Easy Summer Snack Skewers for Kids
We all know that summer is a 24/7 snack-fest. As a mom, I try to keep things nutritious and fun. At times, my efforts are met with kids who prefer to stick to a narrow lane of foods they like. To mix things up, I involved my kids in making skewer snacks for our recent trip to Regnier Family Wonderscope Children’s Museum of Kansas City.
Midwest Dairy, a proud sponsor of Wonderscope, also sponsored this post, and dairy products played delicious, healthy role in our snacks of choice.
First, skewers aren’t just for grilling anymore. This summer, moms and kids alike are enjoying favorite foods kabob-style and minus the bread. To me, it feels like a lighter summertime choice, and to my kids it’s just plain fun.
There’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to make a skewer snack. Simply take your favorite combinations of foods and line them up on a stick. We tried the following skewer snacks based on my kids’ personal food preferences.
Fruit Salad Skewers with Homemade Vanilla-Honey Greek Yogurt Dip: We stacked up strawberries, grapes and apples and packed a homemade dip in a container on the side for dipping.
Ham and Cheese Skewers: Layer thin slices of ham and your favorite variety of cheese cubes. We used Colby jack cheese.
Caprese Skewers: Layer mini mozzarella balls, grape tomatoes and basil leaves. I brought a balsamic glaze for dipping and some crackers for creating fun little stacks of my own.
While most of the ingredients are pretty self-explanatory, we had fun whipping up the Honey-Vanilla Greek Yogurt Dip together using full-fat (five percent) plain Greek yogurt.
We were feeling fancy so we scraped the caviar from half a Madagascar vanilla bean (love those flecks of real vanilla) and drizzled in a little honey for sweetness. You could also use a few drops of real vanilla extract in place of the vanilla bean. Just add a little honey, stir and sample as you go to adjust the sweetness to your liking.
Real dairy from the Greek yogurt and cheese in our snack is a natural source of immune-boosting ingredients like Vitamin A, Vitamin D and protein to keep us satiated. Dairy helps fuel our strong, active bodies and minds!
To make skewers easily portable, we simply wrapped them in sheets of aluminum foil. Wonderscope has seating in the outside play area as well as a convenient indoor picnic room. As a mom, I love that no matter when you plan your visit, there’s a place to rest and refuel.
While at Wonderscope, we explored the many active, sensory and problem-solving exhibits and also learned some fun facts about dairy along the way, including:
It takes 10 pounds of milk to make 1 pound of cheese.
Holstein cows have black and white spots and produce the most milk.
95 percent of dairy farms are family-owned and operated.
It takes on average 48 hours for milk to get from the farm to your grocer.
What stood out most to me was that so many dairies are family-owned and operated! We love to support family-owned, local businesses. In purchasing dairy products at our local grocer, we’re doing just that.
Let me know if you plan to visit Wonderscope this summer and what snacks you’ll pack in the comments below!
