What’s in your beach cooler?
Forget the half-hearted sandwiches and granola bars. Summer only comes once a year so be sure to take advantage of all the tasty seasonal treats. Whether you want sweet or salty, Her Campus has the goods for you, from healthy munchies to guilty pleasures. Regardless of what you’re craving, here are our top 10 favorite summer snacks!
1. Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake
Summer nights are the perfect time to get out and toast marshmallows by the campfire. Can’t wait for it to get dark out? Try this tasty treat that can cool the fires of even the worst summer heat. This recipe was recommended by HC reader Mary Claire Jones, who found the recipe on the food blog Tracey’s Culinary Adventures.
“Just looking at the recipe makes my mouth water,” Mary Claire said.
Ingredients:
- 10 marshmallows (plus extra for garnish, if desired)
- 1 (heaping) cup vanilla ice cream
- 1/2 cup milk (I used 1 percent)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Skewer the marshmallows then toast them — you can do that using the flame on your gas stove, with a small kitchen torch or under the broiler in your oven. If you use the broiler, keep a close eye on the marshmallows. Let the toasted marshmallows cool briefly.
In your blender, combine the toasted marshmallows, ice cream, milk and vanilla extract. Blend until combined. You can adjust the consistency by adding ice cream (to thicken) or milk (to thin). Serve garnished with extra toasted marshmallows. Serves two to three.
Calorie Count: 150 calories per serving
2. Fruit Pizza
Chef Paula Deen is known for her big hair and delicious homemade recipes. This summer she’s cooking up a big, delicious treat than you can try too. HC reader Katie Gill loves Deen’s famous fruit pizza. Katie suggests eating the pizza right away while the fruit is still fresh!
Ingredients:
- 1 package store bought sugar cookie dough
- 8 ounces softened cream cheese
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 large peach, sliced
- 1 large green apple, sliced
- 1 large orange, sectioned
- 1/2 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
- 6 ounces fresh blueberries
- 6 ounces fresh raspberries
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted
- 1/2 cup chocolate syrup
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Flatten cookie dough onto a 6-inch pizza pan. Bake until firm to touch, about 11 to 15 minutes. Cool. In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese and sugar. Spread the baked cookie with the cream cheese mixture and decorate with sliced fruit. In a small bowl, combine melted white chocolate with chocolate syrup. Top the pizza with remaining berries and chocolate mixture. Slice and serve immediately. Serves eight.
Calorie Count: 411 calories per serving
3. Strawberry Jello Salad with Pretzel Crust
This recipe, featuring one of my favorite summer fruits, was provided by HC reader Anne Bianchi. Its sweet filling is blended with a salty, crunchy pretzel crust to satisfy both your sweet and savory cravings.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups pretzels, crushed
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 – 3/4 cups butter, melted
- 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 8 oz. carton Cool Whip
- 1 lg. box strawberry Jello
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 pkgs. strawberries (frozen), thawed and drained
Directions:
Mix pretzels, 4 tablespoons sugar and butter; press into bottom of 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 400 degrees for six minutes; cool.
In mixing bowl, fold Cool Whip into cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar. Spread over cooled crust. Dissolve Jello into boiling water. Add strawberries to Jello and pour over cream cheese. Chill and let set. Cut into squares to serve. Serves 12.
Calorie Count: 371 calories per serving
4. Chili-Dusted Grilled Mango and Pineapple
Burgers aren’t the only things to cook on the grill — and who says a girl can’t grill? Take advantage of the nice summer weather to get outside and put a twist on your favorite summer fruits with a recipe like this one, provided by HealthMagazine.
Ingredients:
- 1 small pineapple
- 1 mango
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
- Cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Directions:
Peel and cut 1 small pineapple and 1 mango into sticks; sprinkle both sides evenly with 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder. Lightly coat the grill rack with cooking spray; grill fruit until grill marks form (about 1-2 minutes per side). Drizzle with 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice. Serves as many as you’d like depending on how much fruit is grilled.
Calorie Count: 158 calories per serving
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5. Cheddar and Apple Melt
Craving both a quesadilla and something fresh? Then we have the dish for you. This recipe comes from Health Magazine’s CarbLovers Diet. It’s easy and fast to make and a good source of fiber.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1 small apple, thinly sliced
- 1 (6-inch) corn tortilla
Directions:
Place cheese and apple slices on tortilla. Microwave at HIGH 30 seconds until cheese is bubbly. Roll up and eat. Serving size is one wrap.
Calorie Count: 160 calories per serving
6. Quick Baked Pears
Care for something sweet? Try this fresh, healthier option fromHealthmagazine that’s quick and easy to make.
Ingredients:
- 2 large Bosc pears
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries or dried mixed fruit (such as Sun-Maid Fruit Bits)
- 1/4 cup low-fat granola?1/4 cup apple juice
- 1/2 cup vanilla low-fat frozen yogurt, divided into 4 small scoops
Directions:
Peel pears; cut in half lengthwise. Use a melon baller or grapefruit spoon to remove core and seeds, creating a hollow. Place pear halves, with cut sides up, in a glass pie plate. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over pears. Combine cranberries and granola; mound into hollows of the pear halves. Pour the apple juice in and around pear halves. Cover dish loosely with wax paper. Cook in microwave on HIGH 6-8 minutes or until the pears are tender when pierced with a knife. Let stand in the dish 5 minutes. Use a large slotted spoon to transfer the pears to serving plates. Drizzle juices from pie plate over pears and serve with frozen yogurt. Serves two.
