Keep Cool Eat Light

I feel so bad for the world suffering under extreme weather. Parts of the US are so hot they should be melting or on fire. In the UK there is rain and flooding.

Blessedly things are relatively normal here in northern California. The summer is young however and a heat wave or three is not unheard of for this season.

Heat takes a cumulative toll so it can be especially miserable.

Please stay well hydrated everyone.

With that done if you can't live in the pool what other things can you do?

I learned some tricks and tips over my few years especially driving around in cars without AC.

Wear clothes dampened with cool water. It will help lower your body heat and you should dry while you travel.

If you cannot wear a wet outfit or that seems a bit too extreme utilize ice packs.

I would put them behind me in the seat and they could do a lot to keep me from just pouring down sweat.

Have a spray water bottle for the car. This was especially fun for my daughter as a kid.

Any kids old enough to use them can enjoy.

Of course eating ice cream and freezer pops becomes a favorite activity.

Meal time menu items include things like: Salads, fruit, sandwiches and cold cereal.

Around the house cover windows that get a lot of sun and heat on them as the day wears on.

Under normal circumstances I run my air conditioning only a few times a season.

This means taking advantage of the morning hours most days to get the cool and let the heat release from inside.

Here is a fruit salad recipe we love. I know there are variations that use Cool Whip or add marshmallows.

You can chop up four cups or so of your own fruits. Save maybe half a cup of the juice to make sure you do not need a little extra moisture.

We usually just go with canned mixed fruit. I like the peaches and pineapple in them. 

Neither of us like the cherries. My daughter prefers the pears and we are both ambivalent about the green grapes.

1 Cup Flaked Coconut

1/2 to 1 Cup of chopped Pecans

2 Large Containers of mixed fruit 

diced in light or heavy syrup

4 oz softened cream cheese

*Optional Cranberry 

Jelly or Sauce

I like to soften and mash the cream cheese adding the cranberry at this time. It gives the mixture a nice rosy appearance that

can be quite festive around the winter holidays. 

That is especially true when you are used to enjoying it without that at other times during the year.

Once the two are well mixed add the drained fruit. When that is mixed in well add in the coconut flakes. 

Lastly fold in the nuts. I sort of eye ball this and go a little heavier on the nuts.

I like a good crunch with each bite.

The mixture is ready to eat right away but it might firm up just a tad and will definitely be a cooler treat after 30 minutes to 1 hour in the refrigerator.

We can snack on this for days but the unused portions do need to stay chilled.

It feels like a healthy light dessert treat especially for the dog days of a sweltering summer.