July! Here you are! And with your presence so is the heat. Every summer the heat index rises and leaves us feeling almost too hot to handle. In some cases this is totally true and a lot of fun lol. But when it gets way too hot and I just feel like melting I like to cool off with some naturally cooling foods.
Many fruits and vegetables are naturally high in water content, that allows us to stay hydrated. Some of my favorite are watermelon, cucumbers, mint, melon, and sage. These foods are naturally cooling when the weather is warm. These foods also come in handy cooling off any one who suffers from hot flashes. Below is one of my favorite cooling recipes, other than freezing my favorite fruits and snacking on them throughout the day:
Sun Iced Tea:
Equipment:
- Glass Jar or Pitcher (size of your choice) with air tight lid
- Long wooden spoon
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Melon baller
- Sunny Day
Ingredients
- 2-10 green or black tea bags
- Enough purified water to fill glass jar or pitcher
- 1 cucumber sliced
- 1-3 cups watermelon cubed or balled
- Fresh mint
- Raw honey
- Ice cubes
- Add tea bags to glass jar-> about 6 bags per 12 cups of water
- Add enough water to fill jar and secure lid to jar
- Set jar outside in the morning for a least 4 hours during the heat of a sunny day (between 10-4 is the best time)
- While tea is brewing slice cucumber and ball watermelon. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve
- Remove tea from outside
- Add 1/2 to 1 cup of honey per 4 cups of teat made and stir until incorporated. This step can be done before or after the tea has been in the sun
- Serve tea over ice and add cucumber slices, mint leaves, and watermelon to your liking.
- Store left over tea in the refrigerator
This recipe is super easy and fun. My family and I love making and enjoying sun tea. I hope you all stay cool and hydrated this summer :). Don’t be afraid to experiment with other flavor and fruit combinations to make this beverage one you can enjoy all summer long.
