Monday Motivational Meal - White Wine Kir Spritzer - A Refreshing Summertime Drink - Without Alcohol!

 

When it is hot outside you can't beat the ease and thirst-quenching satisfaction of a White Wine Spritzer. Try this new twist that is alcohol free and adds the delicacy of raspberry essence. For easy measuring use our gorgeous Livliga Aveq Wine Glass with built-in measurements!

Get the recipe here. 

Why not add some homemade healthy appetizers? Check them out here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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As a young adult I was introduced to a white wine cocktail called a “Kir”. I thought it tasted heavenly. You make the drink by combining dry white wine, like a sauvignon blanc, with a touch of Cassis, a black currant liqueur . It looks like a sunset you would see sitting on a patio in Provence. I would always have mine with a twist of lemon and felt very chic. When cassis was not available I would have the bartender make the cocktail with Chambord, a black raspberry liqueur.  

As I have become more conscious of calories and have chosen not to drink alcohol on a regular basis I wanted to come up with a refreshing cocktail for summer and decided to try and come up with an alternative for my favorite Kir cocktail. I also wanted to make a refreshing, thirst-quenching drink for the upcoming really hot summer nights. That is when I though of a White Wine “Kir” Spritzer.

When it is hot outside you can’t beat the ease and thirst-quenching satisfaction of a spritzer.

Here is a list of benefits to a white wine “Kir” spritzer!

• They are lower in carbs and calories than a typical glass of wine
• They are so easy to make and personalize
• They can be made with either alcoholic or nonalcoholic wines
• You can avoid the headaches and lethargy you can get in the heat from other alcoholic drinks that        have the higher amounts of alcohol
• You can choose a dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc) or a sweeter wine (Rosé) to make your spritz       depending on your mood and preference
• Spritzers are equally tasty using nonalcoholic wines

White Wine “Kir” Spritzer (AF)

Ingredients

• 4 oz very chilled white wine
• 2 oz very chilled club soda
• 1 teaspoon Torani Sugar Free Raspberry Syrup
• Twist of lemon zest
• Sprig of thyme
• 2 fresh raspberries

Directions

1.  Pour measured raspberry syrup in bottom of glass, swirl it around the sides.
2.  Fill the glass with 4 ounces of wine.
3.  Add the club soda and mix gently.
4.  Add a couple of cubes of ice.
5.  Garnish with zest, raspberryt and sprig. Serve promptly.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 glass. Calories Per Serving: 23 calories; fat 0g; sodium 13mg; carbohydrates 5.2g; dietary fiber 2g; protein 0g; sugars 4.8g. (Nutrition varies according to brand of wine and garnishes)

Discover more low carb wines here.

Looking for some delicious Mocktails? Check out these recipes.  

 

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Monday Motivational Meal - Celebratory Watermelon Margarita

 

Getting ready to celebrate Mother's Day? Why not make it extra special with a healthy Watermelon Margarita perfected by @CookingLight ! We think they are mighty delicious served up in our Aveq Beverage glass! To you! Enjoy! 

Get the recipe here.

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Celebratory Watermelon Margarita

 

There are many reasons to celebrate life and special events. The key is to have a fun, healthy drink you enjoy that can add to your sense of celebration without costing you a week’s worth of calories. Also, in this day and age, you want a drink to serve that can be offered with or without alcohol…as we have done below. During the summer months a favorite of ours is to create mixed drinks with fresh fruit. The fresh fruit punches up the flavor and keeps the calories and carbs down since very little or no added sugar is necessary. Here we offer a Watermelon Margarita, originally from a @CookingLight recipe, that has both an alcoholic and non-alcoholic version.

Celebratory Watermelon Margarita

 

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons sugar (optional: for the rim of the glass)
• 1 lime wedge (optional: for the rim of the glass)
• 3 ½ cups cubed seeded watermelon
• ½ cup tequila or coconut water (*nav)
• 2 tablespoons sugar or honey
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon Triple Sec (orange-flavored liqueur) or fresh orange juice (*nav)
• Lime wedges or watermelon balls (optional)

*non-alcoholic version

Directions

1. Place 2 teaspoons sugar in a saucer. Rub the rims of 6 glasses with 1 lime wedge; spin rim of each glass in sugar to coat. Set prepared glasses aside. If you prefer not to use the sugar, then rim the glass with the lime only.

