Best Recipes for Healthy and Refreshing Summer Drinks and Smoothies

Brain Health, Healthy Lifestyle, Ingredients, Nutrition

There’s no better way to enjoy delicious summer fruits and veggies, hydrate your body, and stay cool on hot days than to make healthy and refreshing summer drinks and smoothies.

Fresh fruits and veggies are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients to nourish your brain and body. Including protein powder, plant milk, and plain yogurt (all with no sugar added), plus nuts/seeds provide protein for brain focus and healthy fats that can satiate your hunger for hours.

Remember, your brain is 80% water and proper hydration is one of the keys to optimal brain performance.

So take advantage of the summer cornucopia of mouth-watering fruits and flavorful veggies and expand your repertoire of cooling, hydrating, and tasty beverages with the following recipes.

Aah! Healthy, Refreshing Summer Drinks

Strawberry-Lime Electrolyte Delight

Forget sugar-filled commercial sports drinks and make your own healthier version with this recipe. Particularly after a workout, electrolytes lost through sweat need to be replaced. Electrolytes – such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and bicarbonate – help to promote rapid fluid absorption and maintenance of body fluids.

The coconut water and lime in this recipe provide your body with loads of potassium. Unrefined salt options, like Himalayan pink salt, provides sodium plus additional electrolytes like calcium and potassium, as well as essential trace minerals. Using a small amount of maple syrup, which is lower on the glycemic index than table sugar, also provides minerals and balances drinks with a touch of sweetness.

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup lime juice
½ cup purified water
⅛ tsp Himalayan pink salt
4 medium strawberries (organic is best)
1 tsp 100% real maple syrup

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine coconut water, lime juice, water, salt, strawberries, and one tsp of maple syrup in a blender set on a high speed until strawberries are fully incorporated.
Taste and add more maple syrup if desired.
Serve over ice and enjoy!

Makes 3 servings.

Healthy Hibiscus Cooler

Tea, and especially hibiscus tea, is loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. It helps to support healthy blood pressure and can help balance cholesterol levels, as well as optimal liver function – and it’s delicious!

INGREDIENTS

3 bags of hibiscus tea (or 1 tbsp loose hibiscus tea)
3 cups water
2 small limes (4 tbsp lime juice)
Mountain Valley sparkling water (or other sparkling water or club soda)
A few sprigs of fresh mint leaves

Simple Maple Sweetener:

2 tbsp 100% real maple syrup
2 tbsp water

INSTRUCTIONS

Steep the tea in hot water for 3 minutes, then remove the bags (or strain off the loose tea). Set the tea aside to cool for about 15 minutes.
To make the simple maple sweetener, combine equal parts syrup and water in a small saucepan. Stir and warm on low heat (but do not boil). Set aside.
Fill four medium glasses with ice.
Fill each halfway with hibiscus tea and then top each with about a tbsp of lime juice and 1 tsp of the simple maple sweetener. Stir and combine.
Fill the rest of each glass with sparkling water, stirring gently to combine.
Adjust taste with less sweetener or more lime juice as you wish.
Top with a sprig of mint, serve, and enjoy!

Makes 4 servings.

No-Sugar Ginger Lemonade

INGREDIENTS

2 lemons
2 tbsp grated ginger
4 cups water
2-3 drops of liquid stevia (or 1tsp of powdered stevia) – or more to taste
A sliced lemon for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

Juice the lemons and pour into a pitcher.
Add the grated ginger and sweetener.
Pour water on top and stir. Taste. Add more sweetener if needed. (NOTE: This lemonade is far more tart than conventional lemonade.)
Pour over ice and serve!

Makes 4 servings.

Ooh! Healthy and Satisfying Smoothies

Super Clean Berries and Greens

This one delivers a phenomenal amount of antioxidants with its greens and high berry content, as well as healthy protein, and fats. Also low in sugar, it’s a great smoothie to have in the morning to fuel your day or refuel your body post-workout.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of fresh seasonal berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries)
2 cups spinach
2 scoops of unsweetened vanilla plant-based protein powder
2 tbsp coconut butter or avocado
2 tbsp chia seeds or flaxseed meal
3 cups of cold purified water
1 cup ice
5-10 drops liquid stevia (or comparable healthy sugar alternative)

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth, adding liquid ingredients and fruit/veggies first, followed by dry ingredients, and ice (if desired) last.
Divide into two glasses, serve, and enjoy!

Tropical Mango-Coconut Delight

When you really want a cold treat on a hot summer’s day, this one may hit the spot. The mango and date provide just the right amount of sweetness, tempered with healthy protein and fat. You also get probiotic-rich Greek yogurt for digestive health.

INGREDIENTS

½ pound of fresh mango chunks (frozen works too)
½ cup of plain, high-protein Greek yogurt
½ cup of full-fat coconut milk
2 scoops of unsweetened vanilla plant-based protein powder
2 cups of unsweetened oat milk (or your preferred unsweetened plant milk)
1 tbsp of flaxseed meal
1 tsp of chia seeds
1 large pitted Medjool date
¼ tsp of cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth, adding liquid ingredients and yogurt first, followed by dry ingredients, and ice (if desired) last.
Divide into two glasses, serve and enjoy!

Healthy Peanut Butter-Cacao Delight

This one perfectly satisfies sweet-tooth cravings while delivering energizing fuel for your brain and body.

INGREDIENTS

1 large banana (frozen is best)
1 ½ cup of almond milk (or your favorite plant milk)
2 tbsp of organic peanut butter
2 scoops of unsweetened chocolate plant-based protein powder
1 tbsp cacao nibs (plus extra for topping)
1 tsp Maca
2 Medjool dates
1 tbsp of flaxseed meal

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth, adding liquid ingredients and fruit first, followed by dry ingredients, and ice (if desired) last.
Divide into two glasses, add cacao topping, serve, and enjoy!

Final Tip

Feel free to add healthy ingredients or make substitutions. Follow your creative impulses with your smoothie making.

These beverages truly can boost your health and enhance your well-being.

Enjoy one today!

At BrainMD, we’re dedicated to providing the highest purity nutrients to improve your physical health and overall well-being. For more information about our full list of brain healthy supplements, please visit us at BrainMD.

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Kim Henderson

Kim Henderson has been writing about health, beauty, wellness and the environment for more than 15 years. She’s the author of the award-winning book 50 Simple Steps to Save the World’s Rainforests and the former editor of Healthy Living magazine. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from UCLA.