Summer is lovely; the flowers are blooming, days are longer, people tend to be out and about more. Due to the recent pandemic, this summer maybe even more appreciated than ever. However, we’ll soon remember that even though it’s lovely to be out in the heat and sunshine, we need to keep hydrated. With this in mind, this article provides some tasty solutions to help you remain cool and refreshed on those hot summer days.
Freezing fruit
We all know how nice it is to have fruit, especially if they’re full of juice and goodness. But have you considered freezing fruits? Slicing up lemons and limes before putting them into freezer bags, or putting things like grapes, seedless berries, pomegranates, and orange segments into your freezer will set you up for many a sweet treat. For instance, if you want a fizzy drink with an extra twist, you can get out a few frozen lemon and lime slices, and dunk them in it. Swirl them about to release their flavor, and you’ve got a super-tasty drink. These even taste great in the water.
Grapes, pomegranates, and orange segments are great to munch on as an afternoon snack in warm weather. They’re so refreshing and are a great way to fill that hunger gap in a healthy way, whilst also keeping you refreshed. Frozen pomegranates in particular are wonderful to sprinkle over ice cream for that extra-cold crunch.
Smoothies
Smoothies are a great way to keep cool and refreshed, and they’re so versatile, meaning any fruit combination will do. As it’s always down to personal taste, you might even find a combination that only you like when you’re experimenting. Smoothies can be made anytime, with ice added into the mix, to make that drink icy cold, which is perfect on a hot summer’s day.
Whether it’s a fruit, veg, or mixture of both, smoothie you require, there are enough smoothie makers out there for you to find one that suits you. If you plan to take one away from home, click here. If you’re looking to make a smoothie whilst you’re at home, for more than yourself, look for one that has a large volume capacity. This way you’ll avoid the need to keep the washing and reusing the same one repeatedly every morning.
Coffee ice cubes
For all you coffee lovers out there, if you have any coffee leftover in the morning, rather than pour it down your drain, consider freezing it. Use an ice cube tray to fill up with your leftover coffee and keep them in the freezer until you want to use them. Coffee goes well with different flavors, and you’ll have fun finding this out. Alternatively, you could also freeze leftover creamer, as well, which is an ideal accompaniment, especially if you fancy a really decadent drink to keep you cool in the summer.
Fruit yoghurt cupcakes
Low in calories, tasty and quick to make, the only thing you have to wait for is for them to freeze! For this, you’ll need ginger biscuits, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, natural yogurt, and cupcake cases. Dice the grapes and strawberries into quarters, blueberries in half, and use a rolling pin to roll over the ginger biscuits until they’re crumbs. Get out the cupcake cases and line the base with 5 mm of the crushed ginger cookies. Next, spoon a layer of natural yogurt over them and finally add the fruit segments over the natural yogurt. Then put them in the freezer until the yogurt has hardened and then eat. These are perfect for an afternoon treat or after a meal to keep you cool and refreshed.
You can sprinkle chopped nuts over them, honey, chocolate sauce, or sprinkle the chocolate powder over them – it’s completely down to you! The best bit about this tasty chilled treat is that you can experiment with fruits and flavors. For instance, you could make a version of apple pie with chopped apples, raisins, and a sprinkle of cinnamon over the yogurt. You can even change the ginger biscuits to a different biscuit base.
Frozen lollipops
A classic from our childhood with a new twist. You can freeze smoothies, perhaps adding fruit to them, or freeze natural juice for something extra tangy for your young ones. The best bit about this is that you can get them to join in from picking the fruits to freezing the ice lollies, and then eating them. It’s a great way to get young children into making things they eat.
For adults, you could even experiment making popular alcoholic beverages into ice lollies. These would be perfect for a late night snack, especially on those nights when heat is keeping you up, or for when you’ve got friends over. You could even crush your ice lollies and swerve them with fruit and ice-cream, just for something different.
Exotic fruit salads
These are wonderful to get the whole family involved in making, and there are some great local markets that can provide you with fruits you may not get in a mainstream supermarket. Mix these with local season produce and you’ve got a salad that constantly changes in ingredients.
You can get young ones involved by using cookie cutters to cut out fruit, and maybe even be able to use some leftover skins to make your own compost, which is great because you’re limiting your household waste. Add a serving to some ice cream, and you’ve got something different to eat. Perhaps even try freezing a portion or two to eat later, which will save you from chucking food away. The different colours, flavours, and smells will be a treat for all your senses.
These solutions are great for you and your loved ones to enjoy the sunshine, whilst keeping fresh and cool. You may even experiment and find your own special recipes that you’ll want to share. Or you may want to keep them a secret, and only showcase them when you have people over, just to add that extra surprise. It’s a great way to keep the hot days full of summer fun, and you could even get your family and friends involved in trying new things.