Drinks and Beverages

Cooling Chamomile Iced Tea NS Sweet Basil and Ginger Tea NS Matcha Mojito Tea NS Iced Chai Coffee Tropical Kale Smoothie Kale, Carrot, and Ginger Apple Juice NS Creamy Banana–Nut Butter Smoothie NS Berry Bonanza Smoothie NS

Anytime you start a new diet plan, it is nice to have a lot of taste and flavor options available to you, especially when you are just getting started. This will help to add diversity to your day in a simple and tasty way. Plus, there are plenty of us who have a routine of drinking coffee or black tea or soda, and these beverage suggestions can help to substitute for the old habits you are trying to kick. Included here are smoothies, which can spice up your snack or breakfast routine, or maybe even replace that milkshake that becomes tempting during the hot, summer months.

Cooling Chamomile Iced Tea

4 cups water

¹⁄₂ cup sliced peaches

1 cup mint leaves

4 chamomile tea bags

¹⁄₄ cup peach nectar

1. Bring water to a gentle boil, and remove from heat. Add peaches, mint leaves, and tea bags, and steep for 4 to 5 minutes.

2. Remove tea bags, and let cool in refrigerator until chilled, about 1 hour.

3. Add peach nectar, stir, and serve over ice.

SERVES 4

Sweet Basil and Ginger Tea

4 cups water

1 (2-inch) piece ginger, roughly chopped

¹⁄₄ cup torn basil leaves

1 teaspoon agave nectar

1. Bring water to a boil with ginger, remove from heat, and add basil leaves. Let steep at least 3 minutes. Stir in agave and serve warm.

SERVES 2

Matcha Mojito Tea

6 cups water

1 cup fresh mint

Juice and zest of 1 lime

2 teaspoons matcha powder

1 tablespoon honey

1. Heat water until it is almost at a boil. Add mint and lime juice and zest, and let steep, covered, for 5 minutes.

2. Spoon matcha powder into a heat-safe glass pitcher, and gradually pour water mixture over the matcha, whisking continuously. Strain the mint and zest out of the tea.

3. Add honey and serve.

SERVES 4

featured ingredient

matcha

Matcha is a powdered form of green tea. Once tea leaves are sun-dried, they are finely ground and whisked into not-yet-boiling water. Matcha was originally used as a ceremonial tea in Japan, and has just recently become a popular trend in the United States. Because drinking matcha means ingesting all of the tea leaf instead of what is steeped from the leaves, you are consuming a greatly increased amount of antioxidants. Matcha can also be used in baked goods such as cookies and cakes.

Iced Chai Coffee

5 cups prepared coffee (NS substitute mix 3 tablespoons Carob Extract * into 5 cups 2 percent cow’s milk)

1 whole clove

¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¹⁄₄ teaspoon dried ginger

¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground cardamom

2 tablespoons agave

¹⁄₂ cup 2 percent cow’s milk, or more, to taste

1. Pour prepared coffee into a saucepan with the cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, and agave.

2. Warm ingredients over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard clove. Remove mixture from heat, and let cool. Place in the refrigerator until cold, about 1 hour.

3. Once chilled, pour into a large, glass pitcher, and add milk (add additional milk to suit your preference), and serve over ice in chilled glasses.

SERVES 4

Tropical Kale Smoothie

1 cup frozen, diced pineapple

¹⁄₃ cup frozen, diced peach

¹⁄₂ frozen banana

¹⁄₄ cup frozen kale

³⁄₄ cup 2 percent cow’s milk

2 teaspoons agave

2 tablespoons Protein

Blend™ Powder—Type B*

1. Place all ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth, or use an immersion blender.

2. Serve chilled.

SERVES 4

Kale, Carrot, and Ginger Apple Juice

1 bunch kale

¹⁄₂ lemon

4 large carrots, peeled

4 apples

1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger

1. Wash and dry vegetables. Cut off tough ends of the kale and carrots, and push kale, lemon, carrots, apples, and ginger through juicer one at a time.

2. Stir together and enjoy.

SERVES 4

tip: Vegetable juices will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, but provide the best nutritional value when consumed immediately after juicing.