Sparkling Pomegranate Zinger

We don't drink soda in our home and primarily drink water. However, every now and then it is nice to have something a little different. This recipe is one I made up for Thanksgiving but it is great anytime of the year. My husband thought it tasted somewhat like a fine wine. I don't know how true that is, since I have never cared for wine. I suppose it might have a wine cooler taste. This recipe does not contain any alcohol but if you were so inclined, you could adjust it nicely. You can make this recipe full strength, as I have below, or you can make it more of a flavored sparkling water by doubling the amount of sparkling mineral water. That is a good way to make it go twice as far and save a little money. You can use club soda for this but if you do, make sure that it does not have any added sugar or corn syrup. I actually found one in the store that had corn syrup. Also it's simply filtered water it could have chlorine and/or fluoride which can be dangerous. Google it if you're interested. Mercola has good articles.  So, that is just something to be aware of.  This recipe can be made sugar-free, other than existing sugar in the fruit juice, by using stevia and birch xylitol. Enjoy!

Sparkling Pomegranate Zinger
1 medium to large lemon, juiced
12 oz pomegranate juice
12 drops lemon stevia
2  to 3 tsp xylitol or sugar or 3 to 4 packets of stevia
25 oz sparkling mineral water, chilled

In a pitcher or jar, combine the lemon juice, pomegranate juice, lemon stevia drops, and sweetener. Stir or shake to combine and dissolve the sweetener. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Right before serving add the chilled sparkling mineral water and give it a gentle stir or brief shake to combine. Pour and serve immediately. Makes approximately 4 servings of  9.5 oz  to 10 oz each.

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Natural Sugar-Free Homemade Lemonade

I have this posted on my other blog Stefanie's This and That but am switching all my recipes to this blog. So here it is.

Since the weather is warming up I thought it would be a good idea to share my simple homemade sugar-free lemonade. It's not made with artificial sweeteners that are so bad for you like sweet & low, splenda and others like them. If you are not familiar with the dangers of those sweeteners and others like them, I would suggest you do some research. Dr. Mercola has some excellent articles and there is a documentary called Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World that you should google and see if you can find a copy to watch.  

Anyhow, we drink a lot of water in our home but it is nice to have something a little different now and then. It's especially nice on hot summer days to have a cold glass of fresh lemonade. Since I don't do artificial sweeteners or load it with sugar, I use stevia extract and it tastes just as good and is much healthier for you. Besides tasting great, lemon juice is an electrolyte and has many health benefits, which you can read about here. Four tablespoons of lemon juice contains vitamin C, folate, vitamin A, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, and amino acids. For a complete in-depth nutrient analysis click here.

I don't use bottled lemon juice. It has preservatives and who knows what. I buy fresh lemons when I can find them at a good price. Then just simply wash them, juice them, and pour the juice into ice cube trays and freeze. Then when they are frozen, just pop them out and store them in a freezer bag. Doing this allows us to have a quick glass of lemonade anytime we want. Although, when at all possible, it is best to use fresh squeezed lemon juice and drink it right away for the most benefits.


Sugar-Free Homemade Lemonade

For 1 Serving:
1 cube of frozen lemon juice or 2 Tbsp of fresh juice
10 oz. cold filtered water
3 drops of lemon stevia
1/2  packet to 1 whole packet of stevia powder

Mix all the ingredients in a glass. The lemon juice cube will melt fairly quickly. Give it another stir and it is ready to drink.

For 6 servings:
6 cubes frozen lemon juice or 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
7 1/2 cups cold filtered water
18 drops of lemon stevia
3 to 6 packets of stevia powder

Mix all the ingredients in a large 72 oz. pitcher. The lemon juice cubes will melt fairly quickly. Give it another stir and it is ready to drink.

Notes: You can also freeze limes and do a lemon-limeade blend as well. 

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