomatoes now offers conventionally grown or organic versions of their products. I purchase mine at Sprouts locally, but most health food stores stock them regularly. WARNING: Highly Addictive!

Maple Cinnamon Applesauce

The other day I was reading a current issue of Eating Well Magazine. It is my favorite food mag with its simple, healthy recipes and gorgeous photographs. This month's issue had a feature on apples complete with a recipe for homemade Maple Cinnamon Applesauce. After coming home from the co-op with about 20 apples, I decided to give it a try. A few tweaks later, the most delicious applesauce I have ever tasted was born! Pairing sweet, juicy apples with crisp, tart apples creates the most tantalizing taste coupled with the natural rich sweetness of REAL maple syrup...Aunt Jemima need not apply. A serving of applesauce is loaded with fiber, vitamin C and antioxidants. The maple syrup adds a good dose of manganese and zinc which are known for their immune boosting power! Serve it up alone or with some Greek yogurt for a sweet, healthy treat.


8-10 apples(mix of sweet and tart apples for best flavor)
2 TBS. maple syrup
2 TBS. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 C. water(more as needed for consistency)

Peel and core apples. Slice into 1" chunks and combine with water and lemon juice in a medium pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 30-40 minutes until apples are tender and mashable. Remove from heat. Using a potato masher, smash apples to the consistency you like(we like ours a little chunky) and then add in maple syrup and cinnamon. Delish!

Clif Kid Organic Z Bars

On a recent trip to Sprouts, I discovered the new(or at least new to our family) Clif Kid Organic Z Bars. I have one word for you....Delicious! We bought a few bars to sample(peanut butter was our favorite) and were impressed with the flavor, texture and ingredients. I love that they use organic ingredients and leave out the yucky stuff like MSG, trans fats and high fructose corn syrup. Like many of you, I don't always have the time to make everything homemade and when we are on the run, I like to have a couple portable snacks to keep me from reaching for less healthy options for my son in a pinch. I think these would make a great addition to the lunch box OR as a rejuvenating snack after soccer practice. The best part was that they were only $.59 a piece. Not bad considering most snack bars tend to cost double that amount, not to mention they aren't organic and are absolutely loaded with sugar and other things you don't want your kids eating.

Nutty Banana Bread

I LOVE to bake with my son, Jack. He's 3.5, so anything he can do to feel big and important is pretty high on his list. Unfortunately, my camera was charging until the bread was finished or you would have been impressed with pictures of his banana smooshing skills! Anyways, back to the bread. This is absolutely the BEST banana bread. My family goes through this pretty fast. We love it toasted with butter for breakfast or if you really want to be decadent, I make french toast with it. YUM! This recipe calls for a lot of bananas, Omega 3 rich eggs and walnuts and sunflower seeds for vitamin E. Don't they look pretty sprinkled on top?

1 C. all purpose flour
3/4 C. whole wheat flour
1/4 C. wheat germ
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2-3/4 C. smashed walnuts
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 C. butter or canola oil(butter tastes better)
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
2 eggs(free range, organic eggs are higher in Omega 3 fatty acids)
2 1/3 C. overripe mashed bananas(kids love squishing these up by hand)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
raw sunflower seeds(amount depends on whether you make lg/sm loaves or muffins)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease loaf pan or muffin pan. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, then add in walnuts. In another bowl, cream butter/oil with sugar and then add in the remaining wet ingredients. Combine well. Next, pour wet ingredients into dry ingredient bowl and gently fold together until just combined. Be careful NOT to overmix. Add batter into greased pan and sprinkle with raw sunflower seeds.

Large loaf pan: 60-65 min
Small loaves or muffins: 25-30 min

Test with a toothpick to test for doneness(is that a word?) It should come out clean.

Banana Ice Cream Treat

My son absolutely LOVES bananas, so we go through a lot of them each week. One of his favorite ways to enjoy them is Banana Ice Cream. Now, I know what you are thinking...banana icecream doesn't sound like the healthiest thing on the menu. Ice cream is a great "treat", but you can serve this version any time you want and your kids will thank you for it. Bananas are rich in potassium and are so sweet and creamy that no extra sugar is needed for this recipe. If you decide to add some dark chocolate chips and toasted walnuts, you can pretend you are indulging in Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey(my personal fave) without any of the guilt!

1 frozen banana
1-2 TBS. milk
dark chocolate chips(optional)
toasted chopped walnuts(optional)

Take your banana out of the freezer and let it sit for a minute or two. Then, throw it in the blender(I use the Vitamix 5000 and it is worth every penny!) or food processor if your blender isn't super powerful. Add milk in by the tablespoon until the banana is broken down and combined, but not too slushy...remember this is supposed to be like ice cream! Mix in or top "ice cream" with walnuts and chocolate and serve. Serves 1.

20 Healthy Snack Ideas

We had a discussion recently in my forum to talk about the kinds of healthy snacks your kids love best. Most moms agreed that fruits, yogurt and crackers of all kinds are what they usually reach for to feed their little (and BIG) ones when tummies start rumbling. One of my favorite snacks posted was from Allyson at Musings of Allyson: wife and mommy. She posted a recipe for Honey Milk Balls and now I am going to share it with you! Stop by my forum and add your favorites to the list!

Honey Milk Balls
1/2 C. honey(local is best since it also helps control allergies)
1/2 C. peanut butter
1 C. dry milk solids
1 C. dry rolled oats

Knead all ingredients until well-mixed. Shape into small balls and chill for best result. Doesn't that sound delicious?

Fruit skewers with yogurt dip

Apple Sandwiches(Parent's magazine): Slice apples across to make round circles. Use a mini cookie cutter or knife to cut out seeds. Spread with nut butter and a dab of jam. Put 2 slices together and serve. So cute and yummy!(pictured)

Veggie sticks with hummus, white bean or avocado dip

Mini pizzas made with ezekiel bread or pita

Ezekiel or spelt bread spread with almond butter and sliced banana

Fruit smoothies(100% juice, frozen fruit and fresh spinach)

Yogurt parfaits

Mini sandwiches(egg, tuna, or chicken made with canola mayo)

Steel cut oatmeal with milk, butter, walnuts, raisins and strawberries

Organic(no sugar added) canned baked beans with ak mak crackers for dipping

Trailmix: walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried fruit, mini dark choc chips and low sugar granola

Nitrate-free deli turkey rollups with cheese sticks in the middle

Avocado toast

Cottage cheese with fruit

Mini bean and cheese burritos(stir flaxmeal into beans)

Edamame pods and fruit

Veggie cream cheese(finely chop veggies and mix with cream cheese) on top of crackers, pita bread, toast, etc.

Black bean quesadillas with guacamole

Whole grain pasta salad with cold chicken cubes, parmesan cheese, italian dressing, chopped veggies and olives

Healthy mini muffins

Fun ways to make old snacks new:
-let the children make their own snack
-make fruit fun, instead of sliced fruit, serve melon balls or fruit on a stick with dip
-sandwiches: use different types of bread like pita, whole grain slices, tortillas, etc.
-never underestimate the power of dip: serve low fat ranch, mashed avocado, cream cheese, nut butters thinned with canola oil for veggie dips