2. Combine watermelon and next 4 ingredients (through Triple Sec) in a blender; process until smooth. Fill each prepared glass with 1/2 cup crushed ice. Add 1/2 cup margarita to each glass. Garnish with lime wedges or melon balls, if desired.

Tip

If you own Livliga Aveq glassware use our beautiful beverage glass to make the drink even more festive and to make measuring that much easier by using the etched fill lines for your amounts.



Nutrition Facts

Serves 6. Serving size: 4 ounces. Calories: 105 for alcoholic version; fat 0.2g; poly fat 0.1g; protein 0.6g; carbohydrates 14.1g; fiber 0.4g; iron 0.2mg; sodium 1mg; calcium 7mg. 

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Monday Motivational Meal

Looking for something cool and refreshing that can help reenergize you? Try out this Thirst Quenching Cantaloupe Frappé ...served up perfectly portioned in our Aveq Beverage Glass, of course! Hmmm...

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Mocktails! Part of the New Alcohol-Free & Sober Curious Trend…Recipes Included!

Have you heard about the new #SoberCurious Trend? Yes, it is for real. More and more people are choosing to go alcohol-free…at least for a period of time. Even Dr. Jennifer Ashton on Good Morning America chose to go alcohol-free for the month of January.

So what is the root of this Sober Curious movement? Like so many things in life, it is about living a healthier lifestyle. It is also about choice…our choice…to choose when and if we want to drink alcohol.

For many of us, especially those of us who want and need to be mindful of what we consume, we already know how alcohol influences us. There can be a whole lot of calories in alcoholic beverages. Those calories can add up quickly when you are having a night on the town or having a special celebration. Alcohol can also lower our inhibitions so we end up throwing care to the wind and drinking way more than is good for our mind and body! And for those who have had bariatric surgery, alcohol can be truly dangerous and toxic, affecting blood sugar levels and possibly triggering alcoholic addiction.

Giving up alcohol or choosing to moderate your consumption doesn’t mean you have to give up parties, having friends over, or enjoying a Friday night libation after work. Now it is easy to find non-alcoholic alternatives at bars. In fact, there are even sober free bars cropping up around the country that only serve non-alcoholic beverages.

There are so many delicious drinks you can enjoy alcohol-free. They can be easy to prepare and calorie-conscious. My husband and I have enjoyed developing our own versions of mocktails that are ridiculously tasty and terrifically refreshing. Below are some of our favorites. Try them, enjoy them, and get inspired to create your own mocktail concoctions!

• Cranberry Lemonade Mocktail
• Cranberry Lime Spritzer
• Grapefruit Mint Mixer
• Muddled Strawberry Cooler
• Watermelon Lemonade Mocktail

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Fun Summer Mocktails—Fresh, Quenching and Healthy!

Just about everything is better in the summer. It’s all because of the fresh ingredients that are available. This includes the tasty and thirst quenching concoctions we can create. The good news is that mocktails are in. You don’t need to consume alcohol to get in the party mood, sip a sexy drink, or share a memorable experience as part of your summer fun.

Balance is the key. If you do want to add alcohol to these drinks that is easy to do. The main point is you don’t have to. Recent research conducted by Cambridge University found that the people who consume more than one drink a day face greater risks of dying from any cause than those who drink less. Very light drinking seemed to have a small protective effect against non-fatal heart attacks. But drinking above 100 grams a week also kicked off much higher risk of stroke, heart failure, fatal aortic aneurysm, and disease from high blood pressure that could cancel out the benefits from lower heart attack risks. The challenge is to find a way to choose whether we want to drink alcohol, when we want to consume it, and how much we really want to imbibe.

Using fresh herbs, juices, sparkling waters and muddling of fresh fruits are a great way to concoct you own favorite summer mocktails. The combinations are honestly limitless. And it can be a great element of a party to provide a variety of ingredients and have your guests “build their own” unique versions. Or if you want everyone to share in the memory of a special mocktail you can mix it ahead and serve it up in a punch bowl or pitcher. You decide. Remember to include the garnishes to make the special drinks gorgeous to behold.

