Tasty drinks that won't cost a bundle

Iced coffee on a hot afternoon is a nice wakeup call. You will need cold water, cubes and instant coffee along with skim or soy milk and a bit of sugar. All ingredients can be shaken until frothy for about 60 calories and a mere 22 cents, as opposed to $2.00 at the local coffee shop.

Homemade Iced Coffee

• 1/4 cup cold water
• 2-3 ice cubes
• 2 tsp. instant coffee
• 2 packets sugar
• Put all in a cocktail shaker or glass with tight fitting lid. Shake until frothy.

An Arnold Palmer is iced tea and lemonade mixed together. It is lightly caffeinated with a tart yet sweet taste. With a commercial brand you'll drink down more than 100 calories mostly coming from sugar.

To make an Arnold Palmer, brew a pot of tea. Then squeeze the juice of two lemons and add a couple teaspoons of sugar into the hot liquid, which allows the sugar to sweeten more effectively than stirring it in cold.

Due to the high cost of lemons, buying lemon juice concentrate cuts the price a bit to just 45 cents. From a calorie standpoint, you'll drink just 50 calories rather than 100 if you make it at home.

Homemade Arnold Palmer

• Steep pot of tea
• Squeeze juice of two lemons or the equivalent from lemon juice concentrate
• Stir 3 packets of sugar
• Pour into glass with ice

Premixed tea and juice combos range from $1.39 to $2.50. Instead, you could try mixing brewed green tea with exotic juices like pomegranate and blackberry for a tasty and healthy treat. Some juices can range from $4.00 to $5.00 each bottle. To save money, use just 30 percent in your glass as a healthy sweetener. Calories drop to around 40 and the price is just 63 cents.

Homemade juice infused tea

• Brew pot of tea
• Pour tea over glass of ice until two thirds full
• Top with juice of choice and stir

 

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