Staying Cool and Hydrated in the Desert

Well, it may not be Summer according to the calendar but yesterday it was 99 degrees here in Southern Arizona. It can be very difficult to stay hydrated here with very little humidity and the hot hot days. My kids will only drink so many bottles of water before they begin to protest. I should be consuming 100 oz. every day...Granted some of that can come from foods with a high water content but I try to drink 100 oz anyway. My kids are supposed to have 55 oz. of water each. ON A DAILY BASIS!! So around a half gallon of water.
In the summer time we eat a ton of high water content foods. I made this little chart based on our favorite fruits and veggies:

But even my little rabbits will only consume so many fresh fruits and veggies without getting a little bored. So I have several other ways of keeping them hydrated.
One of our favorite things to make for breakfast is smoothies! My kids LOVE them. This morning we were getting ours ready and Fairy Girl asked "Did you get new fruits?" When I told her I had bought some new fruits (by the end of the week we are usually down to bananas and strawberries) she did her happy dance. Smoothies never really get old if you switch up the ingredients. This week we are going to try out some peanut butter powder. We will eat smoothies any time of the day. In between meals I leave out the dairy and almond milk and just add fruit, water, and ice.
Smoothies are great because they are totally customizable. Anything you or your kids do not like can be left out. I always start with frozen bananas for ours. I buy bananas in huge batches when they are on sale or I buy the bags of "ripe" bananas that are always marked way down. I have seen websites that say you can throw the whole banana in the freezer, peel and all. Let me just say, this is a terrible idea. The peel breaks down and as you try to peel it you end up with a gloppy mess of peel. It is worth the extra time to peel the bananas before you freeze them. I cut out any mushy parts and cut the bananas in half. The trick is to place them on a cookie sheet and freeze them individually before packing them into freezer bags. This way they do not freeze together.
Another ingredient I always have on hand is almond milk. It has protein and calcium and adds a nice creamy quality. Greek yogurt is terrific in smoothies and my favorite is Greek God's Honey Strawberry. So good.
There are countless smoothie recipes out there so I am only going to list our two favorites. Keep in mind these are recipes for four.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

2 whole fresh or frozen bananas

6- 8 fresh or frozen strawberries

1/2 C of almond milk

1/2 C of strawberry greek yogurt

Water to taste (I usually add a cup or two but some people will want a thicker smoothie)

Stack ingredients in order listed and blend. If you are using all fresh fruit you will want to add ice as well. Otherwise you are going to end up with more of a fruit puree than a smoothie. You can also add any types of berries you have on hand. Blueberries are a favorite here because they turn the smoothie purple. The powdered peanut butter was also very, very good in this one! Enjoy this adorable shot of Cy-guy enjoying his smoothie this morning:

Tropical Smoothie

2 whole fresh or frozen bananas

1 or 2  frozen orange juice or pineapple juice "pucks"

1 C frozen pineapple chunks

1 C frozen peaches

1/2 C almond milk

Water to taste

Stack ingredients in order listed and blend.

Juice pucks are simply fruit juice frozen in muffin tins or ice cube trays. If you don't have any juice pucks on hand then skip them! Don't rush out and buy a ton of ingredients. Just use what you have. If you like your smoothies sweeter, add honey. I would not recommend using anything other than a liquid sweetener though. Grainy smoothies aren't very yummy. 

Many people add greens to their smoothies or ground flax seed, proteins powders, sprouts, etc. 

Another great way to keep kids hydrated is popsicles!! But not the ones from the stores! They are full of sugar and food dyes. There are healthy options, such as all fruit bars or fruit and yogurt pops. I can never stomach paying $5 for a box of frozen pureed fruit or fruit and yogurt.

So of course, I make my own. The kids love to help with these (and the smoothies as well). We try and get creative and try new flavors but we also make some that only take a minute or so to assemble. 

Strawberry Yogurt Pops

Strawberry yogurt of your choice

Popsicle mold

Fill mold and place in freezer for 5 hours. So simple I almost feel silly typing it out as a recipe!! This of course can be made with your favorite yogurt flavors and you can even chop fruit up and mix it in with the yogurt. This will help make the yogurt last longer as well. Just make sure to check the labels because many yogurt brands use food dye.

Pineapple Pops

3 C frozen pineapple chunks

1.5 - 2 C almond milk 

1 tbsp honey (optional)

Blend ingredients in a food processor You can use a blender but unless you have a powerful one you may need more liquid. Fill molds and freeze. If you use less liquid (closer to 1 cup) you will get a glorious concoction that tastes just like the Dole Whips at Disneyland. 

I also offer my kids flavored waters. Not the kind from the store with syrups in them but the homemade variety. I slice fruit and add it to nice icy glasses of water. Lemon, lime, oranges, grapefruit, apples, pineapple, watermelon, and cantaloupe are all great choices. If your kids are used to fruit juices and you are trying to break them of the habit (I am not a fan of juice) you can add a splash of their favorite with slices of the matching fruit. This does not work great with orange juice though! Cranberry may be a better choice with a few slices of oranges. 

I try to keep all of the ingredients for these yummy treats on hand all summer!! Very soon we will be in the triple digits every day and I like my kids to have healthy options that cool them down. What are your favorite hot weather treats? 

Isn't he precious?