Three Fun Hand-Crafted Mocktails for Any Occasion

Cranberry Lime Spritzer

Ingredients

• ⅛ cup 100% cranberry juice
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• ¼ teaspoon lime zest
• 3 drops Sweet Leaf—Sweet Drops
• 6 ounces sparkling water
• Garnish: slice of lime placed on the rim of the glass or on top of the drink.

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Stir to blend.
3. Add crushed ice.
4. Pour sparkling water up to the fill line (8 ounces).
5. Add garnish.

Tips

1. Use the ⅛ cup LivSpoon for easy measuring when making this drink.
2. Want it sweeter? Substitute diet 7-Up for the sparkling water and skip the Sweet Drops.
3. Serve it up in Livliga’s Aveq beverage glass.

Serves: 1     Serving size: 8 ounces

Calories per serving: 21     Fat: .03g     Sodium: 51mg     Carbs: 5.28g     Protein: .1g

Grapefruit Mint Mixer

Ingredients

• ⅛ cup grapefruit juice juice
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• ¼ teaspoon orange zest
• 6 ounces sparkling water
• 1 teaspoon muddled mint
• Garnish: sprig of mint tucked in the side of the glass

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Stir to blend.
3. Add crushed ice.
4. Pour sparkling water up to the fill line (8 ounces).
5. Add garnish.

Tips

1. Use the ⅛ cup LivSpoon for easy measuring when making this drink.
2. Want it sweeter? Substitute diet 7-Up for the sparkling water and skip the Sweet Drops.
3. Serve it up in Livliga’s Aveq beverage glass.

Serves: 1     Serving size: 8 ounces

Calories per serving: 19     Fat: .03g     Sodium: 50mg     Carbs: 4.77g     Protein: .26g

Muddled Strawberry Cooler

Ingredients

• ⅛ cup lemon juice
• 3 muddled strawberries
• ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
• 6 ounces sparkling water
• Garnish: whole strawberry with top placed on the rim of the glass or on top of the drink.

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Stir to blend.
3. Add crushed ice.
4. Pour sparkling water up to the fill line (8 ounces).
5. Add garnish.

Tips

1. Use the ⅛ cup LivSpoon for easy measuring when making this drink.
2. Want it sweeter? Substitute diet 7-Up for the sparkling water and skip the Sweet Drops.
3. Serve it up in Livliga’s Aveq beverage glass.

Serves: 1     Serving size: 8 ounces

Calories per serving: 20   Fat: 0g     Sodium: 50mg      Carbs: 5.41g     Protein: .31g


For More Drink Ideas: 

Rosemary Tequila Lime Smash
Watermelon Lemonade
Cantaloupe Frappe
Cranberry Lemonade Cocktail



Healthy Lifestyle Tip: Looking for a way to serve up refreshing drinks in right-sized glasses? Check out Livliga's stylish Aveq Drinking Glasses! Portion control never looked so good…or plentiful!

#sobercurious

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8 Great Tips for Right Sizing Your Food Environment

Our eyes make all the decisions about the food we eat. That is why our food environment has such a profound effect on us, and the decisions we make about the food we eat. Brian Wansink, Ph.D., former director of the brand and food lab at Cornell University, has shown us the power of our food environment on our decision-making through his research. From his research we see there are ways we can be mindful in how we set up our environment for long-term success. Not surprisingly, much of what is recommended makes a lot of sense--common sense. Below are 8 great tips for right sizing your food environment to help you live a healthier lifestyle and sustain it long term.

1. Choose colors in your kitchen and where you eat that are calming and non-triggering. Think about color in the kitchen and where you eat. Color influences our mood. It is important that we pay attention to the colors we use in our lives, especially around food. Think blues and greens rather than reds and oranges.

