sips etc.

"MMM... Mimosa Mondays" - Mimosa Bar How to and Shopping List

2012-03-05T06:20:00.000-08:00

If you read about the vintage children's book Sip 'n See at kojodesigns, you might've got the "I'm in love with Mimosa Bar" vibe. It's true. I am.

Among the many, many fabulous Mimosa Bar features, "SO EASY" tops the list! You could add this to any brunch you're putting together- from a casual get together to a baby shower or Sip 'n See.

And to make things just a wee bit easier on you, I thought I'd put together a Mimosa Bar How To, complete with every thing you'll need to make your own Mimosa Bar (even a shopping list).

DIY Mimosa Bar wares-

-one ice bucket (mine is rather large- all five bottles of bubbley fit in there) with ice

-three or four glass dishes for fruit (we used the rectangular ones from Ikea)

-three or four glass juice bottles (again, Ikea)

-juice labels

-glasses (one per guest)

Optional- an ornate frame and a "Mimosas" pennant (I just freehanded mine on coordinating paper)

Optional- other decor (bunting, pom poms, etc.)

DIY Mimosa Bar shopping list

-champagne

-sparkling cider

-orange juice (you could make homemade, or Simply Orange works great)

-grapefruit juice (same)

-raspberry lemonade concentrate

-two pints strawberries

-1/2 lb. rhubarb

-raspberries, blueberries, blackberries (for mix ins)

-pineapple (for mix ins)

-ice

To do the night before-

-Make all juice (strawberry lemonade, strawberry rhubarb juice, etc.-all of our recipes will be posted later this month during "Mmm... Mimosa Mondays"- watch for them!)

-Pour all juice into glass bottles and keep refrigerated

-Label all juice bottles (we tied these on the night before and kept them on the bottles in the fridge overnight and they were fine- no warping)

-Chill champagne and sparkling cider

-Set out ice bucket (without ice) and glasses

-Hang your "Mimosas" sign, frame, pom poms, bunting and other decor

To do the morning of-

-Fill all the glass dishes with fruit and set out

-Fill the ice bucket with ice

-Set out the juice, champagne, and sparkling cider

Funny story- I kept making myself little tiny 'mini-mosas' (just a sip or two in size) so that I could try more of the variations. I loved the Spring Break Mimosa (with berry lemonade) and the Ruby June (with rhubarb strawberry juice)! Even better, the Sparkling Peach made for all sorts of great combinations- I liked it even better than the champagne.

Have you seen this Mimosa Bar craze? Have you tried it out? Do you love brunch like we do? Any thoughts on other juices or mix-in additions to this Bar Of Brunch-y Goodness (seriously- pass those ideas along- I WILL be doing another one of these!)?

Soliciting Advice for Girls Night In..

2012-03-02T06:51:00.000-08:00

Image via

Tonight I'm having a "girls night in" with one of my bffs from college, Brooke.

(These are my two best friends from college, Brooke (middle) and Kate (right).

Kate lives in Cleveland which Brooke and I tell her she needs to change ASAP or she'd be there too.)

But Brookie's husband is out of town, so I'm driving down to keep her company.

We've both been sick so we're just staying in, probably watching friends re-runs over a bottle of wine.

Which is where you come in.

I need your help!

What's a great bottle of wine for a girls night in? or Prosecco? or Moscato?

What's your favorite one and why?
Don't worry, it doesn't have to be fancy.
(In fact, we love discovering good, cheap wine:) )

Hot Cocoa Dippers

2012-03-01T06:46:00.000-08:00

Just because it's March 1st, doesn't mean that it's spring time just yet (unfortunately). We're still drinking lots of hot cocoa around here. And recently we found the most fantastic addition to it. I made them this last weekend and we've been enjoying them since.

It's the perfect chocolate to cocoa ratio that makes these, well, perfect additions to your cocoa!

You'll need chocolate almond bark (I used four squares and made a mini batch of these), a few Ghiardelli dark chocolate squares (or dark chocolate chips), and peeps (mine are hearts, leftover from Valentines Day, but you should be able to find a plentiful supply of bunnies and chicks this time of year).

First melt the almond bark. Then add in a crunched up dark chocolate square or two. Stir.

Put the peep on a candy stick.

Dip the Peep Pop into the chocolate.

Cover entirely. Let the chocolate set up.

Stir into a cup of cocoa (preferably topped with a generous swirl of whipped cream)...

