Today I'm sharing a recipe for a Singing Canary Concentrate, aka, Adrenal Cocktail Mix.
What's a Singing Canary Concentrate, you ask?
Good question.
For that matter, what's a Singing Canary?
Well, I'm glad you asked–and you will be too.
Is it a bird?
Is it a plane?
No–it's a drink!
The Singing Canary is the name of a drink developed by the ladies behind the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan. It's basically a blend of lemons, turmeric, and a few other things and is designed to support your adrenals. In fact, it has quite a few ingredients that are considered to be healthy foods for adrenal support.
{Please note – there are affiliate links in this post. If you click on one and make a purchase I might make a commission. Your support is much appreciated to keep this free resource up and running.}
The Trim Healthy Mama eating plan is experiencing exponential growth in its popularity and for good reason–I hope to write more about it in the future. But in the meantime, let's focus on our adrenals, this drink, and today, this singing canary concentrate.
Supporting the Adrenals
There are so many people talking about adrenal fatigue these days–I think it's rampant. People are wiped out way beyond typical tiredness. Including me. I had a bad case of it, but thankfully I've done a lot to heal and I'm doing pretty well these days.
But I'm always looking for more support. My life is still quite stressful from time to time and with all of the toxins in our lives, I think it's crucial to do whatever we can to support our bodies for good overall health.
So in the interest of supporting my adrenals, I started making the Singing Canary. I liked it, but I had a bit of a hard time with the heavy turmeric taste and kept adding more and more stevia to it. Which is fine, because I really sincerely like stevia and have learned a few tricks to get over the sometimes very problematic bitter taste of stevia.
However, I thought I would monkey around with the ingredients a bit to see what I could come up with to make it a bit tastier. I ended up with this new version of the Singing Canary and well, I love it.
Make that WE love it since my youngest is always stealing sips from me. Ahem.
And bonus–the additional ingredients all have great health benefits as well.
Anyhow, I love sipping on this all day, but it is a bit of a bother to put each of the ingredients into the blender one by one, particularly since I added so many spices to the mix. You know how that goes….1/4 tsp of this, 1/2 tsp of that….it's all simple stuff but when you have to do it every day it starts taking up quite a bit of time.
I mean, I'm busy.
And I assume you are, too. Our lives are complicated with so many things. For us, we're juggling health conditions and homeschooling, my husband's work, taking care of the house, church life, trying to be involved in the community, and more. Just cooking healthy meals for a family can be challenging in and of itself.
So when I can save a bunch of time on something and it doesn't cost any extra money, I'm all over it.
Saving Time with the Singing Canary Concentrate
Now, instead of spending a ton of time measuring and scooping each ingredient (that's NINE scoops), you can just measure once and be done with it.
And each scoop saved means a lot of time saved, so if you're not doing what I shared in my Saving Time with Measuring Tools post, then you were REALLY spending a lot of time.
Think about it….scoop-scoop-scoop-scoop—that kind of scooping is loads of fun (at least it is for me) the first time that I make a new recipe, but when you're making it every day, the scooping gets old. Fast.
I have a few time-saving tips on my blog including Baking in Bulk, How to Save Time and Money Cooking Pasta, Saving Time with Measuring Tools, and Saving Time with a Dehydrator. And of course, there's the Vitamix, which is a HUGE time-saving tool for any whole foods kitchen.
The Vitamix? Let me tell you – if you can by any means afford one of these, they save soooo much time money. You won't believe it. We use ours on a daily basis, and sometimes multiple times a day. Yes, you're making more things at home, but you cut down on waste and trips to the store. It's just great. You can also buy them on Amazon.
So back to this Concentrate — you just mix all of these dry ingredients together, store in a tight-lidded jar, get your Singing Canary Dry Mix out every morning, put some of the powder in the blender, add the wet ingredients, and blend away your adrenal struggles!
Much better to scoop once and blend once than to scoop 15 times each and every day.
Duh – why hadn't I thought of this sooner?
What Protein Powder Should You Use?
