I want to share something I recently learned with all my wonderful followers.

Every now and then I enjoy a good vodka tonic or gin and tonic and I assumed I knew what I was drinking.  But – that was most definitely not the case.  Thanks to my brother, I became aware that most tonic waters contain high fructose corn syrup.  Yikes!  I didn’t know that.  I assumed it was basically water.  I don’t know about you, but I do not want to be consuming high fructose corn syrup…ever.

Enter Q Tonic.  I can’t say enough about it!  It is awesome stuff!  It’s vegan, it’s delicious and its ingredients are all natural!  It tastes so clean and real.  The drinks I make with it take on a whole new meaning; I can now see that the drinks I used to make with Schweppes, for example, tasted artificial.

It does cost more money, but since I don’t drink often, when I do, I think it’s worth some extra money to drink well!

Salud –  to your health!  Don’t drink crap!  I am so glad that I know about tonic water and I hope you are glad that I shared it with you!

Click here for a perfect gin and tonic recipe.

The Perfect Smoothie

So, you’re probably wondering why “no recipe”.  Well, I make smoothies at least once a day, and I make them a bit different each time.  I use whatever I have on hand that day and I love the freedom of never having to look at a recipe or measure ingredients.  Also, these smoothies are just oozing vitamins, minerals and nutrients and I can’t think of a more delicious way to get nourishment!!  And with the vita-mix, which is my favorite kitchen appliance and totally worth the investment, making them is a cinch.  You can use a regular blender, but you will probably be smelling burnt rubber pretty soon.  I went through so many blenders until I got fed up and turned to the vita-mix.  My formula for smoothies is roughly based on an 8 cup blender/vita-mix and makes about 4 smoothies.

First you need to add a frozen layer.  I use frozen fruit, but if you don’t have any you can just use ice.  I love to add frozen blueberries, strawberries, mango, cherries and bananas.  I stay away from blackberries and raspberries only because one of my kids really dislikes the seeds.  Put ice or frozen fruit in to reach about 1/4 – 1/2 of the way up the blender.

Next is the fresh layer.  Here’s where you can add fresh fruit, such as a cored apple or pear, a handful of grapes, a chunk of watermelon, a banana, or some mango slices.  You should also add some greens, such as a handful of fresh spinach, collards or kale.  The collards and kale add a delicious, earthy taste.  One of my kids doesn’t like that taste so for her, I use spinach, or I make sure to add a banana which hides the earthy taste really well.  Now your ingredients should be around 3/4 way to the top.

Then is the liquid layer.  Here you should add about a cup of your favorite juice (I love acai berry juice, mango nectar, blueberry juice, strawberry lemonade, coconut pineapple juice and carrot juice) or your favorite “milk” (soy, rice, hemp, almond, oat and hazelnut all work great).

Lastly, you can add flax or hemp seeds, which adds protein and omega 3, and  a squirt of lemon juice or some lemon zest, which really enhances the flavor.

This formula is really fool-proof.  If your smoothie comes out too thick for your taste, just add more liquid and conversely, if it is too thin, just add more frozen fruit or ice.

Experiment with lots of different fruits and veggies and I bet you will love throwing things in the blender and seeing what comes out!  I promise it will always be nutritious and delicious!!