One Caffeine Free Week

Hi, my name is Melissa and I'm a caffeine addict.  I really only have maybe one cup of coffee per day and I only drink soda when we're eating out.  My real vice: tea.

I LOVE iced tea.  I make it unsweetened and use Splenda.  I drink it morning, noon and night.  Now most of you are laughing at me because tea is actually pretty healthy in comparison to soda, right?  I'm inclined to agree.  But I'm not a doctor and my husband seems to think he knows better than me...he claims that black tea is not really that good for you because it contains caffeine and if I'm going to drink tea it should be green tea.  Two things:  screw him and pass me the Splenda.  No really, I dug my heels in on this one.  I have given up carbs...no potatoes, no rice, no bread, no sugar...hell, I don't even eat most fruits!  I was NOT giving up that beautiful amber elixir of the gods.  No.  Just no.  But after a "discussion" about the evils of caffeine, he somehow talked me into going one week without all beverages besides water.  

So one other thing you should know about me:  I HATE water.  I hate water more than I love tea.  For me, water is good for three things:  cooking, cleaning, and making tea.  That's it.  You don't drink it because it's gross...it doesn't taste like anything!  Yuck!

So my first day sans caffeine was pretty rough, I won't lie.  I barely drank anything because I loathe the "flavor" of water so much...which living in Florida in August, that's just not a good idea.  I was miserable.  I felt like garbage.  But, I'm stubborn and wanted to prove to my husband that I could do it.  So on to day two...

Can we just agree that caffeine is a life-saver?  I'm fairly certain there were at least three instances where I seriously considered homicide to be a perfectly reasonable response to something my husband was doing.  I seem to remember one being because my husband helped himself to another helping of ice cream but had to dirty another bowl to do so. 

I think my lowest point was when I went to Publix the other day.  In order to get home, I have to drive by a Dunkin Donuts and all I kept thinking was, "they have awesome iced tea.  I think it's any size for 99 cents and I could probably suck it down before I get home...he'd never know!"  I am proud to tell you that I resisted temptation.  However, it didn't strike me until later, recounting my story to my husband, that I really might have a problem.  I considered "cheating" for a glass of tea.  I could have gotten a doughnut!  If I was going to cheat, wouldn't that be the thing I want most?  The doughnut I haven't had in MONTHS vs. the tea I got to have three days ago!?!?  

Fast forward, the week is over and it's not so bad.  I actually discovered a little recipe, if you will, that makes water more palatable.  I've been sucking down this water like it's going out of style and I feel GREAT.  I woke up this morning and didn't miss the coffee or the tea.  I don't get headaches from the withdrawal, and I just feel better about myself for making another healthy choice.  So anyway, here's my 'recipe.'

I keep mine in 2 qt bottles.

1 gallon water (I used the filtered stuff from the fridge)

2 limes

1 lemon

1/2 cucumber

1. Wash and slice your produce.

2.  Add to water.  Refrigerate for at least an hour.

3. Drink in copious amounts.  :-)

I read on Pinterest, where I originally found this little recipe, that lemons aid in the absorption of sugars and calcium and help to curb your sweet tooth, limes promote a healthy digestive tract, and cucumber acts as a diuretic and flush fat cells.  The original recipe calls for mint, as well, but I didn't have any one hand.  I plan to pick some up the next time I'm out.  Just another little tip...when you add mint to a drink like this, give it a little spank...it releases some of the oils in the leaves without completely tearing it up.

Oh, and just FYI...we're on week four of our low-carb lifestyle and I'm down 11 pounds!  Yay!

Spiked Strawberry Lemonade

As I mentioned before, my sister-in-law graduated!  That makes two high school graduates in our family this year and we're so proud of both girls!  Needless to say, this is a time for celebration!  Yesterday, we celebrated my sister-in-law's graduation at my in-laws' house.  It was a bbq/pool party and we had a great time.  My mother-in-law asked me to bring strawberry lemonade with alcohol for the crowd and I was more than happy to provide!  Here's the recipe:

Spiked Strawberry Lemonade
(makes approximately 2 gallons)
4 cups sugar
4 cups water
32 oz. lemon juice
4 lbs strawberries, hulled and sliced
5 cups vodka
1 gallon of water





1.  In a large saucepan, combine sugar and water.  Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved.  Once sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and let cool.






2.  Puree strawberries.  I had to do it in batches since I had so many strawberries.  If you have a hard time getting them to blend smoothly, add a little water just to get it going.








3.  Pour strawberry puree through a sieve.  It will catch most of the seeds and the pulp.  A little getting through is ok.









4.  Combine sugar water (simple syrup), puree, lemon juice, and vodka.  Mix well.  Add the gallon of water a little at a time to acquire your preferred dilution.

5.  Serve chilled.  Enjoy responsibly!

The Perfect Glass of Iced Tea

I'm sitting here on this beautiful, sunny Florida day thinking to myself, "I'm parched."  Hmm...well considering I'm not purchasing any groceries for a while, I don't want to waste the liter of diet Coke in the fridge, I'm not in the mood for water and my darling boyfriend decided to drink my last Starbucks Refresher...what libation can I concoct?  Well duh...ice tea!  We've had tea bags in our pantry forEVER since we bought some and my dad always gives us a box when he buys them at Publix as a BOGO.

One problem.  I SUCK at making good tea.  I'm so ashamed.  I grew up on iced tea, but for some reason whenever I make it, it's bitter and just in general icky.  Yes, icky...it's a technical term.  Now, the bf likes 'sun tea' where I place water and about a zillion bags of tea in a glass jar and leave it outside for a day or two until the water becomes an almost black liquid that I'm convinced is not fit for human consumption.  Ok, well that isn't really how sun tea ought to be...but that's how he likes it.  He's weird, I know.  But what I'm after is that cool, amber colored liquid that just quenches the most unquenchable thirst.

So, I slink to my computer and pull up my Pinterest board because I seem to remember pinning something about how to make the perfect sweet tea at one point.   And in my shame, I actually read a recipe for making good tea.  Turns out...I've been missing an ingredient that really surprised me: baking soda.

Off I go to make some tea...here goes nothing!
What you'll need:

8 cups water

2 family sized bags of tea (or 6 regular bags)

8 cup Pyrex bowl (or similar)

a pinch of baking soda (not pictured)

A vessel of choice to hold the final product

First step...boil 2 cups of water.  Pour the boiling water (carefully!) into the 8 cup Pyrex bowl.

Add the tea bags, keeping the tags out of the water.  Let steep.  (I steeped mine for about 10 minutes.  It really depends on how strong you like your tea...just remember that it's going to be diluted in the next step.)

Add a pinch of baking soda.
Chemistry Lesson!  Tea contains tannic acid, more commonly referred to as TANNIN.  This is what makes tea bitter.  Baking soda is a base, so adding it to an acid neutralizes it, resulting in a reduction of bitterness!

Remove tea bags, squeezing as much liquid out before you discard them (careful not to burn yourself).  Dilute with 6 cups of cold water.  Pour into a container of your choice and store in the refrigerator.

NOTE!  If you prefer SWEET tea, add sugar while it's still hot.  That's it!  I, myself, prefer to use Splenda and add it to my glass...that way anyone else who drinks it can make it as sweet (or not) as they like!