Kombucha Tea Flavorings Round 2

Looking back through my posts in the last few years, I see it's been a while since my last post about brewing kombucha.  Hard to believe!  Well I have about a year's worth of new flavor combinations to share with you.  But first, take a look back at our past discussions about brewing kombucha at home.  If you haven't started yet, believe me it's easy and takes very little effort!  The cost savings of home brewing and health benefits of consuming regularly are abundant!

Weird science project or tasty drink?: How to Brew Kombucha

Is My SCOBY Moldy?

Kombucha Tea Flavorings Round 1

Kombucha Smoothie 

Kombucha Mojito

I hope you like some of these new kombucha flavors.  These ingredients are added during the second fermentation period.  We love to try new combinations.  Exotic blends are at the bottom.  Always use organic ingredients, because chemicals and pesticides can harm the SCOBY and kill the natural yeast production.  Be sure to check out the original kombucha tea flavorings post from 2010 first to see if you want to try any if the classic flavors, too!


Kombucha Tea Flavorings Round 2

To 3 quarts of kombucha tea for the second fermentation period, add:

Watermelon-Lime Kombucha

Watermelon-Lime:  1/3 cup fresh squeezed watermelon juice  +  1/4 cup lime peel cut into strips

Pineapple:  1/4 cup fresh pineapple

Pineapple Pomegranate:  1/4 cup fresh pineapple  +  1/4 cup pomegranate juice

Apple Berry:  1/3 cup unsweetened organic apple juice  +  1/3 cup fresh mixed berries (or thawed frozen berries, or 1/4 cup unsweetened jam)

Cherry Vanilla: 1/4 cup dried cherries OR 1/3 cup pitted fresh cherries  +  2 tsp pure vanilla extract 

Pear-Almond:  1/4 cup fresh pear  +  2 tsp pure almond extract

Orange-Grapefruit: 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice  +  1/3 cup fresh squeezed grapefruit juice   OR  1/4 cup orange peel  +  1/4 cup grapefruit peel 

Lemon-Blueberry:  1/4 cup lemon peel cut into strips  +  1/3 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen thawed blueberries, or 1/4 cup dried blueberries)

Peach:  1/3 cup fresh peaches (or thawed frozen peaches)

Strawberry-Mango: 1/4 cup fresh mango  (or frozen thawed mango)  +  1/3 cup fresh strawberries (or frozen thawed strawberries)

Kiwi:  1/3 cup fresh kiwi

Calm Blend:  1 tsp dried lavender flower  +  1 tsp dried chamomile flower

Chai Blend:  2 tsp of my favorite whole chai spice blend

Apple Pie Kombucha

Apple Pie Chai:  1/3 cup unsweetened apple juice  +  1 tsp chai spice blend  +  1 cinnamon stick

Apple Pie:  1/3 cup unsweetened apple juice  +  1 cinnamon stick

Pumpkin Pie:  1/3 cup pumpkin puree (optional)  +  4 whole cloves  +  2 cinnamon sticks  +  1/2 tsp ground nutmeg  +  3/4 tsp ground ginger  +  1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Malt:  1 heaping Tablespoon raw cacao powder  +  1 heaping Tablespoon maca powder

Continue with the second ferment for at least 2 days.  Sometimes we forget and let our bottles go about 7 days for the second ferment.  They still taste good, but start to get a bit vinegary tasting again.  I think 3-4 days is the sweet spot.  Then pop in the fridge overnight, strain and enjoy!

Don't be afraid to experiment!  And don't be afraid to pour a batch down the drain if it didn't come out how you wanted.  I've done that a few times myself.  You can always make more!  The fun is in the experimenting, creating, and enjoying.

If you have a favorite flavor, please share it in the comments section!  I'd love to hear from you!

We're Back! & Melon-Lime Smoothie

Hi guys!

We are BACK!  And I am finally getting this post posted!  If you've been following us around on Facebook or Twitter, you'll know we made it back from our trip to the U.P. of Michigan a couple Saturdays ago.  And ever since I have been Internet deprived, and thus have had a huge lack in updates and new recipe postings to Healing Cuisine.  Good news is Dave ordered me an Internet package and we should be wired in by Monday or Tuesday of next week.  I can't wait!

We had a fabulous time in Michigan, albeit too short of a visit with family and friends.  We didn't have quite enough time to jump into Lake Superior, but we did accomplish just about every thing else we planned to on our visit home.  This included Dave taking charge and packing our 12ft Penske truck with all our earthly belongings, while my mom and I sat inside talking baby and looking at the gifts she crocheted for baby Schwartz.  We also successfully brought home 6 pasties.  Pasties have been the one and only food I have craved while pregnant, but haven't been able to find in Florida or North Carolina.  I was determined to bring some home with us to enjoy this final month of pregnancy.  Baby and I are in heaven!  (Core Plan heaven that is... ;)

The drive down from Michigan took us about a day and a half.  It wasn't too bad, I supported and propped up my body with plenty of pillows and a doughnut for my tush.  Baby and I handled it all pretty well.  After arriving home and getting the boxes and furniture all moved into our new diggs, nesting started and is in full swing!  Apartment is cleaned from top to bottom and all the baby stuff is washed and set out, ready to go!  About 4 weeks left until we get to meet our little bundle of joy, God's greatest blessing!

