Green Options

Ahh, the joys of iced tea.  Even in the depths of winter, sipping a tall glass of sweet iced tea calls to mind lazing around on the porch under a warm midsummer sun.  What’s more, it’s even good for you!

While there are some good bottled iced teas on the market with natural ingredients, making your own at home offers many advantages: less packaging waste, guarantee of no artificial ingredients or HFCS, unbeatable freshness, and complete customization for your taste preference perfection.

If you’ve been inspired, as I have, to green your beverages by making your own coffee and even soda pop at home, then here are some tips on making your own sweet iced tea.  After all, we’ve just survived February, we’ve earned a look ahead into summer!

Lately, in an attempt to conjure any notion of warmer days, I have tried several fruit scented body lotions and butters and all smell good enough to eat.  And with all of their fruity goodness ingredients you practically could, but it’s probably not recommended.

Let’s start off with the new Bubble & Bee Body Butta - that’s right, it has ‘tude.  The subtle Raspberry and Vanilla scent is warm and fruity, evocative of a chocolate raspberry torte.  And the luscious creamy texture (think buttercream frosting) goes on smooth and keeps skin soft all day.  Comes in 4 or 8 oz jars and is made with shea butter and lots of oils, like coconut, sweet almond and macadamia.

Looking forward to a big box of organic chocolate on Valentine’s Day, or maybe a couple of heart shaped cookies?  Your sweet tooth may thank you but your skin tells a different tale.  That’s right, refined sugar can weaken collagen and put skin at risk for premature aging.

It is not news that refined sugar and the yummy treats we make with it are bad for our bodies and our health.  They are empty calories that cause us to gain belly fat and send our blood sugar through the roof.  But they can be so very tempting, especially on a special occasion.