(This is my monthly contributor post over at Keeper of the Home!)
I don’t know about you, but my desire for not-so-healthy treats goes crazy in the summertime. With so many social gatherings, there’s opportunity galore to indulge. Ice cream, picnics, birthday cakes aplenty (in my family, at least!), and more! Last summer when I began loving coffee, I developed an (unfortunate?) love for Starbucks as well.
When I am exercising self-control, I order a plain classic cappuccino. When I decide to treat myself, I get a sweetened latte or a cold lemonade. Then I discovered their Passion Tea Lemonade. I love it. The perfect mix of fruity, tart, and sweet. Mmmm, I can taste it right now…
I love to be innovative in the kitchen, “healthifying” recipes and making them taste amazing with all healthy ingredients. For a long time I was paralyzed in my endeavours when I couldn’t make something “perfectly” healthy. One tiny less-than-stellar ingredient and my ambitions were crushed. Ok, maybe not quite that dramatic, but you get my drift.
Recently I wrote about how Food is Not a Moral Issue. I strongly believe that our culture needs a solid lesson in separating our healthy eating habits from our moral worth. Eating healthy does not make me a better person, and sometimes we all need to chill out just a little.
It’s easy to get caught up in the hype. I realized that healthy eating is important, but we don’t always need to be militant about it. That’s when I came up with this DIY Passion Tea Lemonade. You see, the Tazo brand of Passion tea contains “natural flavours” and one or two other less-than-perfect ingredients.
And yet, when I make my own lemonade, and I make my own simple syrup with a healthier sweetener, and I put the whole thing together at home for pennies… it suddenly seems like a perfectly reasonable compromise that I am willing to make. If you’re anything like me in that regard, then you might just love this recipe.
Alyssa
I had some house plant casualties when we went on vacation, and I have been wondering what to plant in those pots. I might try sprouting avocado pits the next time I buy a bag 🙂