Summer-Friendly Healthy Recipes Young Kids Can Prepare

It's summer and school is out in most places. For parents with young children, now is the right time to create some great memories and engage in wholesome family fun. You don't have to look beyond your home, either! If you fondly remember baking cookies with your parents as a child, you'll know that your own littles will probably have a fantastic time in the kitchen. 

By teaching your children to cook from a young age, you will offer them a skill that will last them a lifetime and that will make their spouse ecstatic one day. You'll give them a true sense of independence right away, and will instill a sense that healthy, home-made meals are important and fun. 

All you need is some inspiration to get you started. What's great for summer, and kid-friendly? Try these easy food ideas!

Quirky Salads Kids Will Love

There is no doubt that salads are the ultimate summer food. All that fresh produce will give the whole family a vitamin and mineral boost, and help to keep everyone hydrated too. Best of all, salads are easy and quick to prepare and don't usually involve much (if any) actual cooking. They're a nice place for kids to start their long kitchen careers.

Do your kids normally start fussing the moment they heard the word "salad"? Don't be skeptical. They are likely to feel different if they make the salad themselves, and will almost certainly proudly devour the product of their own labor and creativity. 

Not all salad ingredients combine well together, but many do. My kids, who are four and seven years old, have more fun if they to decide what to put in their salad, rather than working from a pre-created script (AKA recipe). 

Some of the things you might like to suggest are lettuce (a usual suspect that is also entirely optional), rocket, baby spinach, basil, olives, cucumber, parsley, fresh and sun dried tomatoes, celery, beans, radishes, bell peppers in different colors, carrots, spring onions, and avocado. 

We also love strawberries, which are great with baby spinach, raw zucchini, fresh figs, mushrooms, different kinds of sprouts, water cress, and red cabbage. Don't forget to stock up on cheeses (mozzarella is always great), eggs, nuts, sunflower seeds, and raisins either. 

If you want a heartier salad, add ingredients like white beans, quinoa, chickpeas, pasta, or lentils. We're vegetarian, and we love a good boiled egg in a salad, but you might like to add some chicken or bacon strips, which moms and dads can prepare in advance.

A good dressing is what really makes a salad come together. Some simple choices that your kids can help make are:

• Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper
• Honey, mustard, olive oil, and lemon
• Home-made mayonnaise
• Lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, and yogurt
• Sesame oil, soy sauce, chopped fresh coriander, and garlic
• Fresh orange juice, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper

Obviously, get them to wash their hands thoroughly before they start. Really tiny kids can use a plastic knife to cut ingredients up into little pieces, but kids older than four or so can definitely learn to use a real knife in my experience. Just sit with your little ones while they are doing it, show them how to hold the knife, and teach them how to keep their fingers away from the blade. 

Not all ingredients need to be cut, though. You can get your kids to rip up stuff like basil, lettuce and mozzarella with their hands. They can grate carrots and cucumbers, for instance. Have an open mind, don't shy away from what appear to be weird combinations, and above all have lots of fun. 

More Summer-Friendly Recipes Kids Can Prepare

Salads can offer so much variety that it is hard to get bored of them — but you and your kids are probably going to want to enjoy making other foods together too. 

Popsicle Recipe Ideas

Ikea popsicle molds come in two fun colors, and each option makes six popsicles... over and over again! I am sure there are other reusable popsicle molds out there that will provide your family with just as much tasty fun. Which kid doesn't love ice cream, after all? 

This summer, we've decided to say no to commercial ice creams and to make our own. The home-made variety is much healthier and cheaper as well. 

We have had our popsicle molds for a few weeks now, and have already had a lot of fun with them. My kids have even eaten popsicles for breakfast, and I didn't feel guilty for one moment. Why? The popsicles contained nothing but banana and a little cinnamon! Let me tell you, they were fantastic. You can get your kids to throw bananas into the blender and press the button. Transfer your mixture to the popsicle molds, and you will be good to go in a few hours. 

We've also had luck with yogurt, raspberries and a touch of honey. Raspberries, blueberries, fresh lemon juice and... bitter lemon popsicles were to die for, though not as healthy as you may like. Feel free to experiment with fruits, fruit juices, yogurt, soy milk, and even bits of cookie. You can even add rum or tequila to a popsicle for the adults, but that's another story. 

Pancakes — Yes, Kids Can Make Them

Pancakes rightfully have the reputation of being a food that kids love, and they're easy to whip up in next to no time. Still, I have to admit that I was beyond impressed when I witnessed my friend's four year old make pancakes from scratch. All the way by himself and without even asking for permission. He didn't just know what the ingredients were, he also knew how much of everything was needed.

Once he made the mixture, he turned the (electric) stove on, added a little butter to the frying pan, and used a cup to pour the right amount of batter in. He flipped the pancake over with a spatula, taking care not to touch the frying pan or the stove the entire time.

Pancakes are pretty versatile. You can bake apples or bananas into them, use different types of flour, add all kinds of fresh fruit (figs, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, use your imagination), or go for savory combinations like rocket, cheese, and avocado. 

Skewers For Summer Nights

Vegetables skewers are another great food idea that will make everyone happy on a hot summer night. You can put them on the barbecue or use a grill pan instead, and you don't need a lot of oil at all. Kids can help you cut up your ingredients and slide them onto wooden skewers. 

What can you put on your skewers? Almost anything, but make sure whatever you use is firm enough to stay on. Zucchini, cherry tomatoes, egg plant, mushroom, bell peppers, tofu, baby corn, and a hard cheese like halloumi all work really well. If you're meat eaters, you can obviously also add meat. 

Skewers also work great as a snack for summer garden parties. They'll appeal even to kids you aren't usually into veggies all that much.