Photo by Pete Nielson

Too hot to eat

By Pete Nielson
Food Editor

The dog days of summer are here and they seem to be hotter than I can remember in a long time. I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand eating anything when it’s sweltering hot outside. I especially don’t want a hot meal. I have been doing my share of labor-type jobs this summer, and I know that I need to eat. So what can a guy eat that’s cool, filling, and still tastes good?

Smoothies have been the rage for a few years and they seem to be gaining popularity around the FM area. There are a number of juice and smoothie-type bars that have opened their doors. I have had smoothies at Tea Berry in downtown Fargo, along with some different drinks from places like Fusion and similar type powdered smoothie places. They all seem to make about the same types of drinks: powdered supplements with some fruit and juice. These are all fine products, my favorite coming from TeaBerry. I want something truly filling and not made with powder supplements.

I have been making my own breakfast smoothie for a while now. This is the perfect start to a day when you know that the temperatures are going to be breaching the triple digits. With just a little effort every weekend, I can make the mixes for an entire week and freeze them. I try and use fresh berries as much as possible, especially since there is a stand on every major street in south Fargo. You could also go to a number of farms in the area where you can pick your own fresh strawberries. The extras can be washed, placed on baking sheets, and frozen for later use. This leaves me with breakfast ready-to-go every morning or a snack for later in the day.

Berry Protein Smoothie
Makes 5 servings
1 quart Greek yogurt
4 lbs fresh berries (frozen if you want)
Chunky peanut butter
Soy protein powder (vanilla)
5 ripe bananas
1 ¼ cup organic instant oatmeal

The yogurt mix
1 cup yogurt
½ cup fresh (frozen) berries
2 Tbls chunky peanut butter
1 scoop protein powder
1 banana sliced
¼ oatmeal

Method
1. Place all ingredients in a blender or container.
2. Blend
3. Enjoy

I use small, plastic to-go soup containers to make all of my smoothies in. Place them in the freezer, and you have snacks that are ready to go anytime. Allow the frozen mix to thaw for a day in the fridge and blend with an emersion blender or stand-up blender. If you don’t want the smoothies as thick as I make them, add a little juice or soy milk to thin the smoothie out.

The yogurt mix is great and fills a person up for hours. I really can’t stand being overly full on hot days, and this works just about perfectly for breakfast or an afternoon snack, giving me plenty of energy to get through a morning of construction work or just to toss in my backpack for a cool snack while I am out riding my bike.

Eat well; your body will appreciate it.
Pete Nielson

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