Now that the summer heat is in full force, here is a list of ten treats to help you and your family cool off. Enjoy poolside, under a shady tree, or in the comforts of your air-conditioned home.

1.       Homemade slushies—Take advantage of blueberry season and make this simple slushie: blend ¾ cup lemonade mix, two cups water, three cups of ice, and two cups of fresh or frozen blueberries in a blender until slushy. Serves six.

2.       Homemade snow cones—Prep simple snow cones by crushing ice in a snow cone maker or food processor and adding your own syrup. The internet offers up a variety of flavor combinations. These are our top three favorite syrups: For a strawberry snow cone syrup, combine 1 pound of fresh or frozen strawberries with 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water and blend. For a mango snow cone syrup, combine two ripe mangos, peeled and diced, with ¾ cup of sugar, 1 cup of water, and 1 tsp. of vanilla extract. For a kiwi snow cone syrup, combine 3 cups of kiwi, peeled and diced, with a ¼ cup of spinach leaves for added color, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 cup of water. Each makes 30 servings. The syrup can be stored in fridge for up to two months.

3.       Homemade freezer pops: I order special freezer popcicle bags online (www.zipzicles.com) and make my own freezer pops. There are many recipes on the zipzicle website. My kids love these three combinations:  For pineapple orange popcicles, blend 1 pineapple, peeled and cut, and 2 cups orange juice, pour into bag, and freeze. For root beer float pops, blend 18 fl. oz. root beer and six cups of vanilla ice cream, pour into bag, and freeze. For a strawberry lemonade freezer pop, mix five cups of strawberries and six cups of lemonade in a blender, pour into bag, and freeze. Each makes about a dozen popcicles.

4.        Homemade copycat Orange Juliuses: As a kind of the 1980’s, I loved splurging on an Orange Julius at the mall. Here’s a copycat recipe you can try at home: Blend ¾ cup of frozen, unsweetened orange juice, one cup milk, ¼ cup of powdered sugar, one cup of water, one tsp. of vanilla extract, and eight ice cubes. Yum! Makes about four servings.

5.       Trader Joe’s Sublime ice cream sandwiches: Another childhood favorite summertime treat of mine? Chipwiches! Trader Joe’s has its own version that is a top seller, the Sublime ice cream sandwich. Or make your own by sticking a scoop of vanilla or chocolate chip ice cream between two chocolate chip cookies.

6.       Root beer floats: You can’t go wrong with a good old fashioned root beer float. Or, try making your own cherry soda and adding a scoop or two of ice cream. For the cherry soda, combine 1 cup of frozen cherries and 1 cup of water in a pot. Bring to a boil on high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about three minutes until sugar dissolves and cherries defrost and soften. Pour the syrup through a strainer into a bowl and discard cherries. Chill the syrup in the fridge in an air-tight container. Divide 16 oz. of seltzer water into glasses filled with ice, add 1 Tbsp. of the cherry syrup and stir. Garnish with fresh cherries and enjoy. Makes two glasses. Leftover syrup can be stored in fridge for a month.

7.       Banana split shakes: Sure, you can make a traditional banana split, or try this recipe for a banana split shake: 1 small ripe banana, ¼ cup skim milk, five maraschino cherries, drained, 1 Tbsp. light chocolate syrup, 1/8 tsp. coconut extract, and 4 cups low-fat chocolate frozen yogurt. Blend banana, milk, cherries, syrup, and extract in a blender. Add frozen yogurt one cup at a time. Garnish with cherries. Serves four.

8.       Frozen banana treats: Speaking of bananas, for a simple treat, you can freeze a banana on a skewer, then dip it in melted chocolate and roll in rainbow sprinkles, and let sit until set. Or, you can sprinkle grapes with a bit of sugar in a bag and freeze until ready to eat.

9.       Peanut butter and jelly smoothies: For another yummy, healthy treat for the kids, combine in a blender 1 cup frozen blueberries, 1 banana, ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, two tablespoons of peanut butter, and one tablespoon of honey. If the smoothie is too thick, keep adding 1 Tbsp. of water at a time until you achieve the desired texture. Makes two 8 oz. smoothies.

10.   Hit the ice cream shop: Rather indulge without the work? Head to your favorite ice cream shop. You can’t beat Carl’s Frozen Custard in Fredericksburg, which has something for everyone on the menu: frozen custard, sundaes, shakes, and cones.