Saturday, June 20, 2009

Cooling drinks that battle the Summer heat

I hate to be hot, so it's too bad I live in Georgia. The Summers here are extremely hot and humid, so I'm always looking for ways to stay cool and comfortable. One of the best ways (besides setting the AC at 70 degrees and having a fan on at all times!:P) is to drink a lot of cold beverages and to eat as light as possible. Nothing makes me feel hot like a heavy meal! Here are some of my favorite Summer drinks and light meals!

Cantaloupe milk
(I got this recipe from the book "Fit For Life".)
1 cantaloupe, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2C soy milk, almond milk or cows milk
Place ingredients in a blender and process until a smooth, pale orange "milk" forms. Pour into 2 glasses and serve. You can also add a frozen banana for a more substantial meal. I would have this for breakfast or a light lunch.

Honeydew milk
Make the same way as cantaloupe milk, but substitute a honeydew instead. Or you can use half honeydew half cantaloupe!

Watermelon juice
(To make this, you need a juicer)
1/4 large SEEDLESS watermelon, preferably chilled
Remove rind and run watermelon through a juicer (I have a champion). Pour into a large pitcher and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Watermelon juice is extremely refreshing and delicious!

Mango parfait
1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
2C plain yogurt
4Tbsp maple syrup (divided)
Place 1/2C yogurt in a bowl. Top with 1/4 of the mango chunks and drizzle with 1Tbsp maple syrup. Repeat with remaining yogurt, mango and maple syrup to create 4 servings. Enjoy! You can also use fresh peaches, strawberries, blackberries or cherries in place of the mango. My kids go crazy over this!

1 comment:

The Frugal Engineer said...

I've made watermelon "juice" before, too, but just in a blender. It's best if it's fresh, but you can also just store it in the fridge and stir it up before serving (the pulp settles like in orange juice).