What’s refreshing you this summer? You don’t need to wait in line and spend eight dollars for a great summer drink.
We keep these café style cups in my house and my daughters and I have fun making great summer drinks. Recently, the girls and their friends have enjoyed making drinks instead of baking (I’m not complaining!) And a Mommy day out with her friends starts with homemade drinks in the cup holder. It’s an easy–and delicious–way to stay hydrated!
The Ultimate Iced Tea
Yes, homemade iced tea takes less than a minute and it’s way better than anything in a bottle! I keep strong tea essence in my fridge. Mix some raspberry tea essence with a bit of cold water, ice, a thin slice of lime (or lemon or lemon juice), and Splenda. It’s so delicious and pretty!
How Do You Make a Tea Essence?
To make a single portion, steep a tea bag in a little bit of hot water (about ¼ cup), rather than the amount you’d use to make a full cup of tea. Once the tea essence is ready (the flavor of the tea has seeped into the water), remove the tea bag. Add cold water (to equal a full cup of tea), lemon, and sweetener.
You can also make a bigger batch with a few bags of tea. Once the flavor is infused, remove the tea bags and keep this concentrated tea in the fridge. When you want to make an iced tea, just combine some of the tea essence with cold water, lemon, and Splenda and you have a delicious, homemade iced tea (that’s way better than anything in a bottle).
Kids’ Favorite Slushy Lemonade
6 cups ice
3 cups water
4 Tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed lemon juice is always better)
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp grape juice
Blend all ingredients in the Ninja blender. (Just remind the kids that they should be careful with the blade!)
Lemon Water
Mix water, lemon juice (or a lemon slice) with lots of ice cubes. I keep this in the car while I’m running errands in the summer. Use plenty of ice so it can stay cool for hours.
Smoothies
I throw some milk, frozen strawberries, frozen mango (optional), and sweetener into the Ninja. It’s filling and refreshing!
Ice Coffee for Mommy
I keep high quality cold brew in the fridge, and mix it together with milk, ice and Splenda. It’s the ultimate summer treat–better than ice coffee from a café.
Best Kid’s Ice Coffee
Non coffee-snobs don’t need cold brew. Instant coffee works great. We use the recipe from our all-time favorite cookbook Fresh and Easy or this Coffee Slushie from Between Carpools. Swirl the outside of the cup with chocolate syrup and top it off with whip cream. Your daughter will feel like a million dollars when she takes it to the bus stop!
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