Something sweet to drink on a hot day:

Combine a 12 ounce can of frozen orange juice, melted… with 2 quarts of 7up.

Add 1 pint of orange sherbet and 1 pint of vanilla ice cream on top, by spoonfuls.

Serves 12.

This is a refreshing, spicy lemonade that is a wonderful afternoon drink, or you could freeze it for popsicles.

You’ll need 5 cups good quality water, such as spring water or distilled; six lemons; a teaspoon of whole cloves; and 3/4 cup honey or real maple syrup.

Bring to a boil, then simmer the sweetener of your choice with 1 cup water for about five minutes. After it becomes a warm syrup, add cloves and cook for another five minutes. Remove the cloves.

Add the juice of six lemons - remove all seeds - and all the rest of the water. Stir and refrigerate.

To serve, you could freeze it for popsicles, or serve over ice cubes.

You could make special ice cubes with cloves, mint and/or lemon slices in them.

My kids have been drinking SoBe beverages for years, but I rarely did - until lately. Since I started working again, I’ve gotten into the habit of drinking SoBe Green Tea.

This comes after a year when I pretty much abstained from all caffeine containing products, and all herb teas. I drank mainly water - either spring water or distilled.

Being at work, I needed an occasional pick-me-up kind of drink, and I shy away from the soda machine and am not much of a fan of the iced tea, which we make with Lipton tea bags. The SoBe Green Tea is practically the only drink in the place that I really like.

I usually take a bottle of water with me to work, then I see the green tea, and put my water bottle in the fridge. The herbs in the tea are exactly what I need. It contains ginseng, guarana, ginko biloba, and echinacea.

Let’s take a look at what each of these herbs do:

Ginseng is known for stimulating brain activity and energizing the entire body.

Guarana grows in Brazil and Venezuela. The seeds are crushed and dried, then used to make a stimulating drink containing three times as much caffeine as coffee. Besides all the usual and well-known effects of caffeine, the herb reduces the appetite. It has been used for hangovers and for menstrual headaches.

Ginko Biloba promotes a healthy memory and mental functioning.

Echinacea is a blood purifier and aids digestion. It is also good for skin conditions and for chasing away the common cold.

Even the green tea itself is beneficial for its disease preventing antioxidants.

I believe this drink is just about perfect for staying awake, alert, and useful at work. Lately I’ve noticed my supervisor is also drinking it, and getting as much from it as I am.

One problem: our supply is running low and there are no more deliveries scheduled in the near future!

[Note: As always, I am not being paid for this recommendation. I don't do pay-per-post postings.]

Organic Cinnamon
Cinnamomum cassia

I don’t know if it works, yet… but I found this cinnamon and honey idea on a news site from India along with a list of other healthy cinnamon and honey ideas. It is from Ayurvedic and Yunani medicine.

The article says that to lose weight, we should make a tea of honey and cinnamon. The author suggested that we boil honey and cinnamon in the water, but I am more inclined to add them to boiled water rather than boil them. Then drink one cup in the morning, about half an hour before breakfast on an empty stomach… and drink one more cup of this tea at night. I’ve tried it a few times and the tea tastes great. I would drink it more often!

Anyhow, the article goes on to claim that if consumed regularly this honey and cinnamon tea will reduce weight by not allowing fat to accumulate in the body even if a person eats a high calorie diet. I hope this is true, and will try it for the next month. I’ll let you know if I lose any weight this way.

I’ll be posting more about honey and cinnamon cures in the future. I like easy and quick home remedies that can be found in my country kitchen pantry.

[Update - 2/7/09: There have been a lot of helpful, informative comments posted here. Please take time to read through them before trying this tea. I found another site with more information comparing real cinnamon to cassia: Fake Cinnamon? The cassia contains a "potentially harmful" substance called coumarin. Small amounts are safe for humans to use because we metabolize it into 7-hydroxycoumarin. It is possible that more than a teaspoon daily could be too much for some small people. Coumarin is an appetite suppressant so possibly cinnamon cassia is the one to use, in moderation. Also see Diabetes and Cinnamon/Cassia.]

This is what is called “true cinnamon” … click on the picture and go read the advertising copy. It is very informative!

Cinnamomum zeylanicum:

I found a great idea on Dr. Mercola’s website today - it is a recipe for Healthy Green Tea Soda - complete with a video about how to make it.