Make-Ahead Ginger Root Wellness Shots Recipe

Looking to bump up your health game? Wellness coach Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe for make-ahead ginger root wellness shots and says, "The health benefits of ginger root are astounding, and pairing that with lemon is a powerful punch for your body each day." Lemon juice is a good source of vitamin C, and the drink will help warm you up in the morning as well as soothe sore throats. "Ginger root and lemons are easy to find at any grocery store and are very inexpensive," Hahn shares. "Prepping the juice into an ice cube tray makes it super easy to pop one into a mug, add hot water to melt it, and set your day [off] in the right direction."

To make this recipe, you only need two ingredients — ginger root, and fresh lemons. Hahn says that when you are shopping for ginger root, you want to look for pieces with smooth skin versus wrinkly skin, which indicates that it's dried out and not as fresh. "I like to also look for pieces that are thick, making them easier to peel than thinner spindly pieces," Hahn shares. For the lemons, go for thin-skinned lemons, which will be juicer. The only other thing needed is an ice cube tray, and Hahn uses a silicone tray, which helps the cubes pop out easily. If it has a lid, that's an added bonus to keep them free of debris when they are in the freezer.

Since we are going to be blending the ginger, it is really important to remove all of the peel, so you don't end up with the tough skin in your juice cubes. You can remove the peel with a standard potato peeler, or you can also scrape the peel off with a spoon. "Since ginger root has lots of crevices, I like to use a sharp paring knife after I have used the peeler to get in between the areas that you can't get to with a peeler. You can even cut the root into smaller pieces to make sure you can get to all of the skin," Hahn remarks.

If you were unable to find lemons with thin skin, it is helpful to roll them firmly on the counter to loosen up the juice and make them easier to squeeze. You can squeeze the lemons by hand, but if you have a hand-held lemon squeezer, that's a super helpful tool to get every last bit of juice out of the lemon. It also collects the seeds, so you won't get any in the mixture, which can add a bitter taste. If you are squeezing by hand, just make sure you remove any seeds before blending.

Now, blend the ginger and the lemon juice in a blender, about 3 minutes. When it's done, it will be foamy and light, and the ginger will be completely broken down. Once blended, pour it into the ice cube tray, and place it in the freezer for at least 6 hours, until frozen.

When the cubes are frozen, you can pop one out into a mug, and add some hot water to melt the ginger and lemon mixture. Hahn says, "This is a great morning ritual when you first get up in the morning, but you can reap the benefits any time of day." You can add a little raw honey to the warm drink if it is too strong, and Hahn recommends using a glass or stainless-steel straw if the lemon juice bothers your teeth. Preparing these make-ahead wellness shots may have you feeling healthier this year.