I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Mom Central for CRYSTAL LIGHT. I received a gift card to purchase CRYSTAL LIGHT products to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.
The holiday season (aka, the eat everything season) is fast approaching, folks. Typically, I cut myself some slack during the holiday season and allow myself to indulge in the baked goodies, and the big holiday dinners, and all the sweets that come with it, but this year is just a little different for me.
I am going on a cruise in January. Like mid-January.
To the Caribbean. Yikes.
For the first time ever in my entire life, I will be required to be swimsuit ready months before I am usually even thinking about being on a beach or lounging poolside.
So, I am forming my plan of attack now. Weeks before Thanksgiving dinner.
While I will still be treating myself to marshmallow topped sweet potatoes and frosted Christmas cookies, I am also going to be making some small changes like stepping up my gym workouts and cutting calories elsewhere.
One of my weaknesses is sweet iced tea. We almost always have a pitcher of homemade sweet tea in our fridge. And while I love sweet tea, I don't really like the extra calories from the sugar in it.
Lucky for me, I found CRYSTAL LIGHT Sweet Tea drink mix on my most recent trip to my local Walmart! Since we drink iced tea year round in our home, I decided I wanted to make a version of it that would be perfect to serve for the holidays. I infused the lower calorie CRYSTAL LIGHT Sweet Tea with fresh oranges and a little cinnamon, and wow! An easy-to-make, holiday perfect beverage that is also kind to the waistline... ;)
Orange & Cinnamon Infused Iced Tea
by
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients (1 pitcher (approx 8 cups))
- 1 pitcher packet of CRYSTAL LIGHT Sweet Tea drink mix
- 1 orange, cut in half & then cut one half into slices
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 quarts of water (8 cups), divided
Instructions
Add 1 quart of water to a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and stir in the packet of CRYSTAL LIGHT Sweet Tea drink mix, 3-4 of the orange slices, and the cinnamon stick. Squeeze in the juice from the whole half of the orange. Stir, and let steep for at least 5 minutes. (The longer you allow the oranges and cinnamon to steep, the more strong their flavors will be. I wouldn't steep it any longer than 10 minutes.)
Remove the cinnamon stick from the pan, and then pour the infused tea into a large pitcher. Add in 1 quart of cold water. Refrigerate until chilled.
Once nice and chilled, pour into glasses. Garnish with an orange slice, if desired.
Enjoy!
Powered by Recipage
And while I am making some lower calories choices with the help of CRYSTAL LIGHT, I can earn some fun Miranda Lambert gear just by joining the Platinum Points program and scanning my receipts every time that I purchase my favorite CRYSTAL LIGHT products at my local Walmart! :) Signing up was crazy easy, and scanning my photos was as simple as snapping a pic of my receipt and uploading it the Platinum Points site.
I already have enough points now to cash in for a Miranda Lambert acoustic song download, but I am saving my points for the entire Miranda Lambert Platinum CD. ;)
But there are plenty of other rewards to redeem your Platinum points for like mugs, t-shirts, and even a guitar!
I am so glad that I discovered CRYSTAL LIGHT before the holidays start. I can get a jump start now on those extra calories that are sure to be coming my way in less than a month.
And this Orange & Cinnamon Infused Iced Tea will be sure to keep me sipping guilt free right through New Year's.
Are you ready to get a head start on the holidays too?
Be sure to get signed up for a Platinum Points account today, and earn points every time you buy your favorite CRYSTAL LIGHT drink mixes!
Instantly earn an additional 30 points when you enter the promo code mirandaic when signing up! Plus, you can earn an additional 10 points for each friend you refer that signs up for a Platinum Points account. :)
What are your tried and true ways to get ahead of the holiday weight gain?
If you loved this recipe, you might also like...