2. Trim down your dinnerware. Assess the size of your tableware. Measure your bowls and plates. Dinner plates should not be larger than 10 inches. More importantly the well of the plate should not be larger that 7 inches. All plates should have rims. Bowls should hold no more than 14 ounces. Ideally you want a bowl just large enough to accommodate 1½ cups for servings of foods like soup, pasta and certain cereals with milk. (Check out Livliga dinnerware for what right-sized looks like.)

3. Make the first thing you see in your kitchen something healthy. Studies show we tend to pick the first thing we see so strategically placing a healthy food will help us choose better. A bowl of fruit is an easy visual that is also visually appealing. This is also true in your refrigerator…put the healthy foods in the front of each shelf.

4. Drink out of glassware that makes measuring 8 ounces easy. If we drink out of a large glass we are going to drink large amounts of whatever beverage is in our glass. This might not be an issue if it is water but the problem is we use the same glass for everything we drink. Our eyes automatically adjust to whatever size we live with. If we use large glasses we will over serve ourselves every time. Right sizing our glassware allows us to right size what we consume and gives our eyes an ability to adjust to right-sized servings. (Click here to see what right-sized glassware looks like.)

5. Hide trigger foods and make them difficult to get to. We make over 200 decisions a day about the food we eat. A lot of those decisions are about what we will or won’t eat. Most of the time it is about resisting tempting foods we see. Hide them from our visual field and you don’t have to keep looping that decision making to resist eating something we really don’t want to eat. “Out of sight, out of mind” is true.

6. Serve food away from the table where you eat. It is easier and psychologically helpful to serve up in the kitchen. Foods sitting on the table while you eat are too accessible and trigger us to think we want seconds. Put as much food as possible away as you are serving up, or portion it into storage containers, so it is ready for another meal for another time and not visible from your table.

7. Set an attractive table and sit down to eat. Attractiveness has a powerful affect on our sense of satisfaction. Placemats frame your plate allowing the plate and the food on it to look attractive and appealing. Setting the table and sitting down to eat both help us be mindful that we are eating a meal. We can enjoy the moment and process of eating which contributes to our sense of feeling full and satisfied at the end of a meal.

8. Scale down your food. Bring smaller amounts into your house and repackage your food into 1, 2 or 4 servings before putting it away so it fits with how your are preparing and serving your food.

Download Our Free eBook:
The Science & Psychology Behind the Plate

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Mighty-Making Green Monkey Smoothie -- a Kid-Friendly Recipe

Green Monkeys LOVE vegetables!

This smoothie is a great way to drink your vegetables! It is so packed with good nutrition you’ll be ready to zoom around on your bike or climb on monkey bars! 

Serves 2  

Ingredients~ 

1 cup cold water 

¼ cup finger carrots 

4 leaves of green kale, leaves peeled off 

1 cup cucumber, skin on, cut into big chunks 

1 cup (or one small) Granny Smith apple, cut into big chunks 

2 tablespoons instant sugar-free banana cream pudding (such as Jell-O) 

1 packet (or ¼  teaspoon) stevia 

1 cup crushed ice 

Directions~ 

1. Add water then each ingredient one at a time into a blender with its top on and the center hole open.  

2. Add crushed ice lat once all other ingredients are mixed together. 

3. Serve immediately. Divide evenly for 2- 8 ounce servings or 1-16 ounce serving.

 To make smoothie drinking even more fun and enjoyable for kids check out the Kidliga Sammie & Sax dish set that is all about making healthy eating for kids a natural way of life.

SEPTEMBER KIDLIGA SPECIAL PRICING TO HELP KIDS LIVE HEALTHY

Help us double our impact on childhood obesity. During September, all month long, as part of raising awareness for National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month we are offering our Kidliga children’s dishware at a significant savings ($29.99 instead of $59.95/comes with an award winning book) and each time you buy a set of Kidliga we are donating a set to a child participating in a healthy lifestyle and nutrition program. This way each time you buy  you are doubling the number of kids you are helping live a healthy life.

Help Us Help Kids Live Healthy!

#NCOAM

#Kidliga

#CCHLN

#healthykids

#childhoodobesityawareness
#Livliga 
#LiveVibrant 
#Kidfriendly
#SpecialPricing
#HelpUsHelpKidsLiveHealthy

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Drinks- Rosemary Tequila Lime Smash

This Rosemary Tequila Lime Smash is savory and satisfying in the Livliga Aveq perfectly portioned glass (photo by LivligaHome).

