Detox Drink

Kim

Yes, I’m back! After an unintentional blogging break (life got busy trying to get the kids finished up with school, and then a few days vacay) I am trying to get my blogging groove back. Of course, now it’s summer and the kids are home everyday…so we’ll see how it goes! Speaking of summer, that means it’s bathing suit time *groan* so I figured it was the perfect time to try out this…
Losing bloat
I imagine many of you have seen this pin floating around Pinterest at some point. I’ve looked and looked and couldn’t find the original source, but it is supposedly a recipe recommended by Jillian Michaels to BEAT THE BLOAT. Isn’t bloat such a gross word? It conjures up all sorts of not-fun images. I found another version of the drink on eHow with the same ingredients, just different quantities, and that’s the one I’m using. The ‘detox drink’ calls for Dandelion Root tea, cranberry juice, lemon juice, and of course, water.

I was given the opportunity to try brand Dandelion Root tea, and I immediately made this ‘detox’ drink. I was a little worried since I had read that dandelion root tea was very bitter, and could cause “GI discomfort” – I didn’t find either to be the case, but I did add a few drops of NuNaturals Orange Stevia to sweeten it up a bit. I am really, really bad about not drinking enough fluid throughout the day, so I did not manage to drink all 60 oz. in one day. I did however drink much more than my norm, which was good. Did I lose 5 lbs in 7 days? No. Did I lose some water weight/bloat? Yes! I was definitely better hydrated, which made me feel better. So, I’m trying to keep it going by keeping a pitcher of ‘detox’ tea or flavored water in the fridge (I’m currently drinking on a pitcher of “Flat Tummy Water” which I will share later!)

Jillian Michaels’ Detox Drink

60 ounces of distilled/bottled/filtered water
2 bags of Dandelion Root Tea
4 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh squeezed lemon tasted better IMO but I’ve used bottled too)
2 Tablespoons all natural cranberry juice (100% cranberry juice, no sugar added)

Place tea bags in a pitcher of water and let steep overnight. In the morning, remove tea bags and add remaining ingredients. Stir and drink! As noted, I added some stevia b/c I like my tea sweet…I don’t know if that makes a difference and was just my preference.

*You can also steep the tea bags in hot water, then it doesn’t need to sit overnight.

(inspired by Pinterest, recipe from )

As with anything, I suggest reading up on it yourself before starting any ‘fad’ drinks/diets/exercises. Dandelion Root Tea is an herbal supplement and traditionally used to support liver function, but as with all herbal supplements that I am aware of, they have not been evaluated by the FDA. The Alvita brand I used is certified organic.

I was sent a package of dandelion root tea for sampling/review purposes. No compensation was received.

Southern Iced Fruit Tea

Kim

For

Southern Iced Fruit Tea

from

2 family-size iced tea bags
6 cups boiling water
1 cinnamon stick
1 can (48 ounces) pineapple juice
1 can (12 ounces) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 can (12 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
optional: fruit slices and/or mint, for garnish (I omitted)

Bring water just to a boil, remove from heat, then add tea bags and the cinnamon stick.
Steep for at least 15 minutes (longer for stronger tea).
After steeping, remove tea bags and cinnamon stick. Pour tea in a large pitcher (I used a sun tea pitcher).
Stir in the thawed orange juice and lemonade. Stir until blended.
Add the pineapple juice, stir well.
Refrigerate until fully chilled, and stir before serving (the juice tends to settle, so you will need to stir every so often,)

I think you could add in some rum for a delish grown up beverage too!

I may be linking up at any of the following – (Monday) , , , , , , , , , , (Tuesday) , , , ,,, , and , (Wednesday) , , , , , , , Cherished Handmade Treasures, (Thursday) ,, , , , (Friday) , , , , , ,, , , ,, , , ,, (Saturday) , , (Sunday)

Yay! This recipe was featured at !

Makin’ it Mo’Betta

Chai Latte Scones

Kim

Yes, now you can drink your chai and eat it too! The spices in a chai latte just conjure up feelings of peace and relaxation. (For me anyway! Don’t ask me why, it’s just one of those things.) So, when I saw this coffee creamer ….

I immediately wanted to give it a try. I also could not get the idea of cooking with it out of my head. I decided to try it in scones.

Chai Latte Scones with a ‘Dirty Chai’ glaze

2 cups flour (I used a combination of whole wheat and cake flour)

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. cloves

1/4 t. ginger

1/4 t. sea salt

1-2 Chai Tea bags

4 T. butter (cold, cut into small chunks)

1/2 c. plain yogurt

1/2 c. chai latte creamer

3 T. brown sugar

1 t.vanilla

Glaze: chai latte creamer, instant coffee or espresso powder, confectioners sugar

Directions –

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix together flour, baking powder, spices, salt and tea (removed from tea bags).

Cut in cold butter. (it will be a dry and crumbly mixture).

In separate bowl, combine plain yogurt, creamer, brown sugar and vanilla.

Add yogurt mixture into flour mixture and gently mix until just combined.

Place dough on floured surface and shape into a circle.

My dough was super sticky, but I didn’t want to keep adding flour and kneading it in. So, I patted out my circle of dough, about an inch thick, and placed it on my baking sheet (with a silicone mat). I made cut marks in my dough, but didn’t separate it. After baking, I cut it into triangles. This worked fine.

My glaze was an experiment, so I didn’t even write down measurements. I added about a cup of confectioners sugar into a small bowl, added in a couple tablespoons of creamer (start with one and add until you get desired consistency) and a couple teaspoons of coffee. You should dissolve coffee in a small (maybe a teaspoon) of warm water before adding it to the other ingredients. I forgot to do this, and it took forever to mix in smoothly. If the mixture is too thin, add more powdered sugar – if too thick, add more creamer. (FYI – if you are not familiar with a Dirty Chai – check it out !) You could also add coffee into the scones themselves, or leave it out all together.

Verdict? YUM! Perfect with a cup of coffee (or chai tea!)

I’m linking this recipe up with , Mouthwatering Monday @ , , Just Something I Whipped Up @ , at All the Small Stuff, @ 33 Shades of Green, @ For The Love Of Blogs,,Wow Me Wednesday at , , , , , , , , , , , , for Savory Sunday; and for ingredient spotlight – sour cream & yogurt AND