Cheap and Easy Summer Treats for Kids

Easy, healthy and fun treats for your kids are a great way to get much needed fruit into their diets.

One of my kids favorite treats are frozen fruit smoothie bars. We use a large container of plain yogurt. It isn't sweetened but your kids won't mind because the fruit you add will take care of the flavor. Any fruit that freezes will work. We have enjoyed strawberries, blueberries and rasberries. Our all time favorite fruit is a banana.

You will need something that is freezer safe to mold the treats. In the summer months dollar stores and discount stores usually feature plastic popsicle molds. I have also used ice cube trays, paper cups and tinfoil cupcake wrappers in the past. The item just needs to be flexible enough to remove the frozen treat. If you choose to use paper cups or foil cupcake wrappers you can simply peel the wrapper away from the frozen smoothies.

Cooking with your kids is a great teaching tool even if your not a home school family. They learn about kitchen hygiene. I teach them the proper way to wash, explain why to tie their hair back and the dangers of double dipping!

This easy summer treat is also great for using up those soft overripe fruits that your kids won't touch because "they are mushy!"

We use a blender for the smoothies, I run the blender but the kids cut up the fruit. Most ripe fruit can be cut with an ordinary butter knife. My three year old can easily lay waste to a banana with a butter knife and it helps with her small motor skills. With my older kids we turn it into a math lesson. Fruit is cut into halves, quarters and so on. Once the fruit is cut into small pieces the kids pour it into my unplugged blender.

I help the children measure out the yogurt and they add that to the diced fruit in the blending jar.

If I have more that one child helping I make sure they all get a chance to help even if it means putting the ingredients in one by one.

The fruit naturally flavors the smoothie but sometimes we like to add extra flavor. One teaspoon (or one squirt) of chocolate syrup is only 50 calories and has no fat. I don't mind using this occasionally because a little goes a long way when you blend it. That one squirt will make the treat look chocolate and that satisfies the kids. Chocolate strawberry frozen treats are a big hit at my house. Ice cream toppings work well because you can use a small amount to add a lot of flavor. A spoonful of jam and peanut butter make a great PB n J frozen treat.

Now I plug in the blender and blend until it is the right consistency. My kids don't like bumpy and lumpy so I blend it until the mixture is smooth. I like to pour the blended mix into a bowl and let the kids spoon it into the containers. Here is a good time to teach your kids about not licking the spoon and putting it back in the bowl!

If you didn't use any flavorings during the blending process you can add a little fun to the treat at this point. You can drop a few chocolate chips in each mold or pieces of diced fruit. These will settle to the bottom, later to be the top, of the frozen treat. Gummy candies don't work well as they tend to absorb the liquid and end up looking bloated and not so yummy.

If you are using a mold without a stick you can place plastic wrap over the treats and poke in popsicle sticks or other items in for handles. In a pinch I have used corn cob holders, plastic spoons and cut up straws. I do not recommend toothpicks because your kids will find some way to hurt themselves with them and make you spend your day in the emergency room.

While the kids are licking the bowls I put the treats into the freezer and will leave them there for about 4 hours. Your freezer may take a shorter or longer amount of time. When they are solid I dip the trays in hot water for a few seconds, this allows the frozen treat to slide out easily.

If you are using the paper cup method, dip the containers in warm water for a second and simply peel the paper off.

Tada! You have a healthy treat and your kids were not bored for at least 20 minutes! That's the best summer treat of all.