There’s something I’ve been doing nearly every morning for the past several months…

Drinking hot lemon water

I’ve read about so many benefits of doing this…

• Why You Should Drink Warm Water with Lemon
• Lemon Water Can Really Improve Your Morning
• Start Your Day with Warm Water with Lemon

…But ultimately, it has become a comforting morning ritual for me!

Here is what I do:

• Heat a mug of water for 1 minute. {When I make tea, I heat a mug of water for 2 minutes.} I have a friend that just fills her mug with warm water from the tap.
• Juice 1/2 of a lemon and pour into mug of hot water.

I use a citrus juicer like this that catches the seeds:

A couple of weeks ago, when my in-laws were in town, I had my husband pick up a bag of lemons when I knew they were going to Costco. These lemons are HUGE!

I decided to slice one into thirds for my morning lemon water:

That middle one got more than a little messy. Now, I cut each lemon into four wedges and just squeeze one wedge into the mug with my hand. I can handle a few lemon seeds! But for regular-sized lemons, just juice 1/2 lemon and save the other half for the next day. So simple.

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Oh, and as promised, of the 15 new smoothies I tried here, here and here, these are the ones I’d make again:

• Green Monster Smoothie from Iowa Girl Eats – Very much like my Magic Green Smoothie, but with the added protein of Greek Yogurt
• Dana’s Mango Smoothie from $5 Dinners – But only when I have juice in the house, which is rare. But it’s so tasty!
• Coffee Smoothie from Snack Girl – So easy and a great use for leftover coffee!
• Raspberry Grapefruit Smoothie from The Iron You – The prettiest smoothie ever! I love raspberries, too. But I’d probably have this as a refreshing summer snack, perhaps after a run or on a hot day on the deck, rather than at breakfast.
• Avocado Smoothie from Chocolate Covered Katie – I’ve found that avocado in smoothies can make them so much creamier; but I also found that there needs to be the right balance or it’ll taste more like I’m drinking guacamole. This one’s a winner in my book. I’d like to rename it Avocado Milk.
• Best 3-Ingredient Avocado Smoothie from Omnivore’s Cookbook – Another avocado one I liked and so easy!
• Chocolate Green Smoothie from Greatist – This is a winner when I’m craving something chocolaty.
• Tropical Green Smoothie from Simply Recipes – Yes, whisk me away to a tropical destination – stat!

And a few more links on how to make the perfect smoothie:

• The Right Way to Make a Smoothie – Did you know the order in which you dump in your ingredients matters?
• How to Make the Perfect Green Smoothie – Build your own smoothie based on what you like or have on hand and make it come out perfectly!
• Big, Fat, Green Smoothies on a Budget – Save your leftovers to make smoothies later! I really need to try some of these… Maybe next time!

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What are your morning rituals?

Cheers~
Carrie