...or serve at your next brunch...

...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Like I said, the perfect marshmallow-y, chocolatey, cocoa-y combination!

Mimosa Bar Teaser

2012-02-26T21:47:00.004-08:00

Did you know that when you have a baby shower after the baby is born that it's ususally called a "Sip and See"? Now that's our kind of shower around here!

Kirstin threw a Sip and See shower this last Saturday!

The theme: Vintage Storybooks <--click there to see more shower stuff.

She did such an awesome job making the decor vintage

(which personally, I think is often attempted and rarely pulled off--can I say that?).

But my favorite part was the....

Mimosa Bar!

And yes, it was truly as fabulous as it looks.

So fabulous in fact, we've decided March should consist of a "Mmm... Mimosa Mondays" series. We'll unfold all the little details of this little mimosa bar, and how to make one for your next brunch. (Or perhaps even just to brighten up your next weekend morning at home).

If you just can't wait for more details, start this week with the Classic Mimosa!

You'll need Champagne and Orange Juice

Fill a champagne glass half with chilled champagne, half with OJ.
It's just as easy as it is delightful.

So sip on that for now and stay tuned friends...
"MMM...Mimosa Mondays" is going to be great!

TheAdams: Black tooth tribute..

2012-02-23T18:01:00.010-08:00

There's been quite a bit of celebrating around here lately.

After almost four l o o o o n g years (or so Kirst and Adam would say),
Adam G is done with boards and all exams...
(unless he moves to another state or decides to go back to school, neither of which are really the plan, for now)
F O R E V E R ! !

So in honor of him and all his hard work,
We've been eating lots and lots of good food, which is the key to his heart.

And of course, being the drink bloggers that we are, we had an appropriately-themed drink to go with it all.

It was manly,
It was stiff,
It was perfect for a guy who just finished ~~hours~~ years, of studying Dentistry...
It was: The Black Tooth
And it was: delicious.

If you have a man in your life (ideally one who works with teeth) and you want to celebrate him... make this:

Equal parts of coke and dr. pepper.
Add in Jack Daniels to taste
Pour over ice
And cheers to the tooth man.

Adam L. Adam G.

So, to Adam G, Soon-to-be Dr. G!

We're proud of you and all your hard work and studying...

And we promise not to drink these Black Tooth drinks all the time so as to not actually get black teeth.

Cheers!

Add a little spunk to your coffee...

2012-02-21T21:55:00.000-08:00

I drink coffee most days.
I would say everyday, but I do have the occasional morning where I wake up a bit too late to make it, or even more occasionally, I crave tea instead.
But some mornings (like a Saturday, for instance) I have a bit more time to put into making coffee for me and the hubs. So...I like to add some spunk to it.

This last Saturday was one of those Saturdays... our coffee needed some spunk, some sparkle, some pizazz, if you will.

So in case you're in that boat too somedays, try this, it's delish...

Brew coffee as normal.
But use chocolate milk instead of cream/regular milk.
And add a splash of kahlua (reason again for Saturday being ideal).
Drizzle with caramel for an extra punch*

You'll fall in love with coffee all over again. Promise.

Also, if you need another tip that's not as spunky but is still a bit jazzed up, try this.

A weekend away and a Blackberry-Lemon-Mint Julep

2012-02-19T22:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday! How were your weekends?

Adam and I had a great weekend of house-sitting/dog-sitting while his parents were away.

And... I'll just say it... when you're still "young marrieds" like us, staying at your parents can still feel luxurious. Can I get an amen?

You know, like having nice beer, having cable, and having a fridge full of treats that we don't normally get at the grocery store...what Adam and I like to think of as: the little luxuries of life.

Ok, maybe I shouldn't speak for all young marrieds,

but at least now you know where I'm coming from while reading the rest of this post.

So, this last weekend when we got to his parents I opened the fridge to scope out the "treats" and I saw a Costco size carton of blackberries! A few seconds after munching on a couple, I thought "I need to make a drink with these" (What? I can't help it. When you blog a lot, you start to think in blog too).

After doing a little research I found just the one with a few changes to make it our own.

Ready for it?

It's a Blackberry-Lemon-Mint Julep.

You might be thinking "Wait a second.... what's a mint julep?"

Valid question. According to Wikipedia "The mint julep is a mixed alcoholic drink, or coctail, associated with the cuisine of the Southern United States. A mint julep is traditionally made with four ingredients: mint leaf, bourbon, sugar, and water."

