Herbal Tea is My Friend (from SparkPeople - Wed. 2/3/10

I forgot what a BLESSING my herbal tea can be when trying to get more liquid in my daily routine! I am a soda-drinker by nature and habit, and there have been many, many days where that was (gasp!) LITERALLY the ONLY fluid I put in my body.

Now that I am actually trying to track my fluid and drink 8-8 ounce glasses of NON-SODA fluid a day, I have found that my herbal tea has once again come to the rescue.

As an LDS woman, I don't drink coffee or tea, per se, but I do consume herbal or grain "versions" of both. The herbal tea I'm raving about is a Celestial Seasonings variety called, simply, "Caffeine-Free Tea." This is NOT decaffeinated TEA, it is an HERB blend that tastes as close to black tea as I have ever experienced. (Anyone who is a formerly-tea/coffee-drinking adult convert to my church can "testify" to the lack of authentic taste-a-likes out there)

To make my iced tea (did I mention I usually drink it cold, like water?), I use only 3 bags of tea, which I steep for about 10 minutes in a couple of inches of boiled water in a gallon pitcher. While the tea concentrate is still warm, I add a teaspoon (yes, only one necessary if you like it sweet) of (and the brand is important, btw) STEVITA brand Stevia powder. Dissolve it in the warm tea, then add water and ice to make a gallon. Add lemon juice to taste, and VOILA, a fabulous (for me) alternative to boring ice water, with NO calories, NO artificial chemicals and NO aftertaste!

I have converted many an "I hate herbal tea" non-aficionado to THIS herbal tea. My (non-LDS) sister ADORES this tea, and begs for it every time she visits.

Thanks, Celestial Seasonings! I managed to get all my 8 glasses of water/tea in before 6pm last night, and am already halfway there for today.