10 Healthy Summer Frozen Drinks

Cool down on even the most sweltering days with a refreshing and light smoothie, shake, or other frosty quencher
 

Frozen Arnold Palmer

Serves: 1

Ingredients:
2 lemons, juiced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup unsweetened iced tea
5 ice cubes

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Nutrition score per serving: 51 calories, 0g fat (0g saturated), 15g carbs, 1g protein, 0g fiber

Chai Iced Tea

Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients:
8 black peppercorns
4 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise (found at specialty Chinese or Asian markets)
8 green cardamom pods
8 allspice berries or 1 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
6 cups water
4 bags black tea (can use decaf)
1 vanilla bean
1-inch piece ginger root, chopped
6 cups unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup agave nectar

Directions: 
Grind peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, cardamo, and allspice in a spice grinder or food processor. In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add tea bags and ground spice mixture. Lay vanilla bean flat, split, and scrape. Add seeds and ginger to the pot, turn heat to low, and let simmer 15 minutes. (To further enhance vanilla flavor, add split vanilla pod to pot.) Add almond milk and return to a boil. Add agave nectar. Stir thoroughly for 1 minute and remove from heat. Strain into a container and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition score per serving: 101 calories, 3 fat (0g saturated), 12g carbs, 6g protein, 1g fiber

 

Sugar-Free Vanilla Frappuccino

Serves: 1

Ingredients:
1/2 cup espresso, cooled
1/2 cup non-dairy vanilla creamer
3/4 cup ice
4 drops liquid stevia extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in blender until desired consistency is reached.

Nutrition score per serving: 123 calories, .5g fat (0g saturated), 0g protein, 40g carbs, 0g fiber

 

Frozen Virgin Piña Colada

Serves: 6

Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups frozen banana puree
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can (13.5 ounces) crushed pineapple
1 cup ice

Directions: 
Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Nutrition score per serving: 260 calories, 14g fat (11g saturated), 13g carbs, 3g protein, 1g fiber

 

Tropical Lassi

Serves: 3

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup chopped fresh or frozen mango
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/2 cup 0% plain yogurt
1 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon honey
12 raw almonds
1 large handful ice

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender for 1 minute or until smooth.

Nutrition score per serving: 177 calories, 5g fat (1g saturated), 31g carbs, 5g protein, 4g fiber

 

Cherry Chocolate Shake

Serves: 3

Ingredients:
1 cup pitted fresh or frozen cherries
1 cup coconut milk 
1/2 cup So Delicious Dairy-Free Coconut Milk Frozen Chocolate Dessert
2 pitted medjool dates
2 tablespoons cacao nibs
1 tablespoon chia seeds
4 to 5 ice cubes

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Nutrition score per serving: 208 calories, 8g fat (3g saturated), 33g carbs, 4g protein, 10g fiber

Mango Agua Fresca

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups cold water
1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon agave nectar or honey
1 lime wedge, for garnish
Mint leaves, for garnish

Directions:
In a blender, combine mango and water until smooth. Pour through a strainer into ice-filled glasses. Stir in lime juice and agave, and garnish with lime and mint.

Nutrition score per serving: 70 calories, 0g fat (0g saturated), 19g carbs, 1g protein, 2g fiber

Blended Iced Mocha

Serves: 1

Ingredients:
1 cup coffee, chilled
1/2 cup low-fat milk
3 ice cubes
1 teaspoon cocoa powder

Directions: 
Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Nutrition score per serving: 58 calories, 1.5g fat (1g saturated), 7g carbs, 5g protein, 1g fiber

 

Frozen Lemonade

Serves: 6

Ingredients:
6 lemons, juiced
1 cup granulated sugar
4 cups cold water
1 cup ice

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Nutrition score per serving: 139 calories, 0g fat (0g saturated), 34g carbs, 0g protein, 0 fiber

Orange Dream Smoothie

Serves: 2

Ingredients: 
2 scoops low-fat frozen vanilla yogurt
2 scoops orange sherbet ice cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup ice

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Nutrition score per serving: 178 calories, 3g fat (1g saturated), 28g carbs, 3g protein, 0g fiber

reference: Shape.com

Remember to maintain your health ~ brush and floss after you enjoy your frozen drink to remove all the sugar, sticky substances and berry seeds.

Most importantly do not let all the Summer fun get in the way of scheduling your dental evaluation.

 

Exercise: Good for the Body, Good for the Mind

It may come as a surprise to you that I don't love to exercise. Sometimes I actually hate it. But I do it anyway, because the rewards far outweigh whatever discomfort I feel during a workout. Regular exercise leads to better health, more energy, a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes, and a longer life. But it isn't just the physical benefits of exercise that push me — it's what it does for my mental health.

The mental-health benefits start right after you exercise. Have you ever noticed how good you feel when you complete a workout? That you feel relaxed, or even euphoric? That mood lift, often called "runner's high," comes courtesy of natural morphine-like chemicals called endorphins. Exercise floods the brain with endorphins, which help to relieve pain, enhance your mood, and relieve stress.

But the feel-good effects don't stop after the endorphin rush subsides. Over time, exercise provides a major boost to your confidence. As you start working out and getting stronger, your sense of strength in other aspects of your life will naturally flourish as well. To put it another way, if you can survive my workouts, you can do anything — and when you feel that sense of empowerment, nothing will be able to stand between you and the life you want to live.

View our video - How to be as healthy as possible. Visit our office's Zumba for a Cause we believe exercise is important to your overall health and offer a Zumba exercise program.

Reference: Jillian michaels.com