Summery Sugar Free Ice Tea

It feels like summer is in full swing around here the past few days.  Temperatures jumping into the 80's.  I love it. I often tell my husband I think the stork dropped me in the wrong state.  I am a warm weather girl.  I love the heat.  I don't mind that we have no A.C. in the peak of the summer.  Bring it on!  

I realize this isn't everyone's consitution. My girls love being outdoors but even today as the temperature soared into the high 80's, they wanted to play inside more than outside.  They wanted out of the sun and the heat.  Even though the temperature in our house was 86 at one point, it certainly felt a little cooler than on our very sunny deck. 

As the heat comes on full force I continute to try to find ways to keep my girls cool and hydrated.  Now my first choice in hydration is always water.  I think it's so crucial to get kiddos used to drinking water when they are little.  Its interesting that so many adults "hate" drinking water.  Instead they rely on juice, coffee, pop, and flavored waters.  Things that over time will dehydrate the body and can cause a list of ailments, including constipation.  If kiddos become used to carrying a water bottle when they are little the habit will most likely roll over into adult-hood.  I encourage parents to keep the juice boxes and glasses of milk to a minimum and really up the water intake. One of the best ways to do this? Be a role model for your kiddos.  Let them see mom and dad drinking water. 

One of our favorite ways to add some hydration to a hot summer afternoon is by making Sun Tea.  When I was little my mom made the best sun tea, or at least that was my opinion.  It was a sign of summer.  I still love the nostalgia of a glass jar sitting on the deck preparing one of my favorite beverages.  Now my mom's tea was loaded with lots of sugar, which is surely why I loved it so much.  But good news. I have found ways to make a dynamite Sun Tea with out the heaps of sugar. And the even better news? My girls love it. 

 When making Sun Tea, I choose to stick to herbal teas.  This way they are naturally caffeine free.  I don't know about you, but my girls certainly don't need an extra caffeine boost.  They have endless energy reserves the way it is. 

Herbal teas contain a whole array of nutrients, antixoidants, and minerals.  Not only is Sun Tea so tasty to drink but it's really nourishing for the body.  Teas can be incredibly healing for the body.  Peppermint tea can aid in digestion.  Ginger tea can help if feeling nauseated. Herbal teas come in variety of flavors and offer a wide range of  health benefits.  I prefer to buy loose leaf teas in bulk.  It is a great way to experiment with a variety of tastes and even mix and match flavors.  Tea bags will work as well, and you can even mix and match with different flavors of your favorite tea bags.  The fun is in the experimenting.  And really you can't go to wrong with a cold, refreshing glass of sun tea on a hot summer afternoon.

To make Sun Tea, simply add loose leaf tea to a large tea ball and place in a glass gallon jar.  If using tea bags, add 4-5 bags.  Let sit in the sun for several hours until it is dark and looks like a delicous tea.   The sun does the work for you!  Next step is to simply refridgerate until cold.  I like to start brewing my Sun Tea in the morning because when the intense heat kicks in I am prepared with a refreshing glass of tea.  I like to use flavored teas because it creates amazing tastes and decreases the need for sugar.  Lemon. Blueberry. Mango. Orange. The flavors are potent and create a delicous glass of tea.

Another trick is to add fresh mint or stevia to the gallon jar.  Another option is to add sliced lemons or other fresh fruit. This helps create extra deliciousness in your cup!

Then sit back and sip your Sun Tea while reading a book and enjoy the warmth of the sun!

Cheers to Ice Tea!

Veggie Stock

The last several days have been rainy and cold around here, and I find myself only wanting to eat warming soups and stews.  I realized the other day I was out of vegetable broth and needed to make a new batch.  I thought I would share this really easy process with you all.  This is one of those super simple, money saving things you can do to decrease the grocery bill and boost the nutrient content in meals.

Store bought vegetable broths often contain incredibly high levels of sodium.  They also tend to be expensive.  Making a homemade vegetable broth is so simple you might laugh!

Vegetable broth is a wonderful addition to soups, stews, sauces, and in cooking grains.  The broth not only adds a subtle, delicious flavor but also an extra nutritional punch.  Vegetable broth is also great for upset tummies, whether it is a little kiddo with the flu or a nauseated pregnant mama.  I sipped on veggie broth early on in my labor, which was light enough to not make me sick but also had enough nutrients to give me the energy for birthing.  Vegetable broth can also help restore a healthy PH to the body.   Can you tell yet that I like veggie broth?

