Tired of watery beverages :/

[Stell]

So what do you do when water, fruit water, and tea won't satisfy what you want?
Like those times when you REALLY want a chai, or hot chocolate, or a cold glass of milk, or a beer?
(I'm strict AIP at the moment, if that makes a difference.)

[EJ]

Hmm. I honestly can't say I've had that problem (sorry-I'm an all-or-nothing kind of person and once something's out of my diet, I no longer want it). I do sometimes get tired of drinking watery drinks...so I just don't drink anything and just sip on water to stay hydrated.

Have you tried sparkling mineral water with a little fresh fruit juice (lemon, lime, orange)? That's my "treat" drink

Or you could try adding a bit of coconut oil or milk to your tea (rooibos especially) to thicken it up a bit (and get healthy fats in).

And I found this AIP hot "chocolate" recipe.

[localkaty]

Coconut milk with turmeric and cinnamon has a similar mouthfeel and warmth to chai. I've never been much of a beer or hot chocolate drinker, so I'm afraid I can't be much help there. If you can track down jun tea, it tastes a bit like mead.

[Stell]

Seems like every time I try to make coconut-milk-with-spices-added drinks, it feels like I'm eating them, not drinking them. But nobody ever says to strain it, or what to strain it with. Any experience there?

[localkaty]

Fresh spices, a good strain, and a bit of something to thin out the milk are the best way to avoid overly thick/full drinks. I can't do undiluted coconut milk even without the grit.

Maybe something like this?: nourishedkitchen.com/golden-tea-turmeric-ginger-tea-coconut-milk/

Honey can be left out, of course.

[joromero]

Have you tried coconut milk smoothies? I blend a can of coconut milk and a big handful of blueberries along with a frozen banana and any other fruits that I have (papaya is good here, too) - it's creamy and satisfying - sometimes I make it for breakfast when I'm bored of leftover meat and fish!

[queenamideana]

Kombucha really satisfies that kind of sweet fizzy craving for me. I actually have it every morning with my breakfast and it also seems to help my digestion (bonus!). Are you able to drink it and do you? I buy mine but I am getting ready to order a continuous brewer as my kids also like it (yay!). For the hot beverage, just about every morning I brew some ginger tea. I brew it very long as I like it to basically bite me back! I boil water then pour it over fresh chopped ginger into a small saucepan, turn that on low, cover and let that simmer while I keep getting ready. After about 30-45 mins I pour the tea into a blender, add a spoonful of carob powder, and about a tablespoon of coconut oil and blend that up. I never would have believed the creamy-coconut-oil-in-a-blender thing until I tried it myself. It really works! And for extra kick, I actually just go ahead and blend up the ginger chunks too, but you will need to strain it then to get the fibrous bits out. This to me tastes kind of like coffee, kind of like hot chocolate, but all with a serious kick! I really enjoy it and sip on it during my commute. I have played a lot around with the "recipe"; used regular ginger tea bags, brewed from hot water (without simmering), brewed just simmering (without boiling water first) and also used to make it with cocnut milk instead of oil. The milk is quite tasty, but the oil digests better with me. I bet a mixture of oil and milk would actually be quite good. I think I will try that tomorrow!

I hope some of these suggestions help you!

[pixelfrau]

I make water kefir for probiotics. If you add fruit and let it get fizzy it's like drinking soda. It's a nice change from plain old water.

[kristiemarie]

Kombucha and tea w/coconut milk really hit the spot for me sometimes!

[salixisme]

I do both kombucha and water kefir - I always do a second ferment with some fruit so it ends up like a soda. The other thing I drink is a lot of peppermint and green tea.

[victoriap]

Thank you Queen, EJ and Katy for sharing those recipes. I am definitely going to try them! And I also want to try water kefir. I couldn't stand the coconut milk kefir....eew, the sour milk taste grossed me out, lol. But I have to say that so far that is the only "new" food I have tried that I couldn't hack on the AIP journey.

[MindyK]

I enjoy sparkling water mixed with pineapple juice. I know that it can have a lot of sugar in it but if you're on the verge of drinking something non-AIP, having some sparkling pineapple juice is far better than drinking something non-AIP.

[victoriap]

I have had success with the water kefir until recently. It seems to get 'weaker' so I gave it a rest as instructed. Now it won't make a tart drink. It gets plenty bubbly. I am going to try adding less sugar....maybe for some reason it needs less now than before.

[maren]

I like diluted coconut milk/banana shakes with or without extras like chufas, berries, carob.