3 Kid-Friendly Summer Recipes

It’s Summertime and the living’s easy! If you’re looking for some fun bonding activities for you and your young ones, especially if you need something simple that can be done at home, why not brush up on your culinary skills as a family? First of all, it’s a great skill to start teaching your kids from an early age - how to make their own food. Second, you’ll be spending some quality family time together. Third, you will keep them occupied during a time when it’s easy for kids to be bored - plus, it will force them to disconnect from their tablets, video games and social media for once. Lastly, it will start establishing a new skill they can develop. Who knows, maybe they’ll love cooking and start putting together meals so much that they’ll start turning into little chefs! Here are some easy summer recipes you can make with your kids if you have younger ones with energy to spare! 

Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits

Healthy, refreshing and yummy, parfaits are a great recipe for your kids to put together. The best part is, there’s no baking or frying or heavy-duty work involved. This is more of an assembly project, really. 

Ingredients

• Yogurt (non-fat vanilla Greek yogurt, is recommended, but any flavor or variation of non-dairy yogurt works just as well, too.)
• Fresh fruits like: berries, bananas, peaches, or nectarines
• Dried fruit such as: raisins, chopped dates, pineapple, cranberries, and cherries
• Nuts: sliced or slivered almonds, chopped pecans, or walnuts
• Coconut Shavings
• Granola
• Chia seeds or ground flaxseed meal
• Honey or maple syrup for drizzling

Directions

Build your own individual parfaits with each person layering their yogurt in a bowl or cup, alternating with layers of the other ingredients. Parfaits can be topped with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, if desired.

Caramel Banana Crepes

Crepes - a fan favorite from France that has captured the entire world! It’s a sweet treat that you can pretend is just breakfast ;) 

Ingredients

for 2 servings

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 bananas, sliced
• whipped cream, as desired
• caramel sauce, as desired

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, mix flour, eggs, butter, and sugar, stirring until ingredients are slightly mixed.
2. Add milk ½ cup (120 ml) at a time, stirring vigorously, making sure the milk is completely integrated into the batter and that the batter is smooth before adding more milk.
3. Repeat with the rest of the milk. The batter should be very liquidated with no lumps.
4. In a pan over medium heat, pour ⅓ cup (95 grams) of the batter in the middle and swirl the batter around the edges of the pan until set.
5. To check when the crepe is ready to flip, lift up one of the edges about ⅓ of the way. The bottom side should be golden brown. Flip the crepe.
6. Cook until the edges are starting to crisp slightly.
7. Remove from heat and cover with a paper towel to make sure the crepes stay moist.
8. In a pan over medium heat, mix the brown sugar and butter until slightly bubbling.
9. Add the cinnamon and bananas, stirring until bananas are evenly coated with the caramel.
10. Remove from heat and cool.
11. Spread half of the banana mixture on half of one crepe.
12. Fold the other half of the crepe on top of the bananas, then fold the crepe in half.
13. Repeat with the other crepe.
14. Serve with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
15. Enjoy!

Chicken Quesadillas

What kids don’t love quesadillas? If your child is lactose intolerant or you have them on a vegan diet, there you can switch out the cheese for vegan cheese.

Ingredients

• 4 9-inch flour tortillas
• 1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (4 oz.)
• 1 cup shredded cooked chicken (or canned black beans or mushrooms for a vegetarian recipe)
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and cut into 12 slices
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

• Step 1

Preheat oven to 200°F. Lay the tortillas on a clean surface. Put 1/4 of the cheese, 1/4 of the chicken, and 3 slices of avocado on one side of each tortilla. Fold the tortillas in half and press gently to close.

• Step 2
  Melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat in a skillet or large griddle. Add 2 of the quesadillas and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the cheese starts melting and the tortilla starts to brown (use a spatula to peek underneath). Turn and cook the other side for 2 or 3 minutes or until golden brown. Put quesadillas on a baking sheet and keep them in the warm oven while you cook the remaining quesadillas in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter.

• Step 3
  Slice the quesadillas into quarters and serve with seasoned sour cream, guac and pico de gallo, a salad, or salsa.