Cleaning Up My Act ~ Beverage Edition

New Year, New Me?  Not quite. Let’s face it, most of us set unattainable goals every New Year and the drive to accomplish them fizzles out soon after The New Year rolls around. I have never been the kind of person who does well being told I CAN’T have something, especially when it comes to food or cocktails. Because of this reason I stopped setting over-the-top health goals years ago (this is clearly obvious). I felt like there was so much pressure to succeed and I was just setting myself up for disappointment. Now that I’m getting older I do have a renewed desire to FEEL better and if looking better is a result of trying to feel better, then great. I have been taking time to assess what I actual eat and drink on a daily basis and decided make to small adjustments to being more healthy.

This week I decided to take a look at what I drink. I have found that the two beverages I drink the most (besides water) are coffee and of course cocktails. I looked for ways to make adjustments to make both of these a bit healthier.

Let’s start with my morning coffee. I have become addicted to Starbucks. I order several different drinks and each one of those drinks are loaded with sugar, not to mention the expense. I decided to clean up my coffee act by learning to make cold Brew Coffee at home. I also learned to freeze Cubes made out of coffee to add flavor and dimension to my regular morning cup.

I brewed my standard cold Brew using using Aspire French Roast Coffee.  I place about 1/2 cup of grounds in a jar, cover it with cold water and let it steep over night in the fridge.  In the morning I simply pour the coffee through a paper towel covered strainer into another jar.  I use this coffee to make cold brew cubes,  and to the cubes I added different flavors like cinnamon and nutmeg. These not only add flavor but also have anti-inflammatory benefits as well!  When its time for my morning cup I use the cubes AND the Cold Brewed Coffee, I also added a small splash of my favorite coffee creamer, but alterna-milks can also be used.

I like to use these Solo Cup clear plastic cups because it gives me the coffee-house experience without the coffeehouse cost. In addition, I am really bad about remembering to bring my coffee cup home from work and then I’m back at the Starbucks wasting money and calories. These solo cups are reuseable and recyclable. If you forget one somewhere, no harm no foul.

Next, I decided to also give my cocktails a health makeover.  I made three drinks using fresh fruit, herbs and healthier mixers like Kombucha.  Check out what I came up with!

Screwdriver

1 Part Vodka

4 Parts Fresh Squeezed Oranges

1/2 Orange Sliced

1 Splash of water or seltzer

• Place all ingredients in a shaker, shake well and pour over ice

Vodka & Basil Lemonade

1 Part Vodka

4 Parts Fresh Squeezed Lemons

6 to 8 Basil Leaves

1 Part Water

• Place all ingredients in a shaker, shake well and pour over ice.

Booch Hooch

1 Part Vodka

6 to 8 Blackberries

2 Parts of your favorite Kombucha Flavor

(I used Ginger Pear Kombucha I bought at Aldi)

• Muddle the Blackberries with the Vodka
• Add Ice
• Fill the Rest of The Glass with Kombucha

I used Solo Clear Cups so that I could showcase the beautiful colors of these drinks and they just make everyday feel like a party! The Kombucha can also be very strong and can sometimes leave a residual smell in cups, so the fact that these solo cups are recycleable make them even more convenient.

I think that making small changes in your routines can make a positive impact on your overall health. Starting with changing up your drinking routine is a great start to the New Year. These drinks will reduce you sugar intake, plus save you money! Using Solo Cups will also help you with clean up and spending money on take out coffee.  I look forward to coming up with more positive changes to my diet!

Happy Eating and Drinking!

*This blog post was sponosred by Solo Cup, however all opinions are my own.