Summer is a busy time for most moms. Kids are loaded with energy and are hoping to have fun under the summer sun. I have 3 little ones and for several hours a day for the next few weeks, this mommy’s gotta head off to Appalachia and hang out with my characters as I work on edits. Finding quick and easy ways to feed the kids & keep things fun and healthy can be tricky. We live in a town where there are no fast food restaurants. And we don’t have a microwave. I know, right!? And to keep form having to resort to frozen or boxed meals, here are some fun and easy ideas that the kids will enjoy (and mom can feel good about).
Banana and Peanut Butter Burritos
Sounds odd, but it’s super easy and quick and the kids LOVE them. Warm a few tortillas on the stove, spread them with a stripe of peanut butter and some banana slices, roll and you’ve got a quick and fun, kid-friendly lunch. Sometimes I even sprinkle a handful of raisins in there. Serve these on napkins for a no-mess lunch!
Watermelon Stars
I did this for the 4th of July and it turned out great. Such fun for kids! Simply slice your watermelon into 1/2 inch thick rounds. Cut out the stars using a cookie cutter and serve with a sprinkling of blueberries or any favorite fruit. Just like if you were making cookies, there will be a lot of wasted watermelon that was around the star cutouts. Just pop all this into a blender, puree and pour into Popsicle trays. A fun and healthy way for kids to beat the heat. Win-win!
Pita Pizzas
Take pita bread (I usually have whole wheat), spread with a few tablespoons of pasta sauce, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and any of your kids’ favorite toppings and pop in the toaster oven for about 10 minutes. Super quick and fun mini pizzas and kids love things that are personal size. For extra scrumteousness, serve with chocolate milk and straws ( a must-have for bubble blowers) 😉
I’d love to hear from you! What are some of your favorite summer ideas for kids? I’m always needing new ideas and would love to hear yours!
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Also, over the next little bit, with the release of BE STILL MY SOUL drawing closer (squee!), I will post links here and there of any happenings.
Book Release Guest Spot:
A fun Q &A plus a GIVEAWAY at Inkdots
Girl, you’re like a real pioneer woman or something. No microwave!! How do you do it? 😛
We do the pita pizza thing around here (or use whole wheat English muffins sometimes too). Yummy!
Reading your book and loving it so far!
Lol, Lindsay 😀 Yeah we have no microwave! I don’t even know what I would do with one, hehe. Needless to say, I’m the queen of creative ways to heat up leftovers! Love the idea of doing mini pizzas on English muffins. I have those on hand today and will have to do that!
Im trying the banana burrito one today!
Lately, I’ve been squeezing lemons for lemonade, left with lots of empty lemon rinds. I remembered an old Pinterest trick for making jello slices out of orange peels… So tried it with the lemons. The kids love them!!
Juice umpteen lemons, reserve juice for lemonade.
Fill muffin tin with half lemon hulls.
Make jello liquid, as usual.
Fill empty, half lemons (or oranges, or grapefruit) peels with jello liquid.
Chill.
When they’re gelled, slice into jello wedges and watch the kids devour a rainbow of flavors!
NOTE! They completely go to liquid if left out for long…. Brought to the pool and didn’t last! But kids drank the juice, anyway.
Lemon Rind Pinterest Project
Hugs,
Ashley
Ashley, such a fun jello idea! My kids would go crazy over those! I always have citrus and just toss the rinds, but that’s a great and fun way to use them. I wouldn’t have thought of the muffin tin to hold them either, SO SMART! Thanks for sharing your idea!
Joanne, these are great ideas! I am always looking for quick snack ideas for me and the kids so they don’t get bored. I’ve been wanting to do something with mini pizzas and your pita bread idea is great (I’m going to add those ingredients to my grocery list :D). I’ve been doing wheat tortilla rolls with black beans and cheddar cheese. Of course, you have to heat it in the microwave for about 25 seconds to get the cheese to melt. But those are super yummy, especially if you sprinkle with a little chili powder. A good boost of protein, too!
Thank you for sharing!! My kids are huge burrito fans and this is a great idea! If I just heat the beans in a pan for a bit, I’d say the cheese will melt once I toss it all together in a tortilla. My husband was raised in a family who’s motto was “if you put it in a tortilla, kids will eat it.” 🙂 I’m finding this to be very true!
We love pita pizzas and sometimes I make them on tortillas in a skillet, tastes just like thin crust pizza! 🙂 Yummy ideas, Joanne!
Oooh, that’s a good idea, Jessica! I love thin crust pizzas and that sounds super simple!
Love the watermelon stars! How cute! I’m feeling very “single girl on the run” right now, because I have no ideas. I tend to eat quick salads or whatever I can find. Someday I will be better about being creative with what I and perhaps future kids eat. 🙂
From what I can see, you’re busy being the super cool aunt. That’s always a great place to be! My hubby loves to hand his nieces and nephews cookies and cake…payback for all the sweets his brothers slipped our kids 😉
My kids love going to the blueberry patch at a local farm and then making quick fruit salads:) I love the watermelon stars! I like using pita bread for quick and easy sandwiches:)Thanks for sharing your summer treats and for visiting me and leaving me such a sweet comment. Enjoy your summer!Happy Sunday!~Poppy
Hi, Poppy! So glad you stopped by! Berry picking with the kids has got to be one of the most fun outings. 🙂 Blueberries are so yummy and they add something extra special to fruit salad with that beautiful color. I hope you have a wonderful summer!
These all look like great snacks… thanks so much for sharing! My girls will love the watermelon stars.
P.S. We don’t have a microwave either. 🙂
So glad you stopped by! The watermelon stars are so fun for kids. And its so fun to meet someone else who doesn’t have a microwave! Granted, they’re super handy, but when we moved to our tiny house, there just wasn’t room for one and I’ve learned how to do without one for so long that I wouldn’t know what to do with one! So nice getting to chat via blogs…I hope you have a great week!