Up Your Summer Snacking With These Healthy Snacks

Eating healthy does not mean you can't enjoy snacks. Snacking is perfectly fine when you snack on healthy snacks. Take a look at some healthy snack options for summer.

 Summertime is my favorite time of the year. From working in my garden to relaxing by the pool, I love summer. While most people do not like the heat of the summer, I love the hot days. Warm weather allows me to wear shorts and summer dresses.

The warm weather of summer forces me to relax more and my new summer gazebo is my favorite place to hang out. I bring my laptop outside and do my work with the sound of my waterfall fountain. I also grab my favorite healthy snacks.  Keep reading to discover some of my favorite snacks that I am enjoying this summer.

Fresh Fruit

Fruit is the perfect healthy snack for summer. It is loaded with plenty of fiber and nutrition. Fruit also has plenty of water in it, so it refreshes you as you eat it. Some of my favorite fruits that I am snacking on right now are apricots, cherries, and honeydew melon.

 

 My favorite way to enjoy fresh fruit, especially melon is with a spicy mango-flavored rimming salt from Twang-a Rita. This rim salt may be designed for drinks but I love it on fruit. The rim salt gives my fruit a sweet and salty taste that is so good! I also use this rim salt on my glass when I am drinking a glass of iced tea. 

Delicious Iced Tea with Health Benefits

 My favorite iced tea that I am enjoying this summer is a Wellness Iced Tea from Herbaly. This iced tea is made with 7 simple ingredients and is loaded with healthy benefits. The tea has a wonderful scent and an incredible taste. I like to brew a big pitcher of this tea and keep it cold in my fridge. That way I can drink it all day.

The tea is certified organic and even the tea bags are made from plant-based ingredients. After you brew the tea, you can throw the tea bags in the compost pile.

Take a look at the Active Herbs, Roots, and Superfoods in the Wellness Tea

 ~ Organic Sencha Leaf

 ~ Organic Ginger Root

 ~ Organic Fennel Seed

 ~ Organic Dandelion Root

 ~ Organic Holy Basil Leaf

 ~ Organic Turmeric Root

 ~ Organic Lavender Petals

Healthy Chips with Protein

 I discovered some healthy tortilla chips from SimplyProtein®. These delicious tortilla chips have 7 grams of protein per serving. The chips are also vegan and gluten-free. The crispy protein chips come in three delicious flavors and are perfect for dipping in salsa. 

My favorite flavor of SimplyProtein Chips is the Sea Salt but I also love the zesty flavor of the Hint of Habanero Chips. The Hint of Lime Protein chips are also so delicious when dipped into homemade guacamole.

Salsa

Salsa is also a healthy snack option and I discovered a new flavor of salsa at Walmart. The Bettergoods Mango Chile salsa is so delicious. I love that it has a hint of spice that is not overpowerful. This salsa is perfect with the SimplyProtein chips. 

Nuts

Nuts like cashews and almonds are also great choices for healthy snacks. They are loaded with protein and healthy fats. So grab a handful of your favorite nuts. My favorite nuts to munch on are cashews, walnuts, pecans, and almonds.

Vegetables

 Raw and cooked vegetables are excellent healthy snacks to enjoy in the summer. You can eat your veggies by themselves or enjoy them with salsa or guacamole. Raw celery tastes great with peanut butter. I like to sprinkle some of the Twang-a Rita seasoning or everything bagel spice on my cooked veggies. My favorite summer veggies that I am enjoying this summer are fresh beet greens and yellow grape tomatoes that are growing in my tower garden.

Snacking is healthy

Some people avoid snacks as they think it is not good for their body but snacking is actually good for your body. Snacking helps you not overeat at meal times and it gives your body a steady supply of energy. So enjoy these healthy summer snack options.

How To Make Fruit-Infused Cold Brew Ice Tea

A hot summer day calls for a tall glass of ice tea. This fruit-infused tea is refreshing and full of flavor. Discover how easy it is to make this delicious tea.

