drinks Archives - TaylorMade

Holiday Apple Tea Punch

November 28, 2017 By Taylor Leave a Comment

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!! The holidays are here and one thing is for sure… there will be holiday parties! I absolutely LOVE hosting but this time of year can be stressful because it’s as if a whole year’s worth of celebrations, eating and parties all come together into one little month! If you are anything like me, you worry that you are not enjoying the season because everything rushes by so fast. When I am having a party (any time of the year) my single most important tip is to make anything and everything you can make ahead of time! Finish the decor then make the food and the drinks the day before too! That way you can enjoy your company and visit instead of playing short order cook.

I came up with a super fun and very easy Holiday Punch that you can make, pop in the fridge a day early and the flavors will only get better! I love Iced Tea so this is a fun and festive spin on that. I used Milo’s Tea which I love because it is fresh brewed, and made from natural ingredients with no preservatives or added acids! It has a super fresh taste like you just brewed it at home! Milo’s is a Holiday must have; they offer Unsweet Tea, Tea Sweetened with Pure Cane Sugar, No Calorie, Decaf… even Lemonade. I used the “No Calorie” because I just need all the help I can get this time of year haha. Milo’s was started years ago in Alabama by a woman named Bea when her husband Milo returned from WWII and they have been brewing fresh tea ever since… How cute is that?! I found Milo’s at my local Randall’s in the refrigerated juice and dairy section but they are available at lots of retailers. Find a store near you by using the store locator.

Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients:

2 cups Milo’s No Calorie Sweet Tea

1.5 cups Club Soda (or a little less if you like it sweeter)

1/2 cup Apple Cider

the juice from 1/2 of a Lemon

a dash of Cinnamon

Sugar

Cloves, Cranberries, Apples and Lemons for garnish

Mix the following ingredients; Milo’s Tea, Club Soda, Apple Cider and Fresh Lemon in a pitcher.

Then add a dash of Cinnamon and mix together. Slice apples and lemons and drop in the punch. Add a few cloves and cranberries and refrigerate for a few hours or even overnight.

Before you serve your punch, you can really impress your guest with cinnamon sugar rimmed glasses. Just add a little sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon to a flat plate and mix it around. Then take a lemon slice and slide it around the rim of a glass a few times and dip the rim in the cinnamon sugar. Everyone will think you are very fancy ;) Let that set for a few minutes. Then add ice and pour in your Holiday Apple Tea Punch… so festive, fresh and tasty!

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® andMilo’s Tea Company, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #PassTheMilos http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

The Story of my Juice Cleanse

April 5, 2013 By Taylor 12 Comments

I have had a ton of requests for this post. But I didn’t want to write it. I posted at the end of February that I was going to do a 10 day juice fast… (You can read all the details about why and how HERE) I got super pumped up and I was very prepared. Let me just spoil the ending of this for you – I didn’t make it 10 days. I couldn’t even make it 5! I explained in my first post that the reason I wanted to do this juice cleanse was because I felt like my family wasn’t eating enough vegetables, plain and simple. I don’t even like many vegetables. So, I thought this would give me a boost and a little cleanse so I could start bringing more juice into our regular diet. I make juice weekly but only about a gallon- which the kids and I drink in about 2 days. We love our juice but I am no expert! I honesty thought it would be easier. Isn’t that always how it works? When you are all full and happy you think, “Oh I can totally do that!”.

Here are some things I learned, what I did that worked and what I did that didn’t work…Cost:A big complaint I hear about juicing is the cost. I get it… produce is expensive but if you think about what you are getting it really isn’t the bad part for me. We buy stuff to make good healthy dinners 3-4 nights a week. I don’t buy frozen or canned vegetables on these nights. The other nights we make something easy and cheap like hot dogs, pizza or spaghetti. And we eat out about twice a week. So the week that I bought the produce it was a lot cheaper than my regular grocery bill. I bought ALL THIS for $38. This made enough juice for about 3-4 days, but that was just for me.

