wildberryproductions.ca

The children are excited. It’s summer time. They will be on the go, in and out of the home, gone to the park or to a friend’s place to play. With the hustle and bustle of summer comes eating and what to feed these fast-paced children who are always on the go. It’s easier to have several small nutritious snacks for the children to eat during the day and then have a family sit down meal at supper than to try and have three sit down meals during sunny days filled with excitement. Here are a few suggestions for snacks on the go:

• With all of the following suggestions, children can help and be your assistants. One child can prepare and take out the plates, while another prepares the glasses and napkins. Creating fun platters is the key. Getting the children to decorate the platter with fresh wild flowers is one idea. When serving platters, you can create shapes and faces.
• A favorite, easy to serve and clean up is a combination of breads (buns or pitas) or crackers with hummus. Today you can find several types of hummus with various flavours. This is a very nutritious and tasty snack and children love it.
• Always have fruits ready washed, cut up and ready to serve. Apples, oranges, watermelon (a favorite), kiwis, mango, bananas, grapefruits, peaches, pears, strawberries or any berries and grapes. These are easy to handle, eat and clean up.
• Vegetables are also an easy to serve and clean up food. Celery, carrots, peppers: green, red, yellow and orange add color to a platter for children to enjoy. Broccoli and cauliflower can also be fun foods to eat with a dip such as hummus or a vegetable dip.
• Cut up cheese cubs are very tasty. Cut the cheese in various cube sizes or shapes is BIG entertainment for children. You can add some parsley on the side of the platter as decoration. You can also take softer cheeses such as camembert and cut a cube and melt it on a cracker.
• Sandwiches are easy and can be creative. Tomatoes and cucumbers can be great sandwiches and can be seasoned with various salad dressings for tastes.
• Mini sandwiches can be playful and nutritious. The sandwiches can be with hummus, various cold cuts (meats without nitrates are now available in grocery stores everywhere), add some lettuce, peppers and create a great colorful mini submarine.
• Children also like trail mix and have fun making and mixing their own. Depending on whether or not the children have allergies, you can buy cranberries, nuts, dried fruit, etc and get the children to mix to their own to carry with them while they play outside or go to the park.
• For fish lovers, cutting crab into small cubes on a cracker or pita with some garnishes is very nutritious and easy to eat.
• Salads can be another easy snack or meal to offer children on the go. Tuna, egg, vegetable and fruit salads are all easy to prepare and children really enjoy. 
• Platter of cold cuts, cheese and crackers are easy to pick and eat.

There are endless ideas to facilitate your summer menu for children. To make summer fun, try to enlist the children in creating their own designs, and add a little something special like wild flowers. With the heat, we have included snacks that do not require cooking and that do not require much clean up. Be mindful of any allergies. Being flexible is just as important as simplicity. Adding atmosphere with special theme music or creating a theme meal can also be fun. The children can dress up for the occasion or another idea is have a tea party.

 Enjoy the children and the summer from Wildberry Productions Inc.