Greetings readers! First off, I'm so sorry I haven't written anything in months!! Planning a wedding ended up being a big ol' pain, BUT I'm back and ready for more action!!
Since it's still summer BBQ weather in most places and football season is on the horizon, I've had several people ask me for healthier versions of their favorite drinks. I've done some pondering and taste testing and here are some basic guidelines on enjoying your favorite adult beverages in moderation and with less sugary, calorie-filled junk:
1. Beer. I love beer. If you wanna drink beer and you're ok with drinking light beer, go with a Michelob Ultra. I add a little salt and lime juice and it's pretty comparable to a Corona or Tecate with a lot less calories and carbohydrates. However, if you like dark, hoppy, rich delicious beer, here's my advice to you - just drink it, but drink in moderation. Since those beers tend to have a higher alcohol content than light beers, you'll feel the effects much faster. Also, since they have more calories and carbs (and just feel heavier), chances are you'll fill up on them faster. Enjoy your favorite brew in moderation and compromise with yourself. For example, if you know you're going to wanna drink a beer with your buddies while watching the big game, steer clear of the super fatty foods like buffalo wings, nachos, and pizza. Offer to bring a healthier version of your favorite game-day treat and enjoy your beer with your less-fatty dish.
2. Mixed drinks. First off, stay away from the super sugary mixers like daiquiri, pina colada, and margarita mix. Instead, make your own using organic juices and soda. Also, don't use the diet drinks like low-cal juice and diet coke with aspartame as your mixers. Blue Sky sodas makes a great line of calorie-free sodas using stevia instead of the other weird chemical sweeteners used in most diet sodas. In terms of juice, it's better to go organic and have some of nature's sugars than more chemical sweeteners. Not only are those chemicals total poison to your body, they also give lots of people (including me) head aches, which is no fun. One of my favorite ways to make mixed drinks is to take your alcohol (I like rum and vodka), put it in a pitcher, add your juice, soda for bubbles, and a TON of fresh fruit. The fruit makes it look like a plethora of adult-beverage deliciousness, and gives you something to munch on when you get to the bottom of the pitcher. To find good drink recipes, I've looked online, then substituted the unhealthy mixers with healthier ones and added fruit. I shall post some of said recipes in my next blog entry!
3. Wine is tricky for me because I like the sweeter white wine, like reislings, moscatos, and so on. White wine in general has more sugar and calories, and the sweeter, more desert-type white wines have the most sugar and calories. If you can stand the dry red stuff, that's your best option. If not, combine your white wine with other alcohol, like rum, and mix with good-for-you juice and fruit. That way you still get the sweeter taste of wine without all the not-so-good-stuff you'd find in just drinking a bottle of sweet white wine all by itself. One of my favorite concoctions this summer was a bottle of moscato, a cup of watermelon vodka, 1 can or organic frozen lemonade, 1 can Blue Sky calorie-free lemon lime soda, and a ton of lemons, strawberries, and any other fruit you wanna add. This makes a big pitcher that can be split up amongst a group of people so that you don't just drink a whole bottle of wine...all by yourself.
The moral of the story is, use healthy mixers and get creative! It's so fun to add different fruit, juice, and sodas to different types of liquor and wine and come up with your own concoction. Remember to always drink plenty of water when consuming alcohol to avoid dehydration and the ever-feared hangover.
Drink recipes and other healthier-versions of some of my favorite summer recipes coming soon! Stay tuned :)
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