So, in case you were just thinking that you need more mint julep in your life, or maybe you wanted another use for blackberries and didn't know what mint julep even was (like me), we'll share what we did.

Here's what you need:

1/4 c fresh mint leaves

1 c blackberries

3 T sugar

1/4 c bourbon

1 c Lemon la Croix water

Several small ice cubes

Mint for garnishing

makes 2 servings

Here's how to do it:

1. First, chop the mint finely. (But don't stress too much because it's about to go into the food processor/blender)

2. Put the blackberries, mint, and sugar into the food processor and puree.

3. Add in the bourbon, Lemon la Croix water, and ice.

4. Blend until smooth, and pour into your glass. Garnish with mint so it looks pretty.

It was refreshing and delicious. Adam said it was probably his favorite drink we've made so far!

A delightful little study break for two.

(Well I wasn't studying... and perhaps Adam shouldn't have had Makers Mark during a study break.... but let's not get caught up on details...)

So try it and tell us about it!

What did you think of your first Mint Julep?

Reader Feature: Recap and a Green Smoothie!

2012-02-15T21:21:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago we posted an announcement that we're introducing a new column: Reader Feature!

It all started when my parents sent me a picture of the Skinny Pina Colada that they made from Sip Your Way Skinny Month. After posting that, I learned that the reason they made that was to have a special "Beach Night" to help fight the winter blues and pretend to be at their favorite restaurant in Florida, Jimmy's.

My dad and Cathy their good friends

Like I said, cute huh?

And...it's exactly what's this blog is for!

So since that announcement, we received our first submission!

It's for the Green Smoothie post that we did,

and it's extra special because it's from my cousin, Bethany!

I'm going to be embarrassing and post a picture of us from when we little (and one from now):

Beth, love the gum.

And I must add that this is a bit flattering because she is probably one of the best cooks I know.

Seriously, anything she touches in the kitchen, turns to "gold" (or whatever the cooking equivalent would be).

Here's what she said she did:

"I used store brand 4 berry variety of frozen berries

Spinach leaves

Ice

Non-fat store brand vanilla yogurt.

tip: I bought a huge tub of the yogurt because it was only $2.00, so it's definitely cheaper "

She said it was "great!"

Bethany, thanks so much for sharing!

Ok friends, who's next?

Just send us a couple of pictures of your drink that you made to sipsetc@gmail.com.

You could be the next reader feature:)

A Valentine's Message

2012-02-14T16:00:00.000-08:00

One pretty well-known fact: we love our St. Bernard, Stetson.

One pretty unknown fact: he has a spot on his side shaped like a heart.

(In case we needed another reason to love him.)

What better day to share this random tidbit with you than on Valentine's day.

So... from Stetson, and from us:

valentines day drink round up

2012-02-12T21:53:00.002-08:00

Do y'all have Valentine's plans? Going out? Staying in?

In the chance that you're cooking up something fabulous for your honey (or your family! or friends!), we thought we'd put together a little Valentine's Day drink round up. Enjoy!

Bailey's Cool Raspberry
Liquid Love
The Exclusiv Valentine
Chocolate Indulgence Martini
Valentine's Sparkler

Sippy Cup: Man with Yellow Hat party decor

2012-02-09T21:20:00.000-08:00

So pretty much this week has turned into "link up to Kojo" week. But I wanted to show you another idea we used recently... and it just happened to work perfectly for Kirst's Curious George Shower (just like the Banana Puddin-tinis did).

It's the perfect craft to do with you little ones and decorate for a birthday party, costume party, or in our case a baby shower, that involves some kind of hat theme (Curious George, or what about cowboy/cowgirl/western/toy story party? Wouldn't that be fun?)! Even better, it's cheap (dollar store cheap) and easy (again, perfect with a little-r one).

I first saw the idea here . It's one of those ones that you see and think "how brilliant!... why have I never thought of this before?". It'd be a great way to set the table for a party (like Sarah did on her blog), or a fun way to decorate cake stands, tables, and apothecary jars (like Kirst did).

Here's how to make it so it goes on top of an apothecary jar/cake dome/whatever else might stick up:
1. Wrap a yellow cup with electrical tape or brown vinyl (we couldn’t find any electrical tape). You might have to make several slits for it to sit right.
2. Cut an “x” in the middle of a yellow plate. *careful with your little with the cutting, but you already knew that:)
3. Tape the cup in place over the “x” using packing tape (put a little on the inside of each side of the cup).
4. Slide the top of your apothecary jar or cake dome through the “x” cut.

