I drink a lot…
…of KOMBUCHA!
At $3 a bottle, it’s an expensive habit. When Stacy Tweeted to tell me about a deal on OpenSky (click for invite!) for a Kombucha Home Brewing Kit from Kombucha Brooklyn I jumped at the opportunity.
My kit came with a jar, tea bags, sugar, and my very own scoby. The instructions were idiot-proof easy to understand… with very little effort I’m 14-28 days away from home-brewed kombucha!*
*I fully realize that you can brew Komubcha without buying a kit. Still, $30-something to get started is still less than what I spend on the stuff at Whole Foods. And I actually DID it.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Two weeks ago marked the beginning of the Green Giant Veg Pledge to add an additional cup of veggies to my daily eats. Despite some terrible food choices over the weekend (french fries happened… I can’t say I regret it), I’m back on track this week and greening it up with everyone for What I Ate Wednesday!
Jenn @ Peas and Crayons is hosting What I Ate Wednesday this month in the theme of veggies:
Check out my veggies below; then click here to see how everyone else incorporated extra servings.
Breakfast:
After a quick tabata-style workout found on Pinterest, I needed to cool down before getting in the shower. Don’t you hate when you’re still sweating AFTER getting out of the shower?
I slurped down up a little Liquid Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie topped with hemp seeds while I got a head start on work email.
Lunch:
Massive collard greens are everywhere in Georgia grocery stores. Traditional Southerners cook them with things like ham hocks.
Not me! I use the greens as raw taco shells!
I filled my “tacos” with raw asparagus, carrots, celery, cucumbers, red pepper flakes, and a massive amount of my new favorite hummus. The spinach-flavored hummus is made by a company called Roots. Not sure how widely available it is, but I found this a Whole Foods. The rest of the container was enjoyed with some Sesame Wasa crackers on the side.
Snacks:
Unpictured was the daily Kombucha, a piece of dark chocolate, and handful of cashews.
Dinner:
Baked is my favorite way to do tofu. The outside gets all crunchy and the inside becomes marshmallow-fluffy.
Tonight’s dinner was a Baked Sesame Tofu with lemon roasted asparagus and an heirloom tomato.
Tomato season has arrived down South! That was the sweetest tomato I think I’ve ever had. I made the mistake of cutting the tomato too early… only 2 little slices remained to go with dinner.
What was left of my tom was delicious with the light spice and nuttiness of the tofu marinade. Recipe to come tomorrow!
Dessert:
It was a healthy post workout dessert – a chocolate protein shake topped with cereal. Packed with spinach, of course.
***
I can’t believe I didn’t like tomatoes until a couple of years ago.
How are you doing with the Veg Pledge? Have you been incorporating an extra veggie serving each day?
Have you ever brewed your own Kombucha? How about beer?
And homegrown tomatoes are the bomb!
Your tofu plate looks delicious. I need to fix me some. Maybe tomorrow nights din din.
Btw, so glad I Barely sweat. Can come out of the shower refreshed. 😉
Lucky! I don’t sweat a ton during the winter, but when it gets hot I am drenched.
That sweaty feeling post-shower is gross…I’m always in 2 minds whether I should jump in again! I’ve actually never tried Kombucha but after hearing so much about it, I’m kinda curious!
You should! Start with a fruit flavor to ease into it though.
So I just tried my first kombucha this weekend!! and it was actually on tap from Kombucha Brooklyn. I ended up having it again from another special brewer on Sunday at that vegan shop up. Both were soo good. I became instantly in love with it and what it did for my system. I got a bottled one yesterday too.
I talked to the BK people about their home brew system and was actually on the website again just yesterday looking into how it works. I added it to my “must buy for my move back upstate” list.
Isn’t it awesome?! I love how it aids in digestion. I’ll let you know how the home brewing goes.
Thanks for the heads up on the kit! You know I love m kombucha 😉
I can’t believe you haven’t tried it yet, actually!
I feel like I am one of the few people in the blog world who does NOT like kombucha lol! I really hate it actually, the first time I tried it, well I died a bit inside ha. I know it’s so amazing for your though, so I wish this were not the case!
Your tofu plate looks delicious lady
Happy WIAW 🙂
That’s too bad, but I can totally understand. I think the Strawberry by GT’s is the most approachable if you ever try again…
That is SO awesome that you’re making your own kombucha! I’ve only tried it a few times and I didn’t like it the first time, but I’m warming up to it haha. I don’t like that it tastes faintly of beer… I hate beer! 😛
Also I’m excited for that tofu recipe – I’m obsessed with baked tofu! Although lately I’ve been grilling mine, which is my new favourite way to make it.
