The Foodie Files

I went to a killer flea market last weekend...the kind where you could spend all day there and still miss huge areas.  And I'm proud to say that- for the most part- I showed levels of restraint I didn't know I was capable of.  I walked away with a few things, but they were all (for lack of a better way to say it) planned pregnancies.  Of those items, I think I'm most excited about the awesome oversized blue mason jars I used for today's Foodie Files.  Since I rationalized buying them by saying "I've been looking for something like this so I can start infusing water" (which was technically the truth), I figured I should get to infusing right away to ensure buyers remorse didn't have a chance to sneak up on me.  I tried a few really fun flavor combinations that absolutely screamed summer to me and was super pumped to have them all turn out so well.  Drink up, folks cause these are delish.

Ingredients:

2 cups pineapple

2 limes

2 TBS cilantro

7 cups water

Cut pineapple into cubes and lime wedges in half.  De-stem cilantro but allow leaves to remain whole.

Put cilantro in a 2 liter container and muddle with a large wooden spoon.  Add limes and pineapple then muddle again.  Seal lid and shake to distribute ingredients.

Add water and allow mixture to steep for at least 2 hours...best case scenario, overnight.

Ingredients:

1 peach

1 cup blackberries

1 cup rasberries

7 cups water

Cut peach into cubes and wash berries.

Muddle peaches, then add blackberries and raspberries and muddle again.  Shake to evenly distribute ingredients.  

Add water and steep in the fridge.

Ingredients:

2 cups watermelon

2 TBS basil

7 cups water

Cut watermelon into cubes and de-stem basil, leaving leaves whole.

Muddle basil, add watermelon and lightly muddle.

You know the drill...shake, add water, steep.

Besides the fact that they're all natural, my favorite thing about these infused waters is they're so fresh tasting.  If you exclusively love super sugary beverages, these might not be for you- however- if subtly sweet floats your boat, you'll be hard pressed to find something more refreshing.