Category Archives: Drinks

Our favourite healthy drinks recipes

Escape Juice

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Banana watermelon juice

Our little Juicemaster son has been busy experimenting with his juicer and blender again and has created this very simple, but refreshing juice. Packed full of vitamins it could also all be made in the blender if you don’t have a juicer, but it would then be thicker as all the fiber of the watermelon would still be included. This Lego criminal thinks it has all the right ingredients to aid his escape.

Ingredients

  • 3 bananas
  • 1/4  watermelon
  • handful of ice
  • Juicer machine
  • Blender

Directions

  • Remove the rind from the watermelon. Juice in a centrifugal or slow juicer on the slowest speed to extract as much juice as possible.
  • Pour the watermelon juice into the blender. Add the banana and a handful of ice. Blend for 30 seconds until well combined
  • Serve over ice for a refreshing juice

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Graveyard Club – Nightingale

Fitness Speed Juice

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Fitness Speed Juice

Our little Juicemaster Liam has been busy again creating a new juice for after exercise. Inspired by needing a big refreshment after playing football, he created this apple, orange, lime, carrot and pomegranate juice. This might just be one of his best yet!

Ingredients

  • 1 green apple
  • 1 red apple
  • 1 orange (whole, do not peel it)
  • 1 lime (whole, do not peel it)
  • 1/2 pomegranate (cut in half, seeds left in, not peeled)
  • 1 carrot, whole
  • a few ice cubes
  • Centrifugal or slow juicer

Directions

  1. Cut any of the fruit to fit into your juicer as required
  2. Juice the apples on the slower speed of the juicer
  3. Juice the carrot, pomegranate, orange and lime on the fast speed of the juicer
  4. Stir to combine the juices together
  5. Serve over ice

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds –  Riverman

Ginger, Lemongrass and Mint Tea

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Ginger, Lemongrass and Mint Tea

This is a very refreshing drink, that can either be drink hot or over ice as a refreshing iced tea on a hot day. It is very simple to make, but it is best if you have a tea pot with a strainer section in it so that the mint leaves are not poured out with the tea.

Ingredients

  • 1 lemongrass stalk
  • 2 cm fresh ginger
  • 2 stalks of mint

Directions

  1. Bruise the lemongrass stalk either by laying a knife over the base of the stalk and hitting it with the palm of your hand until it breaks open, or hitting it with a meat mallet or rolling pin.
  2. Slice the ginger into thin slices so that more of the ginger will be exposed to the water.
  3. Place the ginger and lemongrass in a teapot (preferably one with a strainer built in). Pour over boiling water.
  4. Leave to stand for around 10 minutes
  5. Add the stalks of mint, and let it stand for another 5 minutes.
  6. Either drink hot, or pour over ice for an iced tea.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Bic Runga – Anthology

 

Lemon, Lime and Ginger Green Tea

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Lemon lime and ginger green tea

The weather has gotten so hot in Singapore that I am searching for new refreshing drinks to quench my thirst, but that also taste great. This is my latest experiment. It can be drunk either as a hot tea, or served over ice for a refreshing summer drink.

Ingredients

  • 1 lime
  • 1 lemongrass stalk
  • 4 slices of fresh ginger
  • 1 green tea bag or 1/2 tsp of green tea leaves
  • 1 litre water

Directions

  1. Crush the lemongrass stalk either using a knife laid on top of the stalk and banging it with your fist, or using a clean meat mallet.
  2. Slice 4 slices of ginger approximately 0.5cm wide from your fresh ginger root
  3. Cut the lime into quarters to expose the flesh
  4. Place the lemongrass stalk and fresh ginger, along with 1 litre of fresh water into your water kettle (jug)
  5. Boil the jug / kettle
  6. Add the boiled water, lemongrass, ginger, lime pieces and green tea to a tea pot (preferably one with a filter).
  7. Allow the tea to brew for around 15 minutes so that the water has cooled down enough to drink. The tea will continue to increase in flavour the longer you leave it.
  8. Enjoy either hot or over ice with slices of lime for a refreshing iced tea.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: The Map Room – The Map Room

Cardamon Black Tea

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 Cardamon Tea

When I lived in India I loved Masala Chai (a milky spiced tea), but I have also discovered that adding Cardamon to black or green tea without adding milk is also a delicious, and warming tea. Cardamon originates from the area including India, Pakistan and Bhutan. It is a  fragrant spice that adds aroma and depth to a variety of both sweet and savoury dishes. It is very easy to buy in most Western Supermarkets in the spice aisle.

Ingredients

  • 4 green cardamon seeds
  • 1 tea bag of black or green tea (or 1/2 tsp of loose tea leaves)
  • 500ml water

Directions

  1. Crush the cardamon pods. You can do this either by squeezing them between your fingers or by placing them on a board, laying a knife flat on top of them, and banging them with your fist.
  2. Make sure that the pods are open, and you can see the black seeds inside, but not yet that the seeds are falling out of the pods. Exposing the seeds to the water will add even more fragrance to the tea.
  3. Place the cardamon pods into a water kettle (jug). Add 500ml of fresh water and boil the jug / kettle.
  4. Add the tea bag to a tea pot with a strainer. Pour the water and cardamon pods into the kettle.
  5. Let the tea brew for around 5 minutes and then serve.
  6. Makes 2 cups.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Ijahman Levi – Lilly of my Valley

Chrysanthemum, Plum, Goji Berry tea

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Chrysanthemum plum yoji berry tea

Living in Asia is a great way to learn about the tea cultures that exist around the region. This is a simplified version of the Chinese Eight Treasures tea, and substitutes the rock sugar for honey to give it a lovely mellow taste that avoids processed sugars.  

