STAYING HYDRATED & ANGIE'S SUGAR FREE CORDIAL

With the warmer weather upon us it really is time to keep the fluids up. I'm sure you've all heard to drink 2L of water every day. Not only is it important for good organ function but new research is proving that drinking plentiful supplies of water can play an important role in helping to improve your metabolic rate. The easiest way to ensure you're getting enough water each and every day is to take a water bottle with you everywhere you go. I've been doing so ever since I was a young girl and suffered some kidney issues and now if I forget to take my bottle with me it's like I left a leg at home!

In addition to water you can try some other refreshments to keep it a little more interesting. Try adding a couple of slices of lemon to your drink bottle for a nice change. Drinking lemon water can help to boost your immune levels, assists your liver to digest fats more efficiently and helps to release toxins from your body.

I am a massive fan of juicing regularly and found this particularly helpful in my earlier days of losing weight when I was trying to cut my meal portion sizes down. Back when I was 30kgs heavier than now I would juice first thing in the morning and store in the fridge for drinking during the day. I would start with a light breakfast, drink a large glass of fresh vegetable/fruit blend juice for morning tea, have a light lunch, another glass of juice for afternoon tea, then dinner followed by one last juice at night if I was looking for a late sweet snack. A good juice for those starting out is 1 bag of apples, 3 carrots, 2 celery sticks, 1 peeled lemon and one thumb sized ginger piece. That should make enough juice for 1-2 people per day. When drinking fresh juice you can reduce your 2L water goal down a little as fruit and vegetables generally have a high water content to them.

A new family favourite here for Summer is my Sugar Free cordial. This cordial is really nothing like store-bought cordial, in that it has no added sugar, is high in vitamins and minerals, is thirst quenching and immune boosting! You will need a juicer to make this and whilst I use my Thermomix (TM) for pureeing the berries you can do this in your blender or food processor (FP) without a problem.

ANGIE'S SUGAR FREE APPLE-BERRY CORDIAL

1 cup frozen or fresh raspberries (strawberries will work too)
2 bags of apples (1 kg bags)
2 lemons (peeled)
1 thumb sized piece of ginger
Agave syrup (to taste)
Stevia drops (in addition to agave if you wish, to taste)

Start by processing your berries in your TM or FP.
Place the apples, ginger and lemon through your juicing machine.
Add juice to pureed berries in the TM or FP and add a good splash of agave syrup (stevia too if you wish).
Give this a quick whiz on a low setting.
Pour into an air-tight container and add equal quantity of water to the juice concentrate.
Taste test and add a little extra agave if required.
Don't forget to give the container a good shake before serving each time.

Don't be scared to try your own flavour combinations. I served this to friends today and they all loved it. One friend suggested it would be great to add to sparkling mineral water to make it a little extra special for special occasions.