(obviously to just use it as a placesetting or to put across a hurricane there's no need for cutting "x"s.)

Like I said, cheap, easy, quick, adorable...perfection.

Can you think of another use for these little hats?

**for more details about the shower and other decorations Kirst used, check them out here**

A Drink Blogger's Valentine: Heart Shaped Ice Cubes

2012-02-07T21:27:00.000-08:00

Kirstin loves Ikea.

Like, goes there every other week, loves Ikea.

Like, her 3 year old could probably give directions from their house, loves Ikea.

Ok,Want to know something else about Kirstin?

She loves Valentines day.

And not necessarily because of the romance of it (at least I don't think anyway),

but more so because she has fond memories of that being one of the only days of the year that her family got together to do "crafts" (aka make valentines).And because it's a great day to remind people how much you love them.

Now, I say all of that so you will understand exactly what I was thinking when I accompanied her and her two kiddos on their latest Ikea outting and saw this:

Yep, a heart ice cube tray. Because for $1.99 (which is why most of the rest of us love Ikea) I could contribute to the Valentines Festivities and send my own little "valentine" in the form of ice. One heart ice cube tray, sold.

Are any of you interested in decorating your ice cubes for Valentine's day to remind people they're loved? Fantastic. I'll show you just ONE of the many ways to use this baby...

1.Grab some of your favorite Juice. We used Berry Blast NakedJuice.

2.Grab yourself one enthusiastic toddler (optional. No toddlers needed, but I will say, if they're like my nephew they'd probably love to help)

3. Fill the ice cube tray with the juice (preferably a red kind in keeping with the "love" theme)

4. Let freeze. Obviously.

5. Pour a glass of seltzer, champagne, or another kind of juice (we used Mighty Mango NakedJuice for ours and paired it with some delicious red velvet pancakes for breakfast)

6. Serve it to your favorites as a little "I love you".

Banana Puddin-tini

2012-02-05T21:30:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about this blog is finding special drinks for every occassion.

A couple weekends ago, Kirstin suggested that we come up with a drink for her Curious George baby shower that she threw for a few of her friends.

Done.

The search was on for some kind of yellow-ish, lemon-ish, or banana-ish drink for the party.

And thanks to Lisa Huff on Snappy Gourmet I found just the thing:

a Banana Puddin-tini!

I know, I know, a lot of people aren't banana-flavor-lovers

(unless you're like my bff, Liz, she'd probably confess that the banana milkshake from Chick-fil-A was her kryptonite)

but the overall consensus was still extremely favorable, so I think you'll be pleasantly surprised,

or, at the very least, make it for your banana-loving friends.

Here's what you need for our version of this banana-fabulousness:

1/3 c milk (we used 2%)

2 T Pinnacle Whipped Cream Vodka

1 t JELL-O Banana Cream instant pudding mix
crushed Nilla Wafers
low-fat cool whip
a Nilla Wafer for garnish (mini works better)

serves 1

Here's how to do it:

First, dip the rim of the glass into caramel sauce/cool whip (you can use either...Snappy Gourmet used caramel sauce-yum! We forgot it at home ~~(cool),~~ so in a pinch we used the cool whip and it worked out magnificently). After it's lightly coated, dip the rim into the crushed wafers. ** do this first so that your glass is ready for the drink once it's mixed.

Once your glass is rimmed, pour the milk, pudding mix, and vodka into your cocktail shaker over ice. Shake, shake, shake.

Then pour into your glass, top with cool whip, garnish with a whole wafer, and sip your little monkey heart out.

(To make a mocktail, or one "without sauce", obviously just leave out the vodka.
Just a word of caution though, these will be much more pudding-esque since the alcohol is what keeps it more liquefied. But it didn't seem like the pregnant ladies/non-drinkers minded all that much).

There you go friends, go bananas! (I'm such a dork)

Fan-Themed Parties

2012-02-02T22:40:00.000-08:00

We're going to be honest, this years superbowl is leaving a lot to be desired around here. The Patriots and the Giants? Yuck. And we might be just a bit bitter that our teams didn't make it, or even come close to making it, but out of respect for them, we decided not to develope a colored drink for the super bowl teams like we definitely would have should the circumstances have been different.

