What words describe summer? Well, many, but perhaps we could summarize them in five essentials: free time, fun, travel, beach, swimming pool, and very hot! All this focused more than anything on the family, but especially on the smallest of the house.
With all of the above in mind, we have put together a compilation of the best summer meals for children, focusing on light and refreshing recipes, but above all very nutritious and tasty. In addition, in many preparations we suggest fun presentations, but without much complication when putting them into practice. Come on, extend the fun to the kitchen, create a simple summer menu for children with these recipes and surprise your children by leaving them with a memorable taste of this holiday.
Mango Pasta Salad
Looking for quick meals for kids in summer? Well, you’re in luck! Pasta salads rank among the best summer recipes for kids. Why? For several very relevant reasons: little ones love pasta, salads of this type is a complete but light dish, it is a colorful and refreshing meal and it is very quick to prepare.
On this occasion, we bring you a combination of salty and sweet flavors that will undoubtedly stimulate children’s palates. Thus, we use mango, tomato, cheese, cooked ham, pasta and a vinaigrette made from oil, apple cider vinegar and salt, although you can use only oil if you prefer. Together, this dish provides vitamins, minerals, proteins and carbohydrates, everything you need! Also, to give this dish a more appetizing appearance, we suggest you use a pasta cutter to cut the ham, cheese, and mango into fun shapes.
Hack sticks
If your children don’t like fish, try giving them some delicious hake sticks, they’ll love them! You can serve them in many ways: along with a salad, use them to fill a sandwich, use them as a filling for fajitas, etc. Although generally these sticks are usually eaten hot, the truth is that cold they are also delicious accompanied by a sauce that is also cold, which is why they can perfectly be a summer recipe.
Hake provides protein, B vitamins, minerals and omega 3 fatty acids. For all these reasons, including it in the diet of the little ones is always a success. If you’re concerned about the calorie count, keep in mind that you can cook these sticks in the oven instead of frying them.
On the other hand, always keep in mind the presentation of your summer meals for children, because they eat with their eyes. For example, in this case, if the garnish is a salad, make a figure with its ingredients (an animal, a face, a landscape, etc.), and play with colors. That said, follow the step-by-step recipe for hake sticks and surprise them!
Cold fajitas with vegetables and cheese
When planning a summer meal menu for kids, you have the opportunity to incorporate lots of vegetables and fruits, so choosing good recipes will help them develop good eating habits. Therefore, we suggest you include these refreshing and delicious fajitas.
Also, for the presentation, we suggest you design something like a crazy monster. To do this, first, at one end, let the lettuce, carrot and cucumber strips (the hair) stick out. Second, make eyes with a slice of avocado cut into two circles (with the round pasta cutter) and a black olive chopped in half (pitted). Next, we give you all the details of this recipe, in the step by step of vegetarian fajitas with cheese.
Cold vegetable cream
Vegetable creams are ideal to complement your summer meal menu for children, due to their characteristics: they can be eaten hot or cold, they work as a very nutritious but light dish, their preparation is very simple, you can play with the presentation and, if you give them a special touch in the preparation, they are irresistible.
Our proposal brings together all these qualities and its two-color presentation can be complemented with the decoration you want. For example, how about a bread and bacon smiley face? Of course, the bacon is best cooked in the oven to avoid increasing the calories of the dish, since it is always better to opt for healthy recipes. Do not think twice and prepare this rich recipe following the step by step that we offer you in this vegetable cream for children.
Supreme sandwich
Behold the monster sandwich! This is one of those lovingly created summer meals for kids that they will fondly remember as adults. In this recipe we have included seafood, but not just any, because not all of them please the child’s palate. They usually love crab sticks and peeled prawns, as both have tasty, soft meat without details. Prepare this light, refreshing and fun recipe by following the step-by-step recipe for supreme sandwiches for children.
Baked breaded chicken breast
Chicken is perfect for our summer meal menu for children of all ages, as it is easy to digest, nutritious and versatile meat when it comes to preparing it. On this occasion, we include this oven-battered brisket recipe for its healthy cooking style and crispy texture. They will love it!
This dish works very well with a salad as a side dish, for example with tomato, lettuce, pitted black olives and avocado. To decorate it, you could cut a thin slice of tomato (in turn cut in half, but not all the way), half a cherry tomato, a few rings of olives and two small circles of olives as well. Put it all together and form a ladybug! Use the lettuce and cubed avocado as a bed for a nutritious and eye-catching dish. To cook the meat, you just need to follow the recipe for baked chicken breast step by step, and surprise your children!
