To preface this, I love drinks. I am 100 percent guilty of drinking my calories, because I’ll have a smoothie, an iced coffee and a matcha latte and consider it the best day ever. I just love sipping on things while I study or work. It makes you feel like you’re full without all the effort of eating. Plus, it just tastes amazing, as you’ll see below. I’m also in computer science, so 90 percent of my day is solely sitting, so these drinks equals me mixing it up (exciting life, I know).
These are some of the drinks that I make on the daily if I’m doing homework and want to sip something. Usually I just have water with my meals, but for me, water gets a tad boring sometimes; especially when you’re studying for hours on end and want to sip something more exciting. Take note that these aren’t the healthiest drinks in the world—I’m basically sipping my life away. Oh, and as always, these are broke college kidstyle. Don’t worry.
1. Iced Chai with Vanilla Almond Milk
I either make my own chai or buy the Starbucks Tazo Chai Tea Concentrate from Costco (not the healthiest option, but quick and tasty!) and I mix it with my favourite almond milk. If you don’t like almond milk, I’m telling you, Califia Farms is different. It’s amazing. You can mix the chai concentrate with regular dairy milk, soy, or anything you like! The proportions are up to you, depending on your preference. I’ll usually do two-thirds tea concentrate, one-third dairy (or dairy substitute).
2. Honey Blueberry Lemonade
This sounds complicated, but I promise, it’s not. The blueberries are nice to munch on as you make your way through the drink and it’s light and refreshing. Any time I make this for my friends, they think I’m a professional food blogger!
You just need:
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4 cups of water
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4 large lemons
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5–6 tablespoons of honey
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Handful of blueberries
Directions (the lazy method)
Combine the honey and water and stir until combined (this will take a little elbow grease). Squeeze your lemons, add your blueberries, and that’s it!
Directions (preferred method)
Boil water (I’ll usually do it in a kettle, but you can do this on the stovetop as well). Mix boiling water and honey—it will dissolve much easier this way. Chill your honey water combination for a few hours. Squeeze lemons in and add blueberries.
3. Frozen Pineapple and Pinot Grigio
This couldn’t get any simpler: pour a glass of pinot and add your frozen pineapple. As a computer science major, my assignments are centred around problem solving and a bit of trial and error. So when it’s a Friday night and I’m at home coding, this simple drink is amazing! This is inclusive of the fact that I’m easily frustrated. I usually just buy this Pinot Grigio. The frozen pineapples add the perfect amount of sweetness and keep your drink cold. If you muddle up the pineapples, it’s so good!
4. Grapefruit and Mint Water
This is simple, but boy, is it good. It’s refreshing and light. I threw these items together one day and it changed everything. I looked it up and there are quite a few benefits to putting grapefruit and mint in your water. So there ya go!
5. Coffee
The only hot drink on this list! Is it just me, or are cold drinks way better than hot drinks? Mainly because of the longer drinking window. Everyone has their fav way to make coffee, but I’ll share with you mine! (Also works great for iced coffee!)
My Go-To Coffee Recipe
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A heaping tablespoon of ground blonde roast
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A quarter cup of vanilla almond milk
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Water
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Sprinkle of cinnamon
I grind the beans (if not already ground) and put them in my French press with boiling water for about 4–5 minutes. Then, I plunge the French press and leave it for about 60 seconds while I prep my cup and the other ingredients. Then, I pour, add my vanilla almond milk, and sprinkle a fair amount of cinnamon.
Those were just some of my favourite drinks for around the house (or on the go)! I consider these amazing for productivity and focus, personally, as well as just for making you feel good. Whether I’m studying on campus or at home, these are what you’ll see me with. Any drinks you have at home? Tell us in the comments below!