Prep:I think this is two fold. One part is physically prepping, cleaning and cutting the fruit. I scored a 100 on that. The other part is getting your body ready for this cleanse. I scored a 0 on that one. I went out with some girls the night before and ate a ton of carbs and wine :/ Don’t do that! I have heard from some that they make juice as they go. My mom and sister actually do that. Juice is “good” for 72 hours so I like to make enough for those 3 days then make more when I’m out. I think if you have the juicer out and dirty then use it. But then there is some that believe that the juice starts to breakdown and looses some of the essential vitamins. I think hey, I’m drinking broccoli- I’m calling this a win.Next step- washing, cutting and peeling as needed. To go from this…

to this… took a little over an hour. Juicing is kind of a labor of love.

Juicing:Now to the best part. My kids love the juicing. A lot of people asked me about recipes. I don’t really follow any. I just throw stuff in that I think would be a good combo. Again I am not an expert but here are some tips I have learned…-If you are juicing the peel (apples, carrots, peaches etc) then wash it very well. You don’t want to juice pesticides-If it has leaves like carrots, beets or celery then juice with the leaves on-You can juice citrus with the peel on but it’s very bitter, I peel but leave the white part on for juicing-Leafy greens are so good for you (parsley, kale, spinach, lettuce) but they don’t produce much juice- I still always include at least 2 in each juice– I try to have more vegetables than fruit so that I don’t get all sugared up-Sweet potatoes are really chalky, so I let the starch settle to the bottom. It sits in the fridge for a day then I don’t stir it up as much so it stays down there-Pineapple and Mango make anything super creamy, almost like a smoothie :) -You can juice any fruit and veg except white potatoes, avocado, bananas and mushrooms (I read that on my juicer and choose to believe it)Storing:I labeled as I went, it’s not necessary but I thought it might help in case I came across something I loved or hated (ex: I learned I don’t like cabbage in juice and love pineapple, ginger and lemon). I used Mason Jars and wrapped post its around with a rubber band.

I used the Mason Jars because I read it is better if the juice is air tight. I don’t know if that is true but it was convenient to have it all separated and just grab one when I needed it.

The Hard Part:When I did my research on this juice fast, I heard the first 5 days are brutal. I knew that going in. But preparing for hard vs. being really hard are two different things. The first day I was actually OK. I thought this is great, I can do this. Day 2 I woke up and had juice around 9:00. About an hour later I got pretty hungry. I had 4 juices the first day. I think that might have been my first problem. I read somewhere you should have 65-95oz of juice daily. I don’t think I was having enough. But here was another problem we had… in the famous words of my sister on day 2 “This cleanse makes you hate juice”. Seriously no one likes juice more than me and I just got so burnt out on it. After 4 huge glasses they last thing I said was mmmm, toss me a cold juice, again. So back to day 2.. I was hungry and it was only 10 so around 11:30 I had another one but again, an hour later I was really hungry. This continued all day and I was grouchy and starving that night. Day 3… repeat of day two but more grouchy. Day 4 I woke up and was almost in tears, I drank another juice which of course held me over for an hour. Then it was lunch time and I cracked…. I posted this to instagram:I only had about 3 tablespoons of kale salad (all raw) and 4 cashews but I felt like a new person.

I also felt like I had failed. My mom lasted almost 6 days and my sister and I lasted 3. It was much harder than I thought. My friend Melissa posted on this picture that when she did her juice fast she had to have the “nut juice” (worst name ever). But it’s basically a cashew or almond milk with stevia and cinnamon. Next time I would definitely do this in the evenings so I don’t wake up so hungry. Also, looking back and reading more I think 10 days was a little ambitious. I should have started with 3 which is ironically how long I made it. My Juicing Future:I really am glad I juiced for a few days. I even want to go it again! This time for 3 days and with some nut milk included :) I also want to try a prepackaged cleanse one day. I love making my own juice but I would like to compare and see how much you really get. We have started having juice more regularly which is what I wanted. My kids ask for “homemade juice” all the time. I think of it as a permanent part of out diet now.