There is nothing better in the summer than serving up a thirst quenching, packed full of healthy herbs, savory concoction, which satisfies a variety of senses.  Smash drinks are fun to make because you smash herbs with a fruit juice and alcohol to release their flavors and aroma. A delicious way to make a seasonal summer drink that will cool your palette and refresh your spirit.

Rosemary Tequila Lime Smash

Ingredients~

1.5 ounces tequila (1 jigger)

1 sprig rosemary

6 mint leaves

2 basil leaves

⅓ cup lime juice

⅔ cup Canada Dry ginger ale 10

Ice

Directions~

1. Place all ingredients, except ginger ale, into a mortar and smash together with the pestle  (alternately put in a bowl and smash with a wooden spoon).

2. Put smashed ingredients in a shaker or jar with top. Add ginger ale and shake well.

3. Strain into a Livliga right-sized Aveq beverage glass. Add ice. Garnish with rosemary.

Serves 1. Easily scalable to any number. Calories per serving: 126 .

Looking for a way to serve up refreshing drinks in right-sized glasses? Check out Livliga’s elegant portion control dinnerware! Portion control never looked so good…or plentiful! 

Enjoy! And Live Vibrant! 

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Summer Drink — Cantaloupe Frappé

Cantaloupe Frappe 
(photo by LivligaHome)

There is nothing better in the summer than serving up a thirst quenching, healthy drink. There are a lot of versions of smoothies out there, but sometimes you want something a little lighter to drink. My Cantaloupe Frappé is a cool concoction that fits this need. It is lighter, smoother and has a wonderful mild fruit flavor. It makes for a perfect seasonal summer drink that will cool your palette and refresh your spirit.

Cantaloupe Frappé

Ingredients~

¼ cantaloupe, seeded and coarsely chopped (about 1½ cups)

½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt, plain

1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

2 tablespoons orange juice

4 squirts sugar-free vanilla syrup (Torani)

1 cup crushed ice

3 sprigs of mint for garnish

Directions~

1. Place all ingredients, except the mint, in a blender.  Blend until smooth and frothy.

2.  Pour blended ingredients in 3 Livliga Right-sized Aveq Beverage Glasses. Garnish with mint.

Serves 3. Serving size 8 ounces. Calories per serving: 91.

Looking for a way to serve up refreshing drinks in right-sized glasses? Check out Livliga’s elegant portion control dinnerware! Portion control never looked so good…or plentiful!



Enjoy! And Live Vibrant!  

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Changing Routines and Rituals—Smoothies with a Movie

We now enjoy a new habit, which has become a “look forward to” routine
 of “Smoothies and a Movie”. The smoothie is in a tall Livliga glass 
(photo by LivligaHome).

 

Many people have asked me how I came up with my popular new routine we call Smoothies with a Movie at our home. Here is the journey I took to change habits and embrace a new ritual.

Why is it we do things that are detrimental to our health? I have been fascinated by my inability to stop myself from eating food that is not good for me or from stopping eating before I finish that big bag of potato chips. What is it about us that we are losing the battle of the every increasing bulge?

The biggest challenge we all have in life is embracing change, particularly when it comes to our eating habits. Old habits do diehard. Creating new, healthier and more desirable habits is the key to our success. When we are tired or need to retreat to comfort those new habits need to be the ones we do automatically, not the old, detrimental habits. How do we do that? Deliberately and repeatedly. New habits need to become routine and ritualized. That is how we succeed in embracing change. Through constructing new habits, routines and traditions (rituals) that support our desired change we will succeed in living a healthier lifestyle.

Surveying the times and places I tend to go “AWOL” with food I decided to see how I might change my eating habits around those occasions.  The first one I wanted to work on was the way I eat when I watch movies. It is always the same; we buy a big bucket of popcorn, the super-sized drink and 2 boxes of candy. I shutter at the amount of calories we consume while watching one movie. It is at least 2500 calories. Half of that is 1200 calories, basically the calories for one day’s worth of food for me. And that is only if I eat half of what we buy. Truthfully, I probably eat more. At home I typically grab whatever bag of snacks is around to sit in front of the TV and eat anything from chips to cookies to a snack mix.

