Fresh Ginger Juice

No, this is not a juice that you just guzzle out of a glass…unless you really, really like the taste of ginger! This is more of a concentrate that you can add to other beverages like the GGMS from Trim Healthy Mama.

Now, I’ve been eating the THM way for over 18 months. I dearly love the GGMS and the Singing Canary. These are great ways to help get my daily allotment of water into my system. However, until this weekend, I have used only ground ginger in the GGMS. Oh, my! There is just nothing like the tangy taste of fresh ginger in the GGMS!! It is so worth the effort that it takes to grind and press the ginger! A little goes a long way, and it can be frozen!! Definitely worth it!!

I did some research on the internet to find out the best way to grind and squeeze the ginger to get the juice. There are probably as many suggested ways as there are Trim Healthy Mamas! And that’s a lot! Some suggest peeling it first. Nope…way to difficult to get into all the little nooks and crannies!  At first I tried grating it. Nope, that is not going to happen in my kitchen either! Way too much time for even a small piece. Have you ever tried grating ginger? Ginger is very fibrous, and all those little hairy threads stick out like crazy and do not grate well.

Next, I tried slicing it. This is definitely better than grating. I sliced the entire piece thinly and then added it with water to my blender. This large piece shown here is about 2.5 ounces and makes 4 cups of ginger juice.

All  you need is 1 large piece of fresh ginger and about 1-1/2 cups water to start with.

Cut the ginger into slices or small chunks and add it and the water to your blender. Grind it up for about 30 seconds to a minute. Strain the ginger, squeezing it against the side of the strainer. Put the ginger water into a quart jar. Return the ginger to the blender with another cup of water. Grind this (2nd time!) for about 30 seconds. Strain and squeeze again. Do this one more time (3rd time). Instead of squeezing the ginger pulp the third time, just let it drip through the sieve. *Do not throw the pulp away yet!

Pour all the ginger juice into a quart jar and fill the jar up with water. You now have some very yummy ginger juice to add to your GGMS! I froze half of mine in an ice cube tray so that I can just pull out what I need when I make it.

Now, about that pulp! Dump the pulp into a small sauce pot and add about 2 cups water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Strain it again and squeeze out all the water. Now you can throw the pulp away. Add about 1/4 cup lemon juice and2-3 tbsp. honey or other sweetener to this ginger juice and stir to mix well. You now have ginger tea! We found even this to be a little strong, so we added ice and divided it among 3 of us! Delicious!

Cranberry-Orange Smoothie

With the weather getting warmer here in the south (temps in the mid-70s this week), I am all about smoothies! I love them more when the weather is warmer than when it is cold outside.

My niece Hannah over at Through the Lens shared this recipe for a delicious smoothie. I am heading to the kitchen right now to make it! I always love cranberries, but when matched with oranges, they are absolutely amazing.  Go ahead…give it a try! You know you want to!

Sunshine in a Jar

Many thanks to all my readers! Yesterday we finally passed the 20,000 views mark…which I had set for December 31, 2015. I am thankful for each of you who care to read what I write and even try the recipes that I share!

We all know that drinking water is very important for good health. Unfortunately, most of us don’t drink enough water to do our bodies much good. Oh, we drink fluids every day, but most of them contain ingredients that hinder good health! Sodas, coffee, and tea or other beverages can actually contribute to dehydration rather than hydration.

Following the Trim Healthy Mama plan for 18 months now has helped me to better understand the need to keep my body hydrated as well as healthy. Did you know that you should be drinking half your body weight in water every day? This means if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be drinking 75 ounces of water daily. This is not easy to do!  THM has several all-day sippers to help us with our daily water intake. My favorites are the Singing Canary and the GGMS…good girl moonshine! I actually enjoy mixing them together instead of drinking each one alone! Because neither of these has enough carbohydrates or fats to sway them towards an S or and E beverage (in the THM plan), these can be consumed all day long without causing you to go ‘off-plan.’

Doesn’t that look amazing? I love drinking it out of a Mason jar!

I have played around with the Singing Canary recipe and have made it my own! It is a delicious drink and helps to quench my thirst each day. This recipe makes half a gallon, and I end up making at least one gallon a week. It will probably be more during the hot summer months!