 I received samples to facilitate this post.

 Warm summer days call for a tall glass of cold iced tea. A cold glass of iced tea is so refreshing,g and it does a better job of quenching my thirst than plain water. I am usually a water drinker but when the temperature heats up, water can get quite boring after I have had too many glasses. Living in the desert of New Mexico means that we have dry, hot summers, and we have to drink even more water to stay hydrated. For me, since I am an athlete, that can be 15 or more glasses of water. So I like to make summer hydration pleasing to my taste buds but at the same time healthy.

 So I always have a batch of cold brew fruit-infused iced tea in my fridge so I can quench my thirst with a drink that is not loaded with sugar. Adding fruit to iced tea adds flavor without having to add sugar. Tea is loaded with antioxidants, so along with body hydration, I am also getting healthy antioxidants. It's a win-win situation. My body is also getting some vitamin C from the delicious fruit. This infused tea helps me drink more water during the summer.

Cold-brew Fruit-Infused tea is so easy to make

 Cold-brew iced tea is so easy to make and you don't need any special equipment. The cold brew method of ice tea yields a brewed tea that is less bitter and brings out a better flavor. To cold brew your tea is simple. Just place the tea bags in a pitcher of cold water and place it in the fridge. Let the tea brew in the fridge for 15-36 hours. I like to place my pitcher of tea in the fridge the night before so it is ready by the afternoon the next day. I usually make a batch of cold brew tea every night in the summer as my family helps me drink the cold tea every day. The size of the pitcher is up to you. Just adjust the number of tea bags per cup of water. I like using 1 tea bag for every cup of water.

Purchase a water infuser pitcher HERE

Fruit-infused iced tea is

+ Refreshing

+ Loaded with vitamin C

+ Full of antioxidants

+ Hydrating

+ Full of flavor

+ Can be made in many flavors

+Perfect for a party

Black or green tea?

The type of tea is really personal preference so you can brew black tea leaves or green tea leaves.  Black tea leaves will be a darker stronger tea, while green tea is milder and lighter. If after brewing the tea, you can always add more water if it is too strong. If the tea flavor is too mild for you, just add more tea bags in the next batch that you brew.

Give the tea a great flavor

 Ice tea is a drink that can be customized and adding fresh or frozen fruit to your brew is a perfect way to add flavor without a whole lot of calories. You can add the fruit to the tea while it is brewing in the fridge. Then when the tea is done brewing, you can strain the fruit pieces out. If you have a pitcher with a fruit infuser all the better, as you can leave the fruit in the tea pitcher. Almost any fruit will work in ice tea, from peaches to strawberries, the choice is up to you. I think the only fruit that would not work in tea is bananas. You can also add herbs to your fruit-infused ice tea for even more flavor.

 Some combinations for cold brew iced tea:
Strawberry + Basil
Lemon + Honey + Ginger
Watermelon + Mint
Raspberry + Peach
Orange + Honey
Blueberries +  Mint
Strawberry + Lemon

Some like it sweet

This page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases 

 If you like your iced tea on the sweet side, then add some honey or sugar. You will find that you may need less sweetener as the fruit already adds a sweet flavor to the tea. I like adding raw honey to my iced tea as it gives a better flavor.  Raw honey also has antibacterial qualities and disease-fighting antioxidants.

Purchase a water infuser pitcher HERE

How to Make Fruit-Infused Cold Brew Iced Tea

You'll Need:

8 tea bags
8 cups of water
1-2 cups fruit slices, fresh or frozen
ice
optional: 1/4 -1/2 cup honey or sugar

Instructions:

Fill a large water infuser pitcher with cold water and place all the tea bags into the water. Add your choice of fruit slices and place the pitcher in the fridge. Let it brew for 15-36 hours to the desired strength. Remove fruit and add your choice of sweetener. Pour the tea into a glass with ice and enjoy.

Want iced coffee instead of tea?

