Apple Berry Milkshake

It feels wonderful to be back after a long break. How have all of you been?
Before we knew it, winter turned to summer in Bangalore. With exams on, and summer heat in full force, we are constantly searching for chilling, refreshing drinks. Surely, staying cool and hydrated has to include delicious and inviting options, correct?
This apple berry milkshake has been the answer to such heated discussions about the best drink in summer. The sudden jump in season from winter to summer made plenty of winter produce like apples and strawberries still available in the market. So, we are making the best use of it.
Made with only 3-4 ingredients, this milkshake can be blended in no time, but tastes best when chilled. So make sure you stock up on chilled milk in your fridge! We are exploring many more liquid deliciousness at our home. Stay tuned for more such chilling posts!

ALLERGY INFORMATION

• Contains lactose. People with lactose intolerance can substitute coconut milk or almond milk in place of dairy milk.
• Does NOT contain gluten, yeast, soya, nuts, corn, eggs.

Preparation time – 10 minutes, Cooking time – nil. Chilling time – 2 hours, Serves - 2
YOU NEED
COOKWARE – Blender, peeler, knife, glasses to serve
INGREDIENTS -

1. 1 Red Delicious or Fuji apple
2. 4-5 strawberries
3. 400 ml chilled skim milk
4. 1 drop vanilla extract
5. 1-2 teaspoons sugar (optional)

METHOD

1. Rinse the fruits thoroughly. Peel and core the apple. Hull the strawberries. Chop the fruits up roughly.
2. Add the chopped fruits to a blender, pour in half the chilled milk, vanilla extract and blend to super smooth and frothy milk shake. Top up with rest of milk and blend in too.
3. Taste and add sugar only if needed. Blend for another minute if you are using sugar.
4. Serve in tall glasses. Top with ice cubes if you wish to.

Watermelon Shikanjvi

In keeping with the need of the summer season, here is a winner drink recipe. Watermelon juice spiked with Indian spices. These spices were chosen not just for the flavours but also for their ability to aid digestion and add essential salts to the body.

In my earlier post, I had promised to share a drink recipe that does not include sugar. This is especially so that diabetics can also indulge in a refreshing drink. Summer need not be tiring or exhausting if we have refreshing, nourishing, hydrating drinks such as this watermelon shikanjvi in our repertoire. The ultimate thirst quencher. Rich with natural salts to rehydrate, and full of fruit vitamins and minerals. The fruit is rich in anti oxidants which helps in maintaining skin tone as well. Something we could surely use in the dry scorching months!

 

In fact, most juices and colas are not advisable for diabetics since these release a surge of sugar into the blood stream almost immediately. A spike in blood sugar is dangerous for any diabetic. As is dehydration. In diabetics, if there is excess sugar in the blood, the kidneys will try to flush out some sugar through urine. It makes this happen by drawing on body water from blood, cells, saliva. This, in turn, increases the dehydration in the body.

Without further ado, here is the recipe for a super refreshing, very low calorie, drink. For ease, I am giving measures for 2 glasses. Of course, you can make a big batch ahead (do not add the soda ahead. Mix it in just before serving) and store chilled in the fridge. When you feel like downing a glass, pour yourself half a glass of this juice mixture, top with soda and sip for instant relief from summer.

 ALLERGY INFORMATION

• Does NOT contain lactose, soya, corn, yeast, gluten.

Preparation Time – 10 minutes + chilling time, Cooking Time – nil, Serves - 2

YOU NEED -

COOKWARE - Mixer grinder, lemon squeezer, and serving glasses

INGREDIENTS -

1. 1 heaped cup chopped, deseeded watermelon chunks
2. 250 ml chilled club soda
3. Juice of 1 lemon
4. a  big pinch of cooking salt
5. pinch each of roasted jeera powder and kala namak powder
6. Ice cubes to top up and serve

METHOD -

1. Whiz the watermelon chunks in the mixer until you get a smooth puree. .
2. Add the lemon juice also to the mixer jar.
3. Add also a big pinch of salt, followed by a small pinch each of roasted jeera powder and kala namak.
4. Whiz the mixture well, and divide between 2 glasses.
5. Top with club soda, ice cubes and serve chilled!

 

Technorati Tags: summer hydration,hydrating drink,summer drink,mocktail,sports drink,low calorie drink,refreshing drink,anti oxidants

 

Orange Basil Iced Tea

With summer on, in full swing, we search often for different drinks to soothe our parched throat! It is truly important to keep ourselves well hydrated in heat. Drinking plain water through the day can be boring, and nauseous at times. The trick, then, is to flavour our drinks with some palate pleasers. This way, we can drink enough fluids to keep the body hydrated well enough.

For more on hydration, and it’s importance, read my article here on importance of water.

Here is an idea which you can use to add fun to your fluid intake. Tea is a diuretic, which means it increases water excreted from the body. So to help maintain the fluid balance in the body, I have diluted the iced tea with plenty of water and added orange juice for extra vitamins and minerals.

• People who have special fluid restrictions like in kidney aliments will have to stick to their prescribed form of fluid intake. This drink may not be suitable for them.
• If you have diabetes, or are obese, this is not the best way to replenish fluids for you. Cheer up! I will be back with interesting drink recipes for you also.

