Clara's Mint Juleps

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Warning: These are so good, you might drink half your drink before taking a picture. 

My cousin is the cocktail queen. 

When we got together a few weeks ago on Derby Day, I charged her with making Mint Juleps. It doesn't matter if this girl has made a drink before or not, she will figure it out and make it amazing.

Repeat after me: All hail the queen.

And, as I mentioned in my post about that weekend, she came through with flying colors. Since then, a few readers have asked me for the recipe.

I recently found a large amount of fresh mint growing in my new backyard (thanks, previous owners!), so there is really no excuse to not throw together a mint julep on a hot afternoon. Thanks, Clara!

Clara's Mint Juleps

Ingredients:

• 5 medium sized mint leaves
• 1 tablespoon sugar in the raw of sugar substitute, or 3 drops of liquid stevia
• Squeeze of lime
• Ice
• Splash seltzer water

Directions:

1. In an empty glass of choice (I put mine in the freezer for a few hours to make it frosty), muddle 5 medium sized mint leaves with 1 teaspoon of sugar in the raw, sugar substitute, or 3 drops of liquid stevia, and a squeeze of lime. 
2. Add ice.
3. Pour 1-2 shots of bourbon over ice.
4. Pour into a shaker and shake, then pour all ingredients back into glass and top with seltzer water.

"Kitchen Sink" Long Island Iced Tea

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This may resemble a Long Island Iced Tea in look and taste, but the ingredient list is much more forgiving. You see, when I received some Iced Tea flavors in the mail from Tradewinds, I was determined to whip up something that was delicious and familiar. But, I was tired of finding cocktail recipes that required specific ingredients that I never have on hand.

What ever happened to kitchen sink drinks? Throw in everything but the kitchen sink, they say. A little of this, a little of that, times that by two or three, and voila. You've got yourself a cocktail.

"Kitchen Sink" Long Island Iced Tea

Note: 

• While there is no specific ingredient list you must use for this cocktail, there are a few guidelines to follow so that your flavors turn out well balanced and... well... appetizing.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Iced Tea. I used Tradewinds Iced Tea, and I combined sweet and unsweet, at a ratio of about 1:3 (meaning a bit more unsweet than sweet, because I was trying not to load this baby with sugar). Feel free to adjust as you see fit!
• 1 oz Citrus. I used lemon juice, but feel free to use anything you have on hand. Fresh lemon, lime, or orange? Squeeze that baby! Have some "Real Lemon" on hand? I'm not judging. That works!
• 1 - 1.5 oz White Liquor. I used Bacardi white rum because, you guessed it, I had it on hand. Also great would be Vodka or Blanco Tequila!
• 1 - 1.5 oz Brown Liquor. I used Fireball Whiskey, which I cannot recommend enough due to its ability to add a cinnamon taste to the tea. That said, other great contenders include unflavored Whiskey, Dark Rum, and Bourbon.
• .75 oz (1/2 shot) Sweet Liqueur. Any liqueur that has been sweetened with a fruity flavor will work here! I used Triple Sec, but Chambord would be delicious, too!
• Sweetener, to taste (Optional). I added 4 drops of NuNaturals Liquid Stevia, but you could also either opt out of this or add a half ounce of simple syrup or a half packet of sugar.
  
   

Directions:

1. Set a highball glass aside. Use a second glass and fill with ice, then add ingredients above.
   
   
   
2. Pour into your highball glass and serve plain or with a straw!
   
    

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Do you have any favorite "kitchen sink" foods and drinks? I love kitchen sink salads! They are such a great way to use up any produce you are worried you won't be able to finish. Throw it in there!
• Do you have a favorite drink of summer? I used to love Chardonnay as a summer beverage, but last summer I was totally into Effen Cucumber and anything cucumber/lime/mint flavored was my summer jam! Check out this Effen Cucumber Mint Martini if you're jonesin' for one right now!

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!

Protein Honey Cheesecake

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My Dearest Readers,

I am writing to let you know that I think you deserve the best. We're talking the absolute best. No cheap imitation, no dishonest fakery, nothing that pretends to be one thing and turns out to be another. Just the pure, honest to goodness, delectable best.

