Banana Oats Smoothie

Don't want to eat your oats? Well, why do that if you can simply drink them up! :-)

This one is another snack or breakfast option on busy mornings. Easy to whip up and full of goodness of banana, oats and milk.

Sweetened naturally by peanut butter and honey, this beverage will not make you feel guilty at all. One healthy drink to devour this summer!


Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
1 Banana
1 tbsp Peanut butter
1 tbsp honey
3-4 tbsp oats

Method:

Start by peeling and chopping banana. In a blender, add chopped banana, oats, honey and milk. Blend until smooth.

Arrange banana chunks on the rim of the glass and garnish with pomegranate seeds.

Serve chilled.

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See more such simple summer coolers here!

Sweet Lassi

Lassi, chhaas or buttermilk is must-have drink in most Punjabi households. It is a very popular drink in North India and is had during winters and summers both, normally after eating breakfast or lunch as it aids digestion. It is a simple beverage made with yoghurt that tastes good either ways - salty or sweet and can be combined with fruits to give it a colourful and flavoursome variation. Mango Lassi and rose lassi are two such variations. The salty versions of lassi are equally delicious. It is mostly seasoned with salt and roasted cumin seeds ground to a powder and devoured chilled.

This sweeter version of lassi has been a regular drink after our late brunch on most Fridays. Little M and his dad love to stir up this simple drink which is creamy, sweet and every bit refreshing on a hot afternoon.

Makes 2 glasses

Ingredients:

1 cup thick yoghurt
1/2 cup cold milk
1/2 cup cold water
Sugar, to taste

Method:

Blend together until creamy soft peaks of yoghurt surface.

Add lots of ice cubes to an empty glass and pour in the lassi.

Provide spoons to scoop out the creamy yoghurt peaks and laugh off at spotting a white mustache of cream forming on each others mouth. :-)

Do you like your lassi sweet or salty?

Tell me how you enjoy this drink. I'd love to read your ideas.

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See more such simple summer coolers here!

Thanks for reading! :-)

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Smoothies have become the thing of late and why not as they easy to whip up, packed with nutrition and perfect pick-me-up breakfast option for the days when you are in a hurry.

This one is simple with banana adding its natural sweetness and thickness and strawberries balancing it with their sweet-tangy flavour.

I added some honey as I needed it to be more sweet than it was. This pink drink is my go-to breakfast these days.

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

5-6, Strawberry, chopped

2 Bananas, chopped

Sugar or honey, to taste

2 strawberries, thinly sliced, for garnish

4-5 Ice cubes

Method:

Blend together bananas, honey and strawberries. Taste it when done if it seems sour, add honey or sugar. Blend again,

Line the walls of the glass with thinly sliced strawberries. Little M loved doing this step. Pour in the smoothie. Serve chilled.

What are your thoughts about this fruit smoothie free of dairy products?

I'd love to read what you think. So don't leave without writing me a note.

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See more such simple summer coolers here!

Thanks for reading! :-)

Banana Milkshake

Is there anyone who has never had the good old calcium booster banana milkshake? Everyone has tasted the banana milkshake.

This one comes with a pinch of cinnamon to add a beautiful aroma to the milkshake.

Perfect to serve to our kids after school or after an hour of play at the park and this one is the simplest and easiest drink. It is also an energy booster and is always gulped down ecstatically by children.

There is so much one can do to add a twist to the regular banana milkshake. Add cocoa powder to give it a nice colour and flavour. A tablespoon of chocolate syrup will please any kid for sure!

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 Banana
1 glass full cream milk
cinnamon powder, to garnish
sugar, if needed

Method:

Blend together milk and banana until smooth.

Add 2-3 ice cubes, blend again.

Garnish with cinnamon powder and serve chilled.

Is banana milkshake a staple at your house too?

Tell me your thoughts about this beverage!

I'd love to read what you think.

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See more such simple summer coolers here!

Thanks for reading! :-)

Strawberry Mint Lemonade

This is a colourful and refreshing take on the regular lemonade. It is a perfect drink for summer parties and can add colour to any evening or afternoon along with a beautiful smile to your guests' faces. You have to try it to believe how yummy it is!

Mint is a perfect ingredient to keep cool this summer. I love making fresh pudina chutney or mint dip and including mint in my drinks.

Have you tasted mint black tea? It is superb and takes you on a different journey altogether. Must try!

Mint is one herb that can be married with any food ingredient and it changes the taste of any dish or drink by taking full charge of it.  

And who doesn't like to munch on fresh strawberries! Chopped bits of fruit are a bonus to have along with any beverage. This drink is simple and easy to make but the flavours are out of the world. Think of tangy, sweet, sour and refreshing, all in one glass!

Strawberry Mint Lemonade

Makes 3 glasses

Ingredients:

1/2 cup strawberries, chopped

Juice of 2 lemons

2 and 1/2 cup water

Ice cubes

Sugar or honey

4-5 mint leaves, chopped

Method:

Start by making the simple lemoade by mixing water, sugar/honey and lemon.

Now add in the chopped mint leaves and strawberries and ice.

Serve immediately and chilled.

There are so many ways to tweak and play with the usual lemonade.

