Snackster Sam Blog
Our recipes and activities are always Snackster Sam approved and kid approved.
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These Colorful Bell Pepper Nachos are an easy, veggie-packed meal that the whole family can enjoy! Simply set out all your cut peppers and topping options and let your kids have at it. This recipe is extremely customizable and a quick option in a pinch.  Colorful Bell Pepper NachosServes: 2 people Ingredients: 3-4 bell peppers of any color 10oz of cooked shredded or ground meat (sub for beans if vegetarian) 1/2 cup of shredded mexican-style cheese 1 tomato, diced 1/2 cup of shredded lettuce 2 green onions, sliced Other optional toppings: salsa, guacamole, pickled jalapenos, plain greek yogurt or sour cream, etc. Recipe:
Tips:
Don't forget to make it with your little ones so they are more interested to try it. Learn more about bell peppers here. This recipe was developed by Certified Health Coach, Anne Homkes for Snackster Sam. Get more of her recipes and follow her on Instagram, @annehomkes. Download the Free AppGet more facts like this on the Snackster Sam app.
Snackster Sam provides fun and educational content about food that grows. Join the adventure. Get it where you get apps!  Kale is delicious, but it can be intimidating for littles to try. A great way to introduce new vegetables is to mix it with something kids do like, like a smoothie! A smoothie bowl has a consistency like ice cream, so you can enjoy this as a sweet treat! Don't forget to make it with your little ones so they are more interested to try it. Learn more about kale here. Kale "Monster" Smoothie BowlsMakes 1 large bowl or 2 small bowls INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS
*To make the chocolate version, add 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao powder to the blender with the other ingredients. This recipe was developed by Heather Staller in collaboration with Veggie Buds. Heather is a mom of two boys, ages 7 and 5, and cooking instructor specializing in bringing cooking into preschool classrooms. After college, Heather knew she wanted to be a teacher, but first followed her lifelong dream of going to culinary school. Teaching cooking combines both of her passions, and she truly enjoys introducing young children to the joys of cooking with fresh ingredients. Find Heather on Instagram (@heather.happykidskitchen), where she shares inventive kid-friendly recipes and ideas for cooking with kids at home. Veggie Buds is a subscription box for kids that is filled with recipes, crafts, games, growing projects, activity sheets, and more! Each month features a new veggie! Learn more at veggiebudsclub.com Download the Free AppGet more facts like this on the Snackster Sam app.
Snackster Sam provides fun and educational content about food that grows. Join the adventure. Get it where you get apps!  INGREDIENTS 1 Watermelon EQUIPMENT Blender Ice cube tray DIRECTIONS: Serves 10 people Cut up watermelon and remove the rind. (You can also use a spoon and scoop it out.) Set watermelon chunks into a large bowl. Put the chunks of watermelon into a blender and blend until smooth. Keep the juice at the bottom of the bowl in a container and place in the refrigerator. Pour blended watermelon into an ice cube tray and freeze until frozen, or overnight. Add frozen watermelon cubes to blender. Add watermelon juice and blend until mixed well. Pour into a glass and enjoy! NOTE: You can keep frozen watermelon longer than you can keep the juice in the refrigerator. Feel free to try different juice, like cherry, apple, or orange. If you want different flavor, add lemon juice or a bit of honey. Did you try it? Tell us in the comments below!
 Orange Planet Lollipops My daughter recently turned six, and she requested a Snackster Sam themed birthday party. We brought the book Snackster Sam's Big Adventure to life with fun and kid-friendly recipes. Figuring out how to create a Snackster Sam approved lollipop was a fun challenge. The result is so delicious... one of the party guests had several in hand at a time! Ingredients
Directions The night prior to serving, cut each apple into eight slices. Place each apple slice onto a skewer. Mix lemon juice and water into a bowl; dip each apple slice into lemon water mixture. Refrigerate overnight. Prior to serving, arrange honey, coconut, and nuts into bowls for dipping. If the coconut flakes are large, first finely chop or blend it into smaller pieces. Allow children to dip apple slices into the honey and then the coconut or nuts. Makes for a tasty (and a little messy) treat! So many variations are possible… try one and share in the comments below. Other variations: Depending on the season, try orange slices instead of apples! Join Snackster Sam on another big adventure with a birthday party! Get all the games, recipes, even templates to make Snackster Sam monster birthday invitations, and everything else you need to know! Did you try it? Share your experience in the comments below! Learn more about Snackster Sam in the lovable, rhyming children's book that helps kids eat healthy.