ALLERGY INFORMATION

• Does not contain gluten, soya, corn, yeast, lactose.

Preparation Time – 10 minutes + 1 hour chilling, Cooking Time – 3-4 minutes, Serves – 4-6 glasses

YOU NEED

COOKWARE – Tea pot/saucepan, jug, glasses to serve

INGREDIENTS

1. Juice of 2 oranges, about 1/2 cup or more, freshly squeezed orange juice.
2. 3 tea bags of your choice of flavour. Lemon, ginger, mint teas all work well.
3. 2 cups drinking water + 4 cups chilled drinking water
4. A tiny fistful Basil seeds/sabja seeds
5. 2 tbsp honey
6. Ice cubes and orange slices to serve

METHOD

1. Bring 2 cups of water to boil in a saucepan. Place tea bags in the saucepan, remove from heat, cover and steep for 5-7 minutes.
2. Soak the basil seeds in the remaining 4 cups chilled water.
3. Squeeze out the tea bags. Mix in the orange juice, strained tea, chilled water and honey.
4. Stir well, chill for an hour.
5. Serve topped with ice cubes and slices of orange to garnish.

Technorati Tags: drinks,Iced Tea,Orange Iced Tea,Summer special,hydration,fluid losses

How to stay hydrated in summer

Summer finds several of us limp, enervated, and exhausted. Rising temperatures put us in misery. These are symptoms of reduced water levels in the body. To enable us to run through our day effectively, we need to keep a close watch on our hydration levels. We can live without food for much longer than living without water.  The importance of this simple nutrient is often underestimated.

So why is water important for us? What does water do to our body? Did you know that 70% of our body is made of water?

Among other functions, water is extremely necessary for these -

• Water helps to circulate blood and other nutrients around inside the body.
• Water removes toxins and waste from the body in the form of sweat, urine and stools.
• Maintains body temperature by removing heat from the internal organs, and flushing it out of the body through sweat.

A decrease in water leads to several disturbances in normal body functions. Absence of enough water in the body leads to a condition called dehydration. How do we recognise these symptoms?  

1. Do you know that your trips to the washroom are the best indicator of hydration levels? If you have yellow urine, accompanied some times with a burning sensation while urinating, OR if you have visited the washroom lesser than 2 times in the last 5 hours, and have been exercising or playing outdoors as well, then it is urgent that you sip up on fluids. Colourless urine is the best sign of hydration.
2. Thirst – you have already lost 1% body water by the time the brain signals thirst! If you have not heeded your thirst signals, and are still away from your water bottle, you could experience some of these too -
3. Dry around lips, fuzzy tongue.
4. Increase in body temperature.
5. Giddiness, shortness of breath.
6. Confusion, lack of muscular coordination, muscle cramps. 
7. Loss of control over bowel movement!
8. Beware! A bad combination of excessively hot weather, loss of body fluids and not enough water replenishment can lead to heat stroke and even death.

How many of us really want to get to such extremes? We can quickly reverse these symptoms by drinking up. At the first sign of dehydration, or even before that, start drinking up. How much water should we drink? The National Institute of Nutrition recommends at least 8 glasses of water daily for an average Indian. In summer, during exercise or when there is excess sweating, the recommendations go up higher.

 Featured in picture - Tintrinee Panaka – Refreshing Tamarind Drink. Good way to hydrate in scorching heat.

The best way to re-hydrate is by sipping small mouthfuls of water throughout the day. Much like drip-irrigation in a field. Set up a pretty 1 litre glass bottle with drinking water close to your work station. Down a gulp every 10 minutes. This way, your water will last you for about 20 mouthfuls. If that is difficult, at least drink half a cup of water or other fluids every half an hour. This is more effective than drinking larger volumes at one time and going without fluids for long stretches of time.

Are there any other fluids that we can sip on? Surely, some people get nauseated from gulping only water throughout the day. Yes, there are some really healthy fluids that help you hydrate. Fluids like barley water, tender coconut water, diluted buttermilk, skim milk, unsweetened lemon juice, unsweetened fresh fruit juice, raw unsweetened juiced vegetables, and  are all great for keeping our body in safe hydrated zones. All these fluids also bring some vital nutrients like vitamins and minerals apart from replacing fluid losses in the body.

Featured in picture - Aloe vera Lemonade – with the cooling properties of Aloe vera. 

Then there are some foods that are high in moisture too. They help the body by adding valuable nutrients that are lost in excessive sweating. Foods that include moisture and essential minerals are cucumber, tomatoes, raw bottle gourd, watermelon, cantaloupe, oranges, apples. These are best eaten raw to ensure all the nutrients plus the water reaches the body.

In the next post, I will be discussing what fluids are not good for hydration. Also whether children, elderly, pregnant or sports people need any special hydration in summer.

Do write in if you have any unique dietary concerns for yourself or your family.

Technorati Tags: hydration,water,summer hydration,health article,nutrition,fluid losses,drinks,summer drinks

Tintrinee Panaka

 

Are you inquisitive about what this is? A tin or a tree? Wait, the title also says Panaka. So, a drink? Ok, that part was easier. So what’s with the tongue twister title? Fret no more. This is just  Tamarind Panaka. Whew. Is that all?

