Healthy Summer Snacks

What sells a recipe to a kid best? Serving it up with the right presentation, of course! With access to fresh summer produce, now is a great time to get your kids eating healthy fruits and vegetables with cleverly crafted, appealingly named snacks.

These easy-to-make treats are sure to be a hit with your homeschooling family this summer and can be whipped up by any school-aged child with a small amount of assistance.

Ladybugs on a Stick

Ingredients:

Red seedless grapes (halved)
Strawberries
Mini chocolate chips
Honeydew melon

Push half a red grape onto one end of a short wooden toothpick for the head. Then, push a strawberry onto the other end for the body. Lightly score the back of the strawberry from top to bottom to create "wings."

Next, create spots on the wings with the mini chocolate chips by pushing them gently into the strawberry with a toothpick. Clean and halve a honeydew melon and arrange the "ladybugs" on the melon using additional toothpicks.

Banana Berry Jungle Juice

Ingredients:

One 8 oz. container of yogurt (fruit, plain, or vanilla)
½ cup fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, etc.)
1 medium banana

Mix the above ingredients in a blender until just combined. Serve immediately in a chilled glass. Makes one serving.

Baggy Bugs

Ingredients:

Graham crackers
Raisins
Dried cranberries
Carob chips
Fruit leather (cut and shaped into "worms")

Place two crackers in a zip locking plastic bag and crush the crackers into "sand" with a rolling pin. Add a small handful of raisins and have your children dig for "bugs" in the sand.

Experiment and let your children try other tasty critters like cranberries (ladybugs), carob chips (ants), and dried fruit (worms).