I recently talked to Jill from Mom Said Duck on my Little Tot Landing podcast, all about snacks that are great for summer break! Check out the podcast episode here and the blog post version here.

I decided to create a separate post with links to my family’s favourite snacks. None of these are affiliate links – just links for reference. 😊

Hydration Boost

Over the last year I have been into hydration boosters, and because of this, so have my kids. They see my colorful drink and always want a taste! It’s my way of making them a healthier Gatorade or Prime, which I don’t love them having. I have given them small amounts of my hydration boosters – Ultima, Cure and Majka are the companies I have used, and I love them all. Ultima’s boosters pack a flavor punch while Cure and Majka are more subtle. What I have learned lately though is that Cure has a line of kids hydration packs – these would be great to pack in your bag for all of these hot summer days. And, if you have a soccer tournament coming up and you’re the snack parent, a stick of hydration booster for the kids’ water bottles and a watermelon cut up into watermelon sticks or these adorable watermelon “popsicles” would be the perfect snack to give the kids an energy boost.

Car Snacks

I have friends who don’t let their kids eat in their car, and I envy them. I wish I had created that boundary, because if you’r like me you know that as much as you vacuum those tiny orange goldfish crumbs have really taken up permanent residence within the cracks between seats.

So for road trips, we definitely pack up snacks. It keeps kids and parents happy!

In our podcast episode, Jill talked about packing up a bag of fruits and veggies while she doles out before the fun stuff. I love this idea and completely agree. Apples, berries, cucumbers and red peppers are the favorites around here. After that, I love to bring along beef sticks, packaged bars, nuts and dried fruit.

We have found two companies that make beef sticks that my kids love — Archer Farms Minis which we purchase at Costco in the U.S. and Snack Mates from The New Primal. These are a great bit of protein and keep the kids satiated. Although, beef sticks are an item higher in sodium so I do have to stave them off from eating too many in one sitting!

I talked to Jill on our podcast episode about struggling to find granola bars that aren’t actually a desert. It’s hard. Most bars’ ingredient list are essentially sugar, sugar, sugar. Brown rice syrup drives me bonkers – it’s just sugar plus it’s possibly high in arsenic. (You can read up on brown rice and its high arsenic content on many reputable websites through a quick Google search.) It is a cause of concern and the ingredient might as well be sugar. It’s not like any of these syrups are healthier.

Here are a couple bars I like to keep around the house. They aren’t my kids’ favourites (their favourites are ones I won’t keep in the house … ) but I love them and the kids will snack on them in a pinch. Skout Organic has a variety of bar flavors – I am currently loving the Peanut Butter and Jelly. These are much like a Larabar in terms of ingredients – dates and nuts with other fruits in for flavor. I am really looking forward to trying some of the other bars that we haven’t purchased before like Pecan Pie and Banana Pudding!

Pantry Fun

Let’s talk about the Kirkland organic dried mangoes from Costco. It started out with just me and one of my boys polishing off a bag together but now almost all of us are obsessed with them and we clear through a bag much faster than our paycheck can afford. Gosh, when you get a bag that is just right and the mangoes are soft and so sweet, there’s nothing like it. They make the best mid-afternoon pick me up or bedtime snack.

We are also obsessed with cashews and walnuts, among other nuts, and I find the Yupik organic brand is consistently fresh.

I also love the brand Olyra. They use ancient grains in their bars and cookies and I have loved everything that I have tried so far. I like the simplicity of the Cinnamon Tahini breakfast biscuits, while my kids love the Strawberry Fruit Filled breakfast biscuits. So great to keep stocked in the party and easy to toss into a backpack or purse!

For a salty snack, my kids always turn to Annie’s Snack Mix. I can’t keep in stock, because the second the bag is opened, it evaporates. But so good for the fun snack nights, like Movie Night.

Mom Snacks

I try to keep these hidden to myself but obviously can’t help but share if my toddler spies me eating one. 😊 Every flavor of Yes Bar that I have tried has been delicious. You really can’t go wrong. If I had to pick just one? Strawberry Coconut. These have saved me in the midst of so many hunger cravings.

Happy snacking!!