Cold Soups and Smoothies to Stay Cool

With the heat wave, I feel compelled to write more about ways to stay cool. Besides drinking lots of water and eating fruits and vegetables in salads, there are more cooling options to include local produce into your diets while at the same time, reducing the strain on the power grid and keeping the house cool.

For example, try a cold soup! I love creamy cucumber or gazpacho in the summer. Here are several chilled soup recipes from Eating Well Magazine. While some initially require cooking, there are some that are completely raw. Today, I will try the watermelon gazpacho with the yellow watermelon I have in the fridge. It looks and sounds delicious!

Another alternative is a cool smoothie. For breakfast or sometimes lunch, I will whip up the following:

1 c water

½ frozen banana

½ c frozen blueberries

sprinkle of cinnamon and ginger

¼ avocado

1 scoop protein powder (optional)

1 handful baby greens

Whip everything up in the blender. Add more water if you’d like it thinner. You can also substitute nut or any type of milk for the water and add a bit of coconut oil, nut butter, or coconut milk as the fat source instead of the avocado. For a lighter snack, you can omit the protein powder and avocado.

What are your favorite chilled foods (besides ice cream : )

The Creamy Goodness of Avocados

Do you love avocado? I do! And despite the bad press they’ve gotten because of their high fat content, there are lots of good reasons to eat them. Here are some for you to consider:

• They’re a rich source of antioxidants, including the carotenoids alpha- and beta-carotene and lutein;
• They're loaded with vitamins and minerals as shown here;
• They’re high in oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat prevalent in olive oil that helps to lower the risk of heart disease;
• They contain omega-3 fatty acids and help to control inflammation;
• When added to nutrient-rich salads, they help to boost nutrient absorption from the other vegetables, such as lycopene found in tomatoes;
• They’re a good source of fiber and low in carbohydrates, so they help to stabilize blood sugar levels;

Their mild flavor and creamy texture goes well with just about everything! Mash and spread them on toast, add them to salads, use them as mayonnaise on sandwiches, eat them with eggs, and mix them into salsa and gazpacho (you’ll boost the absorption of all that veggie power!). Here is a recipe for a gazpacho that I love to make during the summer. It’s quick, cool, and easy and loaded with flavor, fiber, and health promoting goodness!

For more information, check out The World's Healthiest Foods. How will you eat your avocado today??