There’s not a tremendous amount of variety in my life when it comes to beverages. However, I can promise that everything I’m drinking usually smells good, is fun to explain, or is bright with color – at least that’s what my children tell me.
Inevitably, people stare at the strange stuff in my mason jar, or see the weird liquid brewing or fermenting on my kitchen counter, and then the question comes: Leslie, what are you drinking??? So I thought I’d break it down for you and maybe these things will become part of your life too!
Water
This one is pretty self-explanatory, folks. I have a big old 30-ounce stainless steel cup that I fill a few times a day. That way I am sure that I am getting enough H2O. Sometimes I like to infuse my water with flavors like strawberry or lemon, but mostly, I just drink plain water.
Green Smoothie/Smoothie
Here’s where the bright colors come in, Sometimes my smoothies are bright green, bright red, bright orange, or…brown (but try not to judge a smoothie by its color – it might still be delicious). Sometimes the colors just all blend together to look like mud. There are so many different smoothie recipes out there and I like experimenting with different combinations of ingredients. But for the most part I mentally follow this blender guide to make sure I’m packing my smoothies with a whole lot of nutritious things.
- First I start with a liquid. Usually this is water, but sometimes it is also some combination of water, coconut water, water kefir, or plant/nut milk (coconut, hemp, almond, cashew, etc.).
- Then I add veggies and fruit. Veggies could be spinach, kale, swiss chard, etc. (that’s what makes the smoothies green), or other colored deliciousness like carrots or beets. I also think of fruit as my sweetener, so if I choose fruits that aren’t particularly sweet (like berries as opposed to bananas), I also add some kind of sweetener like dates or a little raw honey.
- Next I add a protein. Some options for this are chia seeds, hemp seeds, nuts (usually I go with almonds or cashews but not if I’m using a nut milk or nut butter), nut butter, collagen powder, and protein powder (check the ingredients on these. They definitely are not all created equal).
- Then there are the “add-ins.” Options here might include flax, probiotics, coconut oil, avocado, carob powder, maca powder, dolomite powder, or other supplements.
And there you have it. Just have fun and blend some stuff up!
Water Kefir
This one is definitely fun to explain. Also called Tibicos, water kefir is a natural, probiotic drink that I brew myself. There is another kind of kefir called milk kefir that is made with milk, whereas this one is brewed with water. It tastes like a natural soda and can be flavored in different ways using fruit. To brew the kefir, you need water kefir grains (which aren’t actually a grain like wheat or rice) and sugar water. The grains look like little, clear, gelatinous beads that are actually a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. They feed off the sugar, producing carbon dioxide gas in the fermentation process (that’s what makes it soda-like), and what is left is the probiotic drink. Water kefir grains reproduce themselves so chances are, if you find someone who makes their own kefir, they will be able to share some grains with you so that you can get started on brewing too!
Turmeric Tea
This beautiful, bright orange spice has an impressive list of benefits, including fighting inflamation in the body and protecting the heart. Right now there are two different recipes that I use for this tea, also called “golden milk.” I alternate between the two recipes depending on what I am in the mood for.
The first recipe is coconut milk (full fat, not lite, and not containing a bunch of ingredients you can’t even pronounce, if you are using canned milk) and a little water – about 6 to 8 oz total. Heat and then mix with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and allspice, all to taste. Don’t forget a dash of black pepper, which the body needs to better absorb the turmeric (along with the fat from the coconut milk). I sweeten the tea with a bit of honey.
Here is a video of the other recipe that I really like from The Paleo Secret.
The written instructions are as follows:
To a saucepan, add 2 cups of coconut milk, ½ tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp coconut oil, 1 tsp to 1 tbsp turmeric paste, 1 tsp chopped ginger, 4-6 black peppercorns (I sometimes use a pinch of black pepper sprinkled onto the top of my tea instead), a pinch of stevia (I use raw honey instead and add this directly into my mug). Whisk together, cover the pot, and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the tea through a fine mesh strainer to get rid of the peppercorns and ginger, then pour it into a mug. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
I love the tip on making the turmeric paste in relatively large quantity and storing in the refrigerator, especially if you are drinking the tea daily. To make the turmeric paste add ½ cup water and ¼ cup turmeric to a small saucer. Whisk over gentle heat for 7-10 minutes. Add a little more water if necessary. Store the paste in a small glass container for up to two weeks.
Herbal Tea
Last but not least, this is the stuff that is often wafting out of my mug, tickling the noses of anyone close enough to me to smell it. That’s because there are a host of things I could possibly have steeping in there including peppermint, rose hips, red raspberry leaf, ashwagandha, yellow dock root, lavender, and elderberry. I often make my own teas, drying out the leaves in my dehydrator, or purchasing dried leaves and roots to combine for the tea. My favorite tea is red rooibos tea. It is grown in South Africa and naturally contains no caffeine.
Occasionally, when I want something rich and creamy, but different than the turmeric tea above, I’ll make a chicory/dandelion root “latte” or a matcha “latte.”
Yum!