For years I have tried to eat less without success. It was too easy to go back to the larger sizes. I realized I needed to change up the whole habit. Since we watch more movies at home on the weekends, I decided to tackle creating a new habit at home.

The State of Slim Mile-High Protein Smoothie has become a true treat for me. It is so satisfying and it doesn’t trigger my need for more munchies. We now enjoy the new habit, which has become a “look forward to” routine of “Smoothies with a Movie”. Everyone likes the fun of it. You can now hear somebody asking “Hey, can we have Smoothies and a Movie tonight?” That is the sign we are headed towards a new great, healthy and repeatable tradition.

Here is our favorite Smoothie (with a Livliga flair) recipe for watching movies:

PB2 Chocolate Hazelnut Smoothie

Ingredients-
1 cup chilled fat-free milk
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
2 tablespoons chocolate PB2
2 teaspoons sugar-free hazelnut syrup (like Torani)
1 cup ice (cubes or crushed)

Directions-
1. Pour the milk into a blender.
2. Add the protein powder, PB2 and syrup to the milk. Blend completely.
3. Add ice and blend to the consistency you prefer.
4. Pour into a tall glass.
Tip: Make sure to add a straw so you can sip instead of gulp the smoothie, allowing you to enjoy it longer while watching the movie.
For a fruit-based smoothie, try out this recipe from my blog- Fruit Smoothie.

Looking for a way to serve up refreshing drinks in right-sized glasses? Check out Livliga’s elegant portion control dinnerware! Portion control never looked so good…or plentiful!

Enjoy! And Live Vibrant! 

Article originally posted on Sheila's Blog in TheEpochTimes.com.

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Chai Tea is an Ancient Remedy and Great Reboot for Our Health

Chai Tea is an Ancient Remedy

Chai Tea is an ancient remedy and great reboot for our health. Something we particularly need around very stressful times, like the holidays. It is an ancient beverage dating back to 2737 BC. Chai is the generic term for “tea” in Hindi. Its tradition can be found both in China and India.

It has always been promoted as having both medicinal as well as spiritual healing powers. It is not only the black tea that is found to be beneficial because of its antioxidants but it is also the many spices used to create the unique flavor of chai tea that give a boost to our health. Some common spices used are cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, ginger and anise. In combination these spices boost our metabolism, wake up our immune system and generally promote our body’s well being.

Today when we talk about the health benefits of chai tea as those that reduce cancer risk (cinnamon and cardamom).  It prevents colds (ginger) and fights diabetes. It is known to boost our energy and our immune system. It reduces the effects of PMS and bloating. The list goes on.

Perhaps one of the best ways chai tea helps us is to allow us a quiet moment to regroup and reboot in the midst of a busy day. There is nothing better for our mental health than taking a moment for ourselves to enjoy a cup of chai, breath and reflect on what we enjoy. Five minutes is all it has to take. Longer can only be better.

Many of the store bought and pre-made chai teas can be packed full of calories from fat and sugar. The way around that is to make your own. Making it at home also allows you to spice the tea in a way you like best. You can easily make it in batches to enjoy for several days. That way it is not very time consuming. Because of the spices, the flavor only gets richer.

Here is a recipe for Chai Tea that is flavorful and lower in calories:

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups water
• 7 cardamom pods, crushed
• 6 whole cloves
• 4 white peppercorns
• 1 (½-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken
• 1 cup low-fat (1%) milk
• 1 tablespoon black tea leaves (such as Darjeeling or Assam)
• ⅛ cup honey

Directions

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil.
2. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Add milk and tea; simmer for 3 minutes (do not boil).
3. Strain through a fine sieve into a small bowl or pitcher; discard solids. Add honey to tea mixture, stirring until blended.
4. Pour into mugs and serve.

Yield 2 one-cup servings. Calories 143.

Enjoy! And Live Vibrant!

Re-posted from Sheila's Blog on TheEpochTimes.com.

