The SIGG Water Bottle Controversy

I am a huge proponent of taking a water bottle with you on road trips, around town, shopping, etc... it's a perfect way to stay well hydrated. If you're tired of plain old water, add a splash of lemon juice for a flavor boost.

Now, typically I would suggest to purchase a eco-friendly bottle like a SIGG Water Bottle. Come to find out, if you bought a SIGG prior to August 2008, the bottles liner contained a liner, which had BPA! EUGH! Good news, if yours was purchase after August 2008, the company claims that they are BPA-free. Lucky for me I purchased mine after August 2008 but if you didn't... upgrade to a newer BPA-free version! OR Swap to a Nalgene which are now BPA-free.

For more information on the SIGG Water Bottle Controvesry: http://www.shape.com/health/your_health/preventive_strategies/the_sigg_water_bottle_controversy

Papaya Juice

This is a no-brainer & I am sure most of you have tried this at least once.

Warning
"It is speculated that unripe papayas may cause miscarriage due to its latex content that may cause uterine contractions which may lead to a miscarriage, though this has never been proven. Papaya seed extracts in large doses showed to have a contraceptive effect on rats and monkeys, but in small doses were shown to have no effect on the unborn animals - Allergies and side-effects - wikipedia for Papaya"

Ingredients(for three)

• 500g of Papaya (I used one half shown in the picture)
• 3 table spoons of sugar
• 3 glasses of water
  

Steps

1. Completely remove the part attached to the stem(if not, this can introduce some bitterness)
2. Remove seeds, peel off the skin & put the remainder to blender
3. Add sugar, one glass of water & blend until all pieces disappear
   
4. Add more water & blend for 15 seconds
   

Things to try

• Deep freeze the fruit before starting. This will bring-in cooling effect which is neither too much nor too little.
• Instead of adding water, you can try ice cubes. Just make sure your blender can deal with ice before doing so ;-)

Keep in mind

• Do not add too much sugar. Papaya already has sugar & you should only add sugar to match the amount of water you add in.
• Papaya juice has this tendency to get melted once it's open to air, which can be an unpleasant experience to some. So fill in the glasses when your about to serve.
• Do not keep the juice in open air. It gets staled very quickly.
  

Here's how it came out ..

homemade applesauce

Fall is the perfect time of year (especially if you live in New York State) to make applesauce! Here is my super simple recipe. I just made my first batch today! Can't wait for dinner tonight... yum!

Super Simple Homemade Applesauce

Ingredients:
15 apples
1 cup of water

Directions:
1. Peel most (not all) of the skin from the apples and cube into large pieces.
2. Place the apples with about 1 cup of water in a large pot.
3. Bring the water to a boil and then cover and simmer until apples are tender (about 15 minutes) & until they easily mash just by stirring them.
Ready to enjoy!

NOTICE!! There isn't any need to add sugar. If you feel your sauce needs a flavor boost try a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Tip: If you have a little ones, like me, drop applesauce (once cooled) into ice cube trays. Freeze for a few hours and then break into a storage bag or container. Then in minutes you thaw a few cubes can have applesauce ready to go for a snack or to serve with a meal.