 Green Planet Watermelon Cake My daughter recently turned six, and she requested a Snackster Sam themed birthday party. We brought the book Snackster Sam's Big Adventure to life with fun and kid-friendly recipes. This watermelon cake is not only fun to eat, it looks beautiful! I am not a baker, so I had a blast being able to make a three-tiered watermelon cake instead. You can even prepare this the night before and refrigerate overnight. Ingredients
Directions First, cut the ends off the watermelon. Then cut off the rinds. If you want to create multiple tiers, slice the watermelon into two halves (to create a third tier you will need another watermelon). Slowly carve the watermelon slice into a circle. (If making the Dinostar Watermelon Lemonade, discard the shaved watermelon into a pitcher). Place the first tier on a cake platter. Shave the second tier into a circle, making it smaller than the first tier. You may need to place the second tier on the first to make sure you are trimming off enough. Repeat this process for the third tier if applicable. Place all the tiers on the cake platter. Place a wooden skewer in the tiers from the top to secure the cake. Slice the fruit for decorations. Feel free to create shapes with a cookie cutter. Decorate the cake on the base of each tier and secure with a toothpick. The toothpicks may work best when cut in half. Refrigerate or serve! Note, there will be excess juice dripping from the watermelon. If refrigerating overnight, place the cake in a dish to collect the juice. Make sure the children remove toothpicks prior to eating. Join Snackster Sam on another big adventure with a birthday party! Get all the games, recipes, even templates to make Snackster Sam monster birthday invitations, and everything else you need to know! Did you try it? Share your experience in the comments below! Learn more about Snackster Sam in the lovable, rhyming children's book that helps kids eat healthy.  Dinostar Watermelon Lemonade My daughter recently turned six, and she requested a Snackster Sam themed birthday party. We brought the book Snackster Sam's Big Adventure to life with fun and kid-friendly recipes. This watermelon lemonade is yummy, super simple to make, and doesn't need any sugar. You don't even need to chop up the watermelon or strain it! Ingredients
Directions If you are creating a watermelon cake, it’s easy to make this! Simply use the leftover or discarded pieces of watermelon from the cake and add it to a pitcher. Fill the glass pitcher to ¾ full with watermelon. Then fill the pitcher with water. Add lemon juice. Optional: Cut pineapple into round slices. Using a cookie cutter, cut the pineapple into star shapes. Arrange the stars in the pitcher so you can see them. Refrigerate overnight and serve cold. Join Snackster Sam on another big adventure with a birthday party! Get all the games, recipes, even templates to make Snackster Sam monster birthday invitations, and everything else you need to know! Did you try it? Share your experience in the comments below! Learn more about Snackster Sam in the lovable, rhyming children's book that helps kids eat healthy.
 On a cold day, I love any excuse to heat the oven... and this recipe is one of our favorite excuses! Do not expect to have leftovers, although it's a perfect way to use leftover ground beef or leftover beef roast. This is my go-to recipe the day after I make A Perfect Roast. Because I make this recipe so often, I always make sure I have the ingredients on hand., which is easy because most of the ingredients are canned or frozen. Plus, like most of our recipes, there are so many variations so you can make it your own.  Happy summer!