I think you deserve to eat something that is utterly delicious. You deserve to drool over the mere thought of such a sweet, tasty bite... and then, you deserve to consume it.

You also deserve to have all of these things without feeling guilty. After all, where is the beauty in consuming something so deeply gratifying, only to be left with regrets? I contend that it would be much more beautiful to ditch the guilt in favor of satisfaction. Contentment. Joy. Thankfulness.

And so, I made you this cheesecake. So that you can not only indulge your senses and give in to temptation... but feel proud of it. That's right. I said proud. You can eat this for breakfast to start your day out with a butt kicking of protein. You can eat it after a workout to repair your muscles. You can eat it day and night without feeling guilty, because you're not consuming empty, sugary calories.

It's just plain good.

Love,

Carly

Protein Honey Cheesecake

Adapted From: Blogilates (Her recipe includes berries - head on over and check it out if you'd like!)

Prep Time: <5 Minutes

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Total Time: <25 Minutes

Ingredients for Cheesecake:

• 1 cup 0% Fat, Plain Greek Yogurt (Oikos, Chobani, or Fage will all work, among others. I tried out Oikos for this recipe)
• 2 tbsp Low Fat Cottage cheese (I used 1% milk fat)
• 1 tbsp Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 2 Whole Eggs
• 1/4 Cup Vanilla Whey
• 1/4 Cup Stevia

Indredients for Crust:

• 6 pitted Prunes
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds (they break up faster than whole ones)

Directions:

1. If making a crust, combine prunes and almonds in a food processor and blend until they form a rough gravel. If you don't have a food processor, you can finely chop the prunes and break up the slivered almonds with your hands into tiny pieces and then mix well with your hands. Then, distribute crust into a greased cupcake pan and press down to make it a compact layer.
2. Combine all cake ingredients in a blender and blend for about 20 seconds or until smooth. 
3. Pour the mixture into the cupcake pan (if you included a crust, you'll pour this over that), filling to about 3/4 full. This mixture will not rise the same way a real cupcake would.
4. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.

Notes:

• Blogilates includes a recipe for the crust. While I did make a few of these with crust, I contend that it's not particularly necessary. They're just as delicious without the crust. That said, I did modify the crust recipe to make it slightly lower calorie. It's a very thin crust that pretty much only serves to add just the tiniest bit of crunch.

Homemade Coffee Syrup with Truvia (Zero Calories!)

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I love coffee. I'm pretty sure my brain doesn't turn on until cup 2. There's also a Starbucks in my building... which is a blessing... and a curse. When I found myself ordering a skinny mocha latte, I often felt disappointed afterwards because it meant I'd just consumed about 115 calories (and it honestly made me just too full if I drank it right after lunch, when I really "need" it). Those liquid calories will sneak up on ya, folks. And if a tall (smallest size) skinny (their lower calorie version) latte is at least 100 calories, I shudder to imagine what their larger, non-"skinny" drinks ring in at.

Then, I discovered this little combination! I'll grab an iced, unsweetened cup of black coffee from Starbucks (or make it with the lunchroom Keurig) and squirt in a bit of my very own homemade coffee syrup (which I put in a travel size shampoo container from Walgreen's). Ahh. Refreshment. Deliciousness. Love.

Other skinny recipes: Skinny Egg McMuffins, 25 Calorie 3-ingredient Chips, Skinny Spinach and Asparagus Dip, Grilled Eggplant Nachos, Skinny Fries

Homemade Vanilla Coffee Syrup

Calories: ZERO
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Notes: This recipe is made with Truvia, a zero-calorie natural sweetener. If you're not worried about calories, feel free to substitute regular granulated sugar for this recipe. Splenda works too, but I generally choose to avoid it because I prefer not to ingest something so highly chemical in nature, whenever possible.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Water
• 1 cup Truvia (or other Stevia product. Sugar and Splenda will both work as well, but the nutritional values will be different).
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1. Bring water and Truvia to a boil on the stove.
2. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Stir in Vanilla Extract, then remove from heat and spoon or pour into containers (such as a travel-size shampoo container from Walgreen's). Refrigerate between uses.