The GAIA Health Blog

Get creative this summer with awesome delicious fruity drink recipes, while avoiding those cheap ingredients and toxic sweeteners.

my current favorite sweeteners are…….

UMF Manuka Honey
(mixes well in blender, one of the healthiest things you could ever put in your body)

Coconut Palm Sugar
(perfect substitute for recipes requiring processed sugar, brown sugar, or simple syrup mix)

Coconut Water
(I STRONGLY ADVISE trying to incorporate this EXTREMELY HEALTHY, natural way to add sweetness to a drink.
I recommend Taste Nirvana Coconut Water)

Super Ripe Fruit!!!
(if applicable to recipe, really ripe fruit sweetens up a drink to where often that's all the sweetener I need)

….my list of Sweeteners to Avoid

(Quick note on Alcohol…..)
(if you're not a big alcohol drinker, you can swap in a light wine into a recipe requiring vodka/gin, etc., or just add a few drops of alcohol, as I often just add a few drops of my fav' Caribbean Rum instead of the full dose of alcohol. Or, you can make it Virgin)
"Everything in Moderation, including Moderation" -Ben Franklin 🙂

Peach Lemonade

• 4 cups water
• 2 cups coarsely chopped peaches
• 3/4 cup Ultimate Sweetener Birch Tree Xylitol or quality honey such as Makuka or Pure Stevia (without maltodextrin), Ultimate Sweetener Xylitol taste better however 
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
• 4 cups ice
• 1 peach, cut into 8 wedges

Preparation

1. Combine the first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes. Place peach mixture in a blender; let stand for 20 minutes. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid. Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

2. Press peach mixture through a sieve over a bowl, reserving liquid; discard solids. Stir in lemon juice. Place 1/2 cup ice in each of 8 glasses. Pour about 2/3 cup lemonade into each glass; garnish each glass with 1 peach wedge.

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Rosewater-Lime Watermellon Drink

Optional amounts quallity honey such as Manuka, or Birch Tree Xylitol
1 small seedless watermelon
Fresh-squeezed lime juice to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons rose water
Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
Ice cubes

Preparation:

Remove rind and any seeds from the watermelon. Cut the watermelon into roughly 1/4 to 1/2-inch cubes and place in a large bowl. Add lime juice, rose water, and a pinch of salt. Sweetener is not mandatory, but if wanted,  add your desired amount. Real raw honey is my first choice, after that Birch Tree Xylitol. (see my post on AVOIDING ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS AND TABLE SUGAR!!!!)

Add approximately 1 cup of ice cubes per pound of watermelon. Set the bowl in the refrigerator for approximately 2 hours or until the ice cubed have mostly melted. When ready to serve. remove from refrigerator and add any additional lime juice and/or rose water as needed for your taste. Can also add Pink Himalayan Salt to rim of glass, similar to a margarita.

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Ultimate Rum Punch (Alcoholic)

• 3/8 cup golden or amber rum
• 1/4 cup coconut rum
• 1/8 cup apricot brandy
• 1/2 cup real pineapple juice
• 3/8 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1/8 cup fresh squeezed pink grapefruit juice
• Garnish: Limes, sliced
•  

Preparation

• Combine all ingredients in a shake and shake well.
• Pour over ice to serve.
• Garnish with lime slices

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Old Fashioned Pink Lemonade

1 cup Ultimate Sweetener Birch Tree Xylitol or quality honey such as Manuka
1 cups water
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup cranberry juice
5 cups water

Method

1. Combine 1 cup xylitol and 1 cup water in saucepan. Bring to a boil an dstir to dissolve. Let cool.

2. Add sweetened water, lemon juice, cranberry juice and water in 2 quart pitcher. Stir to combine and serve over ice.

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Purple Lavender Mojito

10 to 15 mint leaves
10 to 15 blueberries
1 ounce lavender syrup*
Juice of 1/2 of a pressed lime
1 1/2 ounces white rum Club soda (I swap out with sparkling water and add a little optional rum to avoid cheap sugars)

1. In a tall glass, muddle mint leaves, simple syrup or lavender syrup, lime juice, blueberries.
2. Muddle just enough to combine flavors, being careful not to over-muddle. Fill glass ice. Top with and sparkling water/optional rum and stir.
3. Garnish with 3 blueberries on a pick. Serve with a straw.

*Lavender Simple Syrup

2 cups water
2 cups Birch Tree Xylitol Sweetener   or quality honey such as Manuka
2 tablespoons dried lavender blossoms

1. Bring ingredients to a boil in saucepan, stirring so that the Xylitol dissolves. Reduce heat and continue stirring until all the Xylitol sugar has dissolved.
2. Remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes. Remove lavender blossoms and allow syrup to cool. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated .

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layered fruit gazpacho

10 ounces frozen raspberries, thawed
2 tablespoons quality honey such as Manuka
12 ounces unsweetened lemon-lime sparkling water (although true healthy junkies will not use sparkling water to stay 100% natural)
5 kiwis, peeled
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 cup roughly chopped cantaloupe
4 kiwi slices, for garnish
 

Instructions

In the basin of a food processor or blender, combine raspberries and honey. Pulse or blend until pureed. Strain raspberry puree through a fine mesh sieve and discard seeds. Mix in lemon-lime sparkling water and set aside.

Combine the peeled kiwi and lime juice in the clean basin of a food processor or blender. Pulse or blend until pureed. Set aside. Add the cantaloupe in the clean basin of a food processor or blender. Pulse or blend until pureed. Set aside. To layer gazpacho, gently spoon equal amounts of kiwi puree into each of four bowls or glasses. Repeat with cantaloupe puree and raspberry puree. Garnish with kiwi slices.

