Ways A Dairy-Free, Hypoglycemic Stays Cool in the Summer

Welcome to Rhode Island summer. Down pouring, switching between raining and hardcore raining, day in and day out. Next week? Down to the 60’s, cloudy, some sun, a few showers now and again. The weekend? Hot. Hot and humid.

Gotta love summer.

One of my favorite parts of summer as a kid?

Ice cream.

(Okay, well it was one of my favorite parts of the other four seasons as well…But it’s a staple for summer.)

Not being able to eat ice cream is kind of a downer. I don’t just avoid it for the dairy (it’s a big reason though); I also stay away from it because of the sugar. In my opinion I don’t need to eat something that high in calories and fat and then 15 minutes later need to eat MORE to keep my blood sugar up. The sugar is the reason I don’t eat many substitutes, like almond milk or coconut milk ice cream. They’re really good if you get the right brands, but I run into the same issue because of the sugar.

So the Peanut Butter Queen (as I’ve been dubbed around here) went to work finding other ways to cool down. Frozen steak on the back works pretty well too, but it’s not as filling. (The Boy thought he’d try being funny at a Memorial Day cookout.)

1. Sorbet.

Preferably homemade sorbet or a decent store bought brand so you’re not taking in more ingredients than you need. But even with this, I have to deal with the sugar issues. Silly hypoglycemia.

Mango and peanut butter is my favorite.

2. Veggie Salads.

Cold vegetable salads are a great way to keep cool. They tend to have the exact opposite of sugary foods. Being full of fiber they keep you pretty full. Also, since you’re not cooking it at all, the veggies retain all of their nutrients. I usually dress it with just it with peanut butter, but I’m sure there are many other acceptable alternatives.

3. Fruit.

Fresh fruit and peanut butter are a match to be rivaled. My favorites are strawberries and raspberries. For anyone who loves chocolate and berries, try these with Dark Chocolate Dreams stuffed inside. SO GOOD. For strawberries, just core them, and fill them with whatever peanut butter you want.

4. Frozen Peas.

People think this particular dish is especially weird. I’m so sure why though. Frozen peas and peanut butter. (Or just frozen peas). I have yet to do it, but frozen grapes (as I’ve heard) are also quite tasty. I used to chow down on frozen peas when I was a baby, so I figured why not.

5. Cucumber.

There are two ways you can cool off with cucumber. A classic way and a Hannah way. The classic way is to slice it (peeled or not, your choice) and then soak it in vinegar with salt and pepper. The Hannah way, slice it and top it each slice with peanut butter. Either is acceptable and quite yummy.

These are pretty much my five favorite ways of staying cool (and healthy) during the summer time. I could probably think up more, but in all honesty, I just don’t want to. Plus, if it’s five it makes a nice alliteration with favorite.