Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TrendTea #CollectiveBias

Even though I’m incredibly busy during the school year and rarely have time for playdates, summer is a different story. I love the ability to reconnect with some of my friends, and the chance for our kiddos to play together. We meet at homes, the splash pad, Chick-fil-A, and much more. I recently was given the opportunity to show off some entertaining ideas using Bigelow Tea, and it was the perfect chance to host a playdate at our home. Moms need a little pampering, so I thought it would be fun to make some delicious iced teas and a simple brunch.

First stop for playdate prep: Target. Because, Target. It’s summer and it wouldn’t be summer without a Target trip. Kennedy and I picked up our Bigelow Teas (along with a million other things we didn’t go in there for) and were impressed with with selection and price. Not knowing exactly what teas I wanted to make, I picked up the Plantation Mint, Decaf Green Tea, Decaf Earl Grey, and the Vanilla Chai.

After smelling all of the teas, I was the most inspired by the Plantation Mint and Vanilla Chai, so I decided I was going to come up with iced Peach Mint and Chai recipes! The teas are incredibly high quality, and just the smell of them alone are amazing. I couldn’t wait to get started on my concoctions.

I made the Iced Chai and Iced Peach Mint teas and prepped the food the night before. Everything was very simple to make, which is an added bonus! I had four moms and their kids joining us, so doing something simple yet pampering for us was all we needed.

In addition to my teas, I had a simple fruit salad, my mini egg casseroles made with ham and cheese, some banana bread my dad brought over, and some fruit kolaches my in-laws brought over. Super simple food prep since I didn’t make anything besides the egg casseroles and the fruit salad!

The morning of, I set out the spread, complete with mason jars and paper straws (I had to embrace my inner blogger here). I also made sure not to neglect the kiddos by setting out applesauce pouches, goldfish, and animal crackers. Every tummy was covered.

The teas and food were quite a hit with everyone, and I felt like a little bit of an entertaining queen that doing something this simple for a playdate made an impact. Us moms sat at the kitchen table, chatted, ate, and they all fawned at over what a domestic goddess I am (okay, maybe not so much, but I know the did enjoy the food and drinks). And meanwhile, the little ones…

I think they were having fun, too. Between the five moms there, we had nine kids in attendance (plus two preggo bellies)! Outnumbered for sure. Now let’s get to the good stuff – the iced tea recipes featuring Bigelow Tea!

Iced Chai Tea

Ingredients:

• Just under 2 quarts boiling water
• 10 Bigelow Vanilla Chai tea bags
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup (or more) sweetened condensed milk
• Cinnamon as garnish

Preparation Instructions:

Boil the water, then let tea bags steep for about an hour. Once tea has steeped/cooled off, add the evaporated and sweetened condensed milk. Add more/less based on your own tastes. I ended up adding more sweetened condensed milk little by little to get it to the sweetness that I prefer. Pour over ice and garnish with cinnamon.

Iced Mint Peach Tea

Ingredients:

• Just under 2 quarts boiling water
• 10 Bigelow Plantation Mint tea bags
• 2 cups frozen peaches, thawed
• Sweetener of choice (stevia, honey, sugar, etc.) – I used a combination of stevia and honey
• 4 fresh peaches, sliced
• Fresh mint as garnish

Preparation Instructions:

Boil the water, then let tea bags steep for about an hour. Meanwhile, make your own simple peach nectar by pureeing the thawed peaches in the food processor / blender and adding a bit of your sweetener to the desired sweetness level. Get it as blended as smoothly as possible. Once tea has steeped and cooled off, add your peach nectar to the tea. Add more sweetener if desired. Before serving, add the sliced fresh peaches to the pitcher and let steep for about 30 minutes. Pour over ice and garnish with fresh mint.

 

Be sure to check out Bigelow Tea for all those tea needs, whether they be hot or iced! You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter. One big thing to note is that  Bigelow is holding a Facebook Made in the U.S.A. Sweepstakes where you can enter to win a Plantation Mint Tea Set. That Plantation Mint tea is absolutely divine, so you don’t want to miss it!