Easy Healthy Summer Snacks

As a mother, who has the time and energy to make these all so healthy wonderful and colourful Instagram famous breakfast and lunches!?

Between work, the school run, the night feeds, the nappy changes, we barely have time to breathe. On my worst days where I've woken up late, prepared nothing for the day ahead and the kids are miserable I've snacked on a whole pack of baby bell, crisps and stale biscuits that the kids don't eat (heaven forbid I ate their kinder chocolate). Come the evening to make supper I am too exhausted to cook and end up serving everyone with pizza and can't be bother to even wash the pizza tray until the morning. No wander, I've barely eaten all day. It's amazing how eating right can change your mood, energy levels, skin and way of thinking.



The thing is I've always loved healthy food since I can remember. A tuna jacket potato is more appealing to me than a chippy. I guess I'm just really lucky there. But eating healthy is more time consuming. Don't get me wrong I'm partial to a Chinese take away and a bar of chocolate. But over all I'd say I have a 'balanced' diet.

Since becoming a mother however my eating habits started to go down hill out of pure laziness and exhaustion. The thing is how can I take care of everyone when I can't take care of myself!? Eating right has an enormous impact on my quality of life and it's something I have to do to be the best mother and person I can be. I am constantly browsing Pintrest for easy healthy ideas and have come across a few ideas that are delicious, healthy and most importantly easy. They are a hit with the kids too.

My 'how to' YouTube Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLsCJ-AmOpw&feature=youtu.be

Fruit Kebabs

Now I buy a bulk of fruit every week. My kids eat tones of it. However the thought of washing and cutting up strawberries for myself with a screaming toddler on my arm is too much some days. Let alone cut up a watermelon.Its shameful how many watermelons I have thrown away at the end of the week. A friend once told me to cut up all your fruit and place it in a bowl in the fridge. Easy to grab and all the work is done ahead of time. I've gone one step further. Fruit Kebebs. I can just grab one out of the fridge and eat it as I'm potting about. They look so colourful and appealing in the hot weather to the kids too.  So I just grab one out for them and they can eat it as they are running around outside or as we are heading out the door. And it's so simple to do. Also great when packing a picnic. Pop a few in an air tight container with a little lemon juice and you have healthy lolly pops for the kids. As soon as you buy all your weekly fruit set aside time to cut and wash everything and place them on the sticks. That little amount of effort goes along way with your week ahead. I use lolly pop sticks instead of the kebab skewers for safety reasons with the kids. You can buy these at home bargains or amazon link down below.

Ingredients

Any fruit that you like, I used the kids favourite.

Strawberries 

Raspberries

Blueberries

Grapes

Watermelon

What you will need

Chopping board

Knife

Lolli pop sticks/ kebab skewers

Method

Chop and wash all your fruit into bite size spices (blueberries you can leave as they are, highly recommend chopping a grape in half for safety reasons for young kids).

Place each piece one at a time on the stick. Put as many as you want on each stick (make sure these is room on one end for the kids to hold it as a lolly pop stick) you can get really creative here with the colours. 

Once they are all on a plate  them on a plate and squeeze some lemon juice evenly over them. 

Place in an air tight container in the fridge. 

You could even add a drizzle of melted chocolate, add some marshmallows and sprinkles for the kids.

Crisps and Mango dip

Now who doesn't love crisps and dip? this recipe will give you crisp lovers some satisfaction with no guilt and the mango dip is so refreshing in the hot summer days. If your off to a BBQ, quickly make up this recipe and watch it be one of the first things eaten on the table. You have to give it a try. So you can buy any flavour wraps you like or season plain ones yourself. I love the garlic ones with the mango dip.



Ingredients

Wraps of your choice
Oil spray
Mango
6 Cherry tomatoes
1 spring onion
1 red chilli
Juice of one lime



What you will need



Baking tray and sheet
Pizza cutter
Chopping board and knife



Method



Pre heat the oven to gas mark 6.
Place a baking sheet on a large baking tray and spray with oil
Cut the wraps as if you are cutting a pizza and spray each one with oil.
Place each on the tray and in the oven for 6-8 minutes o until crispy (keep on eye on them they can burn fast).
In the mean time chop up all your other ingredients finely and place into a bowl.
Squeeze of the juice of one lime and stir.
Let the crisps cool when ready a little and serve on a plate with some dip on the side.




Breakfast Tip Tops

I found this recipe from one of my very favourite chef you tubers Gemma Stafford. I will link her blog down below. I urge you to check out her blog and you tube channel. Everything I have ever recreated from her ideas have turned out amazing.
I call these breakfast tip tops because they are so healthy can even eat them for breakfast. On a heat wave you can grab one of these on the way to work, or give one to the kids on the way to school. But you can also eat them any time of day (guilt free). Your kids can eat as many as they want and they wont get that naughty sugar rush. Most importantly is the taste. I cant tell you how good these taste. the combination of flavours really compliment each other. they are delicious please just give them a try! I used these tip top bags from amazon which ill leave the link below. However you can use lolly pop moulds and anything of that sort.



