Beverage Options: When plain water bores you to tears!

In our family, we are split right down the middle when it comes to what we grab to quench our thirst. Hannah, Georgie, and I typically only reach for water—and the fellas Darin, Jack, and Charlie like an occasional diet soda, iced coffee, or jumbo glass of juice.  Honestly, I'm tempted sometimes by their flavors and options but—every time I get a soda or anything other than water I don't like it. It's too sweet or tastes like chemicals, or is just kinda yuck.

So the girls and I have been playing around with infused water options. Also known as detox water or fruit-flavored water; infused water can be any combination of fruits, veggies, or herbs soaked in cold water. Infused water isn't a new idea—it's been around for a long time—you can even find fruit infusing water bottles on Amazon. We've just never tried it—with everyone at home right now, we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to test it. 
The results are in and we waited too long—these recipes are nummy, super-duper simple, and offer the variety I've been craving. 

Here are five water recipes and one that is a bit more "juicy." If you suffer from water boredom from time to time—these ideas that will help you drink more water while keeping you hydrated and refreshed!  

1. CUCUMBER MINT INFUSED WATER By Lacey Baier

Ingredients
Cucumber Mint Infused Water
  • 1/3 cup roughly 6-8 thick slices english cucumber
  • 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
  • 1 quart cold or room temperature water 
Instructions
  1. Add the cucumber and mint  to the bottom of a sealable bottle or 1 quart mason jar.
  2. Pour in cold water.
  3. Stir to mix well.
  4. Let the water get infused at room temperature for 1-2 hours or refrigerated for about 3-4 hours before drinking it.  (Infusing for up to 8 hours will make it pretty strong, if you prefer that.)
  5. If you didn’t get to drinking your water within 12 hours, I recommend removing the fruit at that point and storing without the fruit so the flavor doesn’t become too powerful and overwhelming.  Then, you could store it in the fridge for a couple days that way.   
Source: https://www.asweetpeachef.com/infused-water-recipes/

Source: https://www.asweetpeachef.com/infused-water-recipes/ 

2. PEAR, GINGER AND LIME WATER By Cathy Wong

To make pear, ginger, and lime water, add the following ingredients to a glass:
  • 2 slices of pear, cut into smaller pieces
  • 1 slice of lime, cut in half
  • 1/4 inch thin slice of ginger
If you would like to bring out more of the gingery taste, try scoring the ginger piece to release the juice.

Add the ingredients to a glass and fill it with water. Let it sit for 12 to 24 hours before drinking it.

Use a firm pear, as a ripe pear will get mushy when soaked in water. 
Source:  https://www.verywellfit.com/detox-water-89123

Source: https://www.verywellfit.com/detox-water-89123 

3. STRAWBERRY LEMON WATER By Lena Abraham

Ingredients
1/2 c. sliced strawberries
1/2 lemon, sliced into rounds and halved, plus more for garnish 
 
Ice Cube Preparation
1/3 c. 1-in. rosemary sprigs
Filtered water

Instructions 
  1. Make rosemary ice cubes: Place a sprig of rosemary into each ice cube mold. Fill tray with filtered water and place in freezer for 6 hours, up to overnight, until frozen.
  2. Make infused water of your choice: Place ingredients into glass and add rosemary ice cubes. Top with filtered water and stir. Garnish and serve. 
https://www.delish.com/entertaining/recipes/a58370/energy-boosting-infused-waters-recipe/

Source: https://www.delish.com/entertaining/recipes/a58370/energy-boosting-infused-waters-recipe/ 

4. LEMON CAYENNE PEPPER WATER  By Danielle Fahrenkrug

This detoxing drink is slightly spicy with a sweet combination of cayenne pepper, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, fresh ginger and Stevia liquid drops to sweetened.

Cayenne pepper is spicy and burns- in a good way! Like most spicy foods, cayenne pepper is fantastic to rev-up the metabolism! This recipe has metabolism boosting ingredients and anti-inflammatory properties from adding fresh ginger, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. 

Ingredients 
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 3 pieces fresh ginger small slices
  • liquid Stevia few drops to sweeten to desired taste
  • ice
Instructions 
In a glass add ice, water, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, apple cider vinegar, fresh ginger and a few drops of liquid Stevia (to sweeten to desired taste). Mix well and enjoy! If you like ginger, eat it after finishing the water. For more ginger flavor, after mixing the ingredients together let the water set for 1 hour in the refrigerator before drinking. Add more ice if preferred. 
https://delightfulmomfood.com/detox-water-recipes-for-weight-loss-cleanse/

Source: https://delightfulmomfood.com/detox-water-recipes-for-weight-loss-cleanse/ 

5. AUTUMN INFUSED WATER By Krissy 

Ingredients
  • 1 apple (sliced thin)
  • 1 plum (sliced thin)
  • 1 pear (sliced thin)
  • 2-3 cinnamon sticks
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a pitcher with ice water. Keep in refrigerator and continue to add more water as needed. Infused water will last a couple of days.
Source:  https://selfproclaimedfoodie.com/autumn-infused-water/

Source: https://selfproclaimedfoodie.com/autumn-infused-water/ 

6. Blueberry Basil Infused Water By Brittany Mullins

Drinking water is amazing for your skin, but add in anti-oxidant rich blueberries with are loaded with vitamins that promote healthy, plump skin and basil which has oils that help to lower inflammation and slow down the effects of aging and you've got yourself a lovely little beauty blend.

Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil
  • 1 quart cold water
Instructions
Let mixture infuse for at least 2 hours or overnight for full flavor. You can also try muddling the berries for even more flavor.
Source: https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/infused-water/#tasty-recipes-43682 

 

I hope these recipes help bring a little piece of joy into your day today! Be sure to tag us on Instagram @bigravenyoga if you give these a try, we can't wait to see what you create!

- Joleen

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