Any ideas for healthy drinks and treats for hot summers?

Smoothies are a healthy favourite for us! I usually use plain unsweetened yoghurt as the base and then add seasonal fruit for sweetness. You can add honey if you think some extra sweetness is needed and when my son was recovering after an illness, I added his vitamins (in powdered form) to his smoothies. If I'm after something a bit more substantial, I add a tablespoon of meal supplement or whey protein powder.

We also make our own frozen ice lollies with yoghurt, watered down fruit juices, or homemade cordials. When my kids were younger, they loved helping to choose the flavors. If you enjoy iced drinks, then you can also consider iced teas - there are so many wonderful fruit infusions and teas such as Rooibos or Honeybush (if you can't find those in your local store, check whether there is a South African shop close to you) which make a wonderfully naturally sweet drink and can be served over crushed ice.

There is a great cookbook called Glow Pops by Liz Moody with awesome popsicle ideas.

I also love playing with seltzer for cooling drinks. You can put a lot of different things into seltzer to make it interesting! Some ideas include lemon wedges, lime wedges, maple syrup, honey, strawberry jam, a splash of mango nectar or orange juice.

My kids are convinced they are flavored sodas! Also, finding a fun, tropical cup to drink out makes it way more fun and less focused on it not being a sugary, unhealthy drink.

Kombucha is also a favorite in our house. We brew our own, but you can find it in stores pretty easily. Another idea is making homemade lemonade and you can control the sugar level. We live in Vermont, so naturally, we sweeten with maple syrup!

It gets pretty hot here in Australia and one of my family's favorite summertime snacks is fruit sorbet. We make it in the thermomix and use all kinds of fruits but my kids especially love apple and strawberry sorbet. We also make our own ice lollies with diluted juice and always keep ice cubes in the freezer because they can improve any kind of drink. My kiddos also love eating big chunks of watermelon on a hot day - so refreshing.

I eat sugar-free (and artificial sweetener free), so I am always on the lookout for a sweet treat that is healthy. One sweet that I crave is ice cream which is impossible to buy commercially on my diet.

So I have been experimenting with ice cream made of honey or pure maple syrup. Here is a great recipe that can use either of these natural sweeteners, and you can add berries if you wish. Don't worry if you do not have an ice cream maker, although having one around is a fun activity with the kids. I recommend getting an electric one unless you have teenagers to do the turning.

This recipe includes an option if you do not have an ice cream maker.

https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/honey-ice-cream-recipe/

I also have a small handheld ice cream maker for a quick snack, but it does not make as creamy ice cream as the "churning" type.
I found it on amazon: DASH My Pint Electric Ice Cream Maker Machine.

Have fun enjoying a healthy treat while entertaining the family at the same time.

We get these long hot summers too with the little ones ! Our ‘go to’ treats are frozen banana ‘ice cream’ with cinnamon or nut butter or using frozen berries or mangoes to make a dessert.
We also use the sodastream to make bubbly water and add our own fruit flavours. To keep it healthy you can even make your own fruit syrups or fun flavours like lavender bitters, grapefruit and lime or elderflower. There are lots of ideas on Google for healthy syrup flavours to add to your cool bubbles on a hot day.