Refreshing Low-Calorie Drinks for Hot Weather
When the weather gets hot dogs and humans alike need some refreshment... especially because I can't get my tongue out as far as my wonderful dog Martina can!
The problem is that many of the tasty, refreshing drinks you can choose from are nothing but empty calories and future regrets. Thanks to my wife's experimenting with homemade flavored waters, I can give you a list of 4 healthy drinks to choose from that are surprisingly easy to make!
For each recipe add all of the ingredients to the water and refrigerate overnight (or 6-8 hours). Then filter out the added ingredients and enjoy the water! Make sure to press the juice out of any fruit to add more flavor to the final drink.
**Although these waters are delicious and healthy, because they are homemade with no way to preserve them they should be consumed within 2-3 days. However, if the weather is hot it is almost never a problem. : ) Anyway, let's dive into the recipes.
Tasty Water #1: Cucumber Mint
Ingredients:
8 cups water
1 medium cucumber washed and thinly sliced
1 organic lemon washed and thinly sliced (non-organic is okay, but can have pesticide residue)
1/3 cup washed and chopped fresh mint leaves
Tasty Water #2: Strawberry Mint
Ingredients:
8 cups water
10 strawberries washed and sliced
1 organic lemon or lime washed and thinly sliced (non-organic is okay, but can have pesticide residue)
1/4 cup washed and chopped fresh mint leaves
Tasty Water #3: Double-berry Rosemary
Ingredients:
8 cups water
12 raspberries washed and halved
12 blackberries washed and halved
2-3 springs of rosemary washed
Tasty Water #4: Citrus Explosion
Ingredients:
8 cups water
2 organic oranges washed and thinly sliced (non-organic is okay, but can have pesticide residue)
1 organic lemon washed and thinly sliced (non-organic is okay, but can have pesticide residue)
1 organic lime washed and thinly sliced (non-organic is okay, but can have pesticide residue)
1 grapefruit washed, peeled and sliced or chopped
2-3 springs of rosemary or thyme, washed (these taste the best in my opinion but any herb can be used)
Remember, these are only a small handful of the options you can make by yourself at home. Take any fruits you like and mix them with some herbs and see what kind of flavors you can make yourself!
A quick note about sweeteners. As much as everyone will hate me when I write this, I don't actually like things to be very sweet. If you are the kind of person that needs things to be a bit on the sweeter side a teaspoon or two of honey would work very well in these waters. Otherwise something like stevia would also work well depending on your preferences.
Stay refreshed and healthy in the coming summer weather.