Calorie Count: 176 calories per serving
7. Blueberry Boy Bait
There’s no denying that “Laguna Beach” and “The Hills” star Lauren Conrad is in excellent shape! So why not take her cooking advice? Or is it love advice? She recently posted this recipe on her new website [laurenconrad.com] and found it to be very effective.
“You’d think Boy Bait would consist of a top sirloin and some seriously creamy mashed potatoes—but you would be wrong,” Conrad said. “After putting this recipe to the test, I was pleasantly surprised to find the name yielded said results. It’s buttery and rich. And it was consumed in just a few (male) sittings.”
Cake Ingredients:
- 2 cups and 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, do not defrost first as it tends to muddle in the batter)
Topping Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (do not defrost)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
For the cake:
Whisk two cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. With electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about two minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated and scraping down bowl. Reduce speed to medium and beat in one-third of flour mixture until incorporated; beat in half of milk. Beat in half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Toss blueberries with remaining one teaspoon flour. Using rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries. Spread batter into prepared pan.
For the topping:
Scatter blueberries over top of batter. Stir sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl and sprinkle over batter.
Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then turn out and place on serving platter (topping side up). Serve warm or at room temperature. (Cake can be stored in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.) Serves 12, but is more of a guilty pleasure than a healthy snack.
Calorie Count: 350 calories per serving
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8. Shrimp with Avocado-Mango Salsa
SELFmagazine has been helping girls of all ages get fit for years so its easy grilling recipes are a must for summer fun! Try this one at an outdoor picnic or barbeque. The avocados will give you a nice source of potassium.
Ingredients:
- Vegetable oil cooking spray
- 8 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup couscous
- 1 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 large mango, peeled and diced
- 1 medium avocado, diced
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 jalapeño chile, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Directions:
Heat grill. Fold four 18-inch-long pieces of foil in half; unfold and coat inside with cooking spray. Place 2 cups spinach in center of 1 half of each piece of foil. Combine couscous with 1/4 cup water; divide evenly among packets, placing on top of spinach. Combine shrimp, 1/4 cup cilantro, oil and 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl. Divide shrimp evenly among packets, placing next to couscous. Fold foil to close and crimp edges to seal; place on grill; close lid; cook until packets are fully puffed, 10 minutes. Combine remaining 1/4 cup cilantro with remaining 1/4 tsp salt, mango, avocado, tomato, onion, jalapeño and lime juice in a bowl. Carefully cut foil to open; stir contents; garnish with salsa before serving. Serves four.
Calorie Count: 397 calories per serving
9. Carrot Soufflé
Don’t panic — maybe you’ve read the word soufflé and are ready to move on to the next recipe for fear of delving into the unknown world of advanced culinary arts. This delicious dish is simple to put together and allows you to watch an episode of your favorite show while it cooks.
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs carrots, peeled, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
- Salt for salting cooking water
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup Saltine cracker crumbs
- 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup minced onion
- 1 Tbsp room temperature unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 large eggs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish and set aside. Place carrots in a saucepan and cover with an inch of water. Add about 1 teaspoon of salt to the water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. Strain the carrots and purée in a food processor or with an immersion blender.
Place carrot purée in a large bowl. Slowly add in the milk, a little at a time, whisking after each addition so that the mixture stays smooth, not lumpy. Mix in the saltine cracker crumbs, the grated cheese, onion, butter, Kosher salt, cayenne, and black pepper. In a separate bowl, whip up the eggs until frothy. Then whisk them into the carrot purée mixture. Serves eight and is much healthier than your average chocolate soufflé, but equally mouth watering.
Calorie Count: 271 calories per serving
10. Fruit Skewers and Dip
With the grill fired up, you’re probably used to seeing kebobs and other meats on a stick. So why not fruit? Just slice up your favorite fruits and place them on a regular skewer. Not enough for you? Try this simple fruit dip for some extra flavor.
Dip Ingredients:
- 8 oz pkg cream cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 jar (about 7 or 8 oz.) Marshmallow Creme
- 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
Directions:
Combine ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Use as a dip for fresh fruits. Makes about 5 cups and serves 12.
Calorie Count: 118 calories per serving
While the summer is a great time to catch up on your tan and the latest Emily Giffin book, don’t forget to take advantage of all that sunshine has to offer. Delicious fruits and vegetables await you so don’t just settle for a bag of Chex Mix and move on. Try out these flavor-filled recipes and even create some of your own — post your favorite concoctions below!
Sources:
http://www.laurenconrad.com/post/edible-obsession-blueberry-boy-bait
http://recipes.health.com/recipes/10000002012990-chili-dusted-grilled-ma…
http://www.carblovers.com/health/carblovers/recipe_page.jsp?id=2002144&n…
http://recipes.health.com/recipes/10000001540258-quick-baked-pears
http://www.self.com/fooddiet/2011/06/easy-grilling-slideshow#slide=2
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fruity-Fun-Skewers/Detail.aspx
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/carrot_souffle/
http://traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/2011/05/toasted-marshmallo…
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/fruit-pizza-recipe/index.html
Anne Bianchi, James Madison University, Class of 2011