Blackberry Sage Water

Two sage leaves
One container of washed blackberries

Place this in a large pitcher, smash with a fork and fill with water. Chill overnight before drinking.
As the water is emptied, refill the pitcher three more times before discarding fruit (no longer than 4 days).
Enjoy!

Morning Smoothie

Spinach Basil and Orange Smoothie!

two handfuls of spinach
one cup of orange juice (freshly squeezed if possible)
8 to 10 leaves of basil

Blend for about a minute, until smooth green color is bright!

Enjoy!

Koko Teas :)

I have always been a coffee in the morning and iced tea in the afternoon kind of girl. During a recent trip to Creekside, I came across a new store....because they sell CUPCAKES! Koko Tea Salon is new to the area but not to Columbus. They are in the cutest old house, painted quaint and with such inviting smells! 

I chose the Chamomile Berry because I love both flavors and think that go together great! I followed the directions on the package and added just a splash of vanilla almond milk...making this a relaxing mug of comfort.

Like their Facebook Page and you will get updates on the new tea flavor they are offering - The Peaches and Cream Tea...with real chunks of peaches is going to be the next one that I try. I can imagine that it would be fabulous hot or iced!

New Fun Find: HINT

I am pretty picky about my beverages. I can't drink anything with milk...or my stomach will hate me. I can't drink anything with artificial sweeteners...or my headaches will hate on me. Most flavored waters have some sort of artificial sweeteners in them so I was pleasantly surprised to find Hint. This water literally has just a hint of flavor...and that's all! Not overly sweet. Perfectly refreshing. I bought the watermelon and the raspberry-lime. Try 'em!

My Iced Coffee

My friend Ana loves iced coffee...and I mean LOVES iced coffee. I have never really liked iced coffee. This dislike probably came from the one and only time that I had iced coffee, thirteen or so years ago when I worked at Dunkin' Donuts. So, after realizing my real age and understanding that iced coffee may have changed a bit in the last decade plus...I searched for recipes to try.

 Instead of brewing double strength, hot coffee, I went with a cold brew approach. Taking an empty gallon jug from my iced tea, I poured in 1/2 pound of coffee grounds. Then I filled the gallon to the top with cold water. Put the lid on, give it a good shake and let it sit over night.

 In the morning, line a mesh strainer with cheesecloth and filter out the grounds. Go slowly as the grounds can start to back it all up. You can use a spoon to smush the coffee through (yep, I said smush). Discard the grounds.

There were still some floaties in the liquid, so before I put it in the storage container I strained it again. Place another section of cheesecloth over the container with a rubber band and pour the liquid through.

 I added Vanilla Almond Milk and the Coffee mixture - half and half in a cup with ice. 

Ana is correct...this stuff is GREAT!

Coconut Water Smoothie

Coconut Water Smoothie

by Rebecca Kraynek

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

6023249

Ingredients (serves 3)

• 17 ounce container of Coconut Water, unsweetened
• take a 2 cup measuring cup - fill a third of it with frozen strawberries then fill to the top with frozen sliced peaches
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

Blend in a blender until smooth!

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New Fun Find: Green Machine!

I was grocery shopping and found myself insanely thirsty. I was really in the mood for something smoothie-like but never expected a green one! After a few minutes of trying to make a decision of green and strange or strawberry and normal, I dug deep and bought the green one. This bottle has spinach, broccoli, algae, garlic, wheat grass as well as some sweet fruits. It was fabulous and as always, I made the kids try it...and they liked it :)

Check out of the flavors here: http://nakedjuice.com/our-products/juice/green-machine

Slush Mug

I found this cool mug that turned beverages into slushies! I figured that the kids would love something like this, especially with all of the warm weather coming. As a note from the dietitian...remember that many hidden calories are from beverages. Making a fun slushy from orange soda, as the fun advertisement shows, will add a good (and unneeded) 100 calories (including juices!). So, what does a mom with a slush mug do? Use infused waters for freezing!

Squeeze some lemons, limes and oranges into your water and store in the fridge for everyday hydration as well as using it in the mugs. Or crush a few pieces of fresh pineapple with some mint leaves. Or slice up cucumber with some fresh lemon juice. Smash strawberries with lemon. The combinations could be endless - pick a fresh fruit, vegetable or herb and try it out!

Berry Spinach Smoothies

I am not even kidding you with the title of this post...Berry. Spinach. Smoothies. This is yet another recipe that I read and had to try it to believe it! The whole time I was blending the ingredients, I kept thinking about what else I had in the fridge to make a smoothie. I had promised the kids that we would make smoothies to go with dinner and oh heavens, the tears if this didn't turn out!

Not only did they drink this smoothie, but they LOVED it! With that being said, you will just have to try it to believe it won't you?

1 cup pomegranate juice (you could use apple juice or a mixed berry punch)
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
1 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup fresh raspberries

Stick it all in the blender until smooth (add some extra juice if it's too thick). Enjoy!

My Green Tea

I love tea! I can't really stand hot tea, but any type of iced tea puts me in my glory! I am going to show my recipe to tea...which I make almost twice a week. Now, many of you will laugh at the fact I use drinking water. where we live, the faucets are just caked with deposits and I can't bring myself to drink it. Totally in my head? Probably...but it gets me drinkin' my tea! So, we start with my Kroger brand (taken from a municipal water source) drinking water. I pour 4 cups of it into a measuring cup and microwave it for 5 minutes.

I have two teas that I really like. Green tea with all of its fabulous antioxidants is great for your heart! More and more studies are showing that it's not just green tea that is good for your body, but all teas. Be sure to remember: it is the TEA that is good for you, not the sugar that you use to sweeten it! Drinking sweetened tea can add as much sugar as a regular soda.

Once the water is done in the microwave, plunk 8 tea bags into the measuring cup. I let mine stand for about 5 minutes. Longer is fine if you like a stronger tea. Squeeze the tea bags out and pour the tea back into the gallon of water. TEA!

Want some tips to get more green tea in your diet? Try using hot green tea to make your oatmeal in the morning or to cook your rice in the evening. Add green tea to smoothies instead of milk. You can freeze green tea into a granita or popsicle for a hot summer day. You can also freeze green tea as ice cubes and add it to your juice or lemonade.