Here's an updated belly picture that we took during our trip home, at about 34 weeks.  Since, babe has dropped and we are right on track for a successful birth!

Hoping to be back to a more regular posting schedule by next week.  I'm working on a neat article all about dry brushing, so stay tuned!  That will be the next one to go live!  For today, enjoy a refreshing Core Plan smoothie perfect for beating this summer heat!

Melon-Lime Smoothie
Makes 2 Servings

1/2 cup full-fat organic coconut milk
2 cups organic frozen watermelon, cantaloupe, or honeydew melon, diced
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp fresh lime zest
2 scoops unflavored or vanilla protein powder
1-2 handfuls ice

Blend ingredients together in blender until smooth.  Serve immediately.

Light and Fresh Spring Elixir

Hope you all had a great weekend!  We still have no Internet connection at home, and with the blazing temperatures outside I just can't bring myself to venture out to the free wifi at the pool.  Baby wouldn't like that much, and neither would this mama!  So, sorry for the sporadic posting lately and to come!  Blogging has been taking a hit, but recipe creation has not!  Just need to find time to get some of my tasty new creations posted for you to enjoy!

We're also heading home to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan later this week.  We've been storing almost all of our belongings at my mom's house for the past year while we've been on this "chiropractic journey" as we call it.  In the last year we've lived in 8 different places while training at various clinics around the US and Canada.  It's kind of surreal looking back to think about all the places we've been in such a short time and that we've been living out of a suitcase for that long.  I'll be the first to tell you I am SO EXCITED TO GET OUR STUFF BACK!! :)  We've been using one skillet, one medium sauce pan, 2 bowls and 2 plates for all too long of a time.  I'm ready to get my baking utensils back as well as my KitchenAid stand mixer!  Wahoo!!!  So we'll be on a mini vacation for the rest of this week as we fly up to the U.P. and drive down a moving truck with our stuff.  Hoping the drive back down to Charlotte won't be too brutal.  Baby belly sure is growing by the day it seems, and it's becoming harder to get around and sit or lie down.  Say a little prayer for baby and me on Saturday!

Here is a quick and simple recipe that I am LOVING this summer.  It's sure saving me!  The summer heat calls for drinking even more water every day.  For some people, it's hard to get in the minimum half your body weight in ounces of water daily to stay hydrated.  For pregnant ladies, it's even harder because we have to drink more for baby, and even more if we go outside in the heat!  I've become a bit bored with plain old water, so I've started playing around, adding different fruits and herbs to flavor the water naturally.

I keep a glass pitcher full of this recipe in my fridge and especially enjoy it early and mid-morning.  The cinnamon and ginger help to cleanse out your body and cells naturally, and the sweetness from the citrus is subtly refreshing.

Some other great and simple additions to your water can be sliced or muddled: strawberries, raspberries, kiwi, orange, lemon, mint leaves, pineapple, watermelon, green apple, cucumber, rosemary or grapes.  These and combinations of them have been some of my favorites so far this summer.  And kids LOVE to eat the fruit bits at the bottom of the glass, so it's a great way to encourage your kids to drink all their water, too!  It gives them a goal to reach.

Light & Fresh Spring Elixir

1 liter filtered water
Handful of ice cubes
A couple inches of fresh ginger, chopped into chunks
Handful of fresh mint, slightly crushed
1 cinnamon stick, snapped in half
1 organic orange, lemon, or lime, sliced/wedged

Add all ingredients to a pitcher, stir and enjoy!  Refill pitcher throughout the day as needed, the flavorings will keep on giving!

Watermelon Lemonade

We had a ton of leftover watermelon from the 80th birthday party last weekend, so what could we possibly do with it?  Watermelon Lemonade of course!


Watermelon Lemonade
Makes approx. 2 glassfuls with ice


1/3 c fresh lemon juice
1/2 c fresh watermelon puree, strained through a coarse strainer to remove seeds
3 tsp stevia powder (or to taste)
3/4 c filtered cold water

Stir it all together and serve over ice.  Instant relaxation in a glass!

Would also be great using lime instead of lemon!

Grilled Watermelon Salad

Wouldn't you agree that summer demands that you eat watermelon?  Enjoying watermelon slices saturated with sweetness on a heat-drenched summer day -- YES!  Its juicy nature and bright color make it a natural HIT to any outdoor barbecue.  I thought of this recipe while grilling up peaches and plums on the grill one night for dessert.  I thought to myself "What would watermelon taste like thrown on the grill?"  After a quick Google on the subject, I found people do it!  I gave it a try -- so worth it!  Watermelon caramelizes ever so slightly when it's briefly grilled-- who knew?   This recipe will serve about 8, a great appetizer to your next outdoor dinner party!

8   slices organic watermelon (seeds removed)
2   tbsp olive oil
2   bunches watercress, trimmed
1/2 cup fresh chopped mint
2   tbsp balsamic vinegar
1   cup crumbled goat cheese
1   lemon
     Salt and pepper

1.)  Heat grill. Brush watermelon slices with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill watermelon 1-2 minutes on each side.

2.)  In medium bowl toss watercress and mint with vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

3.)  To assemble, sprinkle each grilled watermelon slice with goat cheese. Top with watercress mixture.  Squeeze each dish with a bit of lemon juice to taste.  Serve immediately.