TGIF NuNaturals Giveaway - 4 Winners!

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Happy Friday, folks! I, for one, am pretty darn thrilled that I made it through the week. We can all rejoice - because it's Friday! For some reason, I enjoy everything more on Friday, and even the biggest annoyances can't get to me. Can't touch this... TGIF.

Today's post is a double celebration. Not only am I celebrating my favorite day of the week (yes, I like Friday more than Saturday), but I'm also celebrating a GIVEAWAY!

NuNaturals is my new favorite thing. Not even kidding. I've got about 4 containers sitting out on my counter, two in my purse, and a shaker full of powder at my desk. When recently asked what my favorite item in my kitchen was, my fiance suggested, "Those container things you have a bunch of everywhere." Hmm... container things = NuNaturals. Completely natural and safe, ZERO-CALORIE flavor sweeteners that you can add to... well, just about anything.

THE SPOILS:
So what's the deal? Four - yes, FOUR! - of you will receive four bottles of NuNaturals, each :)

• (1) one bottle of Lemon Flavored Stevia Liquid
• (1) one bottle of Orange Flavored Stevia Liquid
• (1) one bottle of Peppermint Flavored Stevia Liquid
• AND (1) one bottle of their brand spankin' new Chocolate Flavored Stevia Liquid

HOW TO WIN:
There are 5 ways to win! Enter here...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are you wondering how you'd use them?
Thought you might wonder -- so I've been using them in posts and recipes for the past few months. You can also use them to substitute in anything that requires sugar or stevia - click here for my recipe page to check some of those recipes out!

Orange Whiskey BOKO Cocktail

1920s Champagne Punch

ThinMint Protein Shake

Chocolate Coconut Iced Coffee

Orange Whiskey BOKO Cocktail (Low-Cal and Sugar-Free)

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Happy Friday! It's official; we made it to the weekend. Breathe a sigh of relief in 3...2...1...

Friday might actually be one of my favorite days of the week, even though Saturday involves the most free time. There's so much potential for Fridays.

Especially on a day like today, when I have no plans. After a long and busy week, I'm pretty thrilled to be able to relax, work out, clean my apartment, and... well, whatever the heck my spirit leads me to do.

Thumbs up for Rock and Roll!

I made this cocktail recently. My fiance had poured himself some Maker's Mark on the rocks and sat down to sip it, and I wanted to play, too... but only kind of. So I made this. It's perfect for someone who appreciates the taste of whiskey... but only kind of (BOKO). I do like whiskey, but sometimes I just need to take the edge off of it - yes, even with a good batch like Marker's Mark (or our favorite Woodford Reserve).

Of all the flavors, one of my favorites to pair with whiskey is orange. Ever since trying a drink called the Barbed Wire Daisy at The Violet Hour, it's been my favorite combination. After experimenting with Orange Flavored NuNaturals in the 1920's Champagne Punch we served at our Speakeasy Party, I was dying to try it again.

This cocktail is very simple. Because, to be honest, I kind of think a drink with great whiskey in it should be simple.

Low Cal Orange Whiskey

Ingredients:

• Ice, half-way filling a short cocktail glass (Or a tall one, I guess, if you're brave)
• 10 drops Orange NuNaturals Flavored Liquid Stevia*
• 2-4 ounces Whiskey (I used Maker's Mark)
• Optional: A straw (My fiance would probably consider it a sin to drink whiskey from a straw. I, on the other hand, have no qualms about it)

Directions:

1. Fill a short cocktail glass half-way with ice.
2. Add Orange NuNaturals (or Orange/sugar combination - see below)
3. Add Whiskey
4. Stir or swirl! And drink!

Notes:

• Don't have Orange NuNaturals Flavored Liquid Stevia? Never fear! You can combine 1/2 tsp Orange Extract with 1 tsp sugar or stevia powder... or combine with orange zest!

1920s Champagne Punch (Speakeasy Party Part 3)

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Despite having a pretty full array of cocktail options at our Speakeasy party, we noticed that our guests were pounding the Champunch (Champagne + Punch = Champunch). 

At first, I thought this was the result of my frequent bragging that the punch was low sugar (I used NuNaturals and naturally sweet tea, see below). But, when I realized it was men and women alike who were pounding the punch, and I actually had to scramble to re-make a second batch to avoid a mutiny (ha), I figured something out:

This sh*t is actually just down right delicious.

On Saturday morning, I started googling around for 1920s Champagne Punch recipes. I didn't plan on legitimately following a recipe (what do you think I am, a grown up or something?), but I wanted to get an idea for what might be unique about punches during that era. The answer? Tea.

Every single 1920s recipe I found incorporated some sort of tea. So, with that in mind, I hit up my pantry in search of the most delicious tea. I have on hand four kinds: Green Tea, Mint Green Tea, Chamomile/Sleepy Time, and a Red Tea that is "Good for your skin." After about 30 seconds of contemplation with my cousin ("Do you want to be feeding people caffeinated tea at 12am?" or, really, "Do you want people staying alert and awake and thus staying at your apartment until breakfast?" I love my friends, but... no thanks), we opted for the non-caf Red Tea. It ended up being perfect because red tea is significantly sweeter than its bitter cousin, Green Tea, so it sweetened up the punch naturally.

We also added a few bottles of champagne, some white wine, rum, and some Orange-flavored NuNaturals, then topped it off with slices of oranges that we peeled to make the orange twists. In the end, we ended up with this delicious recipe:

1920s Speakeasy Champagne Punch

Ingredients:

• 3 peeled Oranges
• 3 cups Brewed Red Tea
• 1 bottle White Wine
• 1 cup Dark Rum
• 1/2 Tablespoon NuNaturals Orange (Can substitute with 1 tablespoon sugar/stevia and 1 tsp Orange extract, if absolutely necessary!)
• 1/2 Cup Rum
• 5 NuStevia Quick Dissolve Tabs (Can substitute with another tablespoon of sugar/stevia)
• 3 bottles Champagne

Directions:

1. Slice oranges horizontally (hold the orange so would naturally separate into vertical slices, then slice it the other way). Place in a bowl and put in the freezer as you prepare the rest.
2. In a large bowl, combine red tea, white wine, rum, and sweeteners (NuNaturals Orange and NuStevia, or sugars) and mix well.
3. Add Champagne and Orange slices just before serving (or before guests arrive).
4. We dumped about 5 cups of ice into the bowl, just to keep it nice and chilly!