Hydrating Snacks for the Summer
Florida summers are extremely hard to endure, so it’s important your child stays hydrated to prevent heat exhaustion. Water is essential to hydration, but it’s even better when you complement it with food that has a high water content. Use this list of hydrating snacks for the summer!
Fruit Roll-Ups
Strawberries have a water content of 91 percent, and they are so versatile that you can make so many things out of them! Making fruit roll-ups is not as hard to make as it seems; in fact, the steps are so simple, you may never buy them from the store again. The recipe is 100 percent real fruit with recognizable ingredients. With just three ingredients, it’s the natural way to eat this classic childhood favorite.
Ingredients:
8 oz. strawberries
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Instructions:
Puree trimmed strawberries for one minute until thoroughly smoothed.
Transfer the puree to a saucepan. Add the sugar and lemon juice. Cook the mixture for about 10 minutes on medium-high heat, stirring frequently. You’ll want to cook out the moisture, which will create a thicky, jammy substance.
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees F. On a baking pan lined with parchment paper, spread the jam into a rectangular shape. Using a spatula, you’ll spread the mixture until it’s about ⅛ of an inch thick.
Cook for three to four hours. Remove from the oven, and let cool completely. Use a pizza cutter to cut long strips, and then roll them up!
Celery-Apple Gazpacho
If your child loves soup, this gazpacho is a great way to sneak in water-rich greens like celery and fruit like apples. Eat it chilled in the form of gazpacho to cool down on a hot day. This simple celery soup recipe is creamy and cool and requires just a few ingredients.
Ingredients:
3 cups chopped celery
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cored
1 ½ cups cold water
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
1 3-inch piece baguette, crust discarded
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup blanched almonds, chopped
Instructions:
Puree the celery, apple, water, lemon juice, and salt in a blender until smooth.
Chill mixture in blender, covered for one hour.
Reblend, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
Soak bread in strained soup for three minutes.
Rinse blender, then pulse almonds until finely ground.
Add soup with bread, then blend.
Add oil slowly, and blend until emulsified.
Cantaloupe Smoothie
Cantaloupe and oranges are both high in water, vitamins, and nutrients. Take half a cup of orange juice, ½ cup sliced cantaloupe, 1 cup vanilla yogurt, and four ice cubes. Blend all ingredients until smooth, about 30 seconds. Your child will love the refreshing taste of this healthy smoothie!
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