It’s hot, hot, hot!

No, I’m not starring in my own cheesy 80’s-style musical performance. Hot, hot, hot, is what I find myself saying these last few days–okay, many days–every time I sit down in my car, touch our front door’s handle, or foolishly step outside without shoes on. The heat and humidity have gotten so bad that my new favorite hobby is cruising the AirBnB app for possible places of refuge. Maybe like Alaska.

Unfortunately our vacation budget for 2016 has already been spent on our upcoming beach getaway next month (woohoo!), so Alaska will have to wait. For now the best I can do is try to turn this weather-induced frown upside down, and what better way to do that than with a bit of imagination? No, the heat isn’t melting my brain–this weather is wonderfully tropical! Code red air quality my arse–let’s enjoy this wonderful equatorial weather.

Still not convinced by these lies that the weather’s nice? Well, maybe our imaginations need some props to help us along…

San Pellegrino Sparkling Margarita

Okay, okay–margarita purists don’t need to call me out on the misnomer here, since I can’t really claim this to be an authentic margarita. I can, however, promise you that this facsimile of the margarita’s classic flavors is drop dead delicious, and very refreshing on a hot day. A few sips is all it takes for this weeknight cocktail to make even the muggiest evening feel like a beachy vacation.

Add a handful of ice and 1.5 oz best tequila (La Certeza reposado is our go-to) to your favorite glass. Squeeze in the juice of half of a lime or lemon–your pick!–and top off with 6-10 oz. San Pellegrino sparkling lemonade. Give a quick stir and garnish with a citrus wedge of your choice.

Banana & Pineapple “Aloha Bowl”, courtesy of Women’s Health Magazine

I have to give credit where credit is due, and Women’s Health earned it with this recipe. So far I have made this twice: once on a swelteringly hot morning after some yard work, and again for dessert to cool down before settling in for the night. There really isn’t a time of day that you couldn’t enjoy this, but I love what a sweet–and healthy!–end to a hot day this is.

Combine 2 medium frozen bananas, 1 1/2 cups frozen pineapple chunks, and 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk in a blender. Blend until thick and creamy or, if you don’t have a 2HP blender, pulse until thick. Pour the blend into 4 bowls (or 2 bowls for a pair of very hungry people), and top each bowl with 1/4 cup macadamia nuts*, 1/8 cup toasted coconut chips, and 1 tsp chocolate chips.

*Women’s heath recommends chopping and toasting these, and using less for that matter, but these are wonderfully crunch even without toasting.

Fresh Fruit

I really hope this doesn’t need a recipe! Not only is it fairly easy to cut up some fruit and make it look pretty on a plate, but what’s fresh can vary by the week depending on where you live. Visit your local produce farm or farmer’s market to get what’s in season, since what’s local and in season will usually kick the flavor of grocery store produce right out of the park.

I hope you’ll enjoy these recipes and use them to stay cool as we finish up these last, suffocating days of summer heat. Until next time, stay cool, my friends!

Briella