a boost

Every little thing we can do for ourselves, our family and friends during these frightening days enables us to feel a bit better. For me, making immunity boost shots helps fill that need.

I first spotted and began buying the little immunity shots at Trader Joe’s late last year. A few weeks later, I found them at Costco for a better price. Eventually, I got tired of them and stopped putting them in my cart.

But all along I’d wash out and save the little bottles with the thought of using them for some sort of homemade Christmas gift to give in 2020. I hadn’t given any thought about exactly what I’d fill the tiny bottles with, but I knew I’d think of something by December.

Well, the use of the bottles came sooner than expected. Last week, I created a homemade version, filled the bottles, and gave them to family and friends to give them a boost of immunity. Here is a list of what is in the recipe and the benefits of these immunity-rich foods:

Ginger: anti-inflammatory, supports digestion, helps with motion sickness, reduces pain, is rich in antioxidants, and boosts the immune system.

Citrus: excellent source of vitamin C, a nutrient that strengthens the immune system and keeps your skin smooth and elastic.

Coconut Water: has anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties that can help increase your body’s immune system and fight viral infections like flu.

Turmeric: a natural way to help bolster the immune system by increasing the immunomodulating capacity of the body. Add turmeric to your diet during periods of stress or during flu season to help give your immune system a boost.

Raw Honey: anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, rich in antioxidants, strengthens the immune system, and anti-inflammatory.

I did not use honey in my batch only because I drink at least three shots a day and I didn’t want the added calories. Also, I only had 20 little bottles, so I filled those to give away and then I poured the rest into the empty coconut water box and keep that in the refrigerator. A serving is 2 ounces or 1/4 cup.

If you were to use an actual shot glass to drink from, you’d need to fill it three times for one servicing. I use a 1/4 cup liquid measuring cup made by OXO to drink my shots. WARNING: This is a strong drink, especially without the honey, so slam it back like you would a shot of tequila, the faster the better. This is by no means a sipping drink. 🙂

Ginger-Citrus Immunity-Boost Shots

• Lemons, oranges, and grapefruit (enough to yield about 2 ½ cups of juice)
• 1 pound fresh ginger root (will yield about 1 ½ cups juice)
• 4 cups coconut water
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon raw honey, optional

Use a citrus juicer to freshly squeeze 2 ½ cups of juice from the mix of citrus fruits.

Use a juice extractor to get the juice from the ginger root, you should get about 1 ½ cups of ginger juice.

Pour the coconut water into a large mixing bowl, and whisk in the ground turmeric until turmeric is completely dissolved.

Add in the citrus and ginger juices plus honey, if desired, whisk until combined.

Keep mixture refrigerated. It will keep for about 10 days to 2 weeks. Shake well before drinking as turmeric falls to the bottom.

Makes about 32 2-ounce servings