What do you crave on a sweltering hot summer day? Iced tea, lemonade, juice boxes, or soda? Me, all of the above! But I really don’t like all of the sugar, dyes, and carbs.
Store bought lemonade contains 15 mg of sodium and 26 grams of sugar. Crystal light has 13 mg of sodium and artificial sweetener. Commercial ice teas contain 15 mg of sodium, 17 mg of sugar, potassium citrate, acesulfame-potassium, and 9 mg of caffeine.
I’ve been making healthy versions of lemonade and iced teas for years, and honestly, I don’t miss the sugar. These beverages are fresh and full of flavour, antioxidants, and are inexpensive to make.
Here are my favourite recipes:
Susan’s Pink Lemonade
1 litre glass container
4 lemons juiced
1 sachet of hibiscus tea
1-2 squirts stevia (adjust to taste)
Filtered water
- dangle the tea bag into the glass container. Fill half the container with cold filtered water.
- Juice 3.5 lemons and pour juice over the water. Cut the remaining half lemon into 1 cm rounds and throw into the container.
- By now the hibiscus will be turning your lemonade pink. Steep for as long as you want, then discard the tea bag.
- Add 1-2 squirts of stevia. Adjust to taste.
- Fill the remainder of the container with more filtered water. Adjust the taste, for more sweetener, or more lemon.
- Serve over ice.
Variation:
Instead of the tea bag, try steeping fresh lavender and/or lilac flowers. The scent and colour is amazing.
Susan’s Signature Iced Tea
1 litre glass container
1 sachet of hibiscus tea, 1 sachet of orange pekoe tea
1/2 an orange juiced
1/8 cup lemon rinds
handful of fresh mint
1-2 squirts stevia (adjust to taste)
Filtered water
- dangle both tea bags into the glass container
- Fill half the container with cold filtered water
- Juice the half orange
- clap the mint leaves, and toss in the lemon rind
- Add 1-2 squirts of stevia, and adjust to taste
- When the cold tea is the colour you desire, discard the used tea bags.
- Fill the remainder of the container with more filtered water.
- Serve over ice, and garnish with a lemon.
If you enjoy our beverage recipes, check out The Living The Cozy Life Book. Feel free to like and share this blog on your own social media page.
