Tag Archives: lemon

Lemon Mint Cucumber Water (aka Detox Water)

Now that the warm weather is here, I’m craving some flavored water! Not the sweet, artificially-flavored kind you buy, but naturally flavored with fruits and herbs. I have some recipes for flavored water here, but I found another water recipe I wanted to try that I found on a site called The Denver Housewife. It’s supposed to be good for hydrating and detoxing (or removing impurities from) the body. The lemon-mint-cucumber combination is said to cleanse, aid in digestion, and rehydrate. I added an extra lemon because I love the lemon flavor (it does make the water pretty tart and lemony, so try it with two lemons first), and a little more cucumber. I already had mint growing in a large container on my patio, so it was so convenient to just snip some fresh mint right from the pot!

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7-UP Pound Cake with Lemon-Lime Glaze

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I’m really not a big soda-pop drinker; I usually drink iced tea instead. But every once in awhile I’ll l have some soda on hand, usually left over from a get-together or party. That’s how I ended up with some 7-UP recently. Instead of tossing it, I decided to see if there was anything I could make with it. After all, I had made a Coca-Cola Cake, which tasted great, so was there such a thing as a 7-UP cake?

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Lemon-Zucchini Loaf with Lemon Glaze

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I baked this loaf late one evening, sleepily mixing the glaze while the loaf was cooling. A little later, yawning while I drenched the loaf with the lemon glaze, I was hoping, after this late night baking session, that this creation of mine would taste good when I tried it the next day.

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Sweet and Smooth Citrus Smoothie from What Color is Your Smoothie?

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If you like smoothies, you’ll have to check out a new book, What Color is Your Smoothie? It’s filled with 300 recipes that can help you get the recommended daily five servings of fruits and vegetables in your diet, in addition to important vitamins and minerals your body needs. As I was reviewing the book, I learned that each color group of fruits and veggies offer different health benefits, so it’s important to include a variety of different colored fruits and veggies in your diet. The first chapter, Nature’s Formula for Better Health, includes information on vitamins and minerals that are important for good health and the different foods you’ll find them in. The second chapter, Blending for a Better Life, gives you helpful tips on how to prepare fruits, veggies, and herbs for blending. The other seven chapters are filled with smoothie recipes organized by color: White (Vanilla Chiller, Crazy for Coconuts), Red (Red Berry Roundup, Creamy, Dreamy Watermelon), Orange (Sweet Potato Surprise, Papaya Powerhouse), Yellow (Pumped Up Pineapple, Luscious Lemon Mango Melon), Green (Cucumber Zing, Green Ginger Apple), Blue (Amazing Blueberry Almond, Blueberry Oatmeal Delight), and Purple (Sweet Spiced Blackberries, Purple Plum Thunder). As you can see, there’s quite a variety! I decided to try the Sweet and Smooth Citrus Smoothie…I’m a citrus-lover, and this smoothie is packed with lots of Vitamin C from the oranges, lemon, and lime that are in it! Bananas and coconut milk are also in the recipe, giving the smoothie a thick, creamy consistency. And it’s really good for you…as the book points out, “Vitamin C, limonin, and potassium combine for an all-out attack against sickness and disease.” Here’s the recipe if you want to try it out!

SWEET AND SMOOTH CITRUS SMOOTHIE from What Color is Your Smoothie?

Makes 3 cups, 360 calories per cup

3 oranges, peeled and deseeded

1/2 lemon, peeled and deseeded

1/2 lime, peeled and deseeded

2 bananas, peeled

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

1 cup ice

In a blender, combine the oranges, lemon, lime, bananas, and 1 cup coconut milk with 1/2 cup ice, and blend until thoroughly combined. While blending, add remaining coconut milk and ice until desired consistency is achieved (I actually just used the 1 cup of coconut milk and 1/2 cup ice, because I like my smoothies thicker).

I really want to try to get more fruits and veggies in my diet–how about you?

Mediterranean Blend Veggies with Fresh Lemon Dressing and Southwestern Blend Veggies ‘n Chicken

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I made these delicious and healthy organic veggies the other day, using the Whole Foods Market 365 Everyday Value Mediterranean Blend frozen vegetables. I added a Fresh Lemon Dressing on top, which was a nice lemony, tangy, finishing touch.

I also made this yummy chicken and veggie dish with the organic Southwestern Blend frozen vegetables, also from Whole Foods.

I mentioned in an earlier post that these are some of the new organic frozen food products in the Whole Foods Market 365 Everyday Value line. There are so many veggies and fruits to choose from, but the Southwestern and Mediterranean Blends are among their newest products. They can be used in soups, stews, casseroles, and many other ways. And they’re great just the way they are as a side dish with your meal.

Here are my recipes if you’d like to try them out. They’re really good and good for you!

MEDITERRANEAN BLEND VEGGIES WITH FRESH LEMON DRESSING

1 (16-oz.) package Mediterranean Blend frozen vegetables (a blend of zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, green beans, red peppers, and onions)

FRESH LEMON DRESSING (adapted from Lowe’s Creative Ideas )

4 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup light sour cream or Greek yogurt

Prepare vegetables according to package directions.

To make lemon dressing, combine lemon peel, lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil until thickened. Whisk in sour cream or yogurt.

To serve, drizzle dressing over cooked veggies or serve dressing on the side and dip veggies in dressing. The 16-ounce package of frozen veggies makes about 4 to 5 side servings and the dressing makes 6 to 8 servings, so you’ll have a little dressing left over–you can save that for a salad!

SOUTHWESTERN BLEND VEGGIES WITH CHICKEN

1 (16-0z.) package Southwestern Blend frozen veggies (a blend of onions and red and green peppers)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cups cooked, chopped-up chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken I had purchased)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Carefully add frozen vegetables to the skillet and saute 5 minutes. Add chopped chicken and saute 2 more minutes, or until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning and serve. Makes 4 servings.

These are both really quick and easy recipes, and so healthy! Hope you get a chance to try them sometime!