When life gives you lemons…make blended lemonade! Unfortunately, squeezing all those lemons is oftentimes impractical. For a lot of busy families taking the time to prepare healthy homemade meals takes precedence over making fresh lemonade. But did you know that you can blend it? Yes, you can blend the entire lemon or lime with water and your sweetener of choice. I call it blended lemonade! You don’t need a fancy extra powerful blender like a Vitamix or a Blendtech, any blender will do.

What does it taste like? Like regular lemonade with a stronger lemon taste. And although it sounds like it will taste too bitter, the secret is to not over blend it.

Although acidic to taste, lemons are one of the most alkalizing of foods and help push our bodies to the required pH alkaline state of around 7.4. They are also known to help with insomnia, weight loss, detoxification, and nausea. Besides being very high in vitamin C and antioxidants, citrus peels have many other benefits. Research points to them as being able to help prevent diabetes and lower cholesterol. Citrus peels are also effective in fighting off several types of bacteria and viruses. This means citrus peels can help your body fight off infections, making you less vulnerable to illness. By using this method you not only get more nutrients and save time, but also will need fewer lemons. All you need is one lime or small lemon per 2 cups of water.

Ingredients:

2 limes or small lemons
1 quart of water
Sweetener of choice, I used raw honey.

Preparation:

• Place all ingredients in the blender
• Run blender for a few seconds, you want the lemon or lime peels to be chopped into small chunks (about ¼ inch sized). If you over-blend it your lemonade will be bitter
• Strain and serve over ice

Makes 4 cups

For other drink ideas click here

Sources:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/155590-citrus-peel-benefits/
http://www.budwigcenter.com/blog/the-amazing-health-benefits-of-raw-lemon-juice/
http://www.ehow.com/list_7271681_citrus-peel-benefits.html