Refreshing Recipes & Ideas for Staying Cool

Refreshing ideas for keeping cool

Make sure you take care of yourself in the heat!

• Bring some great leafy indoor plants inside your house, they not only remove toxins from the air, plants can reduce temperatures by as much as 5`c (stay tuned for a post on this next week!)
• Eat lots of fresh, tasty foods like (below) and salads, fresh fruit, cold quiche's, frozen fruit snacks, homemade icy poles.
• Drink lots of water and also refreshing drinks, iced herbal teas, freshly made juices, smoothies, (see the recipe for making your own healthy ice coffee too!) 
• Cool off with water, if you don't have a pool, take a family outing to a swim safe river, beach, lake or dam, visit your local swimming pool, even the kids paddling pool will do or a cool essential oil bath.
• Make your own face fresher with a spray bottle and cool water.
• Wet t-shirt's and put on wet for an instant cool!
• If your lucky enough not to be on water restrictions, on tank water, or in a dry spell where you live, have a water fight with the kids.
• Take a time out and do nothing for a little while when you get a chance, unplug, turn off the TV and just be in the quiet.
• Take deep breaths to help your body work at its best.
• Laugh - it will help take your mind off it!
   

Stawberry granitas

From the Maleny IGA Local Product Local Recipe - recipe card series

These can be made in different sizing, as one big batch, like sorbet, in individual cups, or even tiny in shot glasses or small cups, you can also substitute the strawberries for raspberries or even pineapple too or use thawed frozen strawberries/raspberries if fresh are unavailable.
You could also use it to make THIS recipe with the beautiful Colin James Sorbet which you can grab at the Maleny IGA.
Get the recipe to make it HERE

Woodford Fresh Salad with Preserved Lemon Dressing

From the Maleny IGA Local Product Local Recipe - recipe cards

This recipe is a favourite at our house and was a real hit at the Maleny Supa IGA taste testing in October, and hugely popular with the kids!
Get the recipe HERE

Refreshing and moorish healthy iced coffee

You love getting together with friends and chatting over coffee, but sometimes it seems a bit hot to enjoy it hot and bought iced coffee can be very high in fat and calories so make in your own delicious, guilt free iced coffee! Serve in decorative glasses for a fun drink with friends x
Get the recipe HERE

Prawns with Mango & Carrot Salad in lettuce cups and Pomodora's Ginger and Lime dressing

From the Maleny IGA Local Product Local Recipe - recipe cards

This is such a gorgeous combination of flavours that will make you a hit at your next BBQ, lunch or dinner party or why not treat the family to this gorgeous, healthy dinner?
It is  light so perfect for hot weather, you can also serve the salad by itself for vegetarians as it is gorgeous on its own too. The Pomodora's dressing is absolutely stunning and is available along with everything else you need from the Maleny Supa IGA
Get the recipe HERE

Watermelon basket fruit salad

From the Maleny Supa IGA Local Product Local Recipe - recipe card series

Such a gorgeous way to display and present a fresh fruit salad and get that real WOW factor from friends and family. A great one for the kids to take to school for a special occasion or their birthday Take to a dinner party or on a picnic.
You are also left with melon flesh from all the balling - great for a smoothie while you make it!
Get the recipe HERE

Haloumi Cheese Bread salad

from the Maleny Supa IGA Local Product Local Recipe - recipe cards

This is SO delicious, the cheese is absolutely stunning and makes this a hearty salad.
Get the recipe HERE

Homemade Coffee Icecream
From the Maleny IGA Local Product Local Recipe cards

This is such a yummy homemade ice cream, you can also follow the recipe and switch the coffee for chocolate using natural cocoa powder

Get the recipe HERE

My Pumpkin and Feta Quiche from the Healthy, Happy Mums cookbook

recipe - advanced preview!

Make this ahead of time and serve cold on a hot day, perfect for picnics, lunch boxes and entertaining
Get the recipe HERE

Funky Fruit Platters!

This is just one of many styles you can make, and you can be sure for an empty plate at the end!
Get the recipe HERE

And you just can't beat a fresh juice with ice!

Some of our current family favourite combinations include:
Beetroot, pink lady apples, carrot and fresh ginger
Green apples, lemon, baby spinach, kale, ginger and celery
Green apples, baby spinach, kale, orange, ginger and rock melon
Raspberries, rock melon, pink grapefruit, beetroot, watermelon and ginger
Green apples, blueberries, spinach, kale, watercress and ginger
Carrot, raspberries, beetroot, red cabbage, ginger and oranges
Carrot, ginger, lemon and beetroot
Straight tomato with a tiny dash of parsley
Carrot, Apple and Ginger

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All images (c) RebeccaMugridge