Perfect for Summer!: Rosehip Green Ice Tea with Lemon and Mint Recipe

It's summer here in Toronto, and while I usually don't mind not having air conditioning in my apartment, there have been a few days where it is been hard to handle the heat.

I like to drink ice water to keep cool, but sometimes you want a little sugary, sweet, summery something-something, yah know?

This homemade iced tea recipe is the result of some improvisation, but it turned out so delicious I had to share it!

Things you'll need:

• Electric or stovetop kettle
• Large glass bowl or any metal pot (anything that is heat resistant should work)
• A juice jug
• 4 green tea bags
• 2 tbsp loose rosehip tea leaves
• 1/2 cup of white sugar
• 5 mint leaves
• 1/2 lemon (or 2 tbsp lemon juice)

1. Fill your kettle with as much water as it will hold and let it boil
2. While waiting for your water to boil, slice your lemon into semicircles/half wedges, like you would find in a restaurant.
3. Once the water has boiled, pour it into your large glass bowl or pot. I used a regular stovetop pot because I knew it would be able to handle the heat of the boiling water
4. Throw in your tea bags, loose tea leaves, sugar, and mint.
5. If you are using a real lemon, squeeze in the juice before adding the lemon wedges to the pot. If you are using lemon juice, add them now. 
6. Wait. I usually leave the pot to cool down before I'll transport it into a juice container and then put that container in the fridge to get nice and cold. If there is not enough tea to fill your juice jug, don't worry! Just add some cold water from the tap. 
7. Wait some more as the tea becomes icy cold in the fridge.
8. Get out your favourite glasses, toss in some ice cubes, a straw...maybe a drink umbrella, and enjoy your homemade summery drink!

My boyfriend likens this iced tea to fruit punch. It's a great way to get that sweat sugary drink you crave in the summer without hundreds of calories. We both highly recommend adding a splash or two of gin, or vodka, if you're in a festive mood. 

What is your favourite summer drink? Is it oppressively hot where you are too? How are you handling the heat?

If you make this tea, please let me know what you think!

Stay cool, everybody! 

Summer Slugishnes

I've gotta be honest with you folks. I don't know if it's the warm weather or what, but I'm having a hard time getting motivated to do anything! I've got two assignments for my summer school which I keep putting off and putting off... I'm not excited to exercise or do my morning pages, which is something I used to love doing in the morning. I've got two or three blog posts sitting as drafts because I tell myself that I'll finish them later. Everything seems like a chore. I just want to lie in the shade with a book and not have to do anything!

On the incongruous flipside, however, I've completed a few major home improvement tasks that I've had on a to-do list for months. I've painted my old wooden dining room chairs daffodil yellow and lime green, and painted the patio table robins egg blue to match my blue planters, and I must say, the balcony looks delightful as a result!

How can I be so productive on one side, and so totally unmotivated and sluggish on the other... and of course the "other" side is the one that is actually important, and involves grades and stuff.

What do you do when you feel unmotivated to do something that you have to do? Is the summer heat making anyone else feel like a slug? Have you been sprucing up your home to make it more summer ready? Please let me know!

Also, have you been listening to any good music lately? A music funk has just happened to coincide with my productivity funk, and I really thing some fun new music would get my excitement back up.