You hate beer?! 😉
I like it grilled too… but baked is soooo good texture-wise.
I’ve tried to like it but I just can’t! I’ll stick to my red wine. 😉
I’ll drink to that!
I’ve got to get into doing smoothies. Don’t know why I’m dragging my feet. The Kombucha making kit sounds great. I may give it a try!
Honestly, I don’t know if I could possibly eat more veggies each day- that’s probably 75% of my diet! And thanks to you, I’ve been even incorporating them (zucchini) into my oatmeal for the last two days!
I SOOOO need to do the home brew kombucha thing. I spend way too much money on my bottles of Synergy! I don’t know if you read this blog (it’s awesome), but Amanda is growing a scoby and making her own kombucha: http://www.picklesnhoney.com/2012/04/09/how-to-make-kombucha-growing-a-scoby/
And I love your side note and completely agree with your rationale of buying the kit. You actually DID buy it, rather than saying you’ll buy all of the supplies and never doing it (which is where I’m at…. maybe I should buy one too…)
That’s what I thought too! I’ve just been conscious about incorporating them into breakfast as well, and about eating more raw too.
Thats so cool that you made your own Kombucha! I’ve never tried Kombucha before but it sounds yummy. 🙂 Be sure to let us know how you like the homemade kind!
And as always, your eats look good! I love the apple and PB combo. I actually had that for a mid morning snack today. 🙂
For sure!
That’s one of my favorite combos – it even trumps PB and J.
I like Kombucha but the scoby freaks me out!
Also, have you noticed that a lot of Whole Foods seem to only be carrying the Buchi Air right now? I don’t like that one.
They have Fire! It’s just usually gone from the shelf, but they will go get you some from the back if you ask. I wish their tap would work!
Sweating after showering annoys me too! It always happens to me after spinning. I think that’s how you know you got a good workout.
When I bake my tofu in the oven, I usually achieve a 50% success rate. Sometimes the outside gets a little too dry. How do you avoid that?
That is a really good point.
Hmmmm… maybe you didn’t use enough marinade? Are you flipping it half way through?
love the taco shell idea!
Got the same box in the mail yesterday! 🙂
Crazy… I’ve never had kombucha!!
… I see it everywhere and somehow I haven’t managed to pick any up =)
I must try it soon!!
You must! Let me know how you like it!
How cool! I’ve been wanting to start homebrewing kombucha so I’ll be excited to see how this kit works out for you.
I bet your brewing will put mine to shame!
I love Kombucha its just so expensive I have never tried to brew it at home!!
Naturebox is awesome, I just made a post about them yesterday when I got my package.
Awesome day of eats!
Wooohoooo!!! Good luck with the Kombucha brewing! I hope it turns out delicious! 🙂
I have the same Kombucha Brew Kit! I’m on my third batch and it has been an adventure. Brewed the first batch too long and it got that vinegary taste. Second batch turned out well, but not very fizzy. Third batch accidentally killed by turning the oven on to 450 before realizing it was still in there. 4th batch is brewing, fingers crossed! Be prepared to have a few so-so batches before you get your exact method down, but it all is Kombucha at the end of the day! Please post how your batch goes!!
Good to know! That’s too funny it was in your oven. That’s where I store my pans. 🙂
i totally agree – the first couple batches take a little trial and error. i think i’ve finally got my method perfected though!
Nope – haven’t brewed anything but a cup o’ tea. 🙂 Funny you mention Southern cooking – my mom used to sometimes throw fatback in her green beans. Now neither of us would dream of such a thing.
Same with my mom. Can’t believe the stuff she made when I was a kid!
I have been eyeing that kit – more for the glass container than anything else. I was able to brew from a $3 bottle, but my container was crummy, so after my first batch, my SCOBY had no home and I never found a new container.
Hmmm… did you look at Michaels or Bed Bath and Beyond?
No I didn’t – I’ll check that out. Never think of those stores for that. Thanks! 🙂
I don’t drink kombucha often at all, but yesterday I bought the gingerberry one and it’s soooo good! 😀 That’s so coool that you get to make it at home. 🙂
And collard greens! Every time I try them at a restaurant of something, it’s delicious! And I’m trying to learn how to work with it to make it taste the best possible. I guess it’s one of those veggies that are more “intimidating” to me, haha. Have a wonderful dayyy!!!
