Hey, Cool It!

Welcome to another Texas summer! We are all likely experts at staying cool, but there are always new ideas and old reminders! My main goal here, really, is to share with you my very favorite hot weather recipe. I ate it pretty much every day last summer, and I am well on my way this one! My Vitamix makes 4 pints, so I can mix up a batch and have good food on the run for the week. It's a great snack on it's own, or make a meal out of it by adding crackers or protein. Here it is!

3-4 cucumbers, peeled.

One ripe avocado.

Juice of 2 limes or lemons.

Handful of basil (or any other soft-leafed herb!)

2-4 cloves of garlic. The original recipe also calls for onion, but that's too much for my belly :-)

Salt to taste.

Water to cover.

I start by making a 'paste' to ensure that the garlic gets throughly blended...so 1/2 cucumber, avocado, lime/lemon, herb, garlic, some salt, a splash of water. Then add the rest and blend! DONE!! Fast, healthy, cooling and satisfying...lunch in an instant!

Along with a batch of fruit/veggie smoothie, I've got 8-pints of goodness ready to go. I have started just packing a small cooler so I can go where I need to without worrying about food in the hot car. Presto, healthy food all day!

Now onto electrolytes...

Water is awesome, and you should drink it! Lots of it! But it will NOT provide you with the necessary electrolytes for survival. Sadly, people have actually died from intense exercise with a ton of water but no electrolyte supplementation. The water ended up actually depleting these essential nutrients and they couldn't take the extreme change. Not to scare you, but it's important to differentiate these important needs.

Happily, lightly cooked and salted GREENS have all of the essential electrolytes! Yumm! In extreme situations, using a commercial product like NUUN can support you well, but don't forget the simple answers for your daily needs! It IS important for the greens to be cooked for proper absorption, fyi. Also, raw brassicas, which include a lot of greens, are turning out not to be so great for thyroid heath...so if that is an issue for you, cooked veggies are great. Not to dis a great salad...just in moderation with your particular needs in mind, as always!

Cooling down quickly...

If you are out there in the heat, your head and spine are great places to bring your body temp down quickly. So even if you don't want to or can't get all the way IN the water, dunking your head, putting that ice pack on your neck or low back can help regulate you when you need it most. A friend recently mentioned planning her dinner by choosing which bag of frozen veggies she wanted, then thawing them on her head!

Now...have a fun summer!!