Winter Citrus Green Tea

 

Sometimes the stars align and I'll find a cool recipe on Pinterest and have all the ingredients on hand to make it, without needing to run to the store for one item. This was the case with winter citrus green tea. It was pinned under “Dr. Oz's Metabolizing Tea” and since it's January and my pants are a bit snug from too much Christmas candy, I decided it was worth a gander, even though the rational voice in my head told me that drinking or eating anything isn’t going to make me magically thinner.

The original recipe called for tangerines (I don’t see why regular oranges wouldn’t work) fresh mint leaves, which I swapped for fresh basil (a member of the mint family but far less sweet and toothpaste-like), green tea bags, ginger and honey. I skipped the honey, only because I like my tea totally unsweetened. and added the juice of one lime, because I have a bag on limes in the fridge I need to get rid of and it's too cold for tequila shots.

Winter Citrus Green Tea

Ingredients:

1 tangerine or orange
1 lime
I tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tbsp fresh basil, roughly chopped
2 green tea bags

Directions:

1. Slice tangerine and lime into quarters

2. Place all ingredients in a quart-size jar

3. Fill the jar with boiling water

4. Let steep overnight

5. Pour liquid through a strainer into a pitcher or other container

6. Add one quart of cold water and stir

7. Serve cold and enjoy!  

Because I am the only person in my house drinking this tea, I make a pretty small batch. However, you could easily double it to accommodate a larger crowd.

Will this tea make you lose weight? Well, if you drink it in place of high calorie soda or chocolate donuts, then sure, it might. I don’t really hold with all the science of certain foods “burning” fat better than others. I think it is a matter of expending more calories than you consume. BUT I am not a scientist, nutritionist or doctor, so don’t construe anything I write as medical advice!  I simply like the taste of this tea – it’s cool, tart and tangy and a nice change from the heavier black teas I usually drink. Plus it is easy-peasy to make!