The summer holidays are a time for celebrating with friends and family, soaking up the sun and of course, lots of eating and drinking. Most of the time, these social gatherings and events are based around food and alcohol consumption (BBQ’s, picnics, Christmas parties, birthdays and the list goes on), which is why everyone usually starts their ‘health kick’ in the New Year. There have been some incredible results achieved here at EY in the last few months, and we don’t want all your hard work to go to waste! But we also don’t want you missing out on all the fun that Summer has to offer.
As humans we have a choice as to what we eat and drink and how we nourish our bodies, so we can simply choose to make better decisions while we’re out and about socializing in the upcoming months of holiday season. We don't have to compromise our health every time we attend an event, all we need to do is make adjustments and opt for healthier, more beneficial alternatives.
We all know that drinking alcohol in moderation is OK, but when we have parties to attend every single weekend it becomes unfavorable to our bodies. The whole part of drinking that we enjoy so much is the social aspect and the experience (quenching our thirst on a warm day, sipping from a fancy glass, having something to hold and keep us occupied and so on). We shouldn’t have to miss out on that experience entirely. So we’ve developed a short list of yummy non-alcoholic beverages that can be easily prepared and enjoyed over the summer holidays and beyond.
A great idea is to prepare these and take them with you to your social events in a cold jug or punch bowl. Load a party cup with ice and a cool straw, and you can enjoy the ‘drinking’ experience with better health benefits and minus the hangover!
1. Pomegranate Citrus Juice
Ingredients:
- 2 small grapefruits
- 2 oranges
- 2 tangerines or nectarines
- ½ lime
- 2 pomegranates
Directions:
Use a citrus press or a juicer to juice the grapefruits, oranges, tangerines and lime. Juice the pomegranates (2/3 cup) into a separate bowl. Divide citrus juice among 3 glasses. Top with pomegranate juice, which will settle to the bottom, and serve.
2. Ginger Lime Fizz
Ingredients:
- 1 knob of ginger, thinly sliced
- 1 tblsp of natural sweetner (stevia, pure maple syrup or raw honey)
- 4 cups water
- 1 lime freshly squeezed
- 1 liter of sparkling water
Directions:
Combine ginger and sweetener with 4 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Place over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce to a simmer then stir. Continue to simmer about 20 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool to room temperature for at least 2 hours. Strain out the ginger and discard. Combine the ginger syrup, lime juice and sparkling water and serve.
3. Watermelon Lemonade
Ingredients:
- 2 lemons
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1 tbsp of natural sweetener (stevia, pure maple syrup or raw honey)
- ½ medium
Directions:
Squeeze lemons into a large pitcher. Add mint and natural sweetener; mash with a wooden spoon until mint is bruised. In a blender, puree watermelon in batches until smooth; pour through a fine-mesh sieve into pitcher (you should have about 8 cups of juice). Stir to combine.
4. Red Apple Sangria
Ingredients:
- 16 Red apples – cored but not peeled
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from 6 lemons)
- 10 oranges
- 1 bottle sparkling water
Directions:
In a pitcher, combine the apple and lemon juices immediately after juicing to keep the apple juice pink. Stir in orange juice; cover and chill. Just before serving, add sparkling water and add sliced fruit for garnish.
5. Kombucha Mocktail
Ingredients:
- Bottle of Ginger Kombucha (available from Miami Organic Markets)
- ½ peeled and sliced apple
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon, bark pieces
- 2 cloves
- ¼ cup ice
Directions:
Peel and cut apple into slices. Save two slices to put into a glass and throw rest of apple and other ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake. Strain into a glass and serve.