Today I went to make a gallon pitcher of sweet tea only to find that we had no sugar in the house. I know, I know. Regular readers will be shocked to know this. But the plastic Teddy Grahams container from the late 1990s that holds a full 10 pound bag while leaving room for the scoop as well was bare as Old Mother Hubbard's cupboards.
The tea bags were already seeping in boiling water and there's no such thing as un-sweet tea in this house. There was only one obvious, logical choice at this point. Instead of adding plain water to the rest of the gallon I added lemon-flavored Propel Zero. Hello, sugar-free Arnold Palmer! That little incident got me thinking about other things I could add to unsweetened tea to both flavor it up and cut back on the sugar. (I can almost hear Dawn smiling right now.) Here are some of the successes.
- Lemon Propel - Or really, any flavor of Propel. I know I already mentioned this but it's got vitamins B, C, E and antioxidants. It has no sugar, no carbs, no calories. On the downside, it has 115mg of sodium (230mg if you drink all 24 ounces in the bottle), and uses sucralose (think Splenda) as a sweetener.
- Honey - I love honey, but only if it's pure honey from a local source. Honey is not only one of the healthiest ways to naturally sweeten things, but local honey has been linked to helping relieve allergy symptoms from things like pollen and other seasonal woes. There is no downside to using honey. It's quite possibly the world's most perfect food.
- Fruit - Olive Garden has a peach tea that's flavored with half a peach plus, I suspect, juices from the can. Canned fruit is okay, but go light or no sugar added to avoid the high calories. Fresh fruit is best, whether it's from a local source or fresh-frozen from your grocer's freezer.
Some things other people have tried are dandelions, cinnamon and apples, and even almond or coconut milk. The one that intrigued me most was mixing Greek yogurt, citrus zest, and iced tea frozen into cubes for a yummy smoothie.
What are your favorite iced tea flavors? Have you tried any of these? Any new suggestions? I'd love to hear all about it. And check back Thursday when I share some tips for living a thrifty lifestyle.
Becky