And so, we decided we would have Kojo do a little guest post for us about how to make a fan-themed party with fan colored food and drinks.

Click here to go over and check it out.

This was a party they threw for the Mavs last season, but it has some great ideas and obviously some blue themed things that could go for the Patriots (boo) or the Giants (boo) if those were teams you were choosing to cheer for.

We guess if you're going to watch the superbowl, which we still intend to do, you should at least have fun themed food and drinks. Thanks Kojo for sharing!

Enjoy the game Sunday!

Reader Feature!

2012-01-31T21:09:00.000-08:00

So a few nights ago my parents sent me a text message.

It was this picture:

The Skinny Pina Colada that we posted during the Sip Your Way Skinny Series!

(with our shameless Christmas card pic in the background)

But, aren't they cute?

They said they made it with coconut soda instead of coconut water and it was great!
(which is a big deal because they are both fellow Pina Colada lovers)

But, I love that they were using the recipes

AND that they were making their own variations.

I told Kirst about it and it gave us an idea...

Whenever you guys make one of the recipes, take a picture (no need to be professional).

Then, send it to us (sipsetc@gmail.com) and we'll pick some to feature on the blog!

And be sure to let us know when you substitute ingredients or have some additions you found made it better.

We love hearing from you guys,

we aren't just asking those questions at the end of the blogs as a good wrap up...we really do want to know.

So, email us your hard work! We're looking forward to it!

Diet Coke Days-- One of my Newest Prized Possessions...

2012-01-29T22:07:00.000-08:00

First, last week finished up our Sip Your Way Skinny Series for January. We hope it gave you some good, practical, and motivational ideas on how to maintain your health resolutions this year.

Now, onto today's Diet Coke Days post...

I have been d.y.i.n.g. to show you, my fellow diet cokers, something that I got for Christmas

and now I finally can...

While I was in Philly over New Years, my cousin Ross came over for the family dinner and had this gem under his arm:

...and he says: "Trish, I saw this and figured you had to have it".

!!!!!!!!!. What? Seriously?

It's not very often that your twenty-something, boy, cousin sees a tote bag and thinks of you.

Even more rare, it's something that you really like...

Best. present. ever.

Thanks Rossy! I sport it all over Denver.

Any other diet cokers get some paraphernalia over the holidays?

Tell us all about it!

Sip Your Way Skinny- drink round up

2012-01-27T10:34:00.000-08:00

We've been loving the chance to share some 'skinny' sips. Of course, we have a whole list of recipes "To Try" that we thought we'd share with y'all-

Cranberry Grapefruit Sparkler
Fresh Kiwi Grape Juice
Fresh Ginger Beer
Citrus Tea Punch
Strawberry Banana and Flax Smoothie
Raspberry Lemonade
Pomegranate Citrus Juice
Three Tasty "Slim Down" Smoothies
Green Vegetable Cocktail

And a little extra credit reading? Fitness magazine has a list of the eight healthiest drinks (love it that green tea tops that list)!

Happy Skinny Sipping, friends!

ps- Do you have a favorite healthy drink recipe? Send it our way!

Sip Your Way Skinny: Day 8-Water Sangria

2012-01-24T23:32:00.000-08:00

Sip Your Way Skinny is almost over and we have yet to really talk about the most obvious "health drink":

water.

You don't need me to explain to you the health benefits of water.

But I think most of us can admit that water can get a bit boring just by itself all. the. time.

I'd assume that's how soda and juice entered the picture.

But as we already know/have been learning, these alternatives have so. much. sugar.

So how about combining our favorite aspects of the two:

Taking water, adding a few sweet/sour/still nutritious elements, mixing them together and making them look pretty?

We saw a similar idea here, and gave it a try.

We like to call it "Water Sangria" (cause that just sounds more exciting than "flavored water").

Want to know our favorite parts?

1. You can use whatever fruits, herbs, veggies (cucumbers mostly) that you have on hand.

2. It's an effortless yet perfect presentation--the colors are pretty enough without adding any other fancy things.

3. It brings new life and new love to water again.

4. It's a perfect alternative to soda for parties

(or for more of a customized drink feature try our water bar idea)

What about you, what are your thoughts? We'd love to hear!

Sip Your Way Skinny: Day 7- A Skinny Pina Colada

2012-01-22T22:45:00.000-08:00

I would firmly place pina coladas on my top 5 favorite drinks list.

