When the heat of the summer hits, there’s nothing like enjoying a bit of breeze in a nicely shaded area and sipping a refreshing drink. This July, get ready to celebrate National Refreshment Day — and share with friends and neighbors in your assisted living community — with these go-to treats that are healthy and delicious.
The Arnold Palmer
Simply fill a glass with ice cubes and then add equal measures of iced tea and lemonade. Give it a swish with a long spoon or straw then sip your cares away. Twists on this classic include using different proportions of iced tea to lemonade, using sweet tea instead of regular tea, adding flavored lemonade or topping it off with a garnish of lemon, lime or your other favorite fruit.
Fruit Flavored Sherbet
Forgo messy ice cream this summer and bring a bowl of refreshing fruit-flavored sherbet to your preferred shaded retreat. To enjoy multiple flavors of frozen fruit, opt for rainbow sherbet. If you favor a particular flavor, many grocery stores offer a wide variety of options. Remember that sherbet still includes dairy ingredients; if you’re looking for a purely fruit-based frozen treat, opt for sorbet instead.
Sparkling Fruit Drinks
Add a bit of fizz to your summer drink when you combine seltzer water with your favorite fruit juice. Fruit juices tend to be full of flavor and sugars, so cutting them in half with seltzer water lets you indulge in those flavors while giving you a more moderate dose of sugar.
Consider using fruit juices that are also healthy for you, like cranberry or pomegranate. Try to use “whole” fruit juices — those that aren’t from concentrate — to maximize the health benefit and taste. If something like pulp or small fruit pieces bother you, you can strain the juice before adding it to your seltzer water.
Healthier Milkshakes
Indulge your childhood memories of delicious summertime milkshakes from local lunch counters with a healthier modern twist. To create this healthy, refreshing drink, opt for coconut or almond milk in place of cow’s milk and then add crushed ice instead of ice cream.
For a smooth and filling fruit flavor, combine the non-dairy milk and crushed ice with a whole banana in your blender. You can also add any other fruit, including combinations like strawberries and blueberries or mangos and plums. For a sweeter twist, combine the non-dairy milk and crushed ice with a cup of peanut butter and a tablespoon of chocolate powder.
Twisted Iced Tea
Sweet tea may be your go-to summer refreshment, but it isn’t terribly healthy when it's filled with tons of sugar and made with regular old tea. Amp up the health benefits of your favorite summer drink by giving it a twist and using alternate forms of tea like green tea and sweetening it with a bit of honey or stevia. To keep it super cold, freeze iced tea ice cubes to add to your drink so your flavor doesn’t dilute as you sip your way through summer.
