Frozen Fruit and Smoothies
Frozen Fruit
When you are trying to beat the heat, frozen fruit, which is abundant in the summer, can be a great relief!
-Frozen watermelon cut into cubes make a great popsicle-like treat. I freeze them in an ice-tray so they do not stick together, and then move into a ziploc bag.
-Frozen grapes are great to eat or to use as replacement icecubes in a cold drink!
-Frozen mango juice, poured into an ice tray, is very, very sticky, but also very, very good.
-Bite-sized chunks of banana is a great icecream substitute! It can also be thawed and cooked into banana bread. I find breaking bananas into small chunks and freezing in a ziploc bag much more efficient for later use than freezing in their peel.
Fruit and Veggie Smoothies
The corner stones for most of my smoothies are a banana and yogurt. This is a great way to use up frozen fruit in the freezer, and can be taken for lunch in a mason jar or other wide-mouthed container (I don't recommend using straws!).
Ingredients I love are fresh strawberries, raspberries, and frozen blue berries. I sometimes add a table spoon of peanut butter (for some protein and fat to keep you going) or a handful of spinach (for it's health benefits). While spinach will turn your smoothie green, you can't taste it when paired with the potent flavor of berries. I sometimes add shredded carrot and apple juice, mango juice, or a small amount of tofu. (Uncooked tofu remaining from a dinner beforehand, perhaps. Tofu is best used in sparse quantities and paired with a strongly flavored fruit, such as raspberries and a bit of lemon, but it's protein helps keep me going.) I have also added half a cucumber, or a few table spoons of ground flax seed flour (great for extra fiber and omega 3).
