Easy & Portable Summer Snacks for Kids

Does it seem like you never have enough snacks on hand to feed all the hungry kiddos who pass through your kitchen during the summer? We’ve got some easy, delicious, healthy summer snack ideas kids will love for the flavor, color, and crunch, and you’ll love the fact that these summer snacks are both portable and practical. You don’t have to spend a ton of money or take a food design class to produce good looking, tasty snacks your kids will gobble up.

Fruit necklaces

It doesn’t get much more portable than a snack you can wear! All you need is some fresh fruit (we suggest strawberries, blueberries, and grapes), a chunky yarn needle, and some elastic cord and you’ve got a fun summer snack to make, wear, and eat.
Instructions:
1. Wash fruit
2. Cut a two-foot length of elastic cord, thread onto yarn needle, and knot one end
3. Thread fruit onto cord
4. Tie off and wear/ eat

Fruit and cheese kabobs

A great way to use any leftover fruit from your edible necklace project; just add cheese cubes and make fresh, healthy, portable summer snacks on a stick using wooden skewers found at any grocery store.

Fruit salad to go

Small cellophane bags make perfect to-go containers for a fresh fruit salad. Just layer red and green grapes, apple slices, mandarin orange sections, sliced strawberries, and whole blueberries, tie off with ribbon and you’ve got a portable summer snack that is both colorful and fun.

Watermelon Popsicles

Easy-peasy watermelon to go! Simply cut watermelon in wedge-shaped pieces, cut a small slice in the center of the rind, and insert a popsicle stick. Voila! Watermelon popsicles to go! Easiest snack ever.

Veggies and dip cups

Lose the fear of double dippers with these handy portable veggie cups. Choose your favorite dip or hummus flavor and place ¼ cup in the bottom of a plastic cup. Add fresh veggies like asparagus spears, celery sticks, sugar snap peas, carrot sticks, cucumber slices, jicama, and red, yellow, and green bell pepper slices (and any other crunchy veggie long enough to stand up in a cup). It doesn’t get much better than a fresh, healthy summer snack in a cup. You can make these ahead of time and store them in the fridge for easy access.

Blueberry chia popsicles

Easy to make, fun to eat on the go. Just 5 ingredients and the time it takes to freeze, these healthy summer snacks will be a hit with kids and adults alike this summer. Cool off in a deliciously healthy way with these frozen treats.
Instructions:
1. Blend: 1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
2. 4 tablespoons of chia seeds
3. ½ of a large avocado
4. 1 banana
5. 1 cup almond milk
Pour blended mixture into popsicle molds and freeze (approximately 8 hours or make ahead the night before). Makes 6 to 10 popsicles, depending on the size of your popsicle molds. Any leftovers can be enjoyed as a smoothie.

Homemade granola bars

Kids love granola bars, but store-bought bars can be expensive and loaded with preservatives. Why not make your own at home, and always have some on hand to grab and go? Check out these eight easy gluten-free homemade granola bar recipes From Bless This Mess that include peanut butter, chocolate, nuts, cranberries, and white chocolate.

Whether you choose a fresh fruit treat, crunchy, colorful veggies, and dip, a gluten-free homemade granola bar, or a fabulous frozen summer popsicle, these easy to make portable summer snacks are simple to assemble for your next backyard picnic or a trip to the park, and sure to please even the pickiest snackers.

When you’re out and about in Denver this summer and you need a delicious homemade meal or snack to keep you and the crew fueled up for all your summer adventuring, head on over to one of our two convenient Original Pancake House locations in the Denver area. You can find us at Cherry Hills or Denver Tech Center any day of the week from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm. We look forward to welcoming you soon!

by OPHD1996

Breakfast Recipes for Camping

As the summer draws to a close, lots of families are heading out for one last camping trip. If this is you and you’re wondering what to pack for the family to eat on those crisp mornings around the campfire, we’ve got some suggestions for delicious breakfast recipes for camping.

First, make sure you have packed everything you need to handle breakfast camping. Use this list to help you as you prepare for your next camping trip:

  • Waterproof matches
  • Foil
  • Utensils for eating
  • Cooking utensils
  • Sharp knife
  • Cast iron pot or frying pan (with lid if possible)
  • Coarse salt
  • Favorite seasonings
  • Cooler
  • Ice
  • Eggs
  • Cheese
  • Milk
  • Breakfast meat (bacon, sausage links or patties, or other family favorite)
  • Plates and bowls

Now that you’ve assembled all the necessary items for a killer meal, here are some favorite breakfast recipes while camping:

Easy scrambled eggs. The trick to this easy breakfast recipe for camping is to mix things up before you leave. Just a few simple steps and you’ll have light, fluffy, delicious scrambled eggs.

