Healthy drink recipes for summer

Well folks, summer is knocking at our front door and most of us are looking for healthy drink recipes that won’t pile on the pounds. We all know that the best thing to drink is water, but that sure gets boring after a while. However, it is just one of the many beverages that offer health benefits. In this article there will be great tasting healthy drink recipes and a couple that will actually help you shed some of those unwanted winter pounds. Having a variety of healthy drink recipes at your fingertips will make getting the water your body needs each day, approximately 9 to 13 cups for adults, more enjoyable.

How to make infused water

Have fun with this, try different combinations to come up with your own healthy drink recipes. Give the ingredients a good wash or rinse. You can leave the fruits or veggies peeled or unpeeled. Use organic if you can and avoid any fruit that’s bruised or overly ripe, or herbs that don’t look fresh. Add the fruit, herbs, spices or whatever you want to use into cool water. Or you could add it to the container and then fill it up with water. Use thin slices or small cubes because the flavor will infuse more quickly.

Let the water sit for a few hours to allow the flavors to infuse. The longer it sits, the more flavorful the water will be. Some fruits or herbs will infuse more quickly than others. Citrus is pretty instant. Herbs take a little longer. Berries take a few hours and will also release color into the water. Put the infused water in the fridge immediately after making it, but it doesn’t hurt to let it sit at room temperature for a little while. However, you should keep it in the fridge or put ice in it if you aren’t planning on using it right away.

Pour a glass and enjoy! You can refill the water a few times and let it infuse again, but the flavors won’t be as pronounced.

When muddling is called for:
To properly muddle fruit, herbs, or spices, it is important to have the glass free of ice. Muddling typically occurs as the first or second step in cocktail making. For instance, with a mojito, torn mint leaves are gently muddled at the bottom of the mixing glass to release the essential oils in the leaves. The motion is very similar to that of a cat kneading a human. The muddler is pressed down and twisted about a half turn each time, and, depending on the item being muddled (fruit generally takes more turns, herbs and spices less), four to six turns will generally suffice.

If you don’t own a muddler yet, pick one up and you’ll find a whole new world of healthy drink recipes will opened up to you.

Here are some of my favorite healthy drink recipes for infused water that won’t pile on the pounds

Strawberry Lemon Basil Water:

4-6 strawberries, hulled and quartered | 1/2 lemon, sliced | Small handful of basil, scrunched | Ice and cold filtered water

Fill your juice pitcher to the top with ice and fruit. Slightly scrunch up the basil so it releases its flavor. Cover with cold filtered water. This water is best if you let the water infuse at least 1 hour. For instant flavor, poke a few holes in your fruit with a fork for instant flavor.

Blueberry Orange Water

6 cups water | 2 mandarin oranges,cut into wedges | A handful of blueberries | Ice

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher and put in the fridge for 2-24 hours to allow the water to infuse. You can also squeeze in the juice of one mandarin orange and muddle the blueberries to intensify flavor a bit. Serve cold.

Strawberry, Lime, Cucumber and Mint Water

1 cup sliced strawberries | 1 cup sliced cucumbers | 2 limes, sliced | 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves | Ice cubes | Water
In a half-gallon jar, or a 2 quart pitcher, layer the strawberries, cucumbers, lime slices, and mint leaves with the ice cubes. Fill jar or pitcher with water. Let chill for 10 minutes, and then enjoy!

I can get 2-4 fill-ups out of one batch of flavorings, but you might want to change out your flavorings sooner for stronger flavor. Feel free to use sparkling water instead of still water. Obviously, the longer the water sits, the stronger the flavor. It’s mild at first, but after a few hours (or overnight) it’s quite strong.

These healthy drink recipes are fun and great to serve at gatherings

Raspberry Fizz
In a juice glass, muddle a small handful of raspberries, top with ice and sparkling water. Stir well to combine before you drink!

Herb Cooler
Muddle a few sprigs of mint and cilantro and a couple of basil leaves in the bottom of a glass with a squeeze of lemon juice. Add a handful of ice and top off with soda water for a refreshing herbal treat.

Ginger Lime Mocktail
¼ cup lime juice (freshly squeezed) | 1 teaspoon zested ginger, I use my microplane zester | 12 drops stevia (optinal) | 18 ounces sparkling water

Combine all ingredients in a jar and stir. Pour over ice into 2 cocktail glasses and garnish with lime wedges. Serve

Here are a couple of healthy drink recipes that will help you get rid of those extra pounds

Flat Tummy Water
6 cups filtered water | 1 TBL grated ginger | 1 cucumber, sliced | 1 lemon, sliced | 1/3 cup mint leaves

Layer all ingredients in a pitcher. Fill the pitcher with water and let infuse overnight. Drink all day for a refreshing, flavorful drink.

Fat Flush Water
1/2 gallon water | 6 wedges grapefruit | 1 tangerine, sliced | ½ cucumber, sliced | 2 peppermint or mint leaves | Ice

Rinse grapefruit, tangerine, cucumber and mint leaves. Slice cucumber, grapefruit, and tangerine (or peel). Combine all ingredients in a half gallon pitcher. Allow the ingredients to sit for 2 hours for maximum benefits. Drink throughout the day.

Drink 8 ounces before each meal 3 times a day for 10 days and marvel at the results.

With all these great ideas summer refreshment and hydration is no longer just water, it’s a whole lot more!