Sweet tea

This summer I have been working very diligently to wean myself off of artificial sweetener, and pop.  Instead, I have become hopelessly addicted to Quick Trip’s sweet tea!  #FAIL.

Somewhere along the way, I began to realize that I could make my own sweet tea.  It was a glorious moment in my life!  So, I googled.  And, I googled.  I read what there was to read, and decided on a plan of attack!

It all started with a little good, old-fashioned H2O, and a tea kettle:

Then, I poured it over 3 family sized tea bags.  I used Luzianne.  It’s thirty cents cheaper than Lipton.  I’ve had Lipton, and it was good too, but we buy Luzianne.  Then, you cover it and brew for about 7-8 minutes, depending on how strong/weak you want your tea.

Usually I use my batter bowl, but it had homemade salsa in it, so this had to do, and I cover it with one of my pot lids.  When the brewing it complete, add one cup of sugar, and stir until it is dissolved.  Then, pour into a gallon sized pitcher and fill with cold water:

Eick!  The light in my kitchen is TERRIBLE.  Don’t worry if you get soapy looking bubbles, it happens to me every time!!!  At this point, I refrigerate, and let it get cold…. and I then, I drink it!

Oh, yum!

This weekend, I plan to make some sans (without) sugar.  I’m going to flavor it with orange slices right before putting it in the fridge!  I am beyond belief excited about this…. if I can transition, I have cut out sugary beverages!!!  At this point, I still have a few things with artificial sweetener in them…. but let me tell you:  I used to drink A LOT of pop!  So, I know that whatever I consume now, it is probably less than a fourth of what I used to consumer.  And, let’s be honest:  I’m far too laid back to be able to commit to never having something!  It’s too much work for me 🙂