Four Non-Alcoholic Drinks for Labor Day

6 cups of water, heated to boiling

3 cups of cold water

4 tea bags of green tea (I prefer Newman's Own organic green tea)

1 cup of organic sugar (my husband likes his tea sweet)

1 lemon, sliced into round pieces

Heat water to boiling in a tea kettle. Remove the kettle from the heat and pour the hot water over the four tea bags. I use a big gallon size pitcher in which to steep the tea. Allow tea to steep for approximately 10-15 minutes (depending on how strong that you like it). Remove tea bags, and add sugar. Stir sugar until it is well dissolved in the tea (if you are diabetic and cannot use sugar, blue agave nectar makes a wonderful, low glycemic sweetener). Add cold water, and allow tea to cool to room temperature.

While tea is cooling, slice the lemon into round pieces. Once the tea has cooled, feel free to add the lemon slices. Serve in glasses with ice.

Fresh Lemonade with Lemon Slices

12 cups of cold water

1 cup of lemon juice (freshly squeezed juice is best, but you can also use lemon juice from concentrate if time is a factor)

1 cup of organic sugar

1 lemon, sliced into round pieces

Place cold water into a large pitcher. Squeeze juice from lemons using a citrus press, or if a press is not available, you can squeeze it out with your hands into a measuring cup. Take a strainer and strain the juice to remove seeds and unwanted pulp. Add lemon juice to water.

Next, add sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved into lemon and water mixture. Slice the lemon into round pieces, and add these to lemonade.

For a decorative look, serve the lemonade in goblets or some other type of fancy glass.

Pineapple Ginger Ale with Garnishes

1 6 pack of ginger ale (my family's favorite is Hansen's Natural Ginger Ale)

1 large container of pineapple juice

1 pineapple, chopped

1 small jar of cherries that are used for accenting sundaes

1 small container of toothpicks

Open one can of ginger ale, and pour into a glass filled halfway with ice. Add 1/2 cup of pineapple juice. Stir. Take a piece of pineapple and a cherry, and place them onto a toothpick. For added décor, use umbrella toothpicks.

Ruth's Refreshing Water

8-10 cups of filtered water (amount of water depends on the size of the lemon and cucumber)

1 lemon, sliced into round pieces

1 cucumber, sliced

5 sprigs of fresh mint

Place 8 cups of filtered water into a pitcher. Add lemon slices, cucumber slices, and mint sprigs to the water. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours and serve.

This water is very tasty and looks pretty as well.