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Sparkling Sea Breeze Punch (Alcohlic)

• 4 cups cranberry juice cocktail, chilled
• 4 cups pink grapefruit juice, chilled
• 2 cup cranberry vodka, chilled
• 2 bottle sparkling white wine, chilled
• Garnish: pink grapefruit wheels or wedges

Preparation

1. Mix cranberry juice cocktail, grapefruit juice, and cranberry vodka in a pitcher l.

2. Gently stir in sparkling wine.

3. Garnish with pink grapefruit wheels.

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Papaya-Ginger Smoothie

2 1/2 cups papaya (Solo or Mexican) chunks

1 cup ice cubes

2/3 cup quality organic yogurt

1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 tablespoon quality honey, my fav is Manuka Honey

Juice of 2 lemons

16 fresh mint leaves, plus 4 sprigs for garnish

Refrigerate Papaya until very cold, preferably overnight

Blend papaya, ice, yogurt, ginger, honey, and lemon juice in a blender. Add up to 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture is smooth and thinned to desired consistency. Blend in mint leaves. Garnish with mint sprigs.

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"Cool School" Flavored Waters

Watermelon/Lemon/Strawberry Water — add 2 cups of cubed, seedless watermelon, 1 sliced lemon and 4 hulled and sliced strawberries to 1 half-gallon of water.

Peach/Blueberry Water — add 2 sliced peaches (skin peeled off) and 1 cup of blueberries to 1 half-gallon of water.

Cucumber/Mint Water – add 1/2 of a sliced cucumber (skin peeled off) and a handful of fresh mint springs to 1 half-gallon of water. For some color, you can also add strawberries!

Orange/Lemon/Lime Water – add 1 sliced orange, 1 sliced lemon and one 1 sliced lime to 1 half-gallon of water. If your kids aren’t afraid of “green” floaties, try adding mint and rosemary sprigs too.

Melon Water – add 1 cup of cubed honeydew melon and 1 cup of cubed cantaloupe to 1 half-gallon of water.

Grape Frozen water — add 1 cup of frozen grapes and 1 cup of frozen sliced apples to 1 half-gallon of water.

"Whatever floats your boat" Frozen Water – Whatever frozen fruits come to mind added to water, get creative, style points count!!!!!!

For each mixture refrigerate immediately and allow 1-2 hours for the flavors to infuse. Using a clear pitcher is always best so you can see all the pretty colors and fruits as you drink it.

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Papaya-Orange Drink

-3 cups unsweetened orange juice, chilled
-1 ripe papaya, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
 

-2 tablespoons lime juice
-1 1/4 cups seltzer water or carbonated water, (serious health food junkies omit the sparkling waters to keep any drink recipes 100% natural
 

Optional Pink Himalayan Salt (With sweet fruity summer drinks, I love to coat the rum of my glass with pink Himalayan salt, similar to what you would do with a Margarita. It gives such a  good balance to the sweet taste of fruit drinks

Directions
1. Combine the orange juice and papaya in a blender in batches and puree.
2. Combine the orange-papaya puree with the lime juice and seltzer.

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Cucumber Mint Lime Aqua Fresca

1 lb of cucumbers (about 2 good sized cucumbers), ends trimmed, but peel still on, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup lime juice from fresh limes (from about 1 pound of limes, or 5 to 10 limes, depending on how juicy they are)

1 1/4 cup packed (spearmint) mint leaves (about a large handful), woody stems removed

1/2 cup Ultimate Sweetener Birch Tree Xylitol or Manuka Honey
Approximately 1 1/4 cup of water

Put ingredients in blender, add enough water to fill 3/4 of blender. Hold the lid on the blender and purée until smooth. Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and pour the purée through it, pressing against the sieve with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid out as possible.

 Fill a large pitcher halfway with ice cubes. Add the juice. Serve with sprigs of mint and slices of lime.

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Funky Fresh Frozen Fruit Water

I can't take the credit for this one but it is such a cool summer idea.

No recipe really dust add your favorite fruit to ice trays, fill with water and freeze.

add these frozen fruity bursts to water, or any other summer drink.

Add a bunch to a clear pitcher of a light colored drink and have it be the talk of the summer party.

Also, a fun way to get kids to drink water and put down the soda

Can also freeze mint leaves, mix and match, get creative!!!!

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Mint Iced Tea

7 cups of water for boiling tea
Birch Tree Xylitol, or varied amount of quality liquid honey such as Manuka Honey

tea bags orange pekoe tea (or similar tea)
fresh mint
cold water
orange juice
lemon juice
Ice cubes Fresh mint sprigs
 

In a large saucepan combine the 7 cups water and 2 cups sugar. Bring to boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add tea bags and 8 mint sprigs; cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove tea bags and mint sprigs; discard.

Transfer tea to a heatproof 1-1 /2- to 2-gallon bowl or container. Add the 8 cups cold water, orange juice, and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 2 days. Serve tea over ice and garnish with additional mint sprigs. Makes 16 to 18 8-ounce servings.

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Grapefruit Strawberry Drink

• 1 quart fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
• 1 quart seltzer, or sparkling water
• 1 strawberry
• Optional Birch Tree Xylitol, quality soney such as Manuka, or real stevia if you want it sweeter

Preparation

1. For each drink, fill a tall glass with ice. Pour in equal amounts pink grapefruit juice and seltzer and give mixture a stir. (Start with 1 quart each grapefruit juice and seltzer.) Garnish with a strawberry and serve immediately with a straw. Serves 8.

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~stay healthy~

check out all my "Cool School" posts within
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