It’s getting hot in St Louis. Not just hot, but stiflingly humid. It’s impossible to not sweat. It’s days like this where it’s more important than ever to remain hydrated, but plain water just doesn’t cut it sometimes, and it doesn’t have to. You don’t need to turn to a HFCS-laden soda to find a tasty summer beverage. Here’s five easy, refreshing, and practically no-calorie ways to dress up your refrigerator’s cold water pitcher, providing much-needed flavor when you’re trying to beat the heat.
1. Add a sliced cucumber and lemon to your water pitcher for a subtle, yet incredibly refreshing, flavor.
2. Slice a tablespoon or two of fresh ginger and two small limes into your water pitcher for a cooler with a kick to it.
3. You absolutely can’t go wrong with mint tea. Add three mint tea bags to a pitcher of water. Let steep in the sun for a few hours. Chill in fridge.
4. Muddle a sliced orange in a large pitcher. Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Add water and ice. Reminisce of youth spent eating dreamsicles.
5. Check out Jennie’s Lavender Lemon Soda recipe for a carbonated treat.
Need something sweeter? Add a touch of honey or raw sugar to any of the above.
For another tasty summer beverage, check out Megan’s Lavender Lemonade.
Kelli Best-Oliver
A former high school teacher, I'm currently a part-time writer/full-time doctoral student at the University of St. Thomas in the Twin Cities, studying leadership in education from a critical pedagogy perspective along with public policy. On the green side, I'm interested in local food and agriculture (Iowa girl, born and raised), sustainability education, DIY projects, and grassroots activism. I'm slowly turning my South City, St Louis home into an urban farmstead. On the hoping-to-be-greener side, I love reading, yoga, soccer, music, backpacking, knitting, pop culture and trivia, my Tuesday Night Dinner Club, traveling, Guitar Hero, dive bars, and sitting on front porches with my husband and a cold beer. I came to Green Options via a post on Sustainablog,working the St Louis angle to get Jeff to let me in. I have a personal blog chronicling (what else?) life in South St. Louis. Follow me on Twitter!
3 Responses to Five Refreshing, No-Calorie Ways To Dress Up Water
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We’re seriously going through a pitcher per day of mint tea. My husband loves it, and it’s so much better for him than soda.
Great ideas.
Yesterday I tried mint tea from the Sun. A handful of fresh peppermint in a large container of water. A hot afternoon in the sun and it tasted great.