Summer is fantastic. A warm summer night with a frothy smoothie in hand is better. During these warm months, we come together with friends and family often to visit, celebrate and to just be in the company of one another. Along with these gatherings, comes food and a lot of it. Some of the edible options are healthy and some are...well, not so much. I'm sure that you have a little list of a few seasonal specialties that you simply must have (I know I do!) because you only get spinach dip so many times a year or the grilled red potato salad just looked too good to pass up.
After these lovely occasions, I like to give my digestive system a gentle break by swapping a meal for a yummy smoothie. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert or a snack, there is no bad time for one of these thirst-quenching creations. Our hard working bodies keep us on top of our game through festivities and everyday life, it's only right that we back off once in a while to consciously allow ourselves to reboot. Plus, nothing beats a smoothie in the heat! Nothing.
Do keep in mind that the later in the day, your body is more "warmed up" and will be better able to take on cooler foods without being stressed. You know your body best, choose what works well for your schedule by how you feel. If you are an early morning workout type of person, bottoms up for breakfast! If you have been having trouble sleeping, dinner-in-a-glass in place of a heavier meal might help you have a more restful slumber. Our sleep tends to be better if our body can actually rest during the night. Meals close to bedtime mean that our bodies have to burn the midnight oil even if we are fast asleep. By substituting a meal with a smoothie, we have an opportunity to help increase our hydration, detoxify and eliminate crud, and restore nutrients that our bodies need in the heat.
There are many quality superfood and protein powders that can aid in your nutrient needs but there are also many bad options on the shelf so read the labels before you buy. If all of the ingredients are familiar and don't read like a science lab supply list, you are on the right track. Our local co-ops and organic foods markets carry a variety of brands and the staff are well informed and ready to answer your questions. My latest interest is in chia (chee-uh) seeds, a highly nutritional Aztec super food of the mint family. They naturally boast antioxidants, calcium and omega fatty acids. Perfect for a brain-power boost!
Last night, I thought a few frozen strawberries from the farmers' market would be a wonderful base for my dinner. If you are not a big strawberry fan, substitute a berry mix of your choice, try to stick with berries for the antioxidants. Any type of frozen fruit would work in this recipe.
Strawberry Bananza Smoothie:
Serves 1 as meal, 2 as snack or dessert
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 T flax seed oil
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk or rice milk
- 2-3 T sprouted chia powder
- cinnamon to taste
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Enjoy!
Blueberry Peach Smoothie -- Perfect for those late summer days when peaches and blueberries are everywhere!
- 3/4 c Frozen blueberries
- 1 c Frozen peaches, chopped
- 1 frozen banana, chopped
- 1/2-3/4 c yogurt (plain, maple or vanilla)
- 3/4c juice (orange, cranberry, grape, etc.) may need more or less juice for consistency depending on type of blending device.
- feel free to add any supplemental stuff but smoothie is also great as is!
Blend, pausing to stir or shake if necessary. Slurp. Then count the hours (or minutes) until the next one!
Rachel Huntzicker is a writer, practitioner of yoga and clean foodie with an evolving desire to learn more about sustainable whole living and the food-to-mood connection. From her evolving and ever present desire to learn, she came to conclusion that growing her own quarter acre organic garden was a must. Follow her journey on her blog, the Woodland Garden.
