I know lots of folks find plain water boring. Unfortunately, chronic dehydration is a huge problem in the U.S., and an aversion to water certainly won’t help alleviate this problem.
I actually do enjoy plain water, but I also like to shake things up every now and then by adding a little pop of fresh flavor to plain H2O. At those times, I could pay out my nose for Hint water, OR I could just make my own concoctions at home with the greatest of ease!
Obviously there’s the standard lemon or lime slices. But you can do even better!
All you need to do is simply add fruit and/or fresh herbs to any glass or bottle of water. I find that the flavor comes through pretty quickly, but if you want to really infuse the water, let it steep in the refrigerator for a few minutes to overnight.
My absolute favorite combination is Strawberry-Mint Water.
To make this, I add frozen strawberry slices and fresh mint leaves to a pitcher, pour in filtered water, and let it sit for an hour or so. The flavor is sweet yet subtle, and you’ve gotta love that pink hue! Hint: for stronger mint flavor, roll/lightly crush the leaves between your fingers before adding to the water.
After all the water is drained from the pitcher, you will be left with soggy strawberries and mint.
Not terribly appetizing, but you don’t have to waste them–throw them into a smoothie!
Another fantastic and ultra-refreshing combination is cucumber and mint (or just plain cucumber). The leftovers from this are also great in a smoothie.
For citrus fruits (like grapefruit), I like to use the peels. They contain tons of flavorful oils but are obviously inedible on their own, so this gives you the flavor without wasting the fruit. (See? I’m all about the conservation here!)
H has gotten really on board with flavored water lately, and loves to put peeled clementine slices in his water. A bonus with a juicy fruit like this is that it doesn’t get soggy and gross so you can eat the fruit after you’ve finished the water.
Here’s hoping you’ll never be dehydrated again 🙂
A.Cook in the Making 