Summer is already here, and it seems like time flies when the kids are at home.

Speaking of kids being at home, what do we do now?

Parenting is full of fun, heart-wrenchingly beautiful moments, but there are also a lot of times that parenting can be downright exhausting. As the summer wears on, you run out of ideas to keep them entertained- and to keep you sane- even for just a few minutes.

Kids seem to have a battery that never wears down. Fortunately, it usually isn’t too hard to keep them entertained. The easy recipes & activities below will not just entertain your kids, but can help them learn a few skills in the kitchen, turn fixing lunch from something mundane to something fun, and give you the opportunity to spend some precious, quality time with your kiddos. So…. let’s get going!

Apple ‘Donuts’ – For this easy recipe, you’ll need a few apples, cream cheese, sprinkles, and food coloring (optional). You will need something to carve out the core, or donut hole, of the apple slices too.

The first step is to slice your apples about ¾’ thick, then use a knife, corer, or pastry tip to cut the hole in the center.

Next, mix the cream cheese with food coloring if you’d like to add a bit of color to your project.

Spread the cream cheese on the apple slices, add sprinkles, and presto! – you have a healthy, fun, and tasty snack.

Texas Toast Pizza – If apple donuts are a fun and creative breakfast idea, its time to move on to lunch. Gather your little ones in the kitchen and have the ingredients on the counter and ready to go.

You will need slices of Texas toast, pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni or other pizza toppings of your choice.

Preheat your oven for 425 degrees and bake the Texas toast on a baking sheet for two minutes on each side.

Next, remove from the oven.

This is where your little ones get in on the action. Let them top the slices of Texas toast with sauce, cheese, and topping.

Last, broil the miniature pizzas on low until they are heated through, about 2-3 minutes. Now lunch is ready!

Breakfast and lunch have been a breeze.

Now the temperature is really heating up outside. It’s time for a refreshing afternoon snack called a Purple Cow Shake.

If you’ve never heard of this before, you are really missing out.

My kids are teenagers and still ask for this super easy, tasty drink.

You only need three ingredients to make four small drinks (or two larger ones).

- Six oz. of frozen grape juice concentrate (from a twelve oz. can). Don’t dilute it with water!

-One cup of milk of any kind

- Two cups of vanilla ice cream.

Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix on high speed until thoroughly blended. Pour into glasses and serve immediately. How fun is that!

Spending time in the kitchen with your kiddos doesn’t always have to mean fixing food. There are some pretty fun recipes that result in goodies that your kids can spend playing with for hours after the work in the kitchen is done.

DIY Crayons – How many broken and used up crayons do you have laying around your house? Here is a way to get rid of those old crayons and bring them back to life.

And that’s the only ingredient you need for this recipe!

Preheat your oven to 150° F. Use a butcher knife to chop the old crayons into pea size pieces, but be sure to keep the colors separate so the kids can combine them as they like. Next, let the kids fill a mini muffin tin or silicone candy mold with the pieces. Place in the oven and bake approximately 15-20 minutes until the crayons have melted. Remove from the oven and let the crayons harden. Remove from the tins/molds and have fun with your new crayons. If they stick in the tins, place the tin in the freezer for an hour or so and the crayons will pop right out.

Edible Jell-O Slime – You will need a 3 oz. box of sugar free Jell-O (sugar free makes the best slime), one cup of cornstarch, ½ cup of warm water. In a mixing bowl, combine the cornstarch and Jell-O packet. Mix them well and be sure that both ingredients are distributed evenly. Slowly add water the mixture while stirring the entire time. It may be hard to stir as you’re adding the water. Continue stirring until the water has been incorporated evenly. Evenly the texture will become like slime. Play with the slime on a protected surface and store in an airtight container for up to one week in the refrigerator. Recipe makes one cup of edible slime.

With summer just getting started, now you have a handful of options to spend some quality time with your kids while keeping them busy and entertained. Don’t let this summer coast by with your little ones filling your ears with “I’m bored” while hanging on to your last bit of sanity. Stock up the pantry and give these recipes a try instead!