my fridge is filled with these

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My husband keeps teasing me about all of the jars in our fridge. I’ll admit, I have quite a collection, but I’m not a fan of plain water. Here are some fun drinks I’ve been playing around with since it got warm outside.

cold-brewed tea: You’ll find at least one jar of tea concentrate in my fridge at all times. Lately it’s been green and I’ve been adding it to my morning smoothies. I also make regular, decaf and passion teas. Just add four bags to a jar and let it steep for 12-24 hours. I dilute it with water in my glass, but the green goes in my smoothies at full strength. GOOD MORNING!

iced coffee: Cold brewed toddy or just leftovers from a morning latte. I’ve been trying to create my own frappuccino at home for an afternoon pick-me-up. I’ve come close, but it’s still missing something. (Probably sugar!)

fruit infused water:
This is something new for me. So far I’ve tried cucumber and strawberry (not together) and my daughter and I love them. They are a great alternative to flavored waters, which can have just as much sugar as soda. I fill these up at night and use the fruit in my morning smoothies. We drink the water during the day.

homemade lemonade: My husband makes this from scratch with lemon juice and sugar. My daughter is usually the only one who drinks it, so he just makes a jar’s worth instead of a whole pitcher. It usually winds up getting frozen in popsicle molds.

So, that’s not too many jars, is it? How do you stay hydrated during the summer months? Do you have a stash of jars or are you more of a pitcher person?

the little avocado that could

avocado plant

We planted our first avocado seed today. Remember way back in April when we put it in a bag of moss? The book said it would take a few weeks to get roots. Ours took a few months. Maybe our laundry room isn’t warm enough?

avocado plant

You’re supposed to have 3-4 inches of roots before planting. Our second avocado seed is really slow. (Sorry I forgot to take a pic of the first seed’s roots.) Back into the bag of moss for that one.

Other green happenings: A friend is traveling a lot this summer and has asked me to look after her strawberry plants. She started them from very special seeds that came all the way from Poland. No pressure, right? So far, so good.

strawberries

Full disclosure: My green thumb isn’t very consistent. The neglected tomato plant is thriving, but not producing any fruit. The cucumber got snapped in half by The Ol’ Nebraska Winds during a storm. Technically, it’s not my fault, but it’s dead just the same.