WATER WITH ICE
- the ultimate thirst quencher! Add lemon or lime juice for pizzazz
- ZERO Calories, almost free, no artificial anything!
Seltzer Water with Ice and Lemon or Lime!
- ZERO Calories; nothing artificial!
Drinks and Treats using frozen fruit… use up fruit that’s getting old.
Frozen fruit cubes…
Buy fruit in the “smoothie” bin at the produce stand, or use fruit that is starting to bruise or get “old”—throw it in the blender and puree. Pour into ice cube trays cover with plastic wrap or foil and freeze.
Great for flavoring drinks, or making healthy snacks and desserts!
Strawberry cubes—
- blend 2 to 2 1/4 lbs berries,
- pour into two 16 cube ice cube trays:
- about 10 calories/cube
Peach/nectarine cubes—
- blend about 8 large peaches and/or nectarines (about 2 lbs of peach/nectarine after removing pits)
- pour into two 16 cube ice cube trays
- 12 calories/cube
Fruit Flavored Seltzer water
- 3 frozen fruit cubes + 1 cup seltzer water + 1 slice lemon or lime, garnish with a mint leaf if desired
- 30 to 34 calories.
This is a refreshing drink, great for sipping at an afternoon barbecue!
Fruit pops
- when fruit puree is partially frozen, put a popsicle stick into each cube for an economical and healthy alternative to commercial popsicles and fruit bars! (You can also freeze fruit puree in Tupperware™ or Rubbermaide™ popsicle containers)
Fruit and yogurt smoothies
- Start with about 1/2 cup diced fresh fruit—puree in blender
- Add ½ cup non-fat plain yogurt (regular or Greek), continue to blend.
- Add 2 frozen fruit cubes, blend until smooth
- Taste and add about 1 tsp honey if not sweet enough
- 120 to 140 calories and 6 to 11 gm protein
Lightly Sweetened Frozen Fruit for Fantastic Desserts:
- Use berries or other fruit that needs to be used up before it spoils.
- Wash, cut off bad spots and place about 2 ½ cups fruit in each 1-quart freezer bag with 1 Tbsp sugar.
- Peaches/Nectarines: 215 calories/bag
- Strawberries: 175 calories/ bag
- Ripe Bananas (peel and throw in freezer bag, no sugar necessary): 2 medium (~7 ½ inches long) 210 calories
Frosty Yogurt Dessert
- 1 bag frozen peaches and/or strawberries, and/or 2 frozen bananas
- 2 cups Low Fat or NonFat, Regular or Greek Vanilla Yogurt
- Get fruit out of freezer 15 or 20 minutes before preparing. Just before preparing, break up frozen fruit with a fork or table knife so that it can be easily blended.
- Place yogurt in blender and gradually add frozen fruit.
- Blend until mostly smooth.
- Serve in glass dessert dishes—garnish with fresh berries, sliced peaches and/or mint leaves.
- 120 to 140 calories and 6 to 11 gm protein (Greek Yogurt has higher protein level)
Frozen Yogurt Pops
- mix yogurt with fruit before freezing;
- put mixture in popsicle containers and freeze for fruit and yogurt bars.
Be creative—brainstorm to develop other healthy, cooling summer drinks or treats…
- Ice tea with fruit cubes and lemon or lime
- Smoothies using frozen fruit and spinach, kale or other greens (you hardly taste the vegetables, but you get a hefty dose of vitamins A, C and Folic Acid—much less expensive than commercially prepared healthy smoothie drinks, and a great way to get kids involved in food preparation!
- Place whole berries, or slices of other fruits in with fruit puree before freezing—add to seltzer water, plain water or ice tea for very pretty drinks!
- Blend frozen fruit with fresh fruit for healthy “Slurpy” or “Icee” treat…watch out for “brain freeze”!
