Those hungry teenagers eating you out of house and home? Don’t order Dominos just yet! We’ve got a few yummy, homemade ideas to keep them happy on snacks that are filling, fun and most importantly, HEALTHY.
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The biggest key to eating healthy is to BE PREPARED! When you hit the grocery store or visit The GEM, pick up these staples to keep on hand for when hunger strikes this summer.
10 Summer Snacks For Hungry & Healthy Teens
- CHIP DIP STATION! Siete Tortilla chips surrounded with a fun array of dips! Siete also makes an amazing, plant-based queso blanco that is really tasty! Add guacamole, GEM Pico, Rick’s Salsa, and GEM Jalapeno Pesto. Don’t forget our Badass 3 Bean Salad with corn chip dippers, too!
- VEGGIE PLATE with carrots, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, red bell pepper, grape tomatoes. Add a ramekin of our GEM Hummus, Ranch AND Jalapeño Pesto for the best dipping trio. The secret is to douse the carrot medallions and cucumbers with lots of fresh lime juice and sea salt. Don’t skip over this one! It’s magic.
- SMOOTHIES. Pick up a few frozen smoothie kits from The GEM (our Maui GEM with pineapple, banana, orange and coconut is a crowd pleaser), or make your own at home with this perfectly simple, lightning-fast recipe:
- Add 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of pomegranate juice, 1 frozen banana, 1.5 cup of fruit to the blender and ENJOY! Frozen, organic strawberries and blueberries work best.
- ITALIAN PLATTER with chunks of parmesan cheese, nitrate free salami (my kids like Naturalissimo Milano style), Milton GF crackers, gherkin pickles, grape tomatoes sprinkled with sea salt, hummus topped with basil pesto. BAM!
- FROZEN PEANUT BUTTER BANANA SLICES. Sandwich your favorite brand of organic peanut butter in between sliced bananas, then freeze. Dip in melted chocolate for an added treat.
- FROZEN GRAPES (Warning: highly addicting snack!). Simply freeze and eat!
- AVOCADO TOAST sprinkled with cayenne, sea salt, and a little lemon, served on grain bread (Killer Dave’s makes the best!). Cut into quarters. PRO TIP: Let your avocados ripen on the counter, then put in the fridge—they will keep for much longer!
- GRANOLA PARFAITS. What’s cool about these is you can make a few in small, 6-oz. mason jars and your teens can pop them out whenever they are ready! Here’s how we assemble them:
- Begin with a little granola on bottom, layer with plain Greek yogurt—or try an amazing dairy-free, plant-based option like from Kite Hill or Siggi’s. Milk & Patience is local and has the most amazing vegan yogurts, too!
- Layer berries. Raspberries, sliced strawberries, blueberries…don’t be shy!
- Add more granola. One of our favorite granola brands Park Lane Pantry, a local company with amazing flavors—including a new chocolate flavor, too!
- Top with a drizzle of maple syrup, honey or agave, a little extra fruit, and enjoy!
- EDAMAME. Just pour the frozen bag into boiling water for a couple minutes, drain, and add coarse sea salt. Try sprinkling with Trader Joe’s Chili Lime Salt.
- BONUS SNACK IDEAS! Always have these items on hand for when you find yourself in a pinch:
- Hard boiled eggs.
- Nut butter with apples.
- Organic popcorn made with coconut oil and sea salt.
Give yourself a variety of choices and healthy snacking doesn’t have to be boring. Whether it’s one or two of these each week, make it a habit of stashing a few of these items at the house. The key is to choose healthy snacks that will fill them up and help nourish your teens without adding too many calories. Try and you’ll see—our top ten teen-approved list of healthy summer snacks is sure to make you the hit of the summer snacking frenzy!
Happy Summer Snacking!