Elbow salad with tuna
Given that salads are one of the best quick recipes for children in summer, we cannot forget an infallible combination: elbow pasta and tuna. Yes, elbows are everyone’s favorite and that includes the smallest diners in the house.
In addition, the pasta salad with tuna is a summer culinary classic for being a hearty dish but at the same time fresh and light. It provides the smallest carbohydrates, protein and omega 3 fatty acids, all properties that can be supplemented with the vitamins and minerals of the vegetables that you want to add to the plate. Prepare this delicious recipe following the easy step by step of this elbow salad with tuna. This recipe includes chili, but you can reduce the amount or eliminate this ingredient.
Omelets of chards
You should always include an omelet with vegetables among summer meals for children, since they are an excellent way to get them to eat these ingredients without noticing them. In addition, the freshly made tortillas are delicious, but after a while, when the ingredients have settled and it is a little cooler, they are spectacular!
Swiss chard is rich in vitamin A, minerals such as potassium, iron and calcium, vitamin E and fiber, among others. For this reason, they are perfect for promoting the development of the little ones; however, they are not always well accepted. It is for this reason that preparing an omelet with them will be a success.
On this occasion, we propose a recipe that, in addition to vegetables, includes cheese, as this will make it more attractive for the little ones; although we recommend that you lean towards a fresh one because it is much healthier. Prepare this recipe following the chard tortilla step by step and delight them with its flavor.
Avocado and tuna sandwich
When you plan summer meals for children there are never too many sandwich recipes, because they love them; and that serves to introduce many nutritious and refreshing combinations. In this case, the flavor and texture of the avocado and tuna will be a taste experience that is much appreciated by them.
We have already commented on the benefits of tuna, but what does avocado give them? This fruit is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, so it provides a lot of energy. Plus, it includes good fats and fiber.
If you want to please your little ones more, before starting the preparation, use a pasta cutter to give the bread a fun shape (the same in both slices) and then fill it. What are you waiting for? Get the ingredients ready and follow the easy steps of this avocado and tuna sandwich.
Pumpkin and Carrot Cream
Your children will surely love this tasty combination of pumpkin and carrot, a refreshing and light proposal, perfect for dinner or as a starter for lunch. Both pumpkin and carrot are highly beneficial foods for children, as they provide beta-carotene and fiber.
This cream can be served cold to combat the summer heat and thus ensure that the little ones cool off while being nourished.
Maria cookie popsicles
Of course, sweet recipes are also included in a weekly menu, which is why desserts could not be missing from this list of cold meals for children! Since the little ones love ice cream, how about making them at home? In this way, they will be much healthier and more nutritious.
On this occasion we propose a less light ice cream because it is made with Maria cookies, but you could also prepare the cookies at home and thus obtain a much healthier recipe. This ice cream is made with milk, condensed milk (which you could substitute for one without sugar), vanilla essence, half cream (which you could substitute for cream or yogurt) and cookies. Do not miss the step by step recipe for Maria cookie popsicles and surprise your little ones.
Fruit ice cream
In relation to the previous recipe, ice creams can also be made with natural fruits to obtain a much more complete dessert. In this way, children consume the vitamins and fiber of fruits at the same time that they enjoy a fresh and delicious dessert.
Frozen yogurt cake
Cakes always delight children! And if it comes to preparing them to beat the heat, nothing better than making them frozen. In the line of healthy summer recipes for children, we suggest you make a natural yogurt frozen cake (preferably without sugar) with banana, papaya, strawberries and raspberries. Sounds delicious, right?
To improve its presentation and achieve a more striking dessert, especially for the little ones, we recommend making the cake like us, divided by colors. You will get a dessert full of energy, vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein in a very short time by following the steps of the frozen yogurt cake recipe.
Fruit sorbets
Straws are also excellent for cooling down the little ones during the hottest hours. In general, those that we buy ready-made usually contain a large amount of sugar, which is not recommended for children, so we encourage you to make them at home. Thus, you will ensure that they enjoy all the benefits of fruits and you will control the amount of added sugar. Or better yet, do not add more sugar! Since the fruit’s own sugar is already more than enough.
