Sassy Water

Today, I posted this photo on my Facebook with the caption "What does one do with slices of cucumber, lemon, and mint leaves?" Well, I'm about to tell you!

These ingredients were used last night to create Sassy Water, a recipe I got from Prevention magazine. I was looking for a way to "spruce up" my daily water intake. I am usually really good about getting the right amount of water every day; however, here lately I have been a bad bad bad girl - drinking a soda a day! Coffee OF COURSE daily! And very little water, only at night at home where we don't keep the other offensive items on hand.

Because I cannot do those crazy powder drinks (like Crystal Light - the aspartame in them causes raaaging headaches for me) I decided I needed to try a different method. Normally I do put lemon squeezings in my water when I'm feeling less than enthused about a glass, so I thought I could spin-off on that idea. Turns out lemons (and these other ingredients) have A TON of positive healthy benefits. A TON! So, before I tell you how to make this easy crapola, let me tell you about those benefits! (This really isn't all that shocking. We all should know by now that fresh veggies and such are the best thing you can give yourself every day. And obviously the main ingredient in this recipe is WATER which we ALL NEED).

According to my Googling, cucumbers are (duh) low in calories and have zero fat or cholestorol. Cucumbers are a natural way to get rid of gut bloat and also help with your digestive process....uh, right up my alley fo' sho'! Cucumbers are also loaded with other fab nutrients such as beta carotene (a lovely antioxidant), vitamins A, C, and K (note: V-K can be good for bone strength!), and, cucumbers can help with neurological functions and weight loss (though that one is certainly not my goal here).

Lemons also pack a healthy whack. They provide you with natural antioxidants that help your immune system to battle unwanted villians, ie, infections. They help to cleanse your digestive system, your liver, and help to clean up yo' mouth! They are also a source of many vitamins, and supposedly lemon juice can help to rid of anxiety, fatigue, and stress!

Finally, mint leaves can do all of the above and more. Mint is a much more helpful aid for digestive problems (like my nausea, upset belly, and all that jazz). Mint can also help with a nasty headache which seems to be a common thing lately due to this weeeeatherrrr.....

I should say here that ginger is also a typical ingredient for this recipe, freshly ground, but I chose to omit it from my pitcher. While ginger has many helpful benefits as well, in excess it can be counter-productive to people with stomach problems. I didn't want to jinx it. I chew ginger gum every morning to ward off nausea and that's enough for me!

SO! With all that said... how does one make Sassy Water? It's so easy.

You need:

2 liters of water in a large pitcher
1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced
1 medium lemon, thinly sliced
12 mint leaves

Put all of the above in a large pitcher. Soak it all overnight in your fridge so that the nutrients from the cucs, lemons, and leaves absorb into the water. In the morning, strain out the ingredients. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to drink all 2 liters by the end of the day. You start over the next day!

I found my ingredients at Kroger. No biggie. The one near me has a wonderful produce section with a large organic selection. My lemons, cucs, and leaves were all organic. They were all also on sale this week! Score!

So there you have it. A really long post about water. Drink up!