Tag Archives: Thirsty Thursday

Thirsty Thursday: Wishful Drinking

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Holly

My Whole 30 starts in exactly 6 days and I will not be drinking for the entire duration. Even though I don’t drink very much anymore (maybe twice a month?) I ALWAYS enjoy a good cocktail, a cup of red wine, or a glass of beer from my favorite liquor store, and I’m going to be completely honest the thought of NOT HAVING THE OPTION TO DRINK for 30 days does get the low-grade anxiety pumping. But I’ll do it, and I’ll deal with it and I’m sure I will survive, but this weekend — I may have to mix up a last cocktail hurrah. 🙂

Perhaps you might like to also? If so, here is some inspiration:

1. The Salty Chihuahua

Have I ever told you about the drink that changed my life? It was a Greyhound made at a random bar in San Francisco called Lion Pub. Well, perhaps it also had to do with the fact that instead of a random bowl of beer nuts they had an awesome cheese tray. That helped too.

This looks like that delicious greyhound mixed with a little margarita action. I feel we’re doing SOMETHING healthy for ourselves even though we are drinking, right? (sigh!) I’m a complete sucker for drinks made with fresh squeezed juice, plus I love the mix of sweet and salty. Such a good flavor combo! And giant bags of grapefruit are so cheap at Coscto right now. Tempting.

2. Ruby Red Cherry Citrus Sangria

Hello lover!

It’s no secret that I love a good sangria, and we probably do not need to beat the dead horse that is my love for stone fruit. This is obviously right up my alley!

To be honest, this one might actually get made this weekend if I can figure out what the hell “Cherry Herring” is. In case it doesn’t can someone make a batch and drink it for me in August? You know, pour one out for your homie? Come on!

3. Creamsicle Mimosas

I have an entire bottle of champagne leftover from our Bodega Bay Weekend. I am as shocked as you are. While I don’t have Marshmallow Vodka, I do have a bottle of Whipped Cream Vodka that may make a nice substitute. Perhaps we will have a fancy breakfast cocktail this weekend.

Man, I’m just envisioning a drunken weekend all of a sudden. That is not the point of this at all. It is tempting though…very tempting! 🙂

As strongly advised by the authorities to never drink and drive. If in case that you are involved in an accident and get charged with dui, take note that you are entitled to have an attorney.

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I’m being a little bit dramatic and I certainly don’t intend to binge on alcohol or crap food prior to our Whole 30 experience, but I am definitely giving some thought to the things that I think I *will* be missing and trying to devise some strategies to change my perspective or help myself ignore the issue altogether.

Have you ever given up alcohol — or anything you really enjoy — for an extended period of time? I would love to hear how you did it!

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POSTED IN: Round Up, Thirsty Thursday

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Thirsty Thursday: Fresh Squeezed Honey Lemonade 3 Ways

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Holly

Since I added it to my Summer Bucket List I’ve been itching to make some homemade lemonade. It’s such a delicious drink to enjoy outside at the end of a long day and it actually used be a staple sitting in my fridge. But here’s the thing – my old recipe? Began with 2 Cups of Sugar. Another secret is I use the best juicer in my opinion for making all juice recipes.

Don’t get me wrong, it was amazing! But I’m not really in the habit anymore of consuming 2 cups of white sugar at the end of a long day. That’s not to say I never indulge (obviously) but now when I do I feel like it’s got to be worth it. And to me, a simple beverage seems like more of a necessity and less like an indulgence, you know? So I wanted to find a way to still enjoy the ritual of a cup of lemonade on occasion, without having it be such a crazy nutritional gut bomb.

Amber left me a comment on my bucket list that initially inspired this recipe. (Yoga friends especially, check out her awesome website — she’s pretty amazing!) I then tinkered with it to make a larger batch, and of course made some variations (including one of the Adult Beverage variety.) The recipe does call for honey (local and raw if you’ve got it – might as well do yourself a favor), but it’s nowhere close to 2 cups of sugar anymore. It skews a bit on the tart side, which is my personal preference, so if you like it a bit sweeter feel free to adjust to taste!

Fresh Squeezed Honey Lemonade

Serves: 1 Small Pitcher

A lower sugar alternative to the traditional pitcher of summer refreshment.

Ingredients

- 16 oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (about 8 lemons)

- 1/2 Cup Honey (this is what I recommend, start here and adjust to your preference)

- 4 TBS Hot Water

32 oz Cold Water

Instructions

1. Juice your lemons. I used Meyer Lemons which tend to be a little sweeter.

1. In a small bowl mix your honey + hot water until the honey dissolves and you are left with a honey simple syrup. It’s ok to add more hot water if your honey is particularly thick.

1. Mix lemon juice, simple syrup and cold water

Serve plain or with one of the following variations

For Strawberry Lemonade

Blend 8-10 fresh or frozen strawberries with 2 TBS Water and 1 TBS honey to make a chunky puree. Add to the bottom of the glass, pour in honey lemonade.

For an adult beverage: Add a splash of Mandarin Orange Vodka for a twist!

For Iced Tea Lemonade

For a pitcher, brew a 16 oz of double strength iced tea (get as creative as you want with the flavor of your iced tea, or just use plain.) I used 4 black tea bags and steeped them in hot water for 4 minutes. Let the tea cool and mix with lemonade

For an adult beverage: Add a splash of vodka to spice up the night!

Then kick back, put your feet up and enjoy a little (lower sugar!) relaxation in a glass!

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POSTED IN: Honey, iced tea, lemonade, lemons, strawberries, Thirsty Thursday, Vodka

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Thirsty Thursday: Spiked Strawberry Mint Cooler

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Holly

I am no stranger to cocktail filled evenings spent outside on a patio wasting away the last few hours of summer light. Actually I have fond memories of evenings like that, but honestly these days with 3:45am wake up calls, workout filled weeks and action packed weekends, I can’t afford the morning-after consequences that come with those memories. But that doesn’t mean I want to be a complete tee-totaler and watch the season go by with nary an adult beverage, you know?

This beverage is my compromise.

Refreshingly devoid of sugary, syrupy mixers yet still packing the kind of punch that you hope for when reaching for a cocktail, this Spiked Strawberry Mint Cooler fits the bill to perfection. I have to warn you about two things though:

1. They go down easy

2. You actually need to starts brewing it up a few days before you drink it.

Enter: Strawberry Infused Vodka.

I followed this recipe to make the base of the cocktail, and just because it was super easy, I made some Pineapple Infused Vodka too (equally delicious!)

If you have 3 days, fruit, vodka and a dark closet — you can do this, I promise.

Once I had the strawberry vodka base, I wanted a mixer that was refreshing and low in caloric density. I can’t bust my butt all the time at CrossFit just to drink all my hard work away 500 calories at a time with a margarita, you know? (I prefer to eat my hard work away, remember?)

Enter: Mint Sparkling Water

By itself, I think peppermint sparkling is a bit of an acquired taste. It’s delicious, but just a little different, you know? However as a cocktail mixer?

HOLY HELL, IT IS AMAZING.

Add 3 Parts chilled Mint Sparkling Water to 2 Parts chilled Strawberry Infused Vodka, throw in a few frozen strawberries to make the whole ensemble, and drink up! I mean, using sparkling water as a mixer practically means you are hydrating while you drink!