But a lot of people would never know that. Want to know why?

Because they're so bad for you that I usually just don't even bother.

It's a sad situation, actually. But I'm almost positive that I'm not alone in this. Right?

This Sip Your Way Skinny series gave me a great excuse to find a pina colada that transported me to a white, sandy beach (AND still left me bikini ready) with each sip.

Ready to show the pina colada some love again?

Here's what you need:

5 oz coconut water (read about it's health benefits here)

2 oz pineapple juice

2 oz coconut rum (you really should use coconut rum, the regular stuff doesn't quite cut it)

**Optional: add extra ice if you want a blended one instead

Here's how to do it:

Combine the ingredients in a shaker.

Shake it up.

Pour over ice in your favorite glass, or serve chilled.

~~Throw on your grass skirt and coconut bra~~

Sip away.

ahhhhh....can't you just smell the ocean?

Sip Your Way Skinny: Day 6- TheAdams: Health Benefits of Beer

2012-01-21T15:03:00.000-08:00

Ok, so even though I am not technically a doctor yet (4 months left), I figured that the SIPS blog needed a little science and health information for all those nerds out there like me.

Image via

I was doing some reading the other day and came across a very interesting article with some different
ideas than I have heard before. I know, I know, everyone has read that drinking a glass of red wine a day is good for your heart/brain/bones….blah,blah, blah, but rarely do you hear much about how beer affects your body long term.

Well, it turns out that beer (and this is only 1-2 drinks per day folks) is just as helpful- and sometimes more helpful- to the body than its more researched counterpart wine. This is good news for those of us out there that would rather drink a brew than grab a glass of wine on any given night- so beer lovers rejoice.

Image via

First off, one big benefit is that having a beer or two per day can actually help lower cholesterol by increasing the HDL levels in the body. The HDL’s are the ones that are good and typically scavenge the blood vessels for bad cholesterol to help clear the flow of blood which eventually reduces the risk of heart attack.

This next benefit appeals to me on two fronts; barbequing and beer combined. Did you know that marinating a steak in beer can reduce the carcinogenic forming HCAs by almost 70%??? What this means is that normally when you grill a steak, and some of the protein is burned causing carcinogens which can long term
cause cancer, beer basically reduces 70% of those cancer causing bad boys which means…..steak on the bbq a little more often for all of us meat lovers out there.

Lastly, and this one was interesting to me, because most people think that if you drink beer you are overweight which means you have higher risk of diabetes, but not so. Apparently drinking 1-2 beers a day can actually decrease your bodies risk of type 2 diabetes by 25%. Type 2 diabetes is the one that is basically epidemic in today’s society with weight concerns and usually comes on later in life (basically the body becomes less responsive to insulin). Well, beer can help increase the body’s response to insulin, thereby reducing your risk of diabetes.

Image via

SOoooo, all this to say; during the NFL playoffs or superbowl weekend, don’t worry if you pick up your favorite brew once or twice because it actually can be counted as a healthy drink alternative.

Sip Your Way Skinny: Day 5-The 100 Calorie Cocktail

2012-01-18T09:22:00.000-08:00

Have you guys ever heard of Hungry Girl? Her name is Lisa and she's a "foodologist" (she doesn't have a fancy degree and she's not a nutritionist, she's just a fellow food lover) who blogs, and writes cookbooks, and now has her own show on the Food Network and the Cooking Channel!

We think she's fantastic, and even better (or just more applicable on this blog) she does drink ideas and recipes too! We thought we'd share one in particular that we like:

The 100 Calorie Cocktail.

Here's why you should think it's great:

1. it's only 100 calories per serving

2. it doesn't take a mixologist to make it

3. it can be tailored to your favorite flavors

4. it's only 100 calories per serving.

Convinced? We knew you would be.

Here's what you need:

4 oz club soda

1 1/2 oz vodka (she says to use 80 proof)

1 1/2 oz Torani Sugar Free Syrup, any flavor!

(we used Starbucks sugar-free, it worked just fine.

And if you wanted to skip the diet stuff all together, do it!

Just be sure to dance a bit more and those calories will even out I'm sure of it!)

Splash of lime juice

Then just Mix. Pour. Sip!

Easy. Customizable. Perfect.