To make the broth you need a variety of vegetables or even scraps of vegetables.  Peels of garlic and potatoes can be used, as well as celery leaves and tops of carrots.  I also like to use the stalks of kale leaves and other herbs.  Notice the parts of veggies that you might typically throw away and begin to save them for making stock.  A nice trick is to put a ziploc bag or container in the freezer for these scraps.  When you make a meal toss the peels, scraps, and stalks into this bag or container and it will slowly begin to fill up over time.  Once it looks like there is quite a bit in there you can make a stock with it. 

For my latest batch of stock I used garlic (no need to take it out of the peel), parsley, celery, chives,carrots, and onion. I had it all on hand and a couple of things needed to be used before they went bad.  Making stock is a great way to use up veggies that might be on the verge of going bad.

I added the veggies to a big stock and then filled it up with water.  I brought it to a boil.  Next I turned it to low and I let it simmer on the stove for a couple of hours.  It makes the house smell so good, especially on a cold, damp day.  This can be done in a crock pot as well.  Let it simmer for 8 hours and it turns out just wonderfully.  The final step is to simply strain the broth.  Discard the veggies to the compost or trash.  Viola'. Easy, inexpensive, nutritious vegetable broth.

Other ideas of  things to add to vegetable stock are chopped potatoes, kelp, leafy greens, parsnips, turnips, stalks of broccoli and cauliflower, cilantro, and mushrooms. 

 When I do make broth I try to make a big batch.

I strained the broth and put it into mason jars.  I then put them in my deep freeze.  This is nice this time of year when our freezer is getting low from all of the stuff we preserved last season.  If you are feeling ambitious, canning them is an option as well.

I got all the above jars from those two stock pots of veggies and water.  I'd say it's worth it!

Banana Split (Dairy Free)

The other night after dinner my daughter asked me if we could make a dessert.  It had been a glorious day of sunshine and warmth and a family bike ride so it seemed appropriate to make some ice cream.  I don't know about your home but ice cream is always a hit in our home.  Not just with the kids!

Now when there is a dairy sensitivity tossed into the mix it makes things a little more complicated.  Over the years, I have cultivated this love of making vegan ice creams.  I dream of owning a vegan ice cream shop or truck or cart someday.  Can you imagine those creepy ice cream trucks (or at least the ones here in the city are awful creepy looking) replaced with vibrant colors and fun music, and the best part....vegan ice cream.    Wow.  To me that would be a little slice of heaven.

Well until that truck makes its way into my budget or into my town I am left coming up with creative dairy free desserts for my kiddos in my own kitchen.  The other night I decided to play with creating vegan banana splits.  My girls were so excited to help create a new dessert and by the way they ate it with hardly taking a breathe between bites, I'd say they were pretty darn good.

Banana Split (Dairy-free style)

Step 1)   I made this delicious ice cream that I previously posted on the blog.  I used strawberries because it's what I have left of the freezer from last summer.  Cherries, peaches, or raspberries would be quite fabulous as well.

Step 2) I cut a banana in half.  (I gave each of my girls half of a banana cut in half because my little one tends to get a bit constipated with to much banana).  I think next time we make these I will caramelize the bananas in the toaster oven, simply for the sake of something different. 

Step3) I melted some coconut oil in the toaster oven.  Coconut oil is hard at room temperature (or at least until summer hits and the temperature in our house soars).  Once the oil liquified I added some cocoa powder and sweetener and stirred until it was well combined.  I substituted carob powder for the girls, I mean it was after dinner and close to bed time...I've learned my lesson the hard way about how the caffeine in chocolate affects my girls. For the sweetener I used raw honey, which makes it not truly vegan so if you don't use honey other options might be agave, pure maple syrup, or a less refined granulated sugar.  More to come at a later post on sweeteners....


The really neat thing about using coconut oil is that when it cools it becomes hard.  I don't know about you, but one of my favorite ice cream toppings as a kid was that Hard Shell Chocolate stuff.  I loved it.  The above simple recipe creates an easy, 3 ingredient, hard shell chocolate topping. YUM!

Step 4)  I built my banana split.  I scooped some strawberry ice cream in between the banana halves.  I drizzled the chocolate/carb sauce on the ice cream.  I topped it with some shredded coconut and carb chips.  Viola'.

Step 5).  Our family of 4 savored and enjoyed every single, delicious bite!