Post Punk Kitchen Forum

So I have these two big pitchers with lids that I keep in my fridge. I used to always fill one with unsweetened (black) iced tea and the other with orange juice. I've been watching what I eat recently which means I'm not drinking enough juice to justify having a giant pitcher of it in my fridge all the time. I'm really stumped as to what to put in put in the former OJ pitcher now... I thought of making iced green tea, but that seems sort of boring? Does anybody have any amazing ideas for delicious beverages I can make at home that are lower in calories and sugar than juice? I already drink a ton of seltzer and water so it's nice to have some variety.

putting cucumbers, mint, etc into water?

flavored water is awesome.
i ice all types of herb tea. I also make "watered juice", which is some kind of juice maybe watered to 30% juice and with some stevia.
or sweetened iced tea (again, stevia).
i really prefer to drink water or unsweetened tea so i usually don't have this problem.
when i was big into ayurveda i made these "herb waters" that were like tea made out of tiny amounts of spices like cumin or cardamom or rose petals. they are really interesting and different.

celestial seasonings makes these new Zinger Ice flavors that have the stevia already in. there's a Tangerine one and Raspberry. I love them but of course I'm biased cause I live 15 minutes from the factory.

I would just cut up oranges and put them in a pitcher of ice water. Yum. Optional. . . lounge around in a bathrobe all the time and pretend that you're at a fancy spa that serves fruit water.

Mint water is really nice in the summer.

We make hibiscus tea all the time. I buy the hibiscus in bulk for cheap at a Hispanic market. It mixes well with pomegranate juice or is good on its own.

1/2 C bulk hibiscus
4 C water
Boil the water, then add hibiscus to steep till the water cools. It is great to add some fresh mint to steep, here, too. (Dried mint might work.)

3-4 T (or less) sugar
4 C water
Put this mixture in a two-quart pitcher and stir till the sugar is melted. Strain the steeped hibiscus into the pitcher. Enjoy!

I use brew fruity herbal teas and chill them.

Rote Grütze:

http://uptontea.com/shopcart/item.asp?f ... goryID=234

It's pretty delicious.

These pitchers, what are they made out of?

We put fruit into water and let it sit overnight in the fridge, and then it turns into this yummy, fruity water... the last batch we made had strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. I've made it before with honeydew melon and cantaloupe. It was a great way to use up fruit that was starting to get a little bit too mushy to eat, but hadn't gone moldy/bad yet. And super tasty!

Great suggestions so far, thanks guys!


They're made of plastic.

You could also try making agua fresca, which is basically like a diluted whole fruit juice. They usually add in extra sugar, but it's not really necessary. There are lots of recipes online, but basically you throw fruit in a blender (slightly overripe works really well... berries, melon, etc.) with some water and a little sugar if you want to taste, and blend. You can strain it if you want it less pulpy, but a lot of the places I had it in Costa Rica just left everything in... including things like watermelon seeds that were a little gritty, haha.

Licorice root tea is naturally a bit sweet, without being caloric. So it hibiscus tea (or Red Zinger, which is a hibiscus-rose hip blend).

I've been eying this cantaloupe Agua Fresca (pretend that splenda says stevia). http://urbanext.illinois.edu/fiesta/rec ... =en&id=332

I really like unsweetened hot cocoa made with unsweetened plant milk, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract. If you don't have a big sweet tooth, you might like the same thing cooled down. Or unsweetened almond milk with hazelnut extract.

Husband turned me on to iced chamomile tea with lemon. He likes it sweetened but I think it's better plain!

This salad place I go to serves cucumber water. It's delicious!

seconding hibiscus tea. oh my favorite. I also love cucumber water with lemon.

Triple! I love it with a few slices of ginger too.