2-3 lemons (3 if on the small side)

1/2 gallon water, divided

4000 mg. Vitamin C  (I use 4 (1000) mg tablets)

4 pills Vitamin B-Complex (my bottle doesn’t give a mg/tablet)

1 tsp. turmeric

1/2 scoop whey protein powder

1/2 tbsp. powdered collagen

2-3 pinches salt

1-2 tsp. melted coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tbsp. truvia blend (I use Pyure)

 

Cut the lemons into small pieces and toss them into your blender (rinds and all)! Add about 2-3 cups water. Blend until the lemons are totally ground up. Pour mixture through a sieve and press the pulp to get all the liquid out. Toss the pulp and pour the liquid back into your blender. Add the remaining ingredients. Blend until you don’t hear the vitamin tablets much at all (usually about 60 seconds with my blender). You can also use a pill grinder for the vitamins and then add them to the mix before blending.  Pour this into a 1/2-gallon Mason jar and fill to the top with water.  Some ladies prefer adding ice cubes in addition to the water, but I like mine without ice.

Be sure to either shake or stir before pouring a serving or taking a sip if it has been sitting out. The ingredients will settle to the bottom. Store in the fridge!

 

 

Candy Bar Smoothie

I came across a recipe the other day for a milkshake similar to the smoothie recipe that I am going to share here. It is winter and still cold even here in the south, so I don’t care to drink too many milkshakes!  I tried this recipe this morning making it thinner like a smoothie. It was the perfect mid-morning snack since I ate an early breakfast today and  needed something to hold me over until lunch.

1/2 c. low fat cottage cheese (or plain Greek yogurt)

1 scoop chocolate protein powder

1 tbsp. sweetener  (Might need more if using Greek yogurt)

3/4 c. almond milk

1 tbsp. cocoa powder

2 tbsp. peanut butter flour

1/2 to 3/4 tsp. caramel flavoring

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth! Adjust the taste to your liking by adding more peanut flour, cocoa powder, or caramel flavoring.

If you prefer your drink thicker like a milkshake, add about 7-10 ice cubes to the mix and blend well.

Low-Carb Chocolate Milkshake

Everyone loves a good chocolate milkshake! I’ve toyed around with recipes but never found one that I really liked.

My niece shared this recipe over on her blog today. It sounds amazing, and I can’t wait to give it a try!  And for the winter? Add some peppermint flavoring or a drop or two of peppermint essential oil! Yumminess in a mason jar!

Chocolate-Peppermint Milkshake, THM Style

Today marks little Miss Mia’s 5-month birthday! I can’t believe my sweet darlin’ is this old already!  She is quite a character! I love watching her personality emerge!

Even though it is pretty cold outside, even here in the south, I’ve been craving a peppermint milkshake.  Unfortunately, the ones purchased at most of the fast-food drive-throughs, are loaded with sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup and totally bad for you.  The voice in my head yesterday was telling me to head for my favorite drive-through and get one. And I almost did! I actually turned in that direction when I left the grocery store, fully intending to stop and get one, but decided just in time to go home instead. Victory!!

Today I decided to make my own chocolate-peppermint shake. I followed this recipe found over at Gwen’s Nest.  Of course, I always seem to change a few things when I follow recipes, and this one was no different.

I used 0% Greek yogurt instead of the cottage cheese. I used 3 drops of food grade peppermint essential oil instead of peppermint extract. I also used 2 tbsp. of organic Stevia instead of erythritol.

Using my brand new Ninja blender made making this a snap!  It totally hit the spot for my choco-peppermint craving! Delicious!

Holiday Wassail

 

Trim Healthy Mama is a book written by two sisters, Serene and Pearl.  I’ve not read the book, but I have been following the Facebook page and learning a lot about combining foods to help with weight loss.  While I don’t need to lose a lot of weight, I do need to trim down some (25 pounds gained in 25 years of marriage), and get back into shape.  I will probably be prone to arthritis like my sweet mom was since I already have aches and pains.  Keeping the weight down will help me in the long run.  You can check out the web site here.

I came across this recipe the other day on the Trim Healthy Mama Facebook page and decided to give it a try today.  Oh, my! The house smelled like Christmas as my son Sam and I began our Christmas decorating.  I know that traditionally a wassail is an alcoholic beverage drunk while making a toast to a person’s health.  This recipe is non-alcoholic and is actually very good for one’s health!

1 bag fresh cranberries

3 cinnamon sticks

1 tsp. whole cloves

3 whole anise stars (I didn’t have these, but I used a few drops of anise oil.)

2 quarts water

1 orange cut into slices or 2 tsp. pure orange extract

Pure Stevia extract to taste  (I used honey.)

Put the cranberries, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and anise stars into a large pot. Add 1-1/2 quarts of water. Cover and bring to a rolling boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer gently for about an hour.

Pour the wassail through a strainer into a 2-quart jar.  Add the remaining water to make a complete half gallon.  Add sweetener to taste.

Serve hot with a twist of orange.