Time for a Change Phase 1

Phase 1 – No More

Sugary Drinks!

This “Time For a Change” is a set of personal goals that I am working towards to help myself become a happier, healthier, 30 year old.  I can expect my hubby to eat cleaner and healthier when I cook those dinner meals, but I can’t expect him to make all those little changes that I would like to make for myself.  Let’s face it…have you seen him?  He doesn’t have the need to drop the pounds like I do.  I just want us both to be healthy.  Anyways, I won’t ramble too much, but I just want to say that each month I will be making a small lifestyle change, sticking to it, and then adding another small change to my daily routine.  Feel free to do it with me – I would love the support :0)!!

Step one is to get rid of the sugary drinks.  Sodas and fruit drinks are what I live on and they are so full of empty calories and sugar.  If I am going to take in the calories, I would rather enjoy some yummy filling food.  I am not a fan of straight water, so I have been trying out a few fresh flavored waters.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Blueberry, Raspberry, Apple

I like this mix a lot because the sweetness of the apples evens out the tartness of the berries.  I usually take a fork and squish the berries a little to get the flavor juices flowing, but then it doesn’t look as pretty. :0)

Lemon, Cucumber, Mint

* I normally like to use fresh mint leaves for this one, but since I was out I used one tiny splash of peppermint essential oil. *  This is my absolute favorite one and I call it my “Spa Water”. :0)  It has such a refreshing taste and the cucumber really gives a lot of flavor to the water.

 Citrus Orange Lemon

For this combo I like to use sliced oranges, and then add just a splash of fresh lemon juice.  I have noticed that if I add sliced lemon then it seems to overpower the taste of the orange.  But of course it is all about your personal preference.

Apple Cinnamon

This is one of my “out-of-the-box” combos, but I really love it.  It reminds me of Fall which is my favorite season. :0)  All you do is put one cinnamon stick and 1/2 a sliced apple in with ice and water.  Let sit in the fridge for about an hour before serving.

Tips for making fresh-flavored waters:

1.  Only make what you are going to drink in one day.  The fresh fruits will begin to break down and you will get a more sour flavor if you leave it in the water too long.  I usually make a quart in the morning and it gets me through the day.  If I drink all of it, I will add a little more water to the pitcher to finish out the day, and then toss out the fruit that night.

2.  Make sure if you leave the skin on your fruits (which I do for time sake) that you wash your fruit really well before adding it to your water.

3.  Watch out for seeds!  I don’t take the seeds out of my fruit because it just takes too much time, and I rarely get a seed in my glass of water, but when it makes its way in there it is not much fun.

4.  Be adventurous.  Try different combinations of things you like.  Go online and research ideas.  Nothing is off limits, which is what is so fun about making your own fresh-flavored waters.

5.  If you crave more sweetness (I haven’t had to do this to any of my combos just yet) you could add a drop of stevia to your water jug.  You can find liquid stevia in your Whole Foods section of the local grocery store.

6.  Use Essential Oils sparingly.  Remember that if you are using essential oils (like peppermint) that a tiny bit goes a LONG way.  You don’t want that flavor to overpower the drink.

7.  Add in vitamins.  I like to sometimes add in a few drops of liquid vitamins (such as vitamin E for my skin and hair). As long as you only add a few drops, you won’t change the texture or flavor of the drink and you won’t even know its there!

8.  Be prepared to answer questions!  When you take your tumbler to work with all that fruit floating around in it, you are bound to get a few questions. :0)

Hopefully with all these fun flavors of water I won’t be tempted to grab that bottle of soda!  I will keep you updated on my progress…wish me luck! :0)

PS – I got my cute little 1 quart container at Kroger.  It seems to work perfectly for this purpose!