Stay Hydrated this Summer with Very Berry Chillers {Recipe}

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I don’t know about where you live, but it’s hot here!  Really hot.  And the flurry of clients that I’ve had in from other places in the country are constantly reminding me just how hot it is here in South Florida right now.  When they ask how we Floridians survive the heat and humidity of summer, I typically tease that we spend most of the summer running from one air conditioned space to another…but with kids that’s not really true.  At least, not for me.  Because no matter how hot it is, my kids want to be outdoors.  They seem to take no notice of the heat and the humidity.  No, it doesn’t bother them one bit.  So as a compromise, my family takes evening walks, we visit the park extra early, and spend lots of hours poolside.  LOTS.

Because those hours in the pool under the sun can really take a lot out of you, I’m always sure to have drinks available.  Staying hydrated is so important is so important during the summer, and luckily, I was able to catch a great sale on drinks at CVS pharmacy earlier this month.

The sale was so good that I was able to pick up lots of beverages and get a little creative.  In fact, I just discovered the easiest way to infuse drinks with fruit, and my family is loving it.  It requires a bit of planning, but on a hot summer day, it’s totally worth it and very refreshing!Want to know how it’s done?  I thought so.

Simply fill an ice cube tray with berries.  Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, the sky is the limit!  And feel free to add more than one type of fruit per cube!  My girls primarily like strawberries and blueberries, so that’s what I use most often.  You can use fresh fruit or frozen, either will work, but after trying this many times I think that frozen blueberries work better than fresh ones.  Just my preference.After your ice cube tray is completely filled with fruit you and your family love, pour water into the tray.  When doing this, try not to overfill each cube.  It will be easier to remove them (and create less cracking/breaking) if they are separate.  For this step, I highly encourage you to use smartwater, instead of tap or other filtered water.  Our tap water isn’t so great around here, and I’ve noticed a definite improvement in flavor when I use smartwater.  Once filled, place your filled ice cube tray in the freezer and allow to freeze for a few hours, until solid.  I tend to fill one or two trays on Friday, since I know we’ll be by the pool over the weekend.

When frozen, remove the ice cube trays from the freezer and gently twist the tray at the ends to remove the cubes.  Be careful when doing this though, because you don’t want them to crack!If you aren’t going to use your cubes right away, put them back in the freezer or if you’ve ready to refresh, place them straight in your glasses.For best results, I recommend using 4-6 cubes per glass.  Any more than that might overpower your drink and leave too much fruit in your glass when the cubes melt, any less and you might not get enough flavor.  Pour your drink directly over the cubes and then sip in the fruit flavor.  And unlike other drinks that become diluted when you let them sit a while outside and the cubes melt, this drink actually gets even more delicious after a little time.  You might even want to let your cubes melt a bit before sipping this refreshing treat.

Which brings me to the best part – drink suggestions!  This is where I’ve been getting extra creative!  How about a Strawberry Blueberry Half & Half?

That’s Gold Peak Tea (lemon flavor) with squeezed lemonade vitaminwater and strawberry and blueberry cubes.  If you wanted to simplify this drink, you could always use Gold Peak Half & Half flavored tea, but I prefer having adding my own vitaminwater squeezed lemonade.

Or how about a fresh Strawberry Lemonade?

That’s vitaminwater lemonade and strawberry cubes.  Yum!

Finally, and perhaps my favorite, consider making a Blueberry Pomegranate Herbal Tea.

That’s Honest Tea Pomegranate Blue Flavored Herbal Tea with blueberry cubes.  It’s sweet and tart, and completely delicious!When you think about it, the possibilities are endless!  These cubes are the perfect addition to just about any beverage and they’re so easy to make!  And now that smartwater, vitaminwater, Honest Tea, and Gold Peak beverages are on sale at CVS pharmacy you can turn any beverage into a fruit infused beverage.  Right now, when you buy any combination of 4 smartwater, vitaminwater, Gold Peak and Honest Tea beverages between now and July 25, you’ll pay just $5 and receive $2 off your next CVS pharmacy visit.  Just make sure use your  CVS pharmacy ExtraCare card when you make your purchase, and, don’t worry, if you don’t have a CVS pharmacy ExtraCare card, you can get one at your local CVS.  It’s free!

So tell me, what fruit will you use in your ice cubes?  What drink combination will a little help from the hydration options at CVS phamacy?  Leave me a comment letting me know.  I’m always looking for new drink options!