Healthy Summer Treats

Summer is officially here. Kids are out of school and it’s time for families to spend more time together. As we all know, social gatherings usually revolve around food. This can be the perfect opportunity to have new, healthy, foods available for family and guests.

Get your family involved in picking out new recipes and preparing them with you. When you include your children in this process, it should lead to them trying and hopefully enjoying new foods and their preparation.

Here are some easy tips for recipes that can be made all summer long. You may never have the same bite twice.

·      Fresh fruit kabobs with low fat yogurt dip. Have a variety of fruits and flavors of yogurt available so you can make wonderful treats. Choose fruits that are in season. They’ll taste the best and usually have the lowest price tag!

·      Vegetable kabobs with dip. You can either have your vegetables grilled or raw. Allow your family and guests to choose from a variety of vegetables and dips.  Dips can be made from plain, low fat yogurt with added flavors or you can use hummus and different spices.

·      Smoothies and smoothie pops. Choose fresh or frozen fruit, 1% or less milk, a splash of 100% fruit juice and low fat yogurt. Add ice if not using frozen fruit. Either make a few smoothie servings for everyone or freeze small containers with your tasty concoction. Don’t forget the Popsicle sticks!

·      Salsas. Making home-made salsa can be fun using different fruits and vegetables. You can combine fruits and vegetables in one salsa or just make one with fruits or vegetables. Salsas can be eaten with tortilla chips, whole grain crackers, pita chips, or even to top your favorite fish, chicken or shrimp recipe.

·      Homemade, grilled pizza. Summertime is great for grilling foods. Why not try pizza? Purchase your favorite pizza dough or make your own. Make sure to include a lot of summer vegetables to top the pizza. Vary the sauces you use to achieve different flavors, such as pesto sauce, or marinara sauce. You can even add some grilled chicken to the pizza. Everyone loves pizza with a personal twist.

·      Kabobs on the grill are an excellent way to get your family to eat fruit and vegetables. You can add pineapple, peaches, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, squash or any other fruit or vegetable. Don’t forget to experiment with different sources of lean protein such as shrimp, chicken, beef, pork or fish.

·       Having a variety of salads on the side of your main dish can be helpful to you and your family. Get creative when making salads by using different kinds of salad greens, vegetables, fruit, beans, nuts, seeds, pastas and low fat dressings.

Get creative with the variety of summer fruits and vegetables available, even for the picky eaters. This can be the perfect opportunity to start instilling good eating habits in both you and your family.

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