That time of year has come, the children are on summer holidays and there’s quite a few weeks of hearing those words “I’m hungry, can I have a snack?”

In my house it’s not just small mouths to feed but the adults like to snack too, so here’s a few healthy, yet tasty snacks to keep the chocolate gremlin away and the energy tank topped up. The added bonus – these snacks are fun to make, so why not turn it into an activity to make a few snacks with the kids involved. Get someone else to clean up 😉

Ice-Cold

Instead of choc-ices and additive filled lollies try these fresh, fruity alternatives:

• Frozen Grapes
• Frozen slices of banana (tastes just like banana ice-cream)
• Yoghurt Lollies: Mix your favourite yoghurt/fromage frais with a little milk, pour into an ice-lolly mould and push a few berries in
• Juice Lollies: Dilute fruit juice with water and pour into a mould

Fruity Fix

• Fruit Towers: cut up a selection of different shaped pieces of fruit – long fat blocks of melon, chunks of apple, halved grapes, pineapple pieces and let the kids make their own towers, top with a drizzle of chocolate sauce.
• Hedgehogs: Slice the sides/cheeks off a mango, and cut each piece in half lengthways. Without cutting through to the skin, score 2 criss cross slits into the flesh, push up from the skin so the fruit pops up into a hedgehog.

Baking Time

• Homemade flapjacks with plenty of dried fruit, oats and seeds.
• Cheese scones.
• Oatmeal cookies.
• Chocolate chip and berry muffins

Dip Dip Dab

Dips are a great way to get kids into trying different foods. Make some of the following dips and serve with some of the following: breadsticks, pretzels, fingers of toast, rice cakes, cucumber, carrot, celery or pepper strips. Also great for lunches.

• Guacamole: 1 ripe avocardo, juice 1/2 lime, 1 tbsp, half clove garlic, crushed. Mash it all together. Will go brown quickly, so eat on the day.
• Tzatziki: Half a cucumber, peel, seed and grate, miz with 200g greek yoghurt and 1 tbsp mint.
• Hummous: 1 tin chickpeas pureed with 1 clove garlic, 2 tbsp olve oil, juice of half a lemon and 2 tbsp natural yoghurt.