Sip Your Way Skinny: Day 4- The Low Down on Juice

2012-01-16T09:27:00.000-08:00

So what is the deal with fruit juice? Is anyone else confused about it?
Is it good for you? Bad? Packed with nutrients? Contains too much sugar?
First it was good. Then it turned bad.... So which is it?

Well since it's Sip Your Way Skinny month here, I thought it's the perfect time to settle this. So I did some research and thought I'd share the cliff notes in case some of you are like me (spending time wondering about fruit juice...).

Here's what I found:

Top 7 Healthiest Juices:

1. Pomegranate Juice--People are really excited about this one and it's becoming increasingly popular. It has more antioxidants (known to help reduce risk of diseases, anywhere from altitude sickness to cancer) than green tea, and contains potassium and Vitamin C.

2. Blueberry Juice-- Not only is it delicious, it's very high in antioxidants, high in fiber, high in Vitamin C, low in calories, and is good for digestion.

3. Cranberry Juice--This one probably isn't a surprise. The rumors you've heard are true. This guy is high in antioxidants, high in Vitamin C, and the research does show that it can help reduce the risk and frequency of urinary tract infections. It can be very high in sugar though, because it's so tart, so be sure to read the label. Or if you're brave, try the no sugar added kind.

4. Cherry Juice--Again, high in antioxidants, (sorry if you're sick of reading that one, but it's one of the biggest factors used to determine how healthy a juice is), and it is also great to diminish exercise induced muscle injuries! (who knew?)

5. (Red) Grape Juice-- Studies have found that RED grape juice (not white) is good for your heart, has been shown to lower blood pressure, and contains potassium.

6. Tomato Juice--It's a great source of Vitamins A & C, high in antioxidants, it's also been found to strenghten your immune system, to help lower cholesterol, to be high in fiber, and to help prevent heart disease. But watch the labels here again, tomato juice is also known for being high in sodium.

7. Orange Juice--This one seems to be the most controversial. Some sites don't list is as one of the healthiest because it typically is so high in sugar, but on the others say, if it's fortified, and contains pulp, it really is a great source of Vitamin C, Vitamin D, calcium, and omega 3s (linked to helping increase circulation and lower blood pressure, among other things).

Know how to read your labels:
Perhaps some of our confusion about the health benefits comes from the fact that a juice can be labeled as a fruit juice as long as it has 1% of actual fruit juice. Scary huh?

So when your shopping for juices, look for these things:

1. Avoid words like "Nectar", "Cockatil", "Beverage" "Concentrate", or "Drink", usually they're the ones that have a much lower percentage of real fruit juice
2. Try to find labels that say 100% fruit juice
3. Avoid "additives" when possible. The label will call them "addatives" or "flavors" in the ingredients.
4. Go for juices that DO contain pulp or puree. Usually, these juices keep more nutrients in preparation because things aren't being strained out.

Conclusion:

According to our findings, fruit juice is still okay for you ! (YES!) Though it's better for you to eat the actual thing, juice is great for convenience and practicality.

But be very conscious of what you're buying and how much you're consuming. It's still true that most fruit juice contains a lot of sugar so either keep it to an 8oz glass per day, or add water or club soda to dilute it just a bit.

Hope this was helpful!
There's lots more reading if this sparks something.
(See our links below for where we got our research.)

Done any research on this yourselves? What did you find? We'd love to hear!

Resources: Benefits of Tomato Juice, Nutrition Info for Juice from Real Simple, Info on Cherry Juice, Info on Fruit Juice, Label info

Images via: pomegranate, blueberry, cranberry, cherry, red grape, tomato, orange

Sip Your Way Skinny: Day 3- Cascade Ice Cocktail Mixes

2012-01-12T23:25:00.000-08:00

Have you all been enjoying this series so far?

We certainly have enjoyed it from our end.

It's always fun learning new things to try that are good for you too!

Today's post came about because I was watching Good Day Colorado some time around Christmas and they did a special on Cascade Ice's new Cocktail Mixes. Have you seen these? Supposedly, 0 calories. And considering that the average cocktail is hundreds (sorry to be the bearer of bad news) I was QUITE intrigued by these little guys.

Image via

So, like any girl easily pursuaded by good marketing, I went off to the store (I found it at Albertson's) to do a little taste test of my own. I bought two to try: the Appletini, and the Cosmopolitan.

(but there are others like Pina Colada, which was out, sadly, and Margarita, and there might be a couple more.)

Here's what we thought...

