By Feebee Foran
Let’s have fun in the sun!
The sun has finally put its hat on and the summer has arrived! After a long winter, it’s time to throw off the warm hoodies, turn off the playstation, put the phone down and get out and about in the fresh air.
So as we breathe in a healthy breath of fresh air, lets look at some tasty, healthy snacks and treats that you can whip up for your kids to help them cool down in the sun, while getting in some fantastic vitamins and nutrients.
The good news is that you can do all this without your children having to eat the additives in mass produced products – by doing it yourself. This can be fun for all the family if you get the young ones to join in…and it save you plenty of money as well. Below are some examples about how fun, food and healthy eating can be combined in any family situation.
Fruity Ice Lollies
Whip up a batch of healthy ice lollies using your favourite fruit.
Zesty Zingers:
Fill ice lolly moulds with sparkling water, a good squeeze of lemon juice and some fresh lemon slices – for a zesty cooler.
Tutti Frutti Pops
Blitz up strawberries and raspberries with a good dollop of natural yogurt before popping into ice lolly moulds for a creamy, berry delight to enjoy in the sunshine.
Banana & Chocolate Ice-cream
In blender blitz up some banana’s with a tablespoon of cocoa powder. Once smooth, freeze until firm. Enjoy a scoop in an ice cream cone.
Rise & Shine with a smoothie
Smoothies are a fantastic way to get fruit into even the fussiest of kids. Blitz up berries, bananas, yogurt, milk and a tap of cinnamon for a healthy kickstarter to the day.
Strawberry milkshake style using blitzed strawberries, ice cold milk and ice.
Homemade Pizza Party
After a fun day running around in the sun, treat the family to a Pizza Party. This is a great way to get kids to add the veggies they love and tailor make their pizza.
Set up little bowls with sweetcorn, diced ham/chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers and grated cheese.
Give each child a wholemeal tortilla wrap, allowing them to add tomato puree and build their own pizza. Pop under the grill for a quick and easy meal that they will be delighted to tuck into.
A prize for the best Pizza design is always a great way to bring out the Pizza Picasso’s in your home.
Take our family on a Nature Adventure Walk
Make a list of plants and birds to look out for on your next park visit and set out to find them all.
There are so many great downloadable pictures you can get online, so print out some pictures of birds you can see – like Heron, Ducks, Swans and have your child tick off the ones they see as they find them.
Do the same with plants like Nettles, hawthorn, Tulips and roses. When you get home from a great day of adventuring, you can spend the sunny evening drawing what they saw and colouring in their pictures.
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