Chilling Coolers

Try these recipes to keep you cool in the scortching heat this summer!

A Quick Refresher

One super simple and easy way to cool down is adding fruit to sparkling water for a fruity and light drink. There’s nothing like a simple bubbly to share with your friends or flavored water to sip on at an outdoor picnic. They’re great to use in a large pitcher to share as well!

Try these three flavor additions to your water or sparkling water:

1. cucumber and orange

2. strawberries and mint

3. lemon and basil

Looking for more non- alcoholic and cooling alternatives?

Try my non alcoholic take on the mojito!

Not-so Toxic Mojito- EDIT PHOTO

More than just a spritzer, my berry mocktail is a great non-alcoholic alternative to the classic. It might have a little sugar from the ginger ale, but it's a great swap if you're trying to wean off of the hard stuff. Not to mention you get the benefits of fresh antioxidant-packed blueberries!

What really gets the flavor going in this recipe is mashing the berries with the mint and lime before adding the liquid or ice. This ensures that that each sip is packed full of flavor. Simply mixing the ingredients would not deliver the same flavorful punch.

Craving summer seasonal fruit? Try my summertime smoothie!

A Summer Boost

Let’s head to the farmers market for the summer! Going to your local farmer's market is a great way to shop for seasonal produce and support small farms and shops.

My two all time favorite fruits are in season during the summer so I decided to create a smoothie just for them!

After buying fresh fruit at the market, I always wash them immediately and sit down somewhere cozy to get prep done. If you chop and clean your fruit the day of purchase, you can freeze them and have perfectly prepared fruit to grab for meals and smoothies throughout the week. Just half hour on the weekend can save you so much time during a busy work day!

This recipe uses cranberry juice and plant based milk for the liquid. Be sure to use real cranberry juice, not concentrate or cocktail. Those will be filled with sugars and additives and are farther away from the actual fruit, so you won't get the same benefits. The reason why there is almond milk is to add a bit more of a creamy consistency and to cut some of the sourness from the cranberry juice. You can use any preferred plant based milk for this part, and use more if you don't like your smoothie as thick as I do ( I love eating them with a spoon! ) . You can also make it post workout ready by adding a scoop of protein at the end.

If you're craving chocolate, not fruit, check this next one out!

Chocolate Freeze

Try my banana frostie alternative this summer. The texture is so smooth and chocolately and perfect for summertime chocolate cravings. Freeze your bananas ahead of time. The longer you leave your bananas out, they are more mushy and sweeter they get, so I prefer to freeze bananas that have just turned yellow for the perfect taste.

Make things interesting by adding a tablespoon of almond or peanut butter if you want a little nostalgic peanut butter cup flavor ;). Add protein to the mix and this one turns into the perfect post workout shake. With the almond butter and powder, you have a perfect balance of complex carbs, protein, and healthy fats. Perfect after a brutal workout!

Is it your rest day and you just need a light poolside pick me up?

Try this chiller next!

Watermelon Chiller

Ok guys, this one is my absolute favorite! This watermelon cooler, more like a slushie, is a great alternative to an icee or sugary slurpee ( Do they still make those?). Anyways, due to the texture, this one sends me way back to summer days as a kid running to the 7/11 to see if my favorite flavor was sold out already.

Now a days, the teperature is way way hotter than it used to be and we need a much better alternative to sugar packs mixed with ice water. So I bring you a summer favorite using watermelon!

Use half frozen and half fresh watermelon to create the perfect texture. Flavor wise, I went with agave rather than honey because honey can be a little too overpowering in my opinion for this one. I used seeded watermelon because it tends to be sweeter, but it did leave me spitting out seeds while drinking so I'll leave the choice up to you.

Here are my best tips to look for the sweetest watermelon possible:

1. a big yellow spot- the darker yellow the better

2. a brown colored and small stem

3. "webbing" and bee puncture marks on the skin

4. many stripes and a small "belly button" at the bottom

5. hollow sound when slapped

6. heavy for its size

Good luck on choosing and let me know if you have another way to choose :).

If you're looking to make something ahead of time that you can just grab right away during the week, try these muscle friendly pops!

Amino Pops

Theses are a great pre or post workout snack and they are super easy to make. With only water and your favorite aminos, you can set yourself up for easy post workout treats. If you're doing your workout right, you're bound to be feeling super thirsty and sweaty after so these are perfect and quick- no blending required and ready right when you want them!

A lot of this one comes down to personal taste and how strong you prefer the flavor of your amino acids. Taste them before freezing. Keep in mind that you need them to be a little strong and tart because after they are frozen, the flavor dies down a bit. My favorite aminos to use are either watermelon or blue raspberry. If you want to add texture, feel free to add some small diced fruit in your pops!

You might notice that none of my smoothies will have ice in them. I like to make sure to use no ice because it tends to make the drink more watery and less flavorful.

Please comment below if any of these spark interest or if you have tried them. This will help me keep track on what you guys like to see :).

I would love to see pictures and comments on your take of the recipes!