GalleyChix: Healthy Beverages for the Road

Stay fresh and hydrated while on the road with these simple refreshing beverages and smoothies. It's easy when traveling to run out of steam, but rather than spending your money on unhealthy energy drinks found at gas station continence stores, grab your blender and whip up something healthy and delicious.

With a stop at the farm stand and few pantry ingredients you will have all the energy you need to take that detour to the world's biggest ball of string.

Fruit and Herb Waters Basic Recipe

Serves 1-2

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: zero

1 quart canning jar with lid

1 cups fresh, washed and prepared fruit

3 cups of cold water

3-4 sprigs of fresh herbs

Ice

Place fruit in jar, add water and distribute herbs. Top with ice. Close jar and refrigerate a few hours. May add water and ice to replenish as you drink it. It is best to drink it within 24 hours. If you want to save the water to drink later, you can remove the fruit and herbs (they start to break down after a day) and refrigerate the fruit and herb infused water.

Combinations that we made:

Watermelon and Rosemary (once you have made this, you can puree the water soaked melon to make delicious watermelon juice)
Cucumbers, Strawberries and Mint
Lemons, Limes, Oranges and Thyme

Ideas for combinations:

Blackberries and Sage
Raspberries, Lemons and Mint
Pineapple and Basil
Plums, Ginger and Thyme
Cantaloupe and Basil
Honeydew Melon, Lime and Mint

Get creative. What do you have on hand? What do you like? Have fun with making new combinations.

Hibiscus Tea

2 Tbls. Hibiscus flowers (also called Jamaica-you can find them in bulk herb departments or in Latino markets)

4 cups cold water

Combine and let sit for a half hour or so. Hibiscus has a nice tart flavor that combines well with tropical fruit, fresh herbs, ginger, honey and all types of fruit juice. Some people enjoy it with a little sweetener. I use agave or honey because they both combine well and dissolve easily in the tea.

My favorite combination is the basic recipe with 2 slices of orange, one peppermint tea bag and a little honey to sweeten it. Let it steep a few hours, then pour over ice and enjoy. If you have fresh mint, garnish it with a sprig. I often have a pitcher of hibiscus water in my refrigerator and add water to it as I use it for up to three days. Hibiscus is high in vitamin C and has a calming effect along with being very refreshing!

Three quick steps to a great smoothie

Serves 1

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: Zero

Basic Smoothie Recipe

8-12 ounces of your favorite unsweetened liquid (milk, nut or coconut milk, coconut

water, water, kefir or ½ yogurt plus ½ cup water)

1-4 Tbls. protein (hemp, whey or rice protein powder, nuts or nut butter)

½ to 1 cup fresh or frozen fruit

Place in Magic Bullet in order listed and blend until smooth.

Smoothies are a great on the go meal or snack. They are a great way to use over ripe fruit and add dark leafy greens to your diet. You can freeze fruit in Ziploc bags and it will be ready to go and also add a nice creamy texture to your smoothies. If you don’t have frozen fruit you can also attain a thicker texture with a few ice cubes. If you make ice cubes with coconut water or your milk of choice it will not water down your smoothies. If you do not have a freezer, no problem-your smoothies will just be a little thinner in consistency. Follow these easy steps and your smoothies will be both full of flavor and packed with nutrition! You can also make smoothies ahead and refrigerate or put them in a cooler on ice to consume later. The idea for maximum nutrition is to keep the sugar content low and the protein content high.

Step One-Liquids:

Water
Unsweetened almond, hazelnut or coconut milk
Cow or goat milk
Diluted plain yogurt or plain kefir (liquid yogurt)
Rice milk (keep in mind rice milk contains a signifigant amount of carbs and sugar)
Concentrated teas made into ice cubes:try green tea, fruit zingers, passion or wild sweet orange flavors

Step Two-Protein:

Whey, rice or hemp protein powders-follow serving directions on the container
Nuts or nut butters: almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds. ¼ cup nuts or ¼ cup nut butter

Step Three-Flavor with Fruits and Veggies

Choose fresh fruit in season or frozen fruit in the winter. You can use sweet potatoes or winter squash too. You’ll need about ½ to 1cup fruit or ½ cup cooked, cubed sweet potato or winter squash.