Summer time means lemonade. And lemonade for me means MUST BE FRESH. Fresh lemonade is some of the best lemonade, because obviously... it's made fresh and not all garbaged up with a bunch of junk that no one needs.
Now... it used to be when I was younger that my grandmother and my mom were in the habit of making a little something called 'sun tea'. Which is basically just like it sounds. A tea, that's made in the sun. The bad thing about it is that I can't drink tea anymore due to migraine issues. SNARF. So what's the next best thing to make in the sun? Lemonade!
I've taken the same basic concept of sun tea and turned into a quick kid-friendly recipe for a summery strawberry lemonade. Trust me. I know. I had my little one chop up strawberries and help with squeezing the juice out of those lemons. ...As much as she would help me anyway. It was supposed to be one of her 'plant week' projects but... apparently she has better things to do than spend time with her old fuddy-duddy mom in the kitchen. Boo!
Rant. Rant. Rant over.
No matter how it was made and who made it, the lemonade is still delicious! It's packed with flavor that you won't get from those remade mixes and the like. It's fresh and tangy and just the right amount of sweet.
I only substituted part of the sugar out, but you could probably go full nelson here and swap it all out if you really wanted to and if you really trusted your sugar substitute to do the job right. I like to use one that measures cup-for-cup like sugar and is more granulated instead of the powder ones. If you're picking up what I'm laying down here.
The powdered style sweeteners (such as stevia alone) will probably float and not be the best to mix into the lemonade or dissolve well.
That being said - enjoy freely!
TheSkinnyFork.com A flavor packed sip of summer! Strawberries and lemons come together in a sunny brew of lemonade for a refreshing kid-friendly drink. Prep Time: 10 Minutes • Cook time: 1 Hour & 30 Minutes
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: About 1 Cup • Calories: 117 • Fat: 0 g • Saturated Fat: 0 g • Carb: 31 g • Fiber: 1 g • Protein: 0 g • Sugar: 28 g • Sodium: 1 mg
• 4 C. Water, Divided
• 1 C. Sugar
• 1 C. Chopped Fresh Strawberries
• 1/2 C. Natural Sweetener
• 1-2 Pices of Lemon Peel
• 2 C. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
• 1/2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
Directions:
Place 2 C. of the water, 1 C. sugar, 1 C. strawberries, 1/2 C. sweetener, and the lemon peel into a bowl or pitcher. Stir well to combine and cover. Place the mixture outside or in a window with in direct sunlight for 1 hour. Return to stir the mixture and cover once more to set in the sunlight for another 30 minutes. Once done, strain the mixture to remove the fruits. Add in the 2 C. fresh lemon juice, 1/2 Tsp. vanilla extract, and the 2 remaining cups of water. Stir well and serve over ice! Feel free to drop a few of the fruit pieces in if desired.
Step-by-Step Photos:
Nutritional Claims: Low Fat, Low Sodium, Low Potassium, Kidney Friendly, Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Egg Free, Peanut Free, Tree Nut Free, Soy Free, Fish Free, Shellfish Free, Pork Free, Red Meat Free, Crustacean Free, Celery Free, Mustard Free, Sesame Free, Lupine Free, Mollusk Free, Alcohol Free, No Oil Added, Kosher
