I love delicious healthy food.
Most of the time I want to eat decadent delicious food. In all honesty though I don’t have the time or energy to actually make it. Since we try to live simply I also don’t want to spend too much money on food or get take out too often. Cooking at home gives me a lot of enjoyment and I love providing for my family in that way. Over the years I have discovered a few simple things I can do in my kitchen to make our food more flavorful with less effort while keeping what is on our table healthy and nutritious.
One of the easiest ways to up your game in the kitchen is to use more fresh herbs
Fresh herbs are one of those ingredients that are so easy to forget about. They grow almost all year but remembering to utilize them is hard. I have found that when I make a conscious effort to cook with them more often my food tastes so much better. It is such a small change that makes a huge impact. Often I will buy those small packages of herbs at the grocery store if I don’t have what I need growing in my garden.
Herbs are healthy too
Most herbs that are common to cooking pack a powerful nutrient punch. They are often easy to grow which makes them an affordable addition to your kitchen. Many can be purchased locally at the store and are important ingredients in seasonal cooking. Parsley for example is extremely high in vitamin K, vitamin C and vitamin A. That is why it is a often found in winter soups like chicken noodle.
Some of my favorite herbs to cook with are Rosemary, Thyme, and Chives. I also love fresh Bay Leaves, Sage, Ginger, and Garlic. My hope is that over the next few months I can share with you simple recipes that are so fast and easy to make that utilize beneficial qualities of herbs.
Today I am going to share how to make Rosemary Lemonade. This is one of my favorite ways to make lemonade. Its has is such a unique and refreshing flavor.
Rosemary Lemonade Recipe
- 6 cups of water
- one cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- honey to taste (I used almost 1 cup)
- fresh rosemary
Warm the water in a saucepan. When the water comes to a boil turn it off and add 3 sprigs of rosemary. Each sprig should be about 3 inches long, if you put too much rosemary in or let it steep too long it may get a little bitter. Keep the rosemary infusion covered so that the water doesn’t evaporate out of the pot. After about 20 minutes take the rosemary out and stir the honey into the water and mix it in so it all dissolves. Pour the rosemary and honey infusion through a strainer into a pitcher and add your freshly squeezed lemon juice. Then refrigerate until cold.
Once cool, garnish with more fresh rosemary and fresh cut lemon slices. Top with ice and enjoy.
Why did I use Rosemary?
You can make a lot of different kinds of herbal lemonade. I actually love to make Lavender lemonade and have considered Basil lemonade or Thyme lemonade. The process is gong to be the same for most herbal lemonades.
I have fond memories of drinking Rosemary lemonade. There was a hip little pizza place in my college town that sold it. We used to think we were so cool when we went there. The flavor is sharp and refreshing. It paired well with pizza 10 years ago but it would also go well at an upscale BBQ or a child’s birthday party today.
Rosemary like most herbs, delivers a powerhouse of nutrients and health benefits. There are too many to list here, but some of the top benefits are antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. Rosemary also has an ability to improve digestion. I also love how it is known for helping with neurological protection and improving memory and concentration.
Don’t take my word for it, go search online and you will see how awesome and healthy it is.
you might have noticed that this recipe uses honey instead of sugar.
Sugar is my favorite taste in lemonade but I don’t love the side effects. In our house we try to avoid it as much as possible. This recipe uses honey. Honey has a more complex flavor and it took me a while to get used to it in my lemonade. Also different honey varieties will change the flavor of the lemonade. That is why the recipe only said “to taste”. The health benefits of honey really pair well with the rosemary. You can substitute the honey for sugar if you want and you would just add it in while the water is still fairly hot. If you decide to make that substitution it would be 1.5 cups of sugar instead of honey.
I love lemonade, and make it often – easy to do, as we are surrounded by lemon trees here in California! Strawberry lemonade has always been my favorite, but I love to add herbal infusions as well, including rosemary. I’ve always used (organic) sugar in mine – but I happen to have some good local sage honey in my pantry right now, so I will be making your recipe today! Can’t wait to try this out!
Author
I love strawberry lemonade too! I love the lemonade with the sugar, if you saw me talking about that but am trying to be a little healthier. With the honey just make sure you don’t make too powerful of an infusion. I have never tried sage honey but my favorite is wildflower.
This seems like the most refreshing summer drink!
NEVER even considered adding herbs to lemonade! Great idea!
Gonna make some of this to take to the beach!
Thanks for sharing!
Author
You are so much fun! I am excited to hear how it goes. The beach sounds like a perfect place to take herbal lemonade.
This is awesome! I’ve never heard of using herbs in lemonade but I love using them in my cooking. I’ll have to give this a try it sounds like something my husband would love and I’m planning/hoping to grow some herbs this year so it’s perfect timing 😊
Author
That is so exciting that you are going to grow some herbs. They are so easy to grow and use.
After much anticipation, I made this. I had to make a small change and use Meyers Lemons but it was fantastic! The scent of the rosemary right before you taste the lemons and then the floral honey at the end. Definitely a make again.
Even the 13 year old enjoyed it. “Smells like flowers, but tastes great anyway”. That’s the closest you can get to a huge compliment from someone in puberty.
Can’t wait for your next herb recipe!
Author
Thank you for telling me about how this went. Sometimes I get nervous sharing things that I think are good ideas with the worry that it is just me that likes it. I love hearing how it was received and am glad you and your family liked it.