What’s more quintessential of summer than a large, cool glass of lemonade?   It’s so refreshing on a hot, muggy day, but unfortunately, it’s often full of sugar and additives if you are not making it yourself.  Even a homemade recipe that requires you to squeeze your own lemons requires at least 200 grams (1 cup) of sugar for a large jug of lemonade.  Adding this amount of sugar is the only way to balance out the tartness of the lemons and may make the lemonade palatable and tasty, but it will not quench your thirst and is dehydrating.  Not to mention the enormous spike in your blood sugar that you will occur.

I’ve tried these two recipes recently, and they are absolutely delicious.  My favourite was the Blueberry Lemonade-though more time consuming and labour intensive because you need to use a juicer that involves more prep and clean up.  The Strawberry Lemonade was also yummy and much easier to make. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with frozen pineapple, and I’m going to make Pineapple Lemonade next time.  It will also resemble traditional lemonade! 

Blueberry Lemonade

Ingredients

• 2 small cucumbers with skins

• 1 cup blueberries

• 2 Granny Smith apples with skins

• 1/4 lemon, peeled

• 3 tablespoons mint leaves, tightly packed

Directions:

1. Wash and prep all ingredients.

2. Juice all ingredients.

3. Add ice and sliced lemons.

This mixture evokes the beloved taste of freshly made lemonade, but it’s infused with body-boosting ingredients. The cucumbers create a hydrating base for the juice, while apples provide a lovely sweetness that’s not too sugary. The fresh blueberries add age-defying antioxidants and help give the drink a gorgeous purple color.

Strawberry Lemonade

Ingredients:
¼ cup water
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1-3 ice cubes
1 tbsp pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)

Directions:
1. Add all ingredients (except for the ice) into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth, adding a bit more water if necessary. Add ice and blend again. Serve immediately with sliced lemons.

Tip: experiment with other fruits; pineapple, blueberries or mango!

Be Well & Keep Cool!

Anita 

Resources:

1)    Top Picture Credit-One Lovely Life

2)    Blueberry Lemonade-picture and recipe.   Kris Carr.

3)    Strawberry Lemonade- picture and recipes .   Oh She Glows