Sandcastles & Sippy Cups

As we all know, the weather along the Emerald Coast has been crazy hot.

If you’re like me, my willingness to cook tends to go out the window when the temperature rises. And, while grilling is a perfectly acceptable alternative for dinner, there’s still breakfast, lunch, and snacks to prepare.

If we’re headed to the beach or on the boat, I’ll bail on full scale meals all together and pull a “snack-tastic” picnic together. Everyone can graze throughout the day, and the snacks are healthy alternatives to chips and cookies.

Here are my go to beach and boat snacks:

Trail or Snack mix: You can make this yourself or buy the bagged mixes from the grocery store. Goldfish, dried fruit, nuts, popcorn, and pretzels are good ingredients, and I’m intrigued by this spicy, Asian inspired recipe. I try to keep the chocolate out of the mix, since it melts, and I divide the mix into single serving containers for easy access.

Fruit: Watermelon, peaches, and strawberries are their peak right now. These sweet treats have the added bonus of keeping you hydrated too. If I’m feeling ambitious, I’ll throw together a fruit salad with cantaloupe, blueberries, and pineapple too.

Frozen grapes: These make great “popsicles” and help keep the rest of your snacks cool. I freeze juice boxes as well- they thaw out in time to enjoy!

Wrap:  Sandwiches can get soggy, but I make a few wraps before we leave and then slice them into smaller pieces for everyone to share. I try and stay away from mayonnaise, but experiment with spread cheese, honey mustard, horse radish, and other “sturdier” condiments.

Veggies and hummus: Baby carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, and peas are crowd favorites.

Alex and Harper enjoy thinking they pulled a fast one and skipped a meal, and I secretly like knowing they’ve loaded up on fruits, veggies, and whole grains. Everybody wins!

Susan Jarvis Moody is a transplanted New Englander living and working in Destin, Florida. After graduating from college in Massachusetts.

She spent time working and managing national membership and public policy organizations in Washington DC.  Now a freelance writer, Susan writes the Emerald Coast Insider Blog and contributes to magazines and blogs on a number of topics.

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