Stayin’ in kinda day!

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Going out to eat is fun in many ways. We get to spend time together, meet new people (AKA people watch) and try some new foods. I enjoy going out to eat with my family. I also enjoy going to Starbucks on our way home from running errands. But sometimes my cash flow is low and going out to eat isn’t possible on that day.

Most days we have to make do with the food we have at home instead of eating out so…..we make food that we would get from some of our favorite restaurants.

First, I really love Starbucks! So when I cannot go buy one then I love to make my own Starbucks drink at home. Although the quality is not as good as the real thing we come pretty close in our homemade version.

To make my own homemade version of Starbucks I buy store brand lemonade already made and Lipton Peach Mango Tea or Lipton Green Tea Purple Acai Blueberry.

I start with a 2 gallon pitcher to make the tea in. I add sugar to the bottom of the pitcher, add hot hot water up to the 1 gallon mark and stir. Then I add the tea bags (I add 4 tea bags but you can add how ever many you feel would be best for your taste). Let this sit on the counter for a few hours. After it is done steeping I add the lemonade to the pitcher and fill up to the 2 gallon mark. Next refrigerate until chilled and serve over ice when cold. You can also buy Freeze dried fruit to add to your drink if you desire for a more authentic look. The fruit shown in the picture below is from Target for $5.99. You can also buy them on Amazon. So refreshing!

This is the tea steeping before I add the lemonade

It’s also fun to put your drink in an actual Starbucks cup! We have several Starbucks cups at home. A couple were gifts and the other ones we found at thrift stores.

Next we made our version of Panda Express’ orange chicken and fried rice which my girls love! We made the rice in our Instant Pot and then cooked frozen chicken strips in the oven that I bought from Aldi’s and made the orange sauce to go over them once cooked. So Yummy! (By the way, the Instant Pot is so worth the money. I can make delicious meals in a very short amount of time. Love it!!)

After we ate we played a game of Sorry! I Won!!!!! Anyways it’s not about who wins or looses it’s about spending time as a family or at least that is what I tell my kids. Oh did I mention I won!!! I hope my kids enjoy these special yet simple moments and make similar memories with their own families some day!

Enjoy the Journey,

J