One of my favorite things about summer is the fresh berries and fruit in season. There's nothing like biting into a juicy summer peach or a ripe strawberry (and they are even sweeter when they are wild)! When I think back on my summers as a kid, peaches come to mind. I couldn't wait to go to the the farmer's market or grocery store with my mom and find the juiciest peaches. This is an experience I want to share with my children, too. Well... and let's be honest, I'm still a kid at heart, too! Peaches for the whole family! It's not always easy to get ripe or juicy peaches in the midwest. That's why we've created a summer snack that is delicious, easy, and fun! This is the perfect recipe to use a bruised, over or underripe peach. We added strawberries for a yummy twist, but you can use a variety of fruits based on what's in season and available. If you have kids and don't have a popsicle mold, you're missing out! You can usually get molds for about the same price as store-bought popsicles made with fruit. If you don't have popsicle molds, you can use wooden popsicle sticks and paper cups. Making your own popsicles allows you to cut out added sugar, use bruised and overripe fruit, and of course, make memories! Pair this summer treat with sunshine and shorts!  Spring is in the air! It always arrives a little later than the calendar date in my neck of the woods. We are excited to see critters crawling and flying as trees bud, and life emerges from winter's grasp. What better way to discuss how creatures change than a lesson on caterpillars and butterflies! This lesson is reinforced with a Snackster Sam approved snack! Caterpillars and Watermelon Butterflies are incredibly easy to make (no worries about Pinterest fails) and will get children excited about eating and trying new fruits and vegetables. Things you'll need: Round Toothpicks Watermelon Grapes or Cherry Tomatoes Blueberries or Raisins
Feed your food curiosity! Snackster Sam provides fun and educational content about food that grows. Join the adventure. Download the Snackster Sam app from Google Play or the App Store!
 What's not to love about slow cooker meals? A roast is a simple way to make a meal that will impress your family and guests on a budget. When I first started making roasts, I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't particularly like roasts growing up, but the meat consistently was affordable. I decided to take the plunge and learn how to make a delicious roast in a slow cooker. At first, my roast was over cooked, dry, and flavorless. With some practice, I've learned how to make a perfect roast every time.
 I love sweet potatoes... they are nutritious, affordable, filling, and can spice (or sweeten) any meal. One day, I thought it might be fun to add sweet potatoes to a Mexican dish, and now it's a must-have ingredient! What I love about this meal is it's so versatile. I call it a taco, but you can serve it in a variety of ways!
I find that it makes enough for a couple of meals, and you can change the recipe every time you eat it! You can wrap it into a tortilla, leave it plain on the plate (as shown), add different ingredients, and my personal favorite is to add egg and have it for lunch the next day! Try experimenting with sweet potatoes! What culinary creations will you create? I hope you share!  Who doesn't love cookies? Traditional cookies take forever to make, kids lose interest in the baking process, and the SUGAR... you have to limit how many cookies you can eat in a sitting. It's no fun at all. The cookie battle is over! Introducing... the Banana Cookie. With only three ingredients, it's easy to make, affordable, fun, a crowd pleaser, AND Snackster Sam approved! Get the FREE list of peanut-free, school-approved snacks! My kids loved making these with me, and the plate of cookies was gone in no time. I didn't have to put a limit on how many cookies they could eat either! So are you ready to learn how to make them? Get out a notepad... and then put it away. These are too easy you can memorize it! Which may come in handy when you have 2 lone bananas left on your counter (like I did). Plus, there are so many variations so you can make this recipe your own! BANANA COOKIES INGREDIENTS 2 ripe bananas 2 cups rolled oats 1/4 cup raisins Equipment Blender Variations Dried cranberries Chopped walnuts Sliced almonds Dash of cinnamon or ginger DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350° F. Mash ripe bananas in a large mixing bowl. In blender, blend rolled oats until it has a flour-like texture. Add oats to bananas and thoroughly mix. Add raisins or other variations. Roll mixture into small balls and place on non-stick baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes in preheated oven, or until edges become golden brown. Place cookies on a cooling rack. (This is the tough part!) These cookies get better with time! Wait until they are completely cool before enjoying. The banana flavor strengthens so the cookies are sweeter! Try it and share your comments below! Danielle S is the mother of two and creator of Snackster Sam. She has been concerned about healthy habits and nutrition for over a decade, and conducted an award-winning scientific study on portion control. She created Snackster Sam to make eating healthy more fun for parents and children. Learn more about the mission here.
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