A few years ago, I struggled with chugging down eight glasses of water per day so I would force myself to do so. After staying in a few hotels and visiting a couple of Spas I noticed that some of the water had fruit in it and was so refreshing. A bell went off in my head. I thought, I can do that at home and make drinking water less of a struggle. It would add flavor and health benefits as well as being super hydrating.

Today I am going to share with you how to make your own fruit water with just water, fruit (no GMO’S please), ice and herbs. Aside from the nutrition and health qualities they look so inviting. Another benefit is you will be completely eliminating plastic bottles and other disposable packaging which winds up in our landfills and oceans.

We will be using Mason Jars, available almost everywhere from Wally World (my pet name for Walmart), to Amazon. So, let’s get started on these great natural flavored water recipes.

INGREDIENTS

FRUIT – 2 cups of berries, citrus, melons, pineapple (most fruits will work).

Herbs – a sprig of mint, basil, sage, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, or lavender.

Water- tap, spring, or filtered.

Ice

DIRECTIONS

Supplies needed: 2-quart pitcher or large jar with lid: muddler or wooden spoon.

General formula for whatever fruit/herb combo you desire.

1. If using herbs, add a sprig of fresh herbs to jar/ pitcher; press and twist with muddler or handle of wooden spoon to bruise leaves and release flavor; do not pulverize the herbs into bits.
2. Add 2 cups of fruit to jar/pitcher; press and twist with muddler or handle of wooden spoon, just enough to release some of the juices.
3. Fill pitcher/jar with ice cubes.
4. Add water to top of the jar/pitcher.
5. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Here are some suggested flavor combinations:

ALL CITRUS (no herbs) – Slice 1 orange, 1 lime, 1 lemon into rounds, then cut the rounds in half. Add to jar, press and twist with muddler of handle of a wooden spoon. Press enough to release some of the juices, but don’t pulverize the fruit into pieces. Fill the jar with ice, pour in water to the top. Stir with the handle of a wooden spoon. Put on the lid, put into fridge, and chill.

RASPBERRY LIME (no herbs) – Quarter 2 limes; with your hands, squeeze the juice into the jar, then throw in the squeezed lime quarters. Add 2 cups raspberries. Press and twist with muddler to release some of the juices (don’t pulverize the fruit). Fill the jar with ice, add water to the top. Stir, cover, and refrigerate.dd ice and water.

PINEAPPLE MINT – Add a sprig of mint to the jar (throw in the whole sprig; or remove the leaves from the sprig if you prefer to have the mint swimming around and distributing in the jar). Muddle the mint, the goal is to bruise the leaves and release their flavor, do not pulverize them into bits. Add 2 cups pineapple pieces, press and twist with muddler or wooden spoon handle, add ice to the top and then and water. Stir, cover, and refrigerate.

BLACKBERRY SAGE – Add sage leaves to jar and bruise with a muddler or wooden spoon handle. Add 2 cups blackberries; press and twist with muddler to release juices. Fill jar with ice cubes, add water to the top stir, cover, and refrigerate.

WATERMELON ROSEMARY – Add rosemary sprig to jar and muddle gently, (rosemary releases a strong flavor without much muddling). Add 2 cups watermelon cubes: twist and press gently to release juices. Fill jar with ice cubes and water to the top, stir, cover, and refrigerate.

With the lid these drinks will last for up to three days in the refrigerator. Use fresh fruits when in season and frozen fruits when fresh is not available. Purchase 1qt and 2 qt Mason jars on Amazon as well as plastic and flip top Mason jar lids. It only takes a few minutes to make any of these combinations. You can drink these immediately after making them or let them sit for a couple of hours to enhance the flavors.

By the way, if you must add a sweetener to these flavored waters, stir in some simple syrup, honey, agave syrup, or whatever sweetener you prefer. 1 teaspoon of sugar has only 15 calories, so don’t feel guilty about adding a teaspoon to a glass. After all a single can of pop or juice has the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar. I prefer them without sweetener, but it’s your preference.

If you are hooked on sweet tasting drinks and want to reduce or eliminate sugar or artificial sweeteners, wean yourself off gradually. Try serving some of these flavored waters at your next get together or party, they look so enticing. They are refreshing, inexpensive and beautiful. You can make them ahead of time and refrigerate them well before your affair.

Until next time,

Peace, Love, and Blessings💖