5 Simple Summer Drinks

The weather is heating up and you want some simple summer drinks to sip poolside. Daiquiris and smoothies are great but who wants to spend all day crushing ice? You don't need to break out the blender to feel like you're in the islands, just follow these simple drink recipes to minimize your time in the kitchen and maximize your time in the sun.

Set It and Forget It Iced Green Tea with Lemon

(Adapted from Alli Rainey's "Best Flavored Easy Lemon Iced Green Tea Recipe")

Serves 1

You will need:

• 12 oz. water
• 1 green tea bag
• Ice cubes
• 1/2 lemon, sliced into rounds
• Mint sprigs for garnish

First, boil water. Place the tea bag in a mug and pour boiling water over the bag. Allow the tea to steep by letting the bag sit in the water for about 3-5 minutes. This lets the flavor and catechins extract. Put the mug of tea in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Throw a lemon round in the bottom of a tall drinking glass. Fill up halfway with ice and then layer two more lemon rounds. Drop in some more ice until it is almost full and top it off with two more lemon rounds. Pour in the chilled tea and garnish with mint sprigs.

The lemon will mix with the tea and mint, giving you a refreshing, low-calorie beverage that delivers a heavy dose of antioxidants to boot. Easy, right?