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5 Simple Snacks for Sizzling Summer Days

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July 23, 2010
	Jo Wehage : Head Operations Ego

As Cincinnati braces for our first heat advisory this weekend, we thought we’d share some of our favorite quick, easy and heat-busting snacks. After all, you’re more likely to have your head under a faucet than in an oven this weekend. Relax. Let’s discuss some healthy ways you can snack easy during a sizzling weekend.

#1: Watermelon Options

Watermelon Salad | Watermelon Kebobs | Watermelon Popsicles

You can’t walk in to any grocery store this time of year without tripping over a display of watermelon. Take advantage of those beauties. Watermelon has more heart healthy lycopene than tomatoes and a great dose of vitamin A and vitamin C. Go ahead and buy a big one. Chopped watermelon stays fresh for up to a week in the fridge and there’s a lot to do with the pretty pink melon.

Watermelon Salad

Try this simple and tasty combination as an easy lunch snack.

            2 cups watermelon

            ¼ cup of feta cheese crumbles

            a squeeze of lime juice

Watermelon Kebobs

Such an easy and simple combo. And whoever thought to combine these two?

            1 inch cubes of watermelon

            1 inch cubes of cheddar cheese

            pierce with kebob sticks and away you go

Watermelon Popsicles

I always overestimate the size of watermelon I need. Blend a bunch with a simple hand blender then pour into popsicle molds for a healthy and cool treat for everyone.

And in case you missed it – Watermelon Salsa

#2 Avocado Boats

Avocados are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein and those healthy omega-3 fats that make your cell membranes squeal with glee! They’re a great deal in many stores right now. You can often find a 10 for $10 deal. I love these because they’re healthy and so very filling and oh…no dishes!

            1 avocado

            1 tsp of lime juice

            salt and pepper to taste

Cut the avocado in half, lengthwise. Remove the seed. Gently mash the avocado flesh right in the skin. Sprinkle with lime juice and add salt and pepper.

Note: to find a ripe avocado look for those that have a fair amount of give when you squeeze them. If it’s rock hard, it’s not ripe. Buy them in varying degrees of ripeness. Once you get one ripe, store it in the fridge to help keep it fresh and use within 2-3 days.

#3 Edamame

So simple, so tasty, so good for you. I forgot how much I loved this tasty and easy snack. It’s a fancy name for a boiled green soybean that remains in its pod, but it’s a keeper. Just ½ cup of the shelled pods gives a great dose of fiber (9 grams!), protein (11 grams!) and a great vitamin and mineral content.

Whole Foods sells an organic version so you can avoid that pesky GMO issue.

Boil the package of edamame according to package directions (usually 5 minutes), drain then lay them out on a cookie sheet and coat with sea salt. You can eat them warm, or to help bust the heat cool them down in the fridge and have them as a chilled snack.

By the way, you don’t eat the pod – you easily pull the soybean out of the pod with your mouth. You get a nice compliment of salt as the soybean slips right out. It’s almost addicting. Bonus: Also a good way to relieve your anxiety or that of a worked-up child. The hand/mouth coordination gives just enough distraction to calm the nerves.

#4 Frozen Grapes

Find green and red grapes and pop them in the freezer. Part popsicle, part cool candy treat.

Nice source of manganese and three star polyphenols; flavonoid, phenolic acids and resveratrol, which reduce the damage caused by free radicals. Rich in vitamin A, C, B6 and folate in addition to essential minerals.

Grapes are said to help treat constipation, indigestion, fatigue, kidney disorders and macular degeneration.

#5 Hard-Boiled Eggs

Boil the whole carton and store then in the fridge. Grab for an easy snack or for on-the-go lunches.

Eggs are an easy source for good-quality protein, lutein (for the eyes) and good source of choline, in which 90% of us are deficient. Choline is associated with reducing inflammation and is found in the eggs yolk. (Edamame is also a good choline source.)

Think eggs are bad for you? See what Dr. Huber has to say about that.

Stay cool, my friends. And please share any ideas that you find easy and perfect for steamy days.