Day Spa Fruity Water ~ Cheaters Version ~ a simple & cheap recipe that makes a variety of low calorie ~ Fruit Flavored Waters ~ quickly!

Apple Cinnamon Day Spa Fruity Water ~ Cheaters Version ~ The basic recipe can be varied by using any 100% fruit juice concentrate flavor that you like.  Tropical, citrus, fruit punch blends ~ whatever you can find at the market.  It's super easy & a pretty cheap 'copycat' way to enjoy the trendy 'Fresh Fruit Infused Water' that's so popular right now.  (Shhh... you could even doll-up a glass with a slice of fresh fruit when you pour it for company, so it looks like the real deal.  I'll never tell! :) 

(If you want to see the recipe first ~ scroll down.  If you want to hear me on my soapbox first, read on...)

Lately, I've been seeing a lot of pins on Pinterest showing how to make Fresh Fruit Infused Waters.  All of the photos show beautiful, water-filled carafes and glasses, full of glorious jewel-toned, sun ripened fruits, fresh herbs and occasionally, spices.  Talk about eye candy!  I instantly fell in love with the idea of creating this lovely drink at home.  So, on the 'Fruity Water' (as my English hubby calls it) bandwagon I jumped and off to the market I went, determined to 'brew' a batch for myself...

Only problem was, it's wintertime and the cost of the fresh fruit is up there.  Grrrr.   So, I opted for frozen fruit, still a bit up there price wise, but not near as bad.  I used these recipes for inspiration for my first batch.  As I waited (a tad impatiently) for to the water to be 'infused' enough to notice/drink, I watched how all the vibrantly colored fruits began to lose their beauty and eventually become pale, limp and sorry looking.  It made me feel sad.  Well, that was unexpected... the pictures never showed that part of the 'fresh fruit infused water' making process.  It makes perfect sense, it just never really occurred to me.  I was so completely seduced by the tempting photographs ~ showing the color saturated, full 'o' life fruits, all bathing in the beautiful, water filled carafes.  (I'm such a sucker for a pretty food picture!)

Yes, the water did take on a delicately flavored hint of the fruit, but, at the end of the day, seeing the lifeless/tasteless and almost colorless fruit left sitting in the bottom of the container, just left me wanting.  It seemed such a waste, all that real fruit flavor, diluted into a weak shadow of itself.  It really made me less enthusiastic for the whole 'fresh fruit infused water' process.  I've come to the conclusion, that for me, I would rather eat my fruit.  I'd rather savor every colorful, full-of-fruit-flavor bite ~ than to give it a long soak in water...wasting away, leaving just a hint of its true, sun-kissed flavor essence behind.  Meh!

On a more positive note ~ With all that being said, I did drink 64oz. of water that day with no problem at all!  Having a little hit of flavor in the water made it super easy to do.  I decided there had to be a better and cheaper way!  Hmm...Why not just use 100% frozen fruit juice concentrate instead?   A little bit goes a long way and there's no 'waiting' time, just stir and you're good to go. Booyah!  Now, everyone says that just by 'infusing' the water with fresh fruit, that it's a no-calorie drink.  Well, I've decided that using 2 tablespoons of 100% frozen fruit juice concentrate (approx. 60 calories) in 64oz. of water (turning it into about 8 calories a glass), was an acceptable trade-off.  It's still a super low calorie drink to me, it won't break the bank, and if you buy frozen cans of juice that have a resealable lid, you can buy a variety of flavors and make a different tasting batch every day ~  Double Booyah!

It's just SO MUCH CHEAPER to use 100% frozen fruit juice concentrate and here's the best part ~ there is no sad, depleted fruit left behind in the bottom of the pitcher at the end of the day!   When you consider how much fresh fruit costs, (and even some frozen fruits) it's just so much more budget friendly to use 100% concentrated fruit juice.  I'm so happy with my 'Day Spa Fruity Water' copycat version of 'infused' fresh fruit water, and at about 1 calorie an ounce/8 calories a cup, I'm happy with the calorie count, too.  OK, I'm off my soapbox now, time for me to drink up.  :)  ~ Enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon Day Spa Fruity Water ~ 'Cheaters Version' ~ vary the juice flavor for unlimited possibilities! 
makes a little more that 64oz.
inspired by this recipe

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp frozen 100% apple juice concentrate
• 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (more or less to taste ~ the more you use, the more golden & cinnamon-y flavored it gets ~ I'm a bit heavy handed, I really like cinnamon :)
• 64 oz. filtered water (or the usual kind you drink ~ tap, bottled, etc.)

Directions

Mix the apple juice concentrate, cinnamon and 1/2 cup of water in a pitcher/container large enough to hold all the water.  Stir it until the cinnamon is completely blended into the juice.  (if you don't mix the cinnamon in really well first, it will just float on top when you add the rest of the water)  Add the remaining water, stir and then leave in the fridge.  When ready to serve, give it a good swirl, to get the cinnamon mixed back up again (it settles to the bottom after a while) or just let it stay down there ~ as you like.  Serve straight-up or over ice.  Enjoy!

*Just a little heads up ~ ground cinnamon's viscosity (that occurs when it sits in liquid over a period of time) might make it clump together & form into 'strands' while in the bottom of the container. (it kinda reminds me of the 'Mother' found in the bottom of organic unfiltered apple cider bottles)  You can drink the remaining cinnamon on the bottom, or pour it out, your call.  I usually drink it.

~ Flavor Variations ~ 

• 2 Tbsp any flavor  ~ 100% fruit juice concentrate blends
• fresh ginger, mint, basil or whatever herbs/spices might inspire you   

Prepare it the same way, mix and match to your hearts content, with the addition of herbs/spices or without.  Make it anyway you like!