Summer Snacks That Survive Arizona Temps

Today we’re sharing our kids favorite snacks that will withstand the summer heat–both easy to shop items from the store or a DIY homemade alternative, we’re sharing our go-to summer snacks.

Last summer, I realized that one of the most underrated parts of parenting is that you have an excuse to carry snacks with you everywhere you go. I love snacking with my kids during our summer adventures, but I don’t love a melty, messy bag when snacks can’t withstand triple digit temps.

So, this summer, I’m sharing our go-to snacks that survive summer.

We are so excited for a summer full of family adventures. If you need ideas for your summer adventures, check out our post on 50 Local Summer Break Activity Ideas.  

Keep reading for how our family navigates “strong foods” that fuel our body and help us grow while providing balanced nutrition that (in my opinion, with my kids) avoid meltdowns by keeping energy levels and blood sugar consistent.

In this post, I will share some of our favorite healthy snacks that we love during the hot Arizona summer. There are healthy snacks out there for every mom and every occasion. Whether you want to pick up a healthy snack at the grocery store, make a simple homemade snack at home, or go out for a special treat, we think you will love this guide to enjoying healthy snacks during the summer time.

XO,

Sylvia

 

Summer snack pick #1: Energy Balls

Power balls are a delicious, high protein way to fuel our bodies and they are unbelievably easy to make at home. They also are a fun learning activity for young children because they can measure and roll the balls or form the bites into another shape they like. 

• • Make them at Home: For my power balls I like to add 1 cup of oats, 12 dates, ½ cup nut butter, and a little bit of honey. To this base recipe you can add other ingredients such as berries, dried fruit, coconut,  nuts, cocoa powder, or chocolate chips. (Beware of the chocolate with the summer sun)

• • Buy in the Store:

• • • Midi Bites are delicious, bite-sized protein snacks created by a local kids nutrition specialist! We love to shop close to home and purchase Midi Bites at the Agritopia Farm Store in Gilbert. Midi Bites are also available online or at Sprouts and Whole Foods locations throughout the East Valley.
    • Earth Sugar Energy Bars are a high quality, plant based snack based out of Tempe. I first tried Earth Sugar at the Gilbert Farmers Market and they are now available online too.
    • My favorite grocery store picks for something with similar ingredients are: Good & Gather Date & Nut Bars (Target), Lara Bars, and Perfect Bars. In summer I try to avoid flavors with chocolate.

 

Summer snack pick #2: Fruit leathers 

Fruit leather, the healthy cousin of fruit roll-ups, is a dried fruit snack that children love!

I love making fruit leather at home because you can avoid added sugar, preservatives, and artificial ingredients often found in other fruit snacks. We love eating fruit all year round, but I find that fruit leather and dried fruit are great for packing with us on days we will be in the hot Arizona sun!

• • Make them at Home: I add 4 cups of fruit (any fruits your kids like will work) and ½ cup of water to a large saucepan. Then I simmer the fruit for about 15 minutes or until all the fruit is soft. Next, I mash the fruit mixture and taste it. If needed, I’ll add a little sweetener to taste (my favorite sweetener for fruit leather is agave). Then I simmer for 5-10 more minutes or until the fruit puree thickens. Next I blend the puree using my blender / food processor. Finally, I pour the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven at 140 degrees for 8 hours.

• • Buy in the Store: 

• • • Target: I love the Good & Gather Fruit Leathers because they have no added sugar or preservatives. There are also frequent sales on Good & Gather products at Target.

Summer snack pick #3: Smoothies / Shakes

To me, nothing says summer like cooling off with a nourishing treat. Last summer making a breakfast smoothie / shake was a part of our everyday routine. My toddler would stand on his stool and locate the ingredients, put them in the blender, and then shout “cheers” as we sipped our smoothies in the garden. 

We love our wide smoothie straws or topping a bowl with granola. (Pro tip: We decided to skip the smoothies and shakes while potty training because this snack is very hydrating!)

• Make them at Home: 
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Shake: Our go to breakfast shake is 2 cups of frozen banana, ⅓ cup peanut butter, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder, 1 scoop of collagen, and almond milk (or milk of your choice). We like it thick so we pour the milk until it almost covers everything else in the blender.
  • For more smoothie recipes, check out our summer stroller smoothies roundup post 

• Buy in the Store: 

• • Vitality Bowls (Gilbert): Located at Verde Cooley Station, this restaurant has delicious smoothies, bowls, and juices. We love to pick up “The Dragon” or “Go Green” smoothie after having fun at Verde’s Playdates on the Green or other free, family-friendly events at Verde.
  • Berry Divine Acai Bowls (Gilbert): Berry Divine offers smoothies and Acai Bowls. They even cater, making them the perfect healthy treat for a summer party or birthday.
  • DLite Healthy on the Go (Tempe): DLite offers a variety of smoothies and protein shakes, along with other healthy food options. Coffee-loving mamas might want to try the d/Breakfast Buzz, a protein shake with espresso shots.

 

Summer snack pick #4: Juice

Another delicious way to get servings of fruit and vegetables is through 100% fruit and vegetable juice. We love to make our own juice at home as a way to get our little man to enjoy the benefits of dark, leafy green vegetables. 