Ginger is my favorite! Next to the Citrus, that is. 🙂
If I cook them, I just like to do it in a massive pot (they cook down a ton) with water, a little oil, and sriracha.
I’ve never tried (or brewed) Kombucha – what does it taste like?
I have brewed beer, and I have made wine. German pride.
Its like a fizzy, fermented tea. Some people think it tastes a bit like beer, but I don’t think so. Then again, I like funky beers. 🙂
You’ve brewed beer?! Such an awesome German, you are.
I drink so much kombucha too – I need to home brew it! Maybe it’s my new post-graduation goal!
Girl… all of the post-grad awesome you have going makes me jealous. 😉
I’ve brewed my own beer and completely toyed with the idea of kombucha…but didn’t want to get a bad scoby.
Looks like your kit might be the perfect way to go.
My house is completely fermenting these days (yogurt, sourdough, beans, and seeds). All good stuff though!
You are my hero for the kombucha…maybe I will give it a go.
I didn’t even know you could get a bad scoby… i hope mine is good!
pass some of that sourdough my way and i’ll hook you up with the ‘bucha. 🙂
I was the same way with tomatoes too! I hated them, but now I really like them. All your eats sound super tasty!
How fun to make your own kombucha! I have to check that out!
and you also drink a lot. 😉
shhhhh…
I totally know what you mean about sweating after a shower…its the worst! Especially when you have to dry/straighten your hair! Ewwwe
I bet! So glad I barely have any hair. 🙂
Fab day of healthy eats! 🙂 Have never tried kombucha. Actually don’t even begin to know where I would find it here but trying it / making my own is on my list of things to do when I get back to the uk. For now we are working hard to get through our stockpiled food… trying not to add more to the collection! 😉 Will be hitting you up for tips and info when I do pull my finger out and get brewing though!
Know what else it’s good for? Hangovers.
Thanks for introducing me to Kombucha! It looks totally worth the expense and labour 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I brew my own Kombucha too and use the same kit. I can’t seem to get mine as fizzy as the bottled stuff but it sure tastes good! I always peruse my pantry and herbs to figure out my next home-brewed flavour. 😉
Oh, cool! Did you write a post about it? What flavors have you tried/liked? I may bother you with questions now. 🙂
No post…. but feel free to email me with any questions. My favourite flavours are ginger and mint but I also really liked a cinnamon and clove one I made recently! I just throw odd things into each bottle and see how it turns out. 🙂
I really want to do a ginger one first. How do you know how much to add?
You don’t actually have to add too much. I would bottle my Kombucha in small mason jars and old beer bottles (so around 350-500ml). For each container, would add like 5 slices of very thinly sliced ginger. Or 2 sprigs of mint… For my cinnamon+clove one I added 1 cinnamon stick and 1-2 whole cloves. For raisins/craisins/dried fruit, I would add maybe 1-1.5 tsp of chopped fruit. One batch makes tons of Kombucha, so you can try so many variations this way! I’ve made like 4 batches so far, and now my scobies are hiding out in my fridge until I decide to do it again. 😉
I LOVE using collards as a wrap 😀 I smear some hummus on the inside and stuff it with tons of veggies and some chicken or tofu 🙂 Sprouts always come into play as well 😉
I made mine with tofu for lunch! It was awesome. I wish I had sprouts on hand…
Everything looks really great! Love the tofu. I can’t wait for tomato season here in the Midwest.
I’m trying to build up the courage to brew my own kombucha, as it doesn’t exist in Canberra so all i’ve ever had is that one wonderful bottle in Melbourne. Looking forward to seeing your adventures with it!
I’ll let you know how it goes! I hear it’s not all that hard to start your own scoby from scratch…
Look at you home brewer!!
love the protein shake shot with the sneakers!
LOL! Thanks for noticing – it made me feel “artsy.” 🙂
yay for kombucha brewing!! i am so so so glad i started brewing my own. 🙂 i save a ton of money and drink 1 a day for less than 50 cents each!
Do you have any tips for flavoring it? I’m still not sure what is a good amount to add for a good balance.
i actually don’t add any juice to flavor. instead, i drop one or two pieces of candied ginger into each bottle when i’m bottling it. then i let it sit for another two days at room temperature for a secondary fermentation so the ginger flavor gets incorporated. then i put them in the fridge.
it tastes like gt’s gingerade, which is one of my favorite flavors!
this is the ginger that i use…http://www.vitacost.com/best-of-all-unsulphured-ginger-slices