Please buy organic protein powder if you can afford to. Many of the foods that protein powders are made from are heavily doused with pesticides–so choose wisely!
If you would like to try the Miessence Protein Powder mentioned in the recipe, you can get 10%-40% off any Miessence order just for being a customer. Their protein powder is pricey but it's special in that the amino acids are perfectly balanced to mimic animal protein.
Besides that, it tastes good too! Most non-soy vegan protein powders on the market just don't taste that good, but we like this one and I feel good knowing that I'm giving my family (and myself) high quality protein. They have many great products including this fermented superfoods.
This singing canary concentrate is easily adaptable for special diets. See notes for details.
Singing Canary Concentrate
Support your adrenals and save time with this Singing Canary Concentrate. Blend with a few ingredients for a Healthy Adrenal Cocktail!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup turmeric powder
- 2 Tbsp vitamin C powder
- 1/4 cup protein powder (I use a vegan one)
- 2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp ground ginger
- 1 Tbsp ground nutmeg
- 3/4 tsp ground clove
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp pure stevia extract (or other sweetener to taste)
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
Stir well to combine.
Store in a tight-lidded jar in a cool, dark place.
To make the Singing Canary Drink, place 1 1/2 cups water and 1-2 lemons (or 1/8 - 1/4 cup lemon juice) in a blender.
Add in 1 tsp MCT oil or 1/2 tsp coconut oil.
Add 5 1/4 tsp of the Singing Canary Concentrate.
Blend until smooth.
Pour blended mixture into an 8-cup mason jar or other container.
Fill the jar to the brim with water and ice as desired.
Sip on the Adrenal Cocktail throughout the day.
Recipe Notes
You can use collagen protein instead of a protein powder.
You can choose to use less Vitamin C for this recipe if you like. If doing so, you should scale down the amount of the concentrate used by 1/4 tsp or so.
I recommend using sodium ascorbate for this recipe. Other vitamin Cs have different properties. One thing that I like about sodium ascorbate is that it is pretty well tolerated and not acidic so you can buy it in bulk and use it for other purposes where you wouldn't want the acidity, as in this DIY Swim Spray.
Stevia is super sweet--this post talks about what stevia is and how to use it.
So now that you have this Singing Canary Concentrate ready, you can make this adrenal cocktail any day you like–or even each and every day. No more scooping and scooping and scooping.
And scooping.
Now you can spend your time sipping and healing instead.
Your adrenals and your schedule will thank you.
Melanie Alford says
Do you have a recipe for 1 singing canary? The one in the THM book doesn’t have all the spices and I don’t want to make a concentrate until I taste this recipe because I don’t like the original one.
Thanks
Melanie
Adrienne says
Here you go! https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/singing-canary/
Roxann Regenstreif says
I am allergic to lemons. Can I make this with oranges or ACV ? If so how much? Such a bummer to have allergies.
Adrienne says
I would try it with the ACV or a lime b/c the sugar content of the orange would be a little tough on the adrenals, but that is up to you. Hope you like it.
And yes, we know allergies here: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/eczema-and-food-allergies-our-story-from-despair-to-healing-part-one/ Hope to see you around again!
Emily says
How much of the concentrate would you use for the singing canary shot? Thanks!!
Adrienne says
Hi there. From what I can tell, the shot contains almost everything that the original Singing Canary does so I would just use the same amount of this as you would for making the whole sipper.
Anne says
Is it 5&1/4 teaspoons of the concentrate or 5×1/4 teaspoons?
Adrienne says
5 and 1/4 tsp. If it were the other I would have written it as 1 1/4 tsp but I understand your question. Hope you enjoy it!
Christy Rogers says
Where do you get vitamin C powder
Adrienne says
Hi there. There is a link in the post where the recipe is – I’m going to try changing the colors of the other wording in the recipe to see if that makes it more obvious. Let me know if you don’t see it.
Aliya Hayat says
This is a great recipe. Thanx for sharing.
Adrienne says
You are welcome!
Judith says
Love to keep up with you and your ideas.
Carol L says
Just a couple of questions:
How much mix does this make (container size to hold it all)?