If you are a coffee drinker, you need to check out these recipes for cold-brew coffee or iced coffee.

~ Easy Cold Brew Coffee

~ Whipped Dalgona Coffee  

~ Perfect Iced Coffee   

~ Dairy-Free Salted Caramel Cold Brew Coffee

~ Dairy-Freee Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Latte 

How To Make Flavorful Cold Brew Ice Tea

Check out this new way to make ice tea.

                 I received samples from Wissotzky to facilitate this post.
This page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases 

 Summertime is perfect for a tall glass of cold refreshing ice tea. When you make your ice tea this summer you need to try a more flavorful way of making ice tea. To make an ice tea with more flavor and less bitter, you new to try the cold brew method. You may have heard how delicious cold brew coffee is and when you cold brew your tea, you get the same delicious flavor from the tea bags. Making cold brew tea has many advantages over methods of tea brewing. You may know how to make iced with the hot water method or even sun tea but cold brew is way different. You simply brew the tea bags in cold water. Just like cold brew coffee, you let the tea bags brew in the cold water for 15 to 36 hours. This may seem like a long time to make ice tea but trust me it is so worth the wait as the cold brewing method brings out an amazing flavor and takes away the bitter taste that hot tea tends to have. Cold brew ice tea even has more healthy antioxidants and less caffeine. For someone who is sensitive to caffeine, less caffeine means I can indulge in a bigger glass of ice tea on a hot summer day. I do think that ice tea does a better job of refreshing me over cold water.

The best tea for ice tea

When I make ice tea, I like to use unique flavored tea. Sometimes I use green tea and sometimes I will use black tea. The tea that I am enjoying this summer is an indulgent black chai tea. This delicious tea combines a blend of aromatic herbs, spices, and premium black tea and this makes the best refreshing ice tea. The tea is packed in a pyramid tea bag that allows for the perfect release of aroma and flavor. The slow cold brew method allows even more flavor to be released into my perfect glass of ice tea.

Many flavors of tea to enjoy spring or summer

 Wissotzky Tea Company makes four delicious flavors of there chai teas so I can have a variety of ice tea all summer. My favorite flavor is Salted Caramel Chai but the other flavors are equally delicious. The Salted Caramel Chai combines sweet and savory with cinnamon, ginger root, cloves, sea salt, and cardamom. In the winter I enjoy the Pumpkin Spiced Chai as the warm water makes the cinnamon and ginger blend so well with the pumpkin pieces, cloves, cardamom, black pepper, and chili. The Artisan Spiced Tea collection is kosher and non-GMO.

 The cold brew method is my preferred way to make ice tea but if I am short on time, I will make my ice tea with hot water and just add ice after the tea bags brew. I like drinking ice tea all summer and I drink several glasses a day. I never feel guilty about drinking ice tea as tea is good for you. Tea is loaded with antioxidants. I only add a bit of sweetener as the cold brew ice tea brings out such a good flavor from all the spices and herbs and since it is less bitter, I don't need much sugar.

How to Make The Perfect Cold-Brewed Iced Tea

Cold-Brewed:

Combine 8 cups cold water and 10 tea bags in a pitcher. Cover and refrigerate 15 to 36 hours, until it's the strength you like. Remove the tea bags.

Serve in Tall Glass with Lemon wedge or a few berries for an extra kick of flavor.

 Hot-Brewed:

Bring 8 cups water to a simmer; remove from the heat and add 6 tea bags. Let steep about 4 minutes, until it's the strength you like. Remove the tea bags. Let cool, then transfer to a pitcher, cover and refrigerate.



  Do you like ice tea or ice coffee?

If you are more of a coffee drinker, make sure to check out my recipes for delicious cold brew coffee.

Easy Cold Brew Coffee For One

 https://www.momknowsbest.net/2019/06/easy-cold-brew-coffee-for-one.html

How To Make Cold Brew Coffee

https://www.momknowsbest.net/2019/06/how-to-make-cold-brew-coffee.html