Nicole Nared-Washington - Baby Proof: Mocktails for the Mom-to-Be

1
From the Garden

2
Booze-Free Classics

3
Something Sweet

IM GOING TO SAY WHAT I THINK MOST PREGNANT WOMEN WANT TO SAY WHEN THEY ARE PREGNANT: I could go for a drink right about now. Last year I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, and all throughout my pregnancy I never wanted a drink so badly. Im not talking about a glass of wine. Im talking about a nice, stiff cocktail. The crazy thing is, I am not that much of a drinker. However, when I was pregnant I didnt feel that way. I know some sources say that having a glass of wine here and there during your pregnancy isnt harmful to your baby. However, my husband didnt care about those sources and, deep down, I was a bit paranoid myself. So I went nearly 10 months of my life with this craving I couldnt get rid of and nearly lost my mind!

In this book you have in your hands, you are going to experience 50 mocktail drinks that may not give you the buzz you experience in most cocktails, but you will enjoy the juice combinations that will remind you of those classics drinks such as the Cosmopolitan, Amaretto Sour, Hurricane, and Sex on the Beach, the last of which I call Baby Momma on the Beach. You will enjoy all the flavors and the freshness of these mocktails without worrying about your growing bambino. As your body prepares itself to carry another life, it may not be that kind to you. I am sure you are enduring plenty of uncomfortable responses, such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, stretch marks, fatigue, loss of appetite, crazy cravings, headaches, and swollen feet and legs, among other things, and it would be nice to have a drink. At least that is how I felt. I am confident you will find a mocktail in this book that will ease your symptoms just by giving you something delicious to sip on. I spent a lot of time thinking about the ingredients that are used in these drinks. Here are a few rules I went with to make sure that you arent just drinking syrup and processed sugars, but beverages that have some nutritional content and are just as yummy.

JUICE: When at all possible, make sure you are juicing your ingredients. If you are making a mocktail that needs orange, pineapple, or cranberry juice, try your best to juice the fruit fresh. I know that may be a bit cumbersome, but think of it this way: the natural juices from fruit will load your body full of antioxidants and vitamins, which are essential for a happy, healthy mommy and a happy, healthy baby. If you dont have a juicer, no biggie! Just buy your juices as natural as possible or freshly squeezed from your favorite local specialty market. You will find that not only are your beverages more refreshing, but they taste better as well.

USE FRESH HERBS: Adding herbs to mocktails can elevate the flavors to another level. Instead of a cocktail tasting like sugar, fresh herbs can add a great contrast to a beverage by making something more refreshing and delightful. Also some studies show that fresh herbs can help reduce common pregnancy symptoms, such as nausea or morning sickness, and help with labor. So, you see, Im thinking about you!

TEA: No matter how strongly you steep your tea, it will not take on the flavor of vodka. I promise. It is going to taste like tea. However, to keep things as healthy as possible, tea is a nice alternative to alcohol. In addition, you will be adding the nutritional properties of the tea to your beverage.

STRAIN YOUR JUICE: You may notice that when you juice fresh fruits and vegetables, some foam rises to the top of the container. Because we want the freshest juice for your mocktails, there are a couple of things you can do:

You can strain your fresh juice through a mesh strainer. This may take some time, but you can stir the juice in the strainer to help press the juice through the mesh.

Once the foam separates, which takes only about 5 minutes after you have finally juiced your produce, use a slotted or mesh spoon and simply scoop the foam out of the container. This method works best for me and leaves me with pure juice for my mocktails.

Place the produce in a food processor and blend. Once you have juiced your produce, you can place the juice in a food processor and blend on low speed for 5 minutes to allow the foam to emulsify into the juice. This may not take away all the foam, but it will decrease the amount of foam that is present.

HAVE FUN: The mocktails that I have created are based upon my personal sweetness level. I always encourage readers of my blog to use my recipes as a stepping stone or template to create their own deliciousness. If you know things can be a bit sweeter to you than to most people, I would start off with half of the added sugar in the recipes ingredient list and add more as your taste buds see fit. Also, if you want more of a certain flavor, add more! If there is a flavor in a drink that you are not particularly fond of, start with less. The point is to have fun.

USE FLAVORINGS, NOT EXTRACTS: You will find that Ive used rum or bourbon flavoring in some of the mocktails. The biggest difference between extracts and flavorings is that extract contains a natural ingredient, whereas flavoring is more artificialbut both can contain alcohol. Although using a teaspoon of flavoring is not likely to harm you or your baby, please conduct your own research and talk to your doctor about what is best. I should note that the flavorings Ive used do not contain alcohol.

Here are some awesome drink mixes that do not contain alcohol that I used in creating these mocktails.

DAILYS COCKTAILS PEACH MIX: I used this mix for Frozen Peach Bellinis and Baby Momma on the Beach.

FINEST CALL PREMIUM STRAWBERRY PUREE MIX: Used in the Strawberry Daquiri

MASTER OF MIXES PIA COLADA MIXER: Used in the Virgin Pia Colada

MASTER OF MIXES SWEET N SOUR LITE MIXER: Used in Virgin Amaretto Sour

MR. & MRS. T ORIGINAL MARGARITA MIX: Used in the Frozen Margarita

POWELL & MAHONEY MOJITO SPARKLING COCKTAIL MIXER: Used in the Blackberry Mojito

PREVISTO AMARETTO- AND COCONUT-FLAVORED SYRUPS: Used in the Virgin Pia Colada and Virgin Amaretto Sour

Enjoy!