First, the Cosmo:

Looks: Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in the City, worthy.

Taste: Has a bit of that diet bite.

But easily fixed by squeezing in some fresh orange or lemon juice.

Cosmopolitan Overall: It's totally worth ditching the calories on days where you have already had one too many Oreos.

Looks: Show-stopper.

Taste: Sour, check. Sweet, check. Delicious, Check!

TheAdams said it might be a bit diet-y still,

but us Diet Coke lovers didn't notice it at all this time.

Appletini Overall: This could be a real game changer. We would totally prefer this over the real deal any day of the week.

(the boys might not, and we should be representing a wider audience, we suppose.)

All in all, we liked what we tasted, friends.

Kudos Cascade Ice, can't wait until our next girls night!

(Let us know if you guys try any other flavors, especially the pina colada...those are my favorites--but are definitely NOT low cal in real life.)

Sip Your Way Skinny: Day 2- "Green Smoothies"

2012-01-10T20:39:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love smoothies? I like to think of them as milkshake's healthy and better looking twin sister.

They have similar consistencies, are still delish, but are (usually) made with fruits and dairy that we're told that we need!

But what else are we told that we need probably more than anything?

Veggies.

If you're like me, it can be hard to find ways to get those 3-5 servings per day that the good old food pyramid suggests.

(Veggie sticks don't count apparently. Similarly, taking vitamins in the place of veggies isn't ok either, ...or so I've been told)

So, when the Internet started exploding with "GREEN SMOOTHIE" recipes, I had to see what it was all about.

Adding romaine, kale, chard, collards, or ....spinach to your smoothie?

I wasn't so sure. So, I tried it out.

And I'm happy to report that it was good.

Really good.

Like, "eating healthier without noticing" kind of good. (my favorite kind).

While there are lots of recipes floating around out there, I'll share what I did with you.

(It's a good starter one, because it's not even green and scary like some).

Here's what you need:

spinach

(I tried spinach because we had it, but really any of the greens listed above are used)

frozen blueberries

strawberries

raspberries

yogurt

(I used Activia, but using greek yogurt would be great to add protein)

ice

Here's how to do it:

Layer it all into your blender/magic bullet. (I mostly just used the measurements of "half spinach, half everything else, + a few ice cubes", there's a lot of flexibility based on your preferences).

Blend until smooth.

and sip your way skinny...

And incase you haven't heard about all the health benefits of greens, I compiled a list for you.

It's just a few of the many health benefits that drinking green smoothies have been linked to:

1. clearer skin and stronger hair and nails

2. increased energy

3. weight loss

4. regular digestion

5. stabilized blood sugar.

This info was taken from here and here, but there are a lot of articles and more benefits if you want to research a bit more.

There you have it friends... go green!

"Sip Your Way Skinny": Day 1-Coconut Water

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hope you guys had a great holiday season! We did, but we're glad to be back, we missed you.

Anyway, it's January 9th, which means we're now 9 days into our 2012 New Year Resolutions. And, if you're like most of America, "getting fit" or "losing weight" made it onto your Resolution list this year.
(but let's be honest, isn't it on there almost every year?)

We're right there with you, so we decided the entire month of January should be dedicated to

healthy drinks and "skinny" drink options.

Because most of us are consuming too many liquid calories

and there are plenty of great alternatives.

We are calling it Sip Your Way Skinny

and guess what, it starts today! Woo!

Sip Your Way Skinny:

Day 1- Coconut Water

Image via

Have you noticed Coconut Water is all the rage? You probably have seen pictures like the ones above on the cover of US Weekly, or People, in line at the store (or in your weekly subcription if your like me...I'm a sucker for these magazines) and might be wondering what the hype is all about.

We did the research for you to see if its just trendy, or if it's really as great as they say,

here's what we found:

Health Benefits

(these are just some we've highlighted because they're so many,

if you want to read more, there's lots of info out there, but this is the site we used):

-helps re-hydrate you

-better for you than sports drinks (less sodium and sugar, but more potassium)

-helps boost your immune system and fight viruses

-helps raise your metabolism

-can reduce risk of cancer

-helps control diabetes

After reading all of that good news, we came to the conclusion that it is worth trying.

So we did, and loved it.

Coconut water can be little sour if you're not used to it,

so try adding just a splash of orange juice like what's shown above.

(don't do too much or it will off set the low sugar/low carb benefits)

mmm...delicious.