It’s that glorious time of year when we slather sunscreen on the whole family, pack our giant tote bags and head to the pool for family fun. During those pool breaks, it’s nice to have snacks on hand to keep the kids’ energy up. These fun pool-themed snacks, from “Pool Party Snack Mix” to “Flip Flop Rice Cereal Treats,” will satisfy those summer munchies and are not likely to melt in your bag.

Flip-Flop Rice Cereal Treats

Ingredients:

6 cups Rice cereal

2 Tbsp. Butter, unsalted

4 cups Mini-Marshmallows

Several fresh Mini-M&Ms

Fruit Roll-up (rainbow if you can find it)

Tools:

(3-inch) egg-shaped or oval Cookie Cutter

Directions:
1. Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Pour rice cereal into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, on low heat, melt butter.  Add mini- marshmallows and stir until they melt.

3. Pour marshmallow mixture over cereal and stir until coated. Turn cereal mixture onto wax paper and spread evenly onto the pan, flattening with spatula or spoon.

4.  While the mixture is still warm, spray the cookie cutter with cooking spray and cut oval-shaped pieces out. Use the leftovers and re-form them to cut out more oval shapes. Pinch the centers to make “shoe sole” shapes.

5.  Unroll the fruit strips and cut 2-3-inch strips. Peel off the paper backing and place two of the strips in a “V” shape for the flip-flop straps. Add an M&M to the center of the flip-flop straps.

Roasted Cheddar Herb Nuts

Ingredients:

1 Egg Yolk

1 cup Almonds

1 cup Pecans

¾ cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded finely

1 Tbsp. Herb Seasoning blend (salt-free optional)

¾ tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Garlic powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°.  In a large bowl, whisk egg yolk and stir in nuts.

2. In a small bowl, toss shredded cheese with seasonings. Toss into nut mixture. Transfer to a baking sheet.

3. Bake 20-25 minutes or until cheese is golden brown, stirring occasionally. Cool completely.

Pool Party Snack Mix

Ingredients:

Plain popped popcorn

Blue candy melts

Original Goldfish crackers

Pretzel-style Goldfish crackers

Oyster crackers

Mini-vanilla wafers

Trix or Kix cereal

Directions:

1. To create the colored popcorn, place the popcorn into a mixing bowl. According to the package instructions, melt the blue candy wafers until smooth. Pour all over the popped corn and immediately stir with a large spoon. Pour coated popcorn onto wax paper and allow to set 20 minutes to an hour, depending on the humidity.

2. Into a large mixing bowl, place the pretzel gold fish, oyster crackers, and cereal. Once the popcorn has set, break apart and stir it in with the rest of the snack mix.

Tip: For a fun display, place into a clean kid’s sand bucket and serve with the clean shovel, or simply fill sandwich bags for easy portability.