Did you know that tamarind has several health benefits?

• The fruit juice has ability to improve glucose transport inside the body. However, people with diabetes need to monitor their intake of sweetened drinks such as this carefully.
• It has substantial amounts of B complex vitamins as well as rich in Iron, Magnesium and fibre.
• Tamarind juice is used in Indian traditional medicine to treat rheumatism, diabetes, and even obesity.
• Leaves of tamarind tree are boiled in water and used as antimicrobial wash.
• Apart from all these, tamarind has high levels of antioxidants such as tartaric acid (the reason for its acidity) and phytochemicals such as limonene and geraniol  which show anti oxidant properties in studies.

To capitalise on it’s health benefits, I’ve attempted this refreshing summer drink. The zest is supplied by the tamarind juice with flavours like lemon grass and kala namak adding to the appeal of this zingy mocktail. We often ignore proper hydration once we cross the summer season. This peppy drink is a great choice of hydration because it is fortified with salts such as Kala namak (Himalayan pink salt) which is rich in minerals too. The use of palm sugar here makes it healthier too.

When Urban Dazzle and IFBM2014 announced the summer/monsoon drink recipe contest, I was sure that I wanted to create a very unique drink. I believe I have. Do try it out and let me know if you liked it. This refreshing drink would look perfect in this Martini glass from Urban Dazzle. The unique stem design captured my interest right away and the volume would be just right for a serving.

Without further ado, here is the recipe.

Preparation time – 15 minutes, Cooking Time – 15 minutes, Serves – 4

You Need

4 martini or highball glasses with rim dressed in coloured sugar and chilled.

Ingredients

1. Ready tamarind pulp – 2 tbsp or Tamarind pods – 2 tbsp tightly packed.
2. Lemon grass – 5 long stalks
3. Water – 2 cups+1/2 cup
4. Palm sugar candy (Panam karkandu) – 1/4 cup
5. Salt – a pinch
6. Kala namak – a tiny pinch
7. Chilled soda – 500 ml

Method

1. Place the tamarind pulp along with 2 cup of water in a sauce pan and boil for 5 minutes. Set aside. If using tamarind pods, soak in 1cup warm water for  5 minutes, extract pulp. Filter through a mesh filter to remove impurities and repeat process to extract pulp completely. Make up total volume to 2 cups and boil for 5 minutes.
2. Rinse and roughly chop the lemon grass into a saucepan with 1/2 cup water. Boil this also for 2 minutes for the flavours to release.
3. To dress the rim of martini glasses, rinse and wipe the glasses well. Carefully and gently rub a lime wedge along the rim of the glass. Invert the mouth of the glass over a plate of coloured sugar. Once the sugar is coated uniformly, place glass in freezer to chill for up to half an hour.
4. Pour  60 ml of tamarind water and 30 ml of lemon grass water in a cocktail shaker. Add a good pinch of salt, tiny pinch of kala namak, and 2 tsp powdered palm sugar. Shake well. Pour into a dressed chilled glass. Top with soda and serve.

Cantaloupe smoothie

It feels like the worst April ever in my city, unimaginably hot these days.  To add to my woes, I suffered a hit in an amusement park that has left me with a broken rib. I expect it should heal in two months. Added to this are children having summer vacations who keep darting in and out of home in between their endless rounds of play – more thirsty than hungry.  Finding simple recipes to hydrate the children and the rest of the family while trying to ‘bed-rest’ my broken rib is quite a juggle.
In summer, we are naturally inclined to drinking more fluids to overcome thirst, cool the body and keep us sane! I am experimenting with more smoothies, shakes, juices as tasty ideas to rehydration and energy. This Cantaloupe smoothie is the result of one such experiment. When the fruit is made into a smoothie, it is more refreshing and filling. The well ripened fruit gives the drink an amazing flavour and we do not miss the sugar at all.

• Cantaloupe or Musk Melon, as it is called in India, is more available in summer than other seasons. The melon is very rich in Vitamin A, C, Folate, Niacin,  Potassium.
• These vitamins are important during pregnancy, so the fruit is a good choice along with others for a pregnant woman.
• The sweet taste of the melon comes from sugars, so diabetics need to work with your nutritionist to find it’s appropriate use in your diet.
• The fruit’s high moisture content makes it ideal for summers, for rehydration during workouts. The smoothie thus is a very good pre / post workout meal. Made even healthier with addititon of flax powder (Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids) or sabja seeds.

You Need

1. Skim Milk – 500 ml
2. Cantaloupe / Musk Melon – Skinned and chopped – 2 heaped cups
3. Honey – 1 tbsp, optional
4. Ice cubes – optional

Method

1. Wash, skin and deseed the melon.
2. Chop it into largish chunks and blend into a smooth puree in the mixer.
3. Add 1/2 cup milk, blend again. Pour into a large jug, add the rest of the milk and stir to homogenise. Taste and add honey if needed.
4. Chill for half an hour before serving. Serve with ice, if you like!