Chocolate Covered Fruit – Day 12 of 30 Days of Healthy Homemade Summer Treats

30 Days of Healthy Homemade Summer Treats

So this one’s a little extra fun. Chocolate isn’t necessarily healthy as such, although the darker varieties are better for you than milk chocolate, but it’s sure fun. It’s not all that hard to get most kids to eat fruit, but adding a layer of chocolate might just make them beg for even more of it.

Slice the fruit into easy to eat pieces. Make sure the sliced edges aren’t too damp for the chocolate – it may not stick well if the fruit has too much moisture.

Melt chocolate chips in a bowl in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds or so until it’s smooth. Try not to overmelt your chocolate.

Prepare a silpat or line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Make sure there’s room in your freezer.

Dip each piece of fruit into the melted chocolate and allow the excess to drizzle off. Place on silpat or paper. Use a toothpick to dip pieces that aren’t easy to manage by hand. A fork will also work.

Freeze until chocolate hardens. It’s best to keep the fruit from freezing in most cases, so 5-10 minutes should be plenty. The fruit may not be as appealing if you freeze and then defrost it.

Chocolate Covered Fruit - Day 12 of 30 Days of Healthy Homemade Summer Treats

Popcorn – Day 11 of 30 Days of Healthy Homemade Summer Treats

30 Days of Healthy Homemade Summer Treats

Yeah, here’s an easy one. Make popcorn for your kids when they want a snack this summer. It’s not ideal, what with GMO concerns and all, but odds are your kids will be very happy.

You don’t have to buy microwave popcorn packages, with all the waste that includes (not to mention the fake butter, etc.). A plain paper lunch bag works quite well, just fold the top over a couple times. I prefer my Stir Crazy popper, but use what you’ve got.

Have a little fun and quit using the basic salt and butter. There are plenty of other seasonings that are just wonderful on popcorn – some sweeter, some healthier, others just fun. You might find a new family favorite.

Popcorn - Day 11 of 30 Days of Healthy Homemade Summer Treats

4 Alternatives to Plastic Bags

Plastic bags are everywhere. They’re convenient. The problem is that they’re also hugely wasteful and are a common form of litter on land and in the ocean and other bodies of water. Thank goodness for the alternatives to plastic bags out there. Here are a few:

4 Alternatives to Plastic Bags1. Cheap Bags Sold By the Store

The cheap reusable bags, often only a dollar or so, sold by many stores, are a common alternative to disposable plastic bags. These aren’t great quality usually, but they do the job for a time. The designs may promote the store you bought them at, or they can be more fun. However, they may not last all that well, and there have been problems with lead in some of them.

2. Cloth Bags

Cloth bags are much better, in my opinion. You can make them yourself if you can sew, but they’re pretty affordable if you’d rather buy premade bags. Depending on the type of cloth, they can be very sturdy and machine washable – important if you’re at all concerned about the germs that can build up over time. You’re likely to use these bags for groceries, after all. You can get bags made of cotton, hemp and jute.

3. Knit Bags

If you want something a little lighter, a knit bag can be good. Small ones can be good for produce, rather than using the plastic bags the store keeps on rolls, and bigger ones can be used to carry your groceries or other purchases in general.

4. Synthetic Material Bags

Synthetic materials can be used to make some very nice reusable bags. They can be sturdy yet fit into a very small space when not in use.

The problem can be how they’re made. Assuming you’re going to use these for a long time, even if they’re from petroleum based materials, synthetic material bags can be better than disposable plastic bags. If you’ll use a bag more often because you can fold it into your purse rather than have to leave it in your trunk because it doesn’t fold small, get the one that folds small.

Where Do You Buy Reusable Bags?

It’s not at all difficult to buy reusable shopping bags. If you just want the cheap ones, your grocery store and other stores in your area probably carry them. If you want something better, you may need to look a little harder. Here are some places to try.

Thrift stores
Garage sales
Grocery stores
IKEA (huge bags!)
Amazon.com (carries many brands)
Reuseit.com
Cafepress
Zazzle

You may find reusable shopping bags other places too – just keep your eyes open, especially if you don’t have enough for your needs yet. No need to overbuy when you’re trying to be good to the environment.

Vegetables With Hummus – Day 10 of 30 Days of Healthy Homemade Summer Treats

30 Days of Healthy Homemade Summer Treats

Kids either love hummus or hate it, I think. If they love it, hummus is a wonderful way to encourage kids to eat more vegetables when they’re home. I have a simple hummus without tahini recipe I like to use – tahini is impossible to come by in my area so far.

Slice up a selection of your kids’ favorite vegetables. My youngest goes wild for orange, red or yellow bell pepper, almost to tears if we run out of them. Celery is another great choice – she did have a screaming, on the floor tantrum a couple years ago when I told her we were out of celery. I choked back my laughter (very difficult!) and offered her some cucumber, that being what I had at the time. She accepted and calmed down. Yes folks, veggies can be a bribe if you’re that lucky!

I just put a selection out and let my kids go at it. Sometimes I keep a supply of sliced vegetables in the fridge so that they’re easy to grab as snacks. Hummus or another dip can add to the appeal.

Vegetables With Hummus - Day 10 of 30 Days of Healthy Homemade Summer Treats