Oops, just one question, I guess!
Thanks for this recipe, I think I have adrenal fatigue and hope this helps.
AND: YIKES! the stevia link….SOOOOO EXpensive! I think I’ll use my own organic one, purchased several years ago (I don’t like stevia ….WWWWAAAAYYYYYY to sweet and bitter) I’m going to try about 1/3 the amount as I made a recipe with the amount of stevia you had in it and had to throw it out, it was extremely sweet and bitter tasting. Lesson learned! I don’ use lots of sweeteners, and usually not nearly as much as I used to many years ago. Don’t require all the sweetness. (please, I’m not being critical, I really do appreciate this recipe!)
Again, thank you for this recipe.
Adrienne says
Hi there, Carol!
I think the amount is listed on the recipe card – do you not see it? You tried this one and didn’t like it or was it another recipe? What stevia are you using? You’re welcome!
Jill Chamberlin says
Hi Carol, what is the Stevia recipe you use?
Thanks
Jill
Terra says
Can you use collegan in place of the protein powder?
Adrienne says
Yes, I just added that to the notes of the recipe. Thanks – good question!
Donna Reynolds says
Could you add acv to it?
Adrienne says
Of course! I never did it but good idea!
elizabeth says
Hi Adrienne,
Thank you for the post! This is a very helpful way to make the drink easier to prepare.
A question though…aren’t you supposed to use freshly ground black pepper along with turmeric to get the most benefit? Just curious if that should / could be added to this mix as well.
Thanks again!
Adrienne says
You are so welcome, Elizabeth! I did a lot of researching about that issue — good question! So basically adding black pepper is only 1 way to make the benefits of turmeric more bioavailable. Another is to add oil and yet another is to add quercetin which lemons are high in. So actually this drink is already doing both of those. Additionally the studies on black pepper were only done on curcumin and not on the whole turmeric so it’s possible that the turmeric is already bioavailable as a whole. I should write more about this…..thanks for bringing it up again!
Tessa says
According to ayurvedia black pepper and fat must both be added. Many tumeric supplements have pepper added in them. I’ve read this from many different sources. They all suggest coconut oil.for the fat because it tastes better.
Carol L says
Noted in comments someone said 1/4 tsp salt, however, the recipe says 1 1/2 tsp salt. Which is correct:
1/4 tsp or 1 1/2 tsp?
Thanks!
Adrienne says
The way it is in the recipe is accurate. They were making an assumption that the error was in the measurement base when actually the whole thing was wrong :).
Louida says
Hi there, Is there a substitute for the Protein Powder? I’m currently wrestling with food-allergies and seeds are on the no-no list, sent me to ER with anaphylaxis, (as is soy of course). I love all the spices! I’d sure like to give a version of this a try.
Adrienne says
I gave a few options in the post – are you wanting to not use a protein powder at all? You could do that or use a collagen. I will put that option in the post. Thanks!
Pat says
Draxe.com sells collagen protein which has no added wheat, milk, nuts, soy etc.
Adrienne says
I have never seen a collagen protein that has any of those added. Do you mean something else?
Kathy says
Do you have a kind/brand of Turmeric you would recommend? I love the Singing Canary, but am using a LOT of turmeric in the little jars from the grocery store. Thank you for your help!
Adrienne says
Hi Kathy. I am sorry for the delay. I put a brand in there finally after contacting several companies. I like the quality control on the one in the post now. Thanks for your patience and I hear you on the price!
Cindi says
You’ve got to mean 1/4 tsp salt – not 1/4 cup salt!
Cindi says
It’s already changed!
Adrienne says
Hi there.
That was a typo….thought I changed it last night but went in just now and it wasn’t changed…..tried to change it again. Hope it’s showing up properly for you now :)!
Chris says
do you just throw the whole lemon in there ?I do have a vitamix so I’m sure it could handle it. It seems like a lot of bother to peel one.
Adrienne says
Yes, I do – but only if it’s organic. Sometimes I remove the seeds. I actually enjoy it better w/ the peel. It adds a nice depth to the drink. Hope you like it!