I grew up craving processed snacks even though my parents limited them at home. There were no Lunchables, no sodas, and no white bread—unless we managed to convince my mom to sneak some in. When that happened, we devoured the whole loaf before Dad came home, happily squashing soft “bunny” bread into shapes while we watched TV.
Once I had my own spending money in high school, I made up for lost time with candy bars, soda, frozen taquitos, and a particular fondness for Doritos. Despite learning to cook at a young age, convenience foods had a strong pull. As an adult I realized homemade versions tasted better and cost less, so I began remaking favorite packaged foods in healthier ways.
Over the years I made small but steady changes in how I fed my family—cooking more from scratch, cutting back on convenience items and added sugar, and subscribing to an organic produce co-op. The weekly box of seasonal fruits and vegetables became a source of excitement for my six kids; they eagerly inspect the contents like little gifts each week.
Last fall I bought a juicer and started experimenting with juices, smoothies, sparkling drinks, ice pops, and homemade sports drinks. My kids helped taste-test recipes as we worked toward sugar-free, unprocessed drinks the whole family would enjoy. Those experiments became the basis of my book Best 100 Juices for Kids, a collection of naturally sweetened, kid-friendly beverages.
During a recent Whole30 I discovered how much better I felt without most processed foods and added sugars; after thirty days I had more energy and better sleep. I still enjoy the occasional bag of nacho-cheese chips, but now I focus on offering healthier alternatives for the convenience foods I once craved.
As an active hockey family, we spend a lot of hot, sweaty hours at the rink. That made finding a simple, refreshing alternative to heavily sweetened, artificial sports drinks a priority. This lemon-lime sports drink captures that nostalgic flavor without the artificial colors or long ingredient lists. It’s easy to mix, tastes great chilled, and uses clean, familiar ingredients.
Lemon Lime Sports Ade
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Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 6 tablespoons honey syrup
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
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In a pitcher, combine the water, honey syrup, lemon and lime juices, and salt. Whisk until everything is well blended.
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Transfer to a covered jar or container and refrigerate.
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Serve chilled for a refreshing, homemade sports drink.
Notes
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 27g,
Sodium: 157mg,
Potassium: 16mg,
Sugar: 26g,
Vitamin C: 5.1mg,
Calcium: 7mg,
Iron: 0.1mg
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