Hi there,
Popping in with another Sunday note and a new recipe that I’m extremely excited about. (Because I actually do get really excited about each new recipe I create…even after writing about food on the internet for 15 years!)
OK here’s thing:
I love summer. I love everything about it: wearing flip flops and sundresses. Never putting on a coat. Going to the pool, eating grilled chicken and potato salad, sitting around the fire as the sun sets. (I’m sorry, fall people. Summer is just better.)
I also love all the summer treats: Popsicles! Ice cream! Froyo! Blueberry cobbler! S’mores!
The only problem is, don’t you feel like there this never-ending cycle of sugar-y treats in this season? It’s especially tricky when you’re a parent anticipating a possible melt-down in the face of a No.
I want to say Yes as much as possible this summer, while also balancing the sugar crashes and digestion issues that inevitably hit both me and my 3 and 9 year old!
Now, I’m not anti-sugar — I love all treats in moderation! I’m a dark chocolate junkie and if I go to Paris I’m sure as heck try every single.bakery.pastry I can possibly ingest.
But after studying the Mediterranean diet for a while I’ve just been wondering this:
How can we create “treats” that taste and feel like every bit a treat, without going down the spiral of more and more daily sugar?
Enter my solution for this week…the Pineapple Mint Slushie! I can’t take credit for this genius idea: it was all my husband Alex. He said, “How can I create an easy recipe that tastes like a refreshing summer treat without being loaded with sugar?” He made up this and we can’t stop drinking it!
The cool thing(s) about this recipe is that:
#1. It has no added sugar (how?). Something about the play between pineapple and coconut water does the trick, but I don’t quite understand the science here.
#2 It is so, so seriously refreshing: I can’t tell you how good this tasted after I came home from a sweaty park tennis session.
#3 It’s sooo easy and just 3 ingredients, so it takes only minutes to blend up.
#4 My kids love it as much as I do. Britta (my 3 yo) asks for one often and loves making it together, except for the blender sound.
#5 You can serve it for kids or as a mocktail for adults. It’s giving frozen pineapple mojito vibes, which I could have used as the title but I wanted you to appreciate the versatility :)
I’m seeing a big resurgence of 90’s nostalgia online this summer. Of course, the times weren’t that simple — but the craving for pre-digital human life is real!
I saw an Instagram post about some 90’s summer challenges, which include things like:
Leave your phone in a drawer for most of the day
Include your kids in normal stuff even though it’s more inconvenient (errands, chores, etc)
Embrace life rhythms like afternoon rest time and daily chores
Have your neighbors over for a casual dinner
Guard your calendar so there’s slow, unstructured space
Do any of these speak to you? Which would you try this week?
PS Speaking of #2, I took my 3 year old to a 3-hour hair appointment with me last week — and it felt refreshingly 90’s :) She did great somehow!
Pick one 90’s summer practice to try this week. (I’m going with the guarding the calendar for slow unstructured space!)
If you want to take healthy eating & living to the next level:
Join The Every Night Club: ad-free, sponsor-free, algorithm-free
The Anchor Recipes Collection: the ad-free archive of the recipes I keep in rotation for “every night” cooking
Printables & Resources: pantry guide, seas
xoxo
~Sonja
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.