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp Chrysanthemum
  • 1 Tbsp green tea leaves (or 1 tea bag)
  • 1 Tbsp goji berries
  • 2 dried plums
  • 4 slices fresh ginger

Directions

  1. Place all of the ingredients into a tea pot with a wire mesh barrier in it to hold the ingredients when you pour the tea (alternatively you can strain the tea from the tea pot with a strainer when you pour it).
  2. Pour over hot water, preferably at 80 degrees Celsius (170 degrees Fahrenheit), or boil the water and let it cool a little first.
  3. Let the tea steep for at least 10 minutes before you drink it.
  4. Strain the tea into a glass or cup and enjoy

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Atlas – Real Estate

 

 

 

 

Race Announcer Watermelon Pineapple Juice

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Pineapple and watermelon juice

This is a super simple juice that is naturally approved by our little Juice Master Liam. Watermelon has a lot of juice in it, and very little fibre, so it lends itself better to the blender than the juicer. The pineapple on the other hand is easier to juice as you don’t have to do as much preparation work on making sure you get rid of all of the hard skin. You can just roughly peel it and let the juicer do the rest.

Ingredients

  • 1 whole pineapple
  • 1/4 of a large watermelon

Directions

  1. Cut the top and the bottom off the pineapple. Cut the harder outside off the sides of the pineapple. Cut the pineapple into quarters so that it fits into your juicer tube. Don’t worry if there are a few spikes left on the pineapple here and there, the juicer will get rid of them anyway when it takes over.
  2. Cut watermelon into pieces that are easy enough to cut the hard outside off them. Chop the watermelon into pieces roughly 2cm square.
  3. If you are using a centrifugal juicer, then put it onto the slow speed. Pineapple has a lot of liquid to it and you will get more juice out of it on a slower speed. Juice the Pineapple.
  4. Place the pineapple juice into the blender. Add all of the pieces of Watermelon. Blender on a high speed for about 1 minute until the watermelon is totally blended to a juice.
  5. Serve over ice

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: French for Rabbits – Spirits

 

 

Hulk Green Juice

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Hulk Juice

Yesterday Liam decided that he wanted to make a green juice. It had to be “as green as the Hulk” he said. So he went through the fridge to find everything he could find to make a yummy green juice. This is the result of his efforts. The ginger makes it a warm, comforting juice.

Ingredients

  • 2 kale leaves (whole, washed)
  • 1 cucumber (whole, washed)
  • 1/2 lemon (unpeeled)
  • 1 lime
  • 5 apples
  • 1.5cm ginger

Directions

  1. Wash the Kale, apple, cucumber and lime. Remove the apple stalks.
  2. Juice the apples whole on the higher speed. Only cut them if needed to fit in your juicer tube.
  3. Juice the lemon, lime, ginger and kale on the higher speed. 
  4. Juice the cucumber on the lower speed. 
  5. Stir the juice and serve over ice.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Vinicius de Moraes – Pure Bossa Nova

 


 

Thrive Rockmelon Juice

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Thrive rockmelon juice

At the food market yesterday Liam decided that he was going to choose all of the fruits and vegetables, and rockmelon was amoungst his selection. This is his  creation this morning.

Ingredients

  • 1 rockmelon
  • 1 orange (whole)
  • 1 lime
  • 2 red apples (whole, washed)
  • 2 pears (whole, washed)
  • Centrifugal or slow juicer

Directions

  1. Cut the rockmelon into slices that will fit into your juicer tube. Remove the hard rind from the melon.
  2. Wash the apples and pears, and remove the stalks. (Only cut them if needed to fit into your juicer tube)
  3. Put the rockmelon, lime and orange (not peeled) through the juicer on the slow speed.
  4. Put the apples and pears through the juicer on the fast speed.
  5. Stir to combine all of the juices together and serve over ice.
  6. Makes 4-5 glasses.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Haim – Days are Gone

 

 

 

Singapore Summer juice

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Singapore Summer Juice

One of the joys of living in Singapore is the perpetual summer, and the abundance of tropical fruits. This juice was the perfect accompaniment to browsing through a Singapore guidebook to find our weekend excursion destination.

Ingredients

  • 3 carrots (whole, unpeeled, washed)
  • 1 guava (whole, unpeeled, washed)
  • 1 pineapple
  • 1 lime (whole, washed)
  • 2 red apples (whole, unpeeled, washed)
  • Centrifugal or slow juicer machine

Directions

  1. Cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple. Cut off the tough exterior, and cut the pineapple into quarters so that it fits into the juicer tube.
  2. Wash the skins of the other fruits, and cut them only if required to fit into your juicer tube.
  3. For a centrifugal juicer, turn the juicer to speed 1 (slowest speed). Juice the pineapple, apples and guava.
  4. Turn the juicer up to speed 2 (fastest speed). Juice the carrots and lime. 
  5. Turn off the juicer. Stir the juice to combine the fruits.
  6. Serve over ice straight after juicing. Including the lime ensures that the apples will not turn brown quickly, so it will keep for a few hours if you prefer, but it never lasts that long in our house.

Music to go with it…
Listen on Spotify: Gregory Isaacs – Night Nurse