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Celebrate Summer Holidays with Watermelon Lemonade!

Watermelon Lemonade @livligahome

Holidays are fun times to add something new to your menu. It is also a great time to enjoy using the best the season has to offer in its fruits and vegetables. It is an easy way to make your table look appealing and taste delicious.

This summer, as my go-to holiday mocktail, I plan on serving a watermelon lemonade. Watermelon is a summertime staple in our house. And now that there are smaller, seedless versions it makes serving up favorites to a smaller crowd that much easier.

Here is my Watermelon Lemonade recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups mashed watermelon pulp, sieved or use seedless
• 1 cup lemon juice, about 2 lemons
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup ice cubes
• 6 sprigs of mint
• 2 tbsp honey 

Instructions:

1. Juice lemons
2. Mash watermelon (fun activity for the kids) or puree in a blender
3. Mix all juices together
4. Add honey 
5. Pour into glasses
6. Add ice cubes and 1 mint sprig per glass

Serves 6. Calories per 8 ounce serving: 46


Healthy Lifestyle Tip: Looking for a way to serve up refreshing drinks in right-sized glasses? Check out Livliga's stylish Aveq Drinking Glasses! Portion control never looked so good…or plentiful!


#sobercurious

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Cranberry-Lemonade Mocktail With Livliga Flair

Refreshing Cranberry-Lemonade in a Livliga Beverage Glass (photo by LivligaHome)

This is a refreshing drink which is ideal for summer and a great alternative to alcohol all year long.

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cranberry juice
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Stevia, or to taste
Sparkling Mineral Water
Ice
Sprig of mint (optional)

Directions
Use a 10 oz. Tom Collins glass and place the cranberry juice, lemon juice and Stevia in the bottom of the glass. Slowly pour in the sparkling water (i.e., S. Pellegrino or Perrier) and fill the glass about 2/3rds full. You need to pour slowly because the Stevia causes the liquid to foam at first. Add ice to fill to the top. Garnish with a spring of mint.

Healthy Lifestyle Tip: Looking for a way to serve up refreshing drinks in right-sized glasses? Check out Livliga's stylish Aveq Drinking Glasses! Portion control never looked so good…or plentiful!

#sobercurious

Enjoy! And Live Vibrant!

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Livliga Fruit Smoothie

Tasty Fruit Smoothie in an Attractive Livliga Beverage Glass 
(photo by LivligaHome)

This Fruit Smoothie is something we started consuming when we were on the Fat Flush Diet - Fat Flush Plan. We drink it almost every morning as part of our daily routine. Here is our modified version-

Ingredients
1 Cup frozen fruit (i.e., pineapple, mango, cherry, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, peach, banana)
1 serving whey protein powder (i.e., French Vanilla Designer Whey or Whole Foods 365)
1 Cup/ 8 oz. cranberry water*
¼ tsp. Stevia, or to taste
1 tablespoon Flaxseed oil
½ cup crushed ice

Directions
To make the *Cranberry Water you need to buy pure, unsweetened Cranberry Juice. Make sure to check the label to avoid buying a cranberry juice sweetened with sugar or other juices. Knudsen makes an unsweetened cranberry juice that can be bought at Safeway. Use a 32 oz. jar/bottle (can be an empty juice bottle) and pour 4 oz. of cranberry juice in the bottom. Fill the bottle full with water. Use for Long Life Cocktails and Smoothies as directed.
 
For the Fruit Smoothie combine any variety of frozen fruit together to make 1 Cup of fruit. Place the fruit and all other ingredients in a blender. Mix until rich and creamy. Serve with a straw.

If you want your smoothie thicker, add ½ cup of ice and blend with other ingredients until smooth.

If you want your smoothie thinner, add up to ½ cup water until you arrive at your desired consistency. Blend completely.

To add a twist of flavor include ½ teaspoon fresh crushed mint or a dash of ground ginger to any smoothie.

Calories: 235

Looking for a way to serve up refreshing drinks in right-sized glasses? Check out Livliga’s elegant portion control dinnerware! Portion control never looked so good…or plentiful!


Enjoy! And Live Vibrant! 

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