~~by Nikki

Anyone who knows me knows several things: first, that I am a shameless “know-it-all,” second, that I’d give you the shirt off my back if I thought you needed it. Lastly, those who TRULY know me…know that shirt didn’t cost much cuz I am CHEAP!

Well I wouldn’t say cheap…frugal. That’s a better word. Either way I try not to spend too much money. Part of this comes from being a single mummy but also because I’ve been striving to be a better steward of my resources (whatever that means…).

Keeping all this in mind, I set about an experiment recently. I love Diet Green Tea, especially the citrus flavor. I go through a LOT of it. In fact, at this point I’ve probably made huge deposits to many landfills with the plastic I’ve used (well…until recently when I became a more dedicated recycler). Between that and the cost of buying the stuff AND the fact that I’m not exactly sure where they get the tea from and if the person who grew it is actually benefitting from my addiction…well let’s just say I wanted to find a way to drink my drink, save money, respect the environment AND my fellow man.

So in a way this is no just a drink. It’s a MOVEMENT. 🙂 My version is made using Fair Trade green tea. If you don’t know about Fair Trade, you should check it out.There are many, many fairly traded products out there. I have done a taste test amongst fellow diet green tea enthusiasts and this blend gets their seal of approval.

(My apologies for the lack of pictures lately. I seem to have misplaced my digital camera battery charger somewhere between here and I-don’t-know-where and the camera phone is iffy. I will resolve this soon though because I know you all love your food porn!)

Good-for-everyone Green Tea

Ingredients

8 cups +2 additional cups water (NOTE this is a change from original posting. I was half asleep last night folks…my bad!)

5 bags of Fair Trade Green Tea
2 cups no-calorie sweetener (I used Splenda)
The juices of:
1/2 a large orange (I used a navel)
1/2 a lemon
1/2 a lime

2 trays of ice cubes

Directions:

Fill a large pot with 8 cups of water and add tea bags and set over a medium flame.

While that’s going, in a smaller pot combine Splenda and other cup of water and bring to a boil then remove from heat.

When pot of tea comes to a boil, turn off flame and allow tea to continue to steep for about five minutes until it is a dark amber color.

Add fruit juices to the hot tea mixture.

Combine tea mixture and simple syrup in a pitcher and let it sit on a counter until it comes down to room temperature.

Add ice and then refrigerate (the ice is more for adding more water to the equation and making it the proper temperature to go in the fridge without sending it into hyper overdrive)

When ready to serve, do so over ice in a glass and, if desired, add slices of lemon and/or lime.

Cool, refreshing, cheap to make and it does something for your carbon footprint and your sense of humanity.

What more could you ask for?