Strawberry and Peach Flavour
Ingredients



1 cup of strawberries
1 peach
1 cup of greek yoghurt
1 1/2 teaspoons of honey



Blueberry and Lemon Flavour



1 pack of blueberries
I zest of lemon
1 cup of greek yoghurt
1 1/2 teaspoons of honey



What you will need



Blender
Tip top bags or other moulds



Method



Place all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into mould and place in freezer for at least 4 hours.



Raspberry and Lemon Slush

I can not describe to you enough how good this tastes. It is better than any fancy Starbucks drink and it does not loose his flavour like the slush puppies you buy the kids. The best thing it is easy and healthy. Serve these at your kids pool party in the garden and you wont leave the blender they will want more and more. Mammy points right there. If you add a bit too much water, just add some more ice to get the consistency you want.



Ingredients



Pack of Raspberries
Juice of Two lemons
1 cup of sugar
2 cups of ice



What you will need



Blender
Cups with lids for small kids and straws (I found these in the pound shop over you can by them online)



Method



Put all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into cups of serve straight away.


Enjoy x








Tip Top Bags
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zipzicles-Reusable-Plastic-Lolly-Moulds/dp/B00VNDEP7C/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1469253769&sr=1-1&keywords=reusable+zip+top+plastic+ice+pop
Gemma Stafford
http://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/
lolly pop sticks
https://www.amazon.co.uk/White-Plastic-Lollipop-Sticks-Lollies/dp/B008RBNQTG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1469252051&sr=8-5&keywords=lollipop+sticks

Starting a blog!

This is terrifying yet satisfying to my inner child.

Being a writer is my top secret far fetched dream. Top secret as in my own mother didn't know. Far fetched because I was in the BOTTOM set in secondary school for English. My grammar, spelling and reading was terrible. Still is! And I read books...I do try. Spell check was my life saver through University. How can I be a writer when I'm not good at English?!
Blogging didn't exist when I was in school, I'm talking about book authors. Until Carrie Bradshaw of course. So I followed a more realistic path. Well I say realistic...it was still a distant dream as you kind of need to be good at English to be a primary school teacher. Back then a pass was good enough. So I worked hard and went to university. I was never really good at a subject in school. I enjoyed art and sports until I hit puberty (the sick notes came in handy for my moody blushing hairy self). So fining a career from something I enjoy and was good at was difficult. But then my little sister was born when I was 13 years old. I adored her. I still do. I think that's why I landed on the teaching path. My passion for teaching came from my love for her. I was unaware that love could be so strong and can pull you into different paths. When I had my first son I soon gave up on my career. The thought of missing his first words, steps or sports days was unbearable. So I happily became a stay at home mum. But being skint is miserable. Money doesn't make you happy of course but it does make life easier. Now I don't need the finer things in life. I only need to eat. So I started my own business walking dogs for some extra cash after I had my second baby boy. I absolutely adore dogs and there are three in the family. This is perfect. Our dogs get walked. I earn some extra cash. I'm only away an hour or two a day from my sons.  Its a win win. Except for the dog shit. Just imagine...I walked up to five on a pack walk.

I've found the courage to start a blog that I've secretly wanted to do for over a year now just because of one single person. My friend Sophie who I met at University emailed me on facebook and basically said to start a blog. How did she know my deepest desire?! I read somewhere that it takes 3 positive comments to erase a negative one. I don't agree. For me personally it only took one person to erase a hundred negative thoughts in my head.
For about two years now I've found the world of blogging and vlogging. I was watching Loose Women and the guest was beauty vlogger/ blogger Zoella. I was instantly intrigued by her. I started to watch her videos and the rest is history. I'm hooked. I don't watch much TV anymore. I am either on youtube or reading blogs. So after a year my desire to join the blogger world kept creeping up. To a point I would pretend I had a blog and write posts in my notes on my phone while nursing the baby to sleep. THE NEXT DAY I would delete the whole page and tut at myself.

As much as I'd like to say I don't care what people think or say. I do. I human. I'm a cancer star sign we wear our hearts on our sleeves. So how am I going to deal with putting myself out there?!
One of my favourite YouTubers said that she doesn't take things personally from people that don't know her personally. So I will be trying to keep that in mind. The only thing ...even people who know you personally will judge you.
LET THEM!
There is nothing I can do about that. They will judge no matter what I do. I shouldn't do something I desperately want in fear of a negative reaction. This is my life its too short. The people that really matter to me are very supportive. That's all that matters.


What I love about blogs is that they inspire me. From cooking, make up and craft making with my kids. My absolute favourite blogs are from mums who say it how it is. They are hysterical and make me feel so much better about my ups and downs being a mother. So if I can inspire even just one person in return that will be like winning the lotto. I have no idea what I'm planning on writing but here it is. My first Blog post. My first piece of writing online.

This is just a hobby I'm starting up. I'm not trying to be a professional writer or anything. I just love Blogs. So while the kids are in bed and I'm waiting on the new episodes of The Walking Dead and PLL. I'll be here writing. Some people like a game of online bingo...I like blogging (shrug)

Thanks for reading and joining me on this journey xxx