• Make Juice at Home: 
  • I love to make juices at home and sometimes we will even have little juicing parties and invite friends to come make juice with us! My go-to juices are loaded with greens and sweet fruits. It’s the perfect way to help my little one get the nutritional benefits of leafy greens. Here’s a recipe that my toddler can’t get enough of:
    • 3 cups spinach or kale
    • 2-3 oranges
    • 2-3 apples
    • If we are feeling sick I love to add 2 lemons and a large knob of ginger to the juicer

• Buy Juice:

• • Linden Organics (Gilbert): This organic cafe offers delicious juices and other plant-based goodies.
  • Raw Organic Juice Bar (Chandler): When I was giving birth at Chandler Regional I wanted some nourishing foods to sustain my energy, and Raw Organic Juice Bar Delivered. I love their ”When the Beet Drops” juice.
  • Clean Juice (Gilbert and Queen Creek): We have loved Clean Juice for years. My favorites on their menu are “The Glow One”, “The Immunity One”,  and “The Peanut Butter One (A smoothie)”. One of our favorite summer activities is getting a juice from the Clean Juice in Gilbert and then sharing it while we read books at the Barnes & Nobles that is just a block away. 
  • At the grocery store: Suja Juice is a clean juice brand that I find is pretty similar to juices you can make at home. You can buy Suja Organic juice at most grocery stores including Sam’s Club, Costco, Fry’s, Target, and Aldi. 

 

Summer snack pick #4: Popsicles

Popsicles are the perfect way to cool off in the summer sun! Making homemade popsicles is a fun family memory. Running to the store and enjoying a purchased popsicle together is an equally fun adventure. Here are some of our favorite nourishing popsicles:

• Make Your Own Popsicles: 
  • One of my favorite popsicles to make in the summer is a strawberry coconut milk popsicle. We blend up 1 ½ cups frozen strawberries, 13.5 oz can of coconut milk, 4 tablespoons sweetener (maple syrup or agave), and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Then we pour the mixture into popsicle molds and freeze for 6-8 hours. 

• Go Out for Popsicles:

• • Fruta Healthy Eating (Chandler): Frutapops are made with whole fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs and are free from artificial ingredients and additives often found in popsicles at the grocery store. These healthy sweet treats would make for a fun summer adventure with your family. 

• • Breezy Pops (Gilbert and Phoenix): These tasty popsicles are made with real fruit juice and nourishing natural ingredients. They are available on Saturday mornings at the Gilbert Farmers Market or the Uptown Farmers Market in Phoenix! 

Summer snack pick #5: Dried Fruit & Vegetables

Dried fruits and vegetables are full of the same nutritional benefits as whole fruits and vegetables, but they are perfect for moms on the go because they are portable and last all day in the summer heat.

• Make Your Own Dried Fruits & Vegetables: While this snack is convenient and healthy, I find that it can get a little pricey to buy in the store. I found a used dehydrator for $10 and have been able to make my own at home for a fraction of the price. I also have friends who swear by their freeze-dryers to make freeze-dried snacks.

• Buy Dried Fruits & Vegetables: 

• • At the grocery store: My favorite dried products have no extra preservatives, sugar, or artificial flavorings. Here are a few of my top picks that you can find in a grocery store.

• • • • Target: Good & Gather Freeze Dried Products such as strawberries, mixed berries, mango, unsweetened dried kiwi, and watermelon jerky
      • Sam’s Club: Member’s Mark feeze dried strawberries and Bare dried fruit chips
      • Trader Joe’s: Freeze dried strawberries, blueberries, bananas, and dried mango (unsulfured and unsweetened version).

• •  Another option is to find a local mom, like my friend Savanna Bassett ([email protected]) who will use their freeze drier to make you a small batch of goodies!

 

Summer snack pick #6; Trail Mix

Trail mix is another easy, delicious, and dry snack that is perfect for providing you and your kids with energy for your summer adventures! You can make a custom trail mix at home with your little one or find a trail mix in a store!

• Make Your Own Trail Mix: I love to let my little one make their own trail mix based on what sounds good to them! During the summer, we usually skip adding any chocolate, but if you can’t say no to chocolate we certainly understand. We usually make a combination using  the following ingredients:

• • • Nuts (Almonds, Walnuts, Cashews, Pistachios, Pecans, Peanuts)
    • Seeds (Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds)
    • Dried fruits (Raisins, Apricots, Cherries, Blueberries, Pineapple, Coconut Flakes)
    • Grains (Pretzels, Whole Grain Cereal, Sesame Sticks,  Sugar-Free Granola)

• My Favorite Store-Bought Trail Mix:

• • Costco & Sam’s Club: Both of these stores sell Nature’s Garden Organic Trail Mix Snack Packs which are healthy nut and seed trail mixes that are free from chocolate that will melt in the Arizona sun. At Costco you can find “Power Up Trail Mix: Mega Omega” and at Sam’s Club you can find “Member’s Mark: Tropical Trail Mix” for additional melt-free trail mix options. 

 

Summer break is such a fun time to create memories as a family. We hope this guide gives you lots of ideas for how to make healthy eating part of your family’s summer adventure. We have created a Healthy Eats in the East Valley: Maps Guide with all of the amazing healthy cafes listed in this article for you to save to your phone. I love saving Maps guides because when I am out and about I can pull them up and see if there is anything close to where I am.  If you liked this guide feel free to check out our reel where Amy shares her favorite healthy summer snacks available at Target.