Support For The Heat

The blender has been going double time. The collards growing outside give me a few small leaves each day to throw into a smoothie. The baby runs around saying, "moonie a-den" or smoothie again! In between the endless glasses of ice water, we have a lemonade quencher that seems to give a much needed pick me up to the melting children I keep finding on my floors and chairs. Our brains are so tired from the heat, everything seems to take that extra push. Eli who normally can play for hours on his own, has been looking at us in disbelief that anything other than watching movies on the computer is possible. Chloe would transform into a mermaid in the summer and simply live in water, if only that kind of magic a mother could grant her daughter. Instead kiddy pools, icy lemonade and smoothies will have to stand in.

Simple Strawberry Green Smoothie

1/2 cup goat milk yogurt

1/4 english cucumber, diced

3 small collard leaves, or 1 big one

1/2 frozen banana

1 cup frozen strawberries or fresh if you have them (keep the green tops on)

handful of ice cubes

1 cup of water

I blend this up 2-3 times until it reaches the creaminess I am looking for. This isn't very sweet, I don't like sweet smoothies, but you can add some honey or more banana if you do.

 

Lemonade Quencher

20 oz of water

juice of one lemon

1 tsp to 1 Tb agave or maple syrup

tiny pinch of sea salt

lots of ice

Stir it all together and serve with a fun paper straw! Watch out gatorade.