Sparkling Fruit Tea

I drink A LOT of water. I always have my 32 oz water bottle on my desk, and I tote it around with me wherever I go. Who knows where my obsession with hydrating myself started? They say you're supposed to drink half your weight in water everyday, but I'm pretty sure I drink the full weight of linebacker. Is there such a thing as too much water? Probably...supposedly (so says Wikipedia) there's such a thing as water intoxication. I don't think I'm quite ready to go to Waterolics Anonymous or anything, but if I start acting funny (more than normal), you might want to cut me off. Thanks.

I've never been a big soda drinker, and although I love the taste of beer and miss it dearly, I've never been one of those people who can down two pints right after a 6-mile run. All I want is water for at least 45 minutes after I exercise. When it's hot outside and you're hanging out with friends, though, it is nice to have something besides water to drink. With my diet restrictions I'm a bit limited as to what I can have. How many (good tasting) cold beverages can you think of that have no sugar, gluten, dairy or yeast?

None?

Yeah, me either. Until this past weekend.

I was invited to celebrate the birthdays of two sweet friends. Everyone was bringing something to share, so I decided to bring drinks. Not everyone wants to eat and drink according to my diet, so I made a yummy sugary drink called Ginger Almond Tea that has been a staple in my family for the last 10 years. Then, I got creative and made a sparkling tea without sugar. Both were a big hit and I'll definitely be making this Sparkling Fruit Tea for other occasions. I even had a friend request that I make another batch of it when she came over to visit the next day.

This tea not only tastes good, but it's also good for you since it's made with green tea. I got this Orange, Passion Fruit, Jasmine Green Tea from Aldi, but you can really use any fruity hot tea that you like.

First step is to make it strong by steeping 6 tea bags in one cup of boiling water. Steep for as long as the directions say--for green tea it's usually 2-3 minutes. Then, add stevia to taste (I added between 1/8 and 1/4 of a teaspoon). Next, stir in the juice from one lemon, 1/2 Tbsp of pure vanilla extract and 4 cups of cold water. Chill (the tea...you can chill once the tea is ready).

Right before you serve it, add 1 liter of cold sparkling water (I used some generic soda water). Don't serve it over ice or else it will become watered-down and less fizzy. That's it.

You'll find me sipping this on my front porch for the rest of the summer. Come join me!