Do you have any tips to add? Any thoughts or comments? Or questions… not like I’m the expert on juice but maybe I came across something… ask away

A Juice Fast

February 24, 2013 By Taylor 5 Comments

Tomorrow marks the beginning of something super exciting and kind of crazy. Tomorrow I am going to start my Juice Fast. I am shooting for 10 days but if it goes well I would love to do 14 (my crazy husband thinks he can do 30). So what is a juice fast? It’s nothing but fruits and vegetables in the juicer for 10 days straight! No food at all, just homemade fresh juice 4 times a day. I got my juicer last mother’s day and every week I make a big batch of juice for the fam to drink with meals or for a snack. I wanted us to make up for some of the fruits and veggies that I know we don’t get enough of.

Just a few weeks ago I became interested in a juice cleanse/detox and started researching. Then I watched something life changing… literally the most inspiring movie I have ever seen; Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. A movie about a man with an autoimmune disease who goes on a 60 day Juice Fast. He travels around the US teaching people about juicing and nutrition. To be honest it had been in my Netflix Queue for a while and I thought I could get a recipe or two from it. Also, Joe had the same juicer I have and the cover looked cute :) I had no idea I would love it so much. I think anyone and everyone should watch this documentary! So, I talked my husband, mom and sister into watching it- and guess what they are doing the Juice Fast too! My mom and sister even started 2 days ago. I learned so much about micro-nutrients vs. macro-nutrients and what they do for of our bodies. I might or might not be in love with Joe Cross by the way.

I made this juice last week with what I had left (to make room in the fridge) and we loved it! It could use a few more veggies but this could be a good “gateway juice” for your kids or husbands who are tentative juice drinkers.

So here we go, I’m super excited. If you have any advice, wisdom, or just some words of encouragement for me (and my fellow juice fasters) then please share! I will keep everyone updated here and I will post my concoctions daily on instagram too (@taylormadeblog) Wish me luck!

Super Scarlett Juice

February 6, 2013 By Taylor 1 Comment

Welcome to TaylorMade’s new series, “The Juice Journals”. I am so so soooo excited about having a excuse to make even more juice :) Last Mother’s Day I introduced my new juicer and I made my very first juice, Dr. Oz Green Drink. With the “trendiness” of juicing, that post has been a hit on Pinterest. I am constantly looking for more recipes and more recently have started making my own concoctions. I am not a big breakfast eater but I actually look forward to my juice. I also love all fruit but I hate to admit that I’m not as fond of vegetables. I eat them because I know I need to but I’d rather eat Mexican Food :) So this is a good way for me to sneak in a bunch of extras for me and my kids.

Every month I will try out new juice recipe and let you know how it goes. Without further adieu, here is the first ever Juice Journals recipe – Super Scarlett. The color came out so pretty, I knew it was perfect for February.

Super Scarlett:

1 green apple

4 carrots

1 beet

kale

pomegranate

celery

2 oranges

About the taste… I will be honest, this was my first time to juice a beet so all I did was wash it. It was so pretty so I took a huge gulp and the juice had kind of a dirt flavor. Not as in I’m trying to insult by calling it names, it actually had a soil/earth flavor. I realized later I should have peeled the beet. Beets are a root vegetable so they have that same flavor as a potato peel. I peeled another beet and juiced it again in a smaller batch and it was so much better. Moral: peel beets, sweet potatoes, carrots etc. Overall, I would definitely make it again as long as I PEEL THE BEETS :)

This has been your first installment of the Juice Journals. I already have so many ideas… If you have any juice recipes you have posted/tried or anything you want me to try, pretty please leave it in the comments!

Happy Juicing.