Drinking Up Some Sun

I gave up drinking coffee. Or rather I gave up adding sugar to my coffee. I loved coffee. I could drink it all day long even in the hottest weather. Even with spicy mexican food. I didn't care I loved it. But, each time I drank it I would add 2 heaping tablespoons of sugar to my mug. I am not a health food nut, but, even I knew that couldn't be good for me. But, I was hooked. Even the thought of stopping made me feel terrible. So, this last winter, I finally emptied out my beloved sugar bowl and ended it.
The problem is I don't like coffee without sugar. It tastes terrible. So, I gave that up too. Almost, I still like a little if I'm eating a dessert. MMmmm.....bite of something sweet. Sip of some coffee. Now that I like.
So, I've been drinking a lot of water and suntea. But, sometimes that gets old. So, this summer I've been experimenting with a lot of different drinks. I thought I would share some of my favorites.

The first one, Keifer, is my favorite so far. I live for dairy. The whole probiotics craze speaks to me. People are so obsessed with sterilization. In an effort to live forever, we kill every bug and germ. Not realizing, that most bugs and germs are harmless and actually benificial. Plus, it has the added bonus of being sort of weird because you have this living colony of bacteria hanging out in your kitchen. Sometimes, I feel like yelling out "It's ALIVE! It's ALIVE" like a mad scientist.

Keifer
( Pronounced Keh-fear,  For more information visit this website: http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html)
*T. Keifer Grains
*Ball jar full of Milk
Place the keifer grains in a jar. Cover them with the milk. Seal the jar and let it sit on your countertop 12-24hrs. Depending on room temp. When it is thick it's ready. Strain the keifer into a glass and save the grains to use in the next batch of keifer.
Sometimes I like to drink it neat and sometimes I like to add a little maple syrup, or lemon zest, or sometimes...

Smoothie
*Jar of finished Keifer
*Handful of strawberries or other fruit
*2 T. Maple syrup
Blend up and add 2 icecubes to the blender while it's still running. It's delicious for breakfast.

I like this one a lot. It's like my very own "instant" lemonade:

Fresh Lemonade Base
(from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)
*2 1/2 C. Water
*1 1/4 C. Sugar
*1/2 t. finely shredded lemon peel
*1 1/4 C. Lemon juice
In a saucepan heat water and sugar until dissolved. Allow to cool 20 min. Meanwhile, cut lemons and grate peels. Add peel and juice to the sugar mix. Pour into a jar. May be refridgerated up to 3 days.
For each glass combine equal parts base and water in an ice filled glass, stir. One jar of base makes 8 C. of lemonade.

Strawberry Lemonade Slush
(From Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)
* 1/2 C. fresh or frozen strawberries
*1/3 C. Lemonade base
*1T. sugar
In a blender combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth. Add 1/2 C. ice cubes 1 at a time while the blender is still running. Makes 1 serving.
 ...Yes, I realize neither of these are sugar free....so sue me. Do you have any good summertime drinks to share?