Ingredient Combinations:

• 8 cups water
• Pick one of the fruit combinations (and several have herbs) listed below or create one of your own!

Fruit Combinations:

• Citrus: 1 sliced orange, 1 sliced lemon, 1 sliced tangerine (optional: add orange and/or lemon juice – to taste).
• Cucumber-Lemon Water: 1 thinly sliced cucumber, 1/4 fresh lemon (slices or quarters).
• Cucumber-Mint Water: 1 thinly sliced cucumber, 1/4 cup fresh mint (muddled).

• Lemon Water: 1 sliced lemon (for lemon-blueberry water: add 1/2 cup blueberries).

• Lime Water: 1 sliced lime (for lemon-lime water: ½ sliced lime, ½ sliced lemon).

• Melon Water: 1 cup cantaloupe (balls or cubes), 1 cup honeydew (balls or cubes).

• Mixed Berry: 1 cup blueberries, 1 cup raspberries, 1 cup strawberries (sliced).

• Orange-Blueberry Water: 2 sliced oranges, 1/2 cup of blueberries.

• Pineapple-Lemon-Mint: 1 cup pineapple chunks, 1/2 thinly sliced cucumber, ¼ cup fresh mint (muddled).

• Raspberry-Orange Water: 1-pint raspberries (or berry of choice), 1 sliced orange.

• Strawberry-Cucumber Water: 1 cup quartered strawberries, 1 thinly sliced cucumber.

• Strawberry-Lemon Water: 1 cup quartered strawberries, 1 sliced lemon.

• Watermelon-Mint Water: 4 cups watermelon (cubed), 1/4 cup fresh mint (muddled).

Directions:

• Place the fruit and/or herbs of your choice into a 1-quart Mason jar (with a lid) or a 32 oz glass pitcher.

• Muddle (or break) up the fruit and herbs a bit with the back of a spoon to help release natural flavors.

• Cover with 4 cups of tap or filtered water and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and 12 hours for more flavor-filled water.

• After 24 hours, remove the fruit and herbs to prevent the water from becoming bitter.

• Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Additional Notes:

• To prevent the water from becoming too bitter when using citrus fruit: either remove the rinds BEFORE infusing the water or remove the citrus after infusing for 4 hours.

• Once you drink half of the flavored water in your jar or pitcher, you can use the same fruit to repeat the process by adding additional water. 

• You can repeat this process for up to 3 days. 

• Fruits with strong flavors (such as lemons, pineapples, and oranges) are best for multiple infusions. Fleshy fruits (such as berries, and melons) are not well-suited for multiple infusions (as they break down too quickly).

* Adapted from: https://littlecooksreadingbooks.com/fruit-in-water-recipes/, https://inthekitch.net/how-to-make-fruit-infused-water/, and https://amindfullmom.com/fruit-infused-water/#recipe.

Homemade Sports Drink Recipe*

(Makes about 5 cups)

Ingredients

• 4 cups (960 ml) water
• 1 cup 100% fruit juice of choice (grape, apple, mixed berry, pulp-free orange, etc.)
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Directions:

• Shake in a large mason jar or stir in a 32 oz pitcher, refrigerate overnight, and enjoy.

Nutritional information:

• Serving size: 1 cup
• Approximate calories: 50 kcal/serving (Fat: 0 g, Carbohydrates: 13.2 g, Sodium: 122 mg, Fiber: 0 g, Protein: > 1 g)
  • This will vary slightly depending on the fruit juice you use.

Preparation Tips:

• While you can drink this right away if you’re in a hurry, it’s best to refrigerate it overnight to allow the flavors to mix together.

• This recipe makes a full 32-ounce pitcher; it’ll keep for a few days in the fridge.

• We recommend making and storing it in a large canning jar with a lid so that you can shake it all together and keep it covered as it chills.

• If you taste too much apple cider vinegar, reduce the amount in future batches until it’s to your liking.

• The recipe scales up or down easily, without affecting taste.

*Recipe from: https://www.nomeatathlete.com/switchel-recipe/

Homemade Cola-Like Syrup*

(Yield: about 1 1/2 cups syrup)

Ingredients:

• Grated zest of 2 medium oranges (14 grams)
• Grated zest of 1 large lime (7 grams)
• Grated zest of 1 large lemon (7 grams)
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)
• 1 star anise pod (crushed)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender flowers
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger (preferably fresh)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon citric acid (available at health food stores)
• 1 ½ cup date syrup (substitute option: organic sugar, not date sugar) 
• 1 ½ cup water
  

Directions:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, bring 1 1/2 cup of water to a simmer with the zests, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, lavender, ginger, vanilla, and citric acid. 

• Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes.

• Line a sieve or colander with a double thickness of cheesecloth and place over the bowl. Pour the contents of the pot through the sieve. Carefully gather up the corners of the cheesecloth and twist the top to close. Use a spoon to press the bundle against the sieve, squeezing out all the flavorful liquid.

• In the saucepan previously used, put the flavorful liquid and the date syrup.  Bring them to a boil (stirring while coming to temperature).

• Remove from the heat and let cool (stirring occasionally).

• Transfer to a container and keep refrigerated.

• To make a soda, start by adding 2-4 tablespoons of syrup to 1 cup seltzer, stir, and add ice if desired.

• Enjoy!

*Adapted from: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013686-cola-syrup.

• We like to triple this recipe and use the dressing on other vegetables (it’s fantastic on springtime asparagus!) or it makes a wonderful spread on a sandwich.
• The original recipe calls for lemon juice, but we prefer to use lime juice. 

• This applesauce-based dressing is great on coleslaw and other salads where you would use a Balsamic vinegar-based dressing. 
• We usually double or triple the original recipe as each batch is quite small. 
• The recipe calls for cumin (Travis likes, Karen prefers to omit).

• This dressing is thick and creamy and a great way to sneak in some beans.  However, we find it to be a little bland on its own. 
• We recommend combining this recipe with the above Balsamic-Apple-Mustard Recipe. 

• These are inexpensive, easy, tasty, and healthy.  Plus, the more beat up the banana the better!
  • 6-ingredients: Don’t have applesauce?  You can use 2 TBSP plant-based milk instead.
  • 2(ish) ingredients: We did a “taste test” and found that we like this recipe (bananas + oats + plus a pinch of salt) better than the 6-ingredient (tastes more like banana bread than a cookie).

• A great way to consume fruit without the addition of sugar, which allows the natural sweetness of the fruit to shine through.

•  Quick and easy ground meat alternative that you can use in tacos, burrito bowls, spaghetti sauce, etc.

• Great way to reduce your foodprint and reap the health benefits of mushrooms, which are nutrient dense and low in calories.

• Genesis 43:11 (NRSV) – “Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry them down as a present to the man: a little balm and a little honey, gum, resin, pistachio nuts, and almonds.”

• Numbers 11:5 (NRSV) – “We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.”