This is the sixth post in My Top 5 Summer Sanity Tips! Did you catch last week’s post on affordable crafts?
Summertime is in full swing and the kids are home probably getting a little bored by now. It's very challenging to keep kids entertained every day during summer. It just isn't financially possible to take the kids somewhere every day.
What if you could entertain your kids every day but in the kitchen? Kids love to help in the kitchen and they usually eat better if they had a hand in making the dish.
I have put together 5 different recipes that kids will love making this summer!
5 Summer Time Recipes for Kids
Mango-Banana Groovy Smoothie
This is a great recipe to get your kids helping you out in the kitchen. It is simple enough for kids of all ages, even toddlers! The best part about this recipe is the kids will think they are getting a really special treat, but we know it is packed with vitamins! The recipe does call for 1/2 cup of Apple Cider but you could use whatever juice you have on hand that's usually what we end up doing.
- ½ cup fresh or frozen mango chunks
- ½ cup fresh or frozen pineapple pieces
- 1 medium banana, sliced thin
- ½ cup apple cider
- ½ cup low-fat plain yogurt
- Place the fruit in the base of a blender. Add the cider and yogurt.
- Blend on low, stopping the blender to stir if necessary, until smooth. Increase to high for several seconds.
- Divide the mixture between two glasses and top with fresh fruit. Don't forget your Fresh Beat Band straw topper!
DIY Chicken Fingers
No need for frozen chicken strips when you can whip up a fresh batch in very little time! You can really tweak this recipe to fit your families tastes. You will also feel good knowing you are not serving the kids processed foods. The kids will go crazy for this recipe and think you are the coolest mom ever!
- 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into chunks or strips
- 1 cup flour
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 1 egg, beaten
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Preheat the toaster oven to 375°F
- Rinse the chicken under running water in the colander, and blot to dry. *very important* because the coating won’t stick to wet chicken.
- Combine dry ingredients in a shallow dish and mix well.
- Place beaten egg in a separate shallow dish.
- Now the fun part: dredge each piece of chicken first in the flour (shake off any extra), then in the egg, and then back in the flour. Place the prepared chicken a greased baking sheet. Lightly spray the tops of the dredged chicken with oil.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces over. Lightly spray them with oil, and bake another 5 minutes or until golden brown.
- Let chicken cool before serving and eat them with your favorite dipping sauce!
Chocolate & Peanut Butter Croissants
I honestly can't think of a child who wouldn't enjoy making these rolls this summer! Just be prepared for a messy kitchen and prep area. Now the recipe calls for chocolate and peanut butter but you could really get creative here. Swap out the peanut butter for jam or add fresh fruit to the rolls we do this regularly or make more of a lunch roll with ham and cheese.
The kids can really get hands on with this recipe and let their culinary imagination come through.
- 1 tube of crescent rolls
- Peanut butter
- Semi sweet chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Unroll the crescent rolls and spread a layer of peanut butter on each triangle.
- Then top with chocolate chips, or skip this step and eat them 😉
- Roll from the bottom of the triangle to the point to make the crescent shape.
- Place in the oven and bake for 10-11 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and serve while hot (let it cool down just a tad for the little ones so they don't burn their mouth on the melted chocolate).
Strawberry Pops
These strawberry pops are a healthier version of cake pops! The kids will get a kick out of decorating their own strawberry pops! You could use a variety of fruit with this recipe. I think apples, kiwi and banana's would also work out really good.
- Fresh Strawberries
- Chocolate bars or you can use chocolate chips
- Sprinkles
- Popsicle sticks
- Trim the ends off the strawberries and place them in the freezer to cool while you prepare the chocolate.
- In the microwave place the chocolate bar or chips in a microwave safe container and microwave on high for a few minutes, stopping to stir, until fully melted. Be careful not to burn the chocolate.
- Take the strawberries out of the freezer and insert the popsicle sticks into the side you cut the tops off of.
- Once on the stick dip in chocolate (do not stir in chocolate or you will lose the strawberry), while still wet this is the time to decorate with sprinkles! Place stick end down in a mug so the strawberry can dry.
Grilled Cheese Party
Kids love grilled cheese sandwiches, so why not make a party out of it! These sandwiches aren't going to be your ordinary grilled cheese. Grab lots of different filling and get your grilled cheese party started. Let each child decide what they want inside their own sandwich.
- Breads – variety
- Cheeses – variety
- Fixins – tomato, bacon, ham, turkey, onion, etc
- Get the kids to grab a plate and assemble the grilled cheese just the way they would like it, all you have to do is throw it on the griddle to cook and then serve!
That pretty much sums up my fun recipes for kids this summer. As the sixth post in the series of My Top 5 Summer Sanity Tips I hope in some way I’m helping you keep your sanity this summer! Keep an eye out for more fun articles to come all summer long! Remember to keep things simple because we need our sanity this summer to it should be about rest and relaxation. As a quick reminder my top 5 tips are:
- Mango-Banana Groovy Smoothie
- DIY Chicken Fingers
- Chocolate & Peanut Butter Croissants
- Strawberry Pops
- Grilled Cheese Party
I would love to hear some of your summer sanity tips for creating with the kids in the kitchen!
