What to drink? Kiwitastic!

While living in the dry state of Colorado, I got in the habit of taking a glass or stainless steel water bottle with me wherever I went. I still do that now. It allows me to hydrate anytime I want. I’ll even bring it with me while I’m running errands around town. When I get thirsty, I don’t have to go without or stop to buy something that may have ingredients I wouldn’t want to put in my body.

However, I don’t know about you, but for me, drinking plain water all day long is not my favorite thing. I get bored with it. I do want something healthy to keep hydrated, and don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful to have access to good water. Yet. I tend to drink less during the day if it’s just plain water. I do have mineral water on occasion which—with the right amount of total dissolved solids (TDS)—can be tasty. Yet, I’m looking for other alternatives too. So I’ve been experimenting with a few different things to try to spruce up my “hydration station.” And I found one.

I call it Kiwitastic! It’s a combination of fruit essence water and herbal tea. It’s amazing! I love it!

Here’s my recipe for Kiwitastic water:

Good filtered water

Hibiscus tea

Wedge of fresh lime

Slice of fresh kiwi

Stevia drops (optional)

Directions:

In a tall glass or stainless steel water bottle (mine holds 22 oz.), fill around 1/2 to 3/4 full of filtered water. Then pour in some herbal sun tea. My favorite is Wild Berry Zinger from Celestial seasonings. Though, you can use others. The important part is to look for a tea with hibiscus in it. Hibiscus tea does not need heat to be steeped. Instead, you can simply steep it on your kitchen counter or outside in the sun in summer. Make the tea ahead of time and keep it in your fridge. Use 4 tea bags per gallon of water. Or if you are using loose hibiscus tea, it’s about 4 tablespoons. Fill your water bottle the rest of the way with the tea, almost to the top. Next squeeze a wedge of fresh lime juice in it.

Cut a nice slice off your kiwi, about 1/3 of an inch thick. Remove the fuzzy skin and discard. Then drop the fruit into your drink.

Optionally, you can also add 2-3 drops of stevia drops.

If it’s hot outside, leave some room for ice cubes or place your bottle in the fridge for a few hours before drinking.

You can make the sun tea ahead of time, but only put the fruit in your bottle on the morning of the day you are planning to drink it. The fruit won’t stay fresh longer than a day in the water. However, the unused portion of both the lime and the rest of the kiwi will keep for several days if covered in the refrigerator. So you can make more the next day. :)

Alternatively, a pear or apple will work also. If the slices are hard, smoosh them just a bit. In the summer months there are many other soft fruits to try.

The water, tea, and fruit mix together to form a lightly flavored and very healthy water that you can enjoy throughout the day. Refreshing and delicious all year ‘round.

Cheers!