Infused water - bringing spa treatment to your home!

Infused water, is basically adding a fruit or veggie to your ordinary drinking water to make something a little more refreshing and give yourself more variety when drinking your H2O! It's really that simple. Being a Licensed Massage Therapist of 11 yrs I've worked in and also visited my share of spas, where infused water is a common drink to treat your guests with a more personal touch than a plastic bottle of water. Now, you can bring that refreshing taste to your home!

Infused water can be made a variety of ways. You can use fruits, veggies and even herbs to turn ordinary water into an extraordinary treat!

List of popular fruits, veggies and herbs:

Veggies - I only have one listed because this has been the only one I've tried. I'm sure there are other veggies that you could incorporate but this is a list and info to get you started and you can always experiment to see what works for you.

• Cucumber - has a clean, refreshing taste but is not always an overall winner like some of your most common fruits which people tend to prefer

Fruits - there are many possibilities when it comes to infusing fruits! You can not only try these individually but make endless combinations to add variety.

• Strawberries
• Lemons
• Limes
• Oranges
• Tangerines
• Kiwi
• Cantaloupe
• Apples
• Apricots
• Blueberries
• Cranberries
• Grapefruit
• Grapes
• Papaya
• Pears
• Pineapple
• Peaches
• Plums
• Raspberries
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Honeydew
• Watermelon

Herbs - adding herbs can create anything between a subtle to a stronger fuller taste.

• Mint
• Rosemary
• Peppermint
• Cinnamon
• Basil
• Cilantro
• Lemongrass
• Dill

Since cucumber is my favorite infused water, I'm going to talk a little about it first.

For all of these ideas start out with a small amount to make sure it won't overpower the water after it's been chilled for at least an hour. Once you start making some of these infused waters you will love the fact that you can get nutrition and flavor without adding sugar or sweeteners!!! That's what makes this concept so great!

You don't have to have a special pitcher but it can make this easier and if you choose to get one you can purchase the type that holds the fruits etc. in the middle in a small column or you can use one of the glass dispensers that has a knob located at the bottom. Keep in mind that those can get a little clogged but if you already have one you can just open the top and stir with a large spoon to take care of that problem!

Basic Cucumber - for a basic small pitcher you could slice up one cucumber about medium size, add a little ice and water then place in your fridge.

Berry Mix - choose a few of your favorite berries and make your own recipe depending on your favorite fruits! One example for a nice tropical flavor is pineapple, raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, orange and if you'd like you can always put a little fresh or bagged coconut to top off that Island type of drink to make your recipe feel like a tropical oasis treat!

Mint - you can also use herbs instead or in combination with a fruit or veggie! A simple herb infused water with mint gives you a nice refreshing taste. You can also pick one or a mixture of fruits depending once again on your individual preference.

Lime - Lime is another favorite of mine! Remember not to squeeze the limes so you don't overpower the water. Slice the limes and place in the pitcher and as with the others let sit in your fridge.

Don't forget the longer these sit the more the flavor will infuse. Of course, you don't need to let them sit for days because you want that fresh taste but you could do a max amount of about 2 hrs to get the full effect. The great thing about it is as you take away from the pitcher you've made you can add some water back to it and keep the flavor going! Obviously, you will only be able to do this a limited amount of times depending on how strong the taste is, but if you feel that your mixture is a little too much you can split it up into 2 pitchers and then add the extra water until you get your desired flavor. There is really no set way to do this and it's a simple, great alternative to drinking plain water all the time. The best part is you can always eat the fruits you've put in later or use them in something else. If you ever make anything like Sangria (which is a mixture of wine and fruit juice) you could toss in the fruit with your wine and add a little fruit juice as a nice way to reuse the fruit from your infused water! Especially, if your water is a big hit with your company! If it's gone pretty fast that's a good way to reuse and get the most out of it.

If you've found a great recipe for infused water that you would like to share you can leave it in a comment and I will post it in the article and put your name beside it! I'd love to hear your ideas and have more info to share with everyone! Also, if you try any other veggies besides the cucumber that I mentioned let me know and if you don't want your recipe posted in my actual article let me know in your comment and I will respect your wishes. Thanks!

Feel free to take the polls or add recipes! Also, if you liked this hub please rate it and pass it along. If you have facebook you can repost the article there! Just copy the url and paste to your page if you'd like!!! Thanks again and have fun experimenting with infused water. Let me know how you like it or if you have a party and your guests enjoy! Don't forget to tell everyone which one went over well!