Summertime calls for healthy low calorie drinks that will keep you hydrated and refreshed. Water is best when our bodies need fluids after periods of exertion, but taste matters and water can be a little plain.
Summer drinks like iced coffees and fruit smoothies sound delicious but oftentimes contain hundreds of calories when you factor in the cream and sugar. Diet sodas, though they contain no calories, are filled with artificial sweeteners that may not be as safe as once suspected and really do little to quench thirst and nourish the body.
You can make your own thirst-quenching beverages at home with ingredients you probably already have on hand. Keeping well-stocked with staple items like sparkling water, teas and fresh or frozen fruit allows convenient access to great tasting summer drinks without a lot of calories.
Herbs and vegetables from the garden make perfect ingredients or garnishes and can be picked as needed to make delicious beverages that youll feel good about drinking.
Try these recipes or come up with your own variations for fantastic summertime drinks.
Cherry Mint Spritzer
1 cup pitted fresh or frozen cherries, thawed
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, plus 4 sprigs for garnish
8 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup lime juice
3 cups sparkling water or seltzer
Divide cherries, mint leaves and sugar among 4 glasses. Mash everything together with the back of a wooden spoon. Stir in lime juice. Fill glasses with ice and top with seltzer. Garnish with mint sprigs.
Watermelon Limeade
8 cups cubed watermelon, seeds removed
1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Sugar or stevia to taste
Lemon balm or mint sprigs for garnish
Place half of the watermelon cubes in a blender and process until smooth. Transfer the watermelon slush to a fine-mesh sieve placed over a large bowl and allow the juice to drain. Discard the solids. Repeat with the remaining watermelon. You should end up with about 1 quart (4 cups) of watermelon juice. Add the lime juice and sweetener to the watermelon juice and stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste and add more sugar if desired. Chill completely and serve over ice with lemon balm or mint garnish if desired.
Apricot Iced Tea
8 black tea bags
6 cups boiling water
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
3 (12-ounce) cans apricot nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Fresh apricot wedges
Fresh mint sprigs
In a large heatproof pot, combine tea bags, boiling water and the 1/2 cup mint leaves. Let steep for 5 minutes. Remove and discard tea bags and mint. Cover tea; let stand for 1 hour. Stir in apricot nectar and vanilla. Cover and chill completely. To serve, fill tall glasses with ice cubes. Fill with tea mixture. If desired, garnish with apricot wedges and/or mint sprigs.
Cucumber Water
1 cucumber sliced and unpeeled plus cucumber slices for garnish
2 liters of water
3 mint sprigs plus mint sprigs for garnish
Half a lemon, sliced and unpeeled
Ice cubes
In a pitcher, mix the water, cucumber, 3 mint sprigs and lemon. Let it rest in the fridge for 24 hours. Before serving remove the cucumber slices used to flavor the water. Then stir with a wooden spoon. Add some ice cubes and fresh cucumber slices and the remaining 2 mint sprigs.
