My Morning Chocolate

I’m taking a break from Food News this week because I’ll be traveling this morning.  My weekly news round-up will be back next week.  I hope you’ll enjoy this natural lemonade recipe in its place, especially because it’s felt more like summer than fall outside!

Homemade Lemonade: water, lemons, stevia

On Monday morning in Baltimore the temperature was in the 50s.  The perfect running temperature.  I wasn’t covered with sweat after I got only 20 steps from my door; I wasn’t craving something to drink the entire time I was running.  It finally felt like fall was here.

Then it got humid and warm all over again on Wednesday.  When I’m running in humidity and heat, I get very, very thirsty.  That was fine all summer because I always ran past water fountains.  Not so in Baltimore.  We don’t like water fountains here (at least on my running route we don’t).

But even if I ran past 10 water fountains, it wouldn’t have mattered yesterday.  Instead of water, I was craving Gatorade.

I did not have any Gatorade in my apartment, but I did have a lemon and stevia, a liquid sweetener that is 300 times sweeter than sugar.  So I made thie easy, natural lemonade.

Homemade Lemonade
This lemonade requires only water, a lemon, and stevia.

You buy liquid stevia in a small bottle at your local health foods store (I think Whole Foods sells it).  It’s expensive, around $20.  Or you can buy the Sweetleaf brand of stevia online for $14.99.

Depending on how often you use it, your stevia will last for years.  I bought my bottle at least four years ago and I still have some left.

8 ounces water
½ lemon
7 drops stevia* (or more to your taste)

Squeeze the lemon juice into a glass.  Fill with water then add drops of stevia.  Stir.

*Stevia is squirted into drinks with a little eye dropper.  Because it is so sweet, you’ll want to go easy with it.  Add a drop then test, add another drop then test again, repeat until you’ve achieved your desired sweetness.