Summertime Snacking with a Juicy Twist!
Susan McLean – Co-Founder
As a parent I’ve seen firsthand how summer break can bring about nutrition challenges for some families. Between summer camps, weekend gatherings, pool parties and working full time myself, I do my best to be ‘supermom,’ but my kids have way more free time and social activities than I do during the summer months. The ability to work remotely provides me with flexibility to create healthy snack options at home, but I realize that’s not the case for everyone. Here are a couple of tips to help you nourish your family through the sizzle of summer, without breaking a sweat!
First, we have an exciting announcement. To make healthy hydration a cinch, Uncle Matt (my husband) and I created our new No Sugar Added Lemonade and Strawberry Lemonade Juice Boxes with the kiddos in mind. These organic juice boxes give new meaning to sweet summertime! For us, it’s always been important to give our kids and their friends a convenient, healthy alternative to some of the sugar and chemical-laden drinks marketed towards our younger generation. You can rest assured that these cuties are organic and clean, with no sugar added and only 10 calories. They’re perfect for anything from road trips to relaxing poolside, no refrigeration required!
Shifting gears to snacks, we know as parents that there’s not enough time in the day to constantly monitor kids’ snacking habits, so here’s a list of snack ideas to prep that your kids can help make themselves – without the artificial ingredients or junk.
What’s my secret? Make it fun and make it cute! Sounds silly, but kids like things that are…kid friendly! My favorites include:
1. Popsicles made with Uncle Matt’s, of course. You can make a rainbow of different colored popsicles using our juices. Pour your favorite juice flavor into an ice mold. To make it more fun, try using different ice mold shapes that your kids will love. (We might’ve spotted some citrus fruit shaped molds on Amazon!) Cover with plastic wrap and insert a popsicle stick into each section of the mold. Place in the freezer until completely frozen. These are the perfect grab and go treat for hot summer days!
2. Immune boosting gummies. While you’re shopping for ice molds for popsicles, look for smaller sized ones to make gummies! Check out our recipe for at-home gummies using our Ultimate Immune juice. This is a great hands-on activity for your kids and their friends.
3. Fruit leather (yes, there is such a thing). We used Ultimate Immune for these, too, but try this out with our organic orange and grapefruit juices for some different flavor combos!
4. Orange chocolate energy bites. These are sure to satisfy a craving for sweets and keep your kids full in between meals with the added protein. Let the youngsters roll these into balls and coat with shredded coconut so they can take pride in their snack making skills when they grab these out of the fridge during the summer.
5. Organic snacks that are delish. This all sounds like a lot of kitchen activity and meal prepping so far, but believe me, I go for the ease of packaged snacks too. My advice: choose organic! That way you can know your kids are getting clean, synthetic pesticide-free snacks. Give some of our favorite brands a try like Made Good, iWon Organics and Stonyfield Organic for some snacking variety. My kids love these snacks! Just make sure to pair these with an Uncle Matt’s juice box!
