Beat the heat with cool, healthy snacks

Laurie Messing<lmessing@msu.edu> , Michigan State University Extension -

Healthy snacks to keep you cool during this hot Michigan summer.

Summer temperatures have been on the rise, and staying cool has been a challenge these last few weeks. During the mid-summer heat, Michigan State University Extension recommends that you take advantage of some healthy, nutritious and cold snacks to help you beat the heat.

Since summer in Michigan also means lots of locally-grown, fresh fruits and vegetables, think about including these in your snacks on a daily basis. A huge variety of fruit and vegetable recipes and other information can be found at the Fruits and Veggies More Matters website. The recipes below are two great examples from this site of easy and simple recipes that you can use to enjoy healthy, nutritious snacks that can keep you cool. Both recipes include ingredients that can easily be changed up using other types of fruit you might have on hand. Think about creative and interesting ways to use fruits and veggies to regularly fill half your plate!

Razzleberry Shiver

Drink as a smoothie or spoon this mixture into small paper cups, add smooth wooden craft sticks and freeze for a popsicle treat.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup raspberries, washed
  • 2 bananas
  • 1/2 cup plain, low-fat yogurt
  • 1/4 cup low-fat milk
  • 1 teaspoon sugar 
Directions
  • Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth.
  • Serve.

Cantaloupe Cooler

This quick and easy cooler is easy to make. You can even get the kids to help!

Ingredients
  • 1 ripe cantaloupe, washed and cubed
  • 2 1/2 cups (20 ounces) 100 percent orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • Crushed ice
Directions
  • Cut melon in half. Scoop out seeds, remove rind and discard. Cut melon into 1-inch cubes.
  • In blender or food processor, blend melon cubes with 1/2 cup orange juice until smooth.
  • Pour puree into pitcher and stir in the remaining orange juice and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
  • Pour into glasses filled with crushed ice. Serve.

Filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables can taste great and keep you cool all summer long.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

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