Finally, summer is here! School is out, the pool is open and kids are outside enjoying the weather all day long and expending an unbelievable amount of energy. When it comes time to refuel, choosing a snack that is tasty and nutritious can be quite tricky.

With aisles and aisles in the grocery store full of yummy foods containing nothing but sugar and preservatives, along with kids’ picky dispositions, it’s hard to find a snack that is healthy and pleasing to all. Many families today live hectic lifestyles with work, school and extracurricular activities, and it’s much easier to grab something on the go. Over time, these cheap, easy meals can take a toll on your family’s health. Labels can be misleading, and the only surefire way to make sure what your kids are eating is healthy and safe is to make it at home.

Soy is versatile, easy to incorporate and, most importantly, healthy! Introducing your children to soy early in life will provide numerous benefits in the years to come. With childhood obesity on the rise, it’s important to teach kids how to eat. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, twice as many kids today eat snack foods like pretzels, popcorn, crackers and chips as kids did 20 years ago.

More health benefits from soy are being discovered on a regular basis. It has been shown that girls who consume soy earlier in life have a lesser chance of developing breast cancer when they’re older. Soy is also lower in saturated fat and high in protein and fiber, all of which is great for growing bodies.

Sometimes, even after explaining all the benefits, it can still be hard to convince your kids to want to eat nutritious food, but it’s not impossible, particularly if it’s fun and delicious. Here are some great, soy-packed snacks you and your kids can make and enjoy together.

A great way to introduce your kids to soy is with this Spiced Fruit Dip recipe. It’s refreshing, quick and easy to make. Here’s what you’ll need:

1 ¼ cups soft tofu

2 tablespoons brown sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Blend all ingredients in a blender until well blended and smooth. Cover and chill for at least two hours. Serve with a variety of fresh fruits.

Yields one cup with 29 calories, 0 grams of fat, 7 grams carbohydrates and 21 mg of sodium.

You’ll be hard pressed to find a kid willing to turn down some cookies. Here’s a recipe that incorporates lots of soy and teaches kids how to measure dry and liquid ingredients.

Tofu Fudge Drop Cookies

½ pound silken tofu

½ cup soybean oil

1 ½ cups sugar

2 tablespoon vanilla

½ cup cocoa powder

1 tablespoon soymilk

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend silken tofu and soybean oil in blender until smooth, and then pour into medium mixing bowl. Add sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder and soymilk to tofu mixture.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix well. The dough should be fairly stiff. Roll into 1 ½ inch balls. Roll in sugar until coated. Place on cookie sheet 1 ½ inches apart. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Yields 36 cookies with each cookie containing 68 calories, 7 grams of protein, .008 grams of fiber and 8.7 grams of carbohydrates.

Last but not least, here’s an easy, sweet and salty snack mix to graze on all day.

Holly’s Snack Mix

3 tablespoons sesame oil

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

4 cups honey nut toasted rice and corn cereal squares

6 cups mini pretzels

1 cup soynuts

1 cups dry-roasted peanuts

1 cup candy-coated chocolate pieces

1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Whisk together sesame oil, honey, soy sauce, garlic powder and onion powder. Toss together cereal squares, pretzels, soynuts and peanuts in a large bowl. Drizzle oil mixture over cereal mix, tossing gently to coat.

Scatter mixture on a foil-lined jelly roll pan and bake for 25 minutes, stirring often to prevent too much browning. Turn off oven and let cereal sit in oven for one hour to continue crisping.

When cool, toss with chocolate candies and raisins. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Yields 10 cups. Serving size is ½ cup with 221 calories, 6 grams of protein, 3.3 grams fiber and 30 grams carbohydrates per serving.

Recipes courtesy of The Soyfoods Council.

The Soyfoods Council is a non-profit organization, created and funded by Iowa Soybean farmers, providing a complete resource to educate and inform healthcare professionals, consumers and the foodservice market about the many benefits of soyfoods. The Council represents nearly all facets of the food industry, including soyfoods product manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, state and national soybean checkoff boards, food retailers and distributors, health and foodservice professionals. Iowa is the country’s number one grower of soybeans and is the Soyfoods Capital of the world.