  1. First, scramble your eggs in a bowl with your favorite ingredients; diced ham, onion, shredded or cubed cheese, and seasonings. Once scrambled, pour the mixture into a large zip-top plastic bag and toss it in the freezer overnight. In the morning, load up the cooler with other perishables and place the bag of frozen scrambled eggs on top.
  2. The next morning, heat a pot of water on your camp stove or over the campfire until it boils and place the tightly sealed plastic bag in the water, reducing it to a simmer.
  3. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Shake the bag around a bit during cooking to ensure the contents are evenly cooked.
  4. When your egg mixture is light yellow all the way through, your eggs are cooked and ready to serve, with nothing to clean but the empty bag.

 

Breakfast Egg Bake in Foil. Do you love breakfast casseroles? So do we! Here’s a quick and easy way to get that casserole feeling with tinfoil and a campfire.

Ingredients:

  • One 28 ounce package of frozen, shredded hash brown, thawed
  • 1-1/1 cups of shredded cheese
  • 1 cup diced ham
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 6 eggs
  • ½ cup of milk

Instructions:

  1. Prepare campfire or grill for medium-high heat.
  2. Whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in thawed hash browns, diced ham, and 3/4 cup of shredded cheese.
  3. Divide the mixture between four 18x12 inch pieces of heavy-duty nonstick foil. (To ensure no sticking, spray foil with cooking spray or coat with butter or oil.) Fold and seal foil tightly around mixture.
  4. Place packets over the prepared campfire, camping stove, or grill; cook 9-10 minutes or until hash browns are tender and eggs are cooked through. Open packets carefully. Serve in individual packets or empty onto plates and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Breakfast Bagels. Are you more of a hold-it-in-your-hand kind of breakfast eater? We’ve got you covered! This yummy recipe for breakfast bagels will warm your hands and your tummy at the same time.

Ingredients:

  • 3 ounces of smoked ham, bacon, or sausage
  • 1 egg
  • 1 bagel, sliced
  • Butter
  • 1 slice of cheese, your choice

Instructions:

  1. Cook ham, bacon, or sausage
  2. Fry the egg, flipping to cook it all the way through, breaking yolk to prevent it from making bagel too soggy
  3. Butter insides of bagel halves
  4. Place bagel in a prepared hot frying pan or on a griddle with buttered sides down
  5. Press bagel into a pan to toast
  6. Trim egg to fit inside bagel; pile trimmings on the top of the egg
  7. Layer meat, egg, and cheese on one half of cut bagel
  8. Place another half of bagel on top to make a breakfast sandwich

Breakfast Burritos. How about a really good campfire breakfast you can cook right on top of those leftover coals from last night’s campfire? Enter, breakfast burritos. These burritos can be assembled in your kitchen and packed in the cooler to take along, saving time and mess at the campsite.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup frozen hash browns
  • 8 oz cooked ham, diced
  • 12 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning, creole seasoning, or seasoning mix of your choice
  • 2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican mix, or family favorite)
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
  • 1 (4.5 oz) can green chiles (optional)
  • 8 (12-inch) flour tortillas

Instructions:

  1. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Brown onions and add hash browns. Cook for 1-2 minutes and add ham. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until mixture is browned throughout (approximately 8-10 mins.)
  2. While hash browns, onion, and ham are cooking, whisk eggs in a large bowl and add seasoning. Add eggs to browned potatoes, onion, and ham and cook mixture until eggs have set, stirring frequently. Add green chiles, cilantro, and cheese if desired.
  3. Warm tortillas and put part of the mixture in the center of each, rolling like a burrito, and wrap tightly in tin foil. Place in a zip-top bag for storage in refrigerator or cooler.
  4. Place foil-wrapped burritos on hot campfire coals when ready to cook. Turn once until packets are thoroughly heated, about 10-15 minutes, depending on how hot your coals are.

There you have it, four great breakfast recipes for camping you can try the next time you pack up and head for the woods. When you’re back from your camping trip and hanging out in Denver, come by and see us for a delicious homemade meal or snack at one of our two convenient Original Pancake House locations in the Denver area. You can find us at Cherry Hills or Denver Tech Center any day of the week from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm. We look forward to welcoming you soon!

by OPHD1996