gettingahealthybody:Admit it, flavored water is fun. Throw in a bunch of your craziest combination
gettingahealthybody: Admit it, flavored water is fun. Throw in a bunch of your craziest combinations together or your favorite fruits together and you might never look back! Better yet, it’s a great activity to do with your kids and the variety of colors in the water may just attract them. Moreover, aside from getting your hydration in, you are also downing the extra vitamins and minerals from the various herbs, veggies and fruits you put in. Do you need any more convincing? Tips about flavored water: Fresh vs. frozen fruit. When in season, I prefer to use fresh fruit. However, when fruit is out of season, the fresh version can be tart or flavorless. Because fruit that is to be frozen is picked at the peak of ripeness, it is often the better option for the best flavor, sweetness, and nutrients. I find this to especially to be the case with berries and peaches. A variety of fresh herbs. Use whatever herbs you like or happen to have on hand. I picked all of these from my herb garden and have tried them in flavored waters. It’s surprising how well they blend with most fruit flavors, and they amp up the refreshing factor of the water. Mint is the most obvious herb choice. I also have tried basil, rosemary, sage, thyme, lavender, and tarragon. All good. WASH FRUIT THOROUGHLY! The citrus and berries need to be really, really clean to keep contaminants and bacteria out of your flavored water. I recommend organic fruit, if it isn’t going to be peeled. Use your veggies too. Have leftover carrots or cucumber from cooking? Throw them in! Recipes #1 Minty Cucumber Lime ½ a cucumber, sliced½ a lime, sliced¼ cup fresh mint leaves Strawberry-Lemon with Basil ½ cup sliced strawberries½ a lemon, sliced¼ cup fresh basil leaves Watermelon Mint 1 cup cubed watermelon¼ cup fresh mint leaves Pineapple-Orange with Ginger ½ cup cubed pineapple½ an orange, sliced1 tablespoon freshly-grated ginger What You’ll Need: 1-quart jars Water Wooden Spoon Agave or another sweetener (optional) What to Do: Choose which recipe you’re making — or come up with your own combination — and gather all of the ingredients. Place the fruit, herbs, and/or spices in the bottom of one of the glass jars, and muddle with a wooden spoon. (That basically means mash up the fruit in the bottom of the jar to release some of the flavor-filled juices.) Fill the jar with water and give it a taste. (You can also fill the jar with seltzer water for a fizzy treat.) If you’d like something a bit sweeter, try adding some agave (and mix until dissolved). Enjoy as-is or refrigerate overnight for maximum flavor. Recipes #2: All Citrus Flavored Water 1 orange, 1 lime, 1 lemon, Water Raspberry + Lime Flavored Water Pineapple + Mint Flavored Water Blackberry + Sage Flavored Water Watermelon + Rosemary Flavored Water Recipes #3 Well, here are just some of the combinations you could toy with. Watermelon and mint (pictured above) Cucumber and mint Lemon and mint Cherry and lime Watermelon and cucumber Ginger and lemon Orange and pineapple Lemon and lavender Lime and mint Cucumber and lime Lemon and basil Strawberry and mint Blackberry and ginger Lemon and blueberry Thyme and blackberries Cucumber and rosemary Cantaloupe and watermelon Cucumber, lemon, and mint Lemon and lime Strawberry and basil Cranberry juice and lemon (use a capful of unsweetened cranberry juice) Ginger and lime Pineapple and mango Strawberries and lime Orange, lime, and lemon Lemon and a pinch of cayenne Papaya and mango Carrots, grapefruits, cucumber, mint, lemon. This list is non-exhaustive, so don’t stop here. Be creative and who knows you might just discover your personal favorite. Enjoy drinking your way to health! :D -- source link