Refreshing Summer Drinks

June Bug

Ginger ale, grenadine, orange juice, and sherbet are blended for a refreshing summer drink.


Watermelon Martinis

Fresh watermelon blended with lemon vodka, lime juice, and Cointreau makes a refreshing drink.

Electric Lemonade

Fresh mint and lemon juice brightens this tangy cocktail.


Ginger Peach Margaritas

For a delicious cocktail, combine fresh peach puree, ginger syrup, lime juice, peach juice, tequila, and Triple Sec.


Pisco Sour

This cool cocktail gets a burst of fresh flavor from lime and mint. For a nonalcoholic version, replace the pisco with sparkling water.


Fresh Melon Quenchers

Pureed fruit blended with ice and sparkling water makes a refreshing summer drink. A spoonful of yogurt adds creaminess, while a skewer of fresh fruit makes a pretty garnish.


Watermelon Cooler Punch

Blended watermelon combined with white grape juice, lime juice, sugar, mint, and club soda makes a refreshing summer drink.


Blackberry Sangria

This bright sangria, sweetened with a summer-ripe blackberry syrup, will inspire guests to linger for one more glass. Sprigs of fresh basil make a beautiful garnish.


Sparkling Peach Punch

Impress party guests with this fizzy drink featuring peach nectar, fresh peach slices, lemon juice, and ginger ale.


Sunset Sangria

In this special twist on classic sangria, ruby-red wine floats atop pale green limeade. To get this two-tone effect, gently pour the wine on top of the limeade in the glass.


Cucumber Agua Fresca

This recipe for agua fresca (which is Spanish for "fresh water") is sweetened and flavored with fresh mint, cucumber, and lime.


Ginger Pineapple Punch

This cooler gets a double dose of ginger from grated fresh ginger as well as diet ginger ale.


Berry Mango Slush

Berry-flavored carbonated water and fresh summer fruits give this Berry Mango Slush plenty of sweetness without added sugar.


Peach-Mint Green Tea

Peach nectar and fresh mint add a twist to this lightly sweetened Peach-Mint Green Tea.


Mock Sangria

When guests come over for a summer cookout, start off the festivities with this slimming three-fruit Mock Sangria served over ice. It only has 61 calories per serving.


Minted Mango Tea

Add a sweet twist to iced tea with mango and mint when you make this minted mango tea recipe.


Summerberry Cooler

This luscious Summerberry Cooler thirst-quencher is loaded with summer strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. For the best results, start with well-chilled fruit.


Chai Punch

Chai is a blend of tea, milk, and spices. Chai concentrate can be found in the tea section of the grocery store.


Strawberry Iced Tea

Especially in early spring, frozen strawberries are a great alternative to fresh in this Strawberry Iced Tea. Make sure you buy unsweetened berries.


Hit-the-Spot Lemon Water

You'll be amazed at the refreshing flavors that pop out when you soak lemons and fresh herbs in water for an hour or so. No sugar. Just pure, thirst-quenching goodness in this Hit-the-Spot Lemon Water.


Minted Iced Tea

Liven up your outdoor entertaining -- or just refresh your family's thirst -- with this simple fruit-infused tea. Orange and lemon accompany the mint that flavors this summer iced tea.


Madeline's Lemonade

What makes this lemonade particularly delicious is that it has a little lime juice in it, too.


Mulled Raspberry Tea

This tea drink tastes delicious and sparkles in a beautiful ruby color. Frozen raspberries (when fresh aren't in season) allow you to enjoy this fanciful tea any time of year. It's a nice change from the more common orange and spice variety.


Blueberry Fizz

This easy-to-make flavored ginger ale showcases blueberries, but also includes lemon, lime, and ginger. The longer the berries are in the ginger ale, the more they infuse the drink with flavor and color.

11 Fat Busting Foods

Rice with Veggies

Adding some high-fiber vegetables like broccoli, carrots, and kale to your rice will obviously help lower the calorie count. But not only that. Adding veggies to rice at lunchtime appears to slow stomach emptying, according to research. The end result? You feel full longer. In fact, people in a study ate much less at dinner when they added veggies to their rice at lunch.

Fava Beans

Creamy and hearty, fava beans are a lean protein source bursting with flavonoids. And in a 14-year study, these special antioxidants were shown to help hinder the accumulation of extra belly fat.

Red Pepper

Add some heat to your meals and you'll boost not only the taste but also the effectiveness of your weight loss diet. A dash of cayenne pepper or some diced jalapeno or red peppers will do the trick. They all contain capsaicin -- the heat-inducing compound in red peppers that, according to research, tamps down appetite and curbs food intake later in the day.

Whole Grains

Ready to trade your belly bulge for a flat tummy? Then toss your refined grains into the garbage, and eat more whole grains instead. Research shows this one move can help whittle your middle. We're talking brown rice, quinoa, steel-cut oats, whole-grain cereal, and 100% whole-wheat bread and pasta.

Olive Oil

This rich-tasting oil found in salad dressings and marinades contains a hunger-busting monounsaturated fat called oleic acid -- which triggers a complicated process in the gut that ultimately tells your brain you're full and makes you want to stop eating.

Mushrooms

If you want to try an easy and tasty calorie-cutting trick, then replace the meat in your favorite recipes with mushrooms. You'll automatically cut about 420 calories out of a meal, partly because you'll skip all the belly-padding saturated fat contained in meat.

Avocado

This green goddess of heavenly, creamy taste can help you whittle your waist. It's true! Researchers suspect that the unsaturated fat in avocados may ratchet up body levels of the hunger-halting hormone called leptin -- a hormone that lets your brain know that you're full, so you stop eating.

Grapefruit

Of all the foods rumored to boost weight loss, grapefruit is likely the most famous. And research confirms that this fruit's get-slim celebrity status is for real. One study in particular revealed that eating half a grapefruit before each meal helped dieters shed more pounds than people who skipped the tart appetizer.

Pistachios

Nuts may be high in fat, but it's the healthful unsaturated kind of fat found in pistachios. And like all nuts, pistachios offer lots of hunger-curbing protein and fiber. All of these qualities together explain why adding pistachios to the diet helped dieters in a study curb their appetites and lose more weight.

Eggs

Turn breakfast into a fat-burning morning boost by skipping the stack of pancakes and feasting on a couple of eggs instead. According to a study, huevos beat out carbs when it came to helping folks feel full longer and helping them beat back snack attacks later in the day.

Yogurt

Mmmm. This creamy, tangy snack is loaded with calcium -- and studies show that calcium may curtail weight gain by hindering the absorption of fat in the small intestine.