Which ones are your favourite?

Tell me your thoughts about this beverage.

I'd love to read what you think.

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See more such simple summer coolers here!

Thanks for reading! :-)

Watermelon Slush

Slush is something that continues to brighten up my eyes ever since I tasted one as a child. It makes me excited even now. I love how easy they are to make and such a wonderful way to eat fresh and seasonal fruits.

Doesn't it remind you of the ice gola or kaala khatta gola (Indian Ice cone)? :-) Something icy and chilled is all what we look for on a hot and sunny day during the summer. Right?

This watermelon slush is so easy that you barely spend 10 minutes making it. For those, looking to add a new punch to this recipe, try drizzling in rose syrup or even lemon squash.

It is a superb way to get your kids to eat fresh fruits. Make sure you make extra as they will be asking for another serving for sure! Slush can be prepared with any fruit, you can try mango, pineapple or any other fruit of your choice.

Watermelon Slush

Makes 2 glasses

Ingredients:

Crushed ice, 1 cup
Watermelon (seeds removed), cut in chunks (250 gm)
Sugar, to taste

Method:

Blend the crushed ice and watermelon chunks. Add in the sugar or honey if needed!

Serve immediately!

Dress it up with fresh fruit pieces of your choice on a toothpick skewer.

How easy! Isn't it?

Tell me how do you like to make your fruit based slush?

I would love to read all your thoughts about fruit slush!

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See more such simple summer coolers here!

Thanks for reading! :-)

Summer Coolers

Summers are upon us. Its April and it gets hot during the daytime in the UAE. My throat itches to gulp down something chilled around noon and I am often found looking for ingredients in my fridge to make a cold something to drink down.

Back in Delhi while I was growing up afternoons used to be scorching hot. After school hours, I and my siblings would look forward to reaching home just to drink our glass of chilled roohafza or rose syrup water, nimbu paani or lemoade or Rasna. When we used to go for school picnics we would pester mom to fill our water bottles with chilled Roohafza instead of plain water. And night time post dinner would mean another yummy cold surprise in the form of a glass full of chilled mango milk shake. Such delightful were summers in those days that we barely complained about the scorching sun and would love to play outdoors for hours altogether. The best part used to be chilling ourselves in front of the cool air rushing out of the cooler.

Nimbu paani or lemonade is sold on every corner and devoured at all homes in India during the summer time. Rose water or roohafza is another favourite of all Indians. Other cold beverages slurped commonly by Indians are aam panna, falooda milk shake, mango milkshake, badam thandai, lassi, sugarcane juice, jaljeera, kaanji.

So keeping in mind the basic juices and lemonades I try to tweak and recreate with whatever ingredients are available in my pantry. These are the six beverages that were made, stirred and blended along with Little M and slurped hurriedly on our couch during the recent spring break.

 1) Watermelon Slush

Slush is something that continues to brighten up my eyes ever since I tasted one as a child. It makes me excited even now. I love how easy they are to make and such a wonderful way to eat fresh and seasonal fruits.

See the super simple recipe for this Watermelon Slush!

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2) Strawberry Mint Lemonade

This is a colourful and refreshing take on the regular lemonade. It is a perfect drink for summer parties and can add colour to any evening or afternoon along with a beautiful smile to your guests' faces. You have to try it to believe how yummy it is!

See the recipe for this lemonade with a twist of strawberry and mint!

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 3) Banana Milkshake

Is there anyone who has never had the good old calcium booster banana milkshake? Everyone has tasted the banana milkshake. This one comes with a pinch of cinnamon to add a beautiful aroma to the milkshake. Perfect to serve to our kids after school or after an hour of play at the park and this one is simplest and easiest of them all and always gulped down ecstatically by children.

See the method to make this super simple banana shake with a pinch of cinnamon!

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4) Strawberry banana smoothie

This one is simple with banana adding its natural sweetness and thickness and strawberries balancing it with their sweet-tangy flavour. I added some honey as I needed it to be more sweet than it was. This pink drink is my go-to breakfast these days.


See the method to make this easy strawberry banana smoothie made healthy with a drizzle of honey!

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5) Sweet Lassi

This one has been a regular drink after our late brunch on most Fridays. Little M and his dad love to stir up this simple drink which is creamy, sweet and every bit refreshing on a hot afternoon. Provide spoons to scoop out the soft and creamy yoghurt peaks and laugh off at spotting a white mustache of cream forming on each others mouth. :-)

See the simple sweet lassi recipe here!

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6) Banana Oats Smoothie

Don't want to eat your oats? Well, why do that if you can simply drink them up! :-)

This one is another snack or breakfast option on busy mornings. Easy to whip up and full of goodness of banana, oats and milk. Sweetened naturally by peanut butter and honey, this beverage will not make you feel guilty at all. One healthy drink to devour this summer!

See the super simple method to make Banana Oats Smoothie here!

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Hope you enjoyed these six drinks that are keeping us cool this summer! I promise to come up with more of such simple beverages that you can make within minutes using regular ingredients always available in the kitchen.

What are your summer favourites to drink up?

Tell me all that delights you during the hot summers!

I would love to read about them!

Thanks for reading! :-)