| Savings & Tips
Patriotic Snacks for Kids

Kids enjoy Memorial Day for the long weekend, but there’s more to the holiday than a day off from school—it’s a time to remember the men and women who gave their lives while serving in the U.S. military. Keep the “memorial” in Memorial Day by talking to your kids about the holiday’s importance over a patriotic snack that’s simple, budget-friendly, and red, white and blue! Make these treats as a family and serve them as snacks, appetizers, or desserts to kick-off your Memorial Day celebrations.

Red, White & Blue Fruit Skewers

This snack is sweet AND healthy. You’ll need fresh strawberries, blueberries, and bananas for this recipe. Grab a bag of bamboo skewers from your local grocery store or craft store. Make sure to give the berries a wash before beginning. Carefully cut your strawberries into halves and slice up a banana into chunks. Then, slide your fruit pieces onto the skewers so it forms a red, white, and blue pattern! If you want to make this a bit sweeter, you can swap out the bananas for marshmallows.

    • Strawberry/Blueberry Blend: $5.48
    • Bananas, 2 lbs: $1.00
    • Skewers, 50 ct: $0.98
    • Marshmallows: $1.38
  • Total Cost: $8.84

U-S-A Trail Mix

Who doesn’t like the delicious salty-sweet combo of trail mix? If your child is a fan, make them a red, white, and blue variation. Purchase a package of M&M’s and pick out the red and blue ones. Mix those up with some pretzels, Chex cereal, mini marshmallows, or whatever trail mix ingredients you have in the pantry.

    • M&M’s: $2.98
    • Pretzels: $1.98
    • Rice Chex Cereal, 12 oz box: $3.18
    • Mini Marshmallows: $0.98
  • Total Cost: $9.12

Patriotic Popsicles

If you have popsicle molds, this is a perfect Memorial Day dessert to whip up. (Psst! You can buy popsicle molds for as little as $4.97 for a set of six from Wal-Mart!). Simply pick out three drinks that your child enjoys: one in red, one in clear, and one in blue. For example, you could use fruit punch, lemon lime soda, and a blue sports drink – it’s completely up to you! Fill the mold 1/3 full with the red drink and then allow it to freeze. Repeat this with the clear drink and then the blue drink. When you finish, you will have a red, white, and blue popsicle created from your child’s favorite beverages!

    • Fruit Punch, 1 gallon: $1.98
    • Sprite Lemon Lime Soda, 2 liter: $1.79
    • Blue Gatorade, 1 gallon: $3.98
  • Total Cost: $7.75

Star-Spangled Pretzels

Pretzels are a perfect snack (and especially affordable if you already have some left over from your U-S-A trail mix), but pretzels with a bit of chocolate are even better! For this treat, you’ll just need to warm up some white melting chocolate. Use tongs to dip pretzels into the chocolate or drizzle the chocolate over pretzels in a pan. While the chocolate is still warm, sprinkle the pretzels with red and blue sprinkles!

    • Pretzels: $1.98
    • Ghirardelli White Melting Chocolate: $3.98
    • Red Sprinkles: $0.98
    • Blue Sprinkles: $0.98
  • Total Cost: $7.92

Teaching your children about Memorial Day will give them a new appreciation for the holiday, as well as the American flags they see posted proudly on homes and vehicles. Your conversation will be even better over these simple and yummy snacks! Make it even more special and have you and your kids send some treats in a care package to a person who has served or is serving.

How will you be celebrating Memorial Day this year? Let us know in a comment below and follow Direct Auto Insurance on Facebook and Twitter for more cheap and easy recipes, year round!

*Grocery price estimates based on prices listed on Walmart.com. Where not available on Walmart.com, price estimates from Kroger.com. Prices accurate as of 3/10/2017.