Tag Archives: cocktails

TY KU Alcohol Offers More Options to Calorie Conscious Drinkers

By Kelsey Murray

Everyone knows that a Happy Hour with friends can quickly become a diet-buster. With fried appetizers, sugary mixers, and high-calorie alcohols, you can end up consuming a lot more calories than you had planned on. For example, did you know that a typical mixed drink can contain more than 500 calories in a small 4-ounce serving? That’s a diet buster if I’ve ever heard of one.

So, what can you do to lower your total caloric intake while still enjoying the occasional cocktail? For a long time, people have tried tricks such as using diet soda or sparkling water as their mixers or limiting how many drinks and finger-foods they consume. Recently, Skinny Girl Margaritas and Budweiser’s Select 55 hit the scene and calorie-conscious drinkers rejoiced. However, there still was not a lot of low-calorie alcoholic drinks. Luckily, there is now another option hitting liquor stores for those who want to sip up but not ruin their weight loss goals.

TY KU is a liquor brand that has long been concerned with creating healthier liquors by using all natural ingredients and ancient Japanese distillation and brewing techniques. They have now released a low-calorie line of liquors that contain about half of the calories of other brands and come in several varieties.

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Posted on September 9, 2024 by Health Buzz

Health Buzz: Make the Most of Summer’s Final Weeks

In this week’s Health Buzz, learn how to stay fit while you beat the heat and enjoy what’s left of this blazing hot summer.

With stories from Shape, SheKnows, MomGenerations, and our team, you’ll learn how to actually enjoy a swimming workout, how to finally fit yourself on the to-do list, make plans for your first 5K this fall, and get to the bottom of this whole raw food vs. cooked food argument (spoiler alert: it’s a bit of a tie!).

Plus, sip into one of the best recipes we’ve stumbled upon all summer – watermelon mojitos. In a popsicle. We’re loving Sugar And Charm for this one!

It’s all in this week’s Health Buzz! Click to watch it now.

See more Health Buzz episodes.

Posted on August 25, 2024 by Health Buzz

Summer Produce: What’s Up with Herbs?

With farmer’s markets across the country in full swing, you might be wondering how in the world you’re going to navigate the overflowing stands of fruits, vegetables and fresh herbs.

With more leafy greens than you can count and basil plants that seem to be bursting at the seams, how does a produce novice manage to take home fruits and veggies that will make it to your table and into your meals and snacks?

This week, we’re taking you through some of the herbs – popular and obscure – that you might encounter at your farmer’s market. Because fresh herbs sold at outdoor or indoor local markets are typically fresh and free of preservatives, you’ll need to use them pretty quickly.

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Posted on July 27, 2024 by Maris

Avoid Packing on the New Relationship Pounds

Dating – either as a single person or half of a committed couple – can make for a very exciting time. When you think of going on a date, most often you might envision dinner, maybe a movie, or coffee and dessert.

New relationships always seem to pack on the pounds. Many experts say it is because once you are comfortable, happy and secure in a relationship, you are not as diligent about your physical appearance. While in the beginning it is a nice feeling to be able to relax in a new and exciting relationship, a few months in, you may look in the mirror and wonder where all your hard work went.

Especially in the summer, dating can often involve activities and foods to keep your temperature down, but summer time dating doesn’t have to be a body buster. Instead of curling up with your cutie in a dark room, some ice cream and watching TV, here are some terrific summer date activities that will help you keep your cool, but won’t leave you running for a mu-mu to cover up your not quite ready for close up body.

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Posted on June 16, 2024 by Carmen

Lighter Tequila Cocktails for Your Cinco De Mayo Celebration

It’s no secret that cocktails can pack a ridiculously high amount of calories, especially on a day like Cinco de Mayo when you might be celebrating, and drinking more than one of your favorite margarita.

If you want to enjoy a cocktail or two or three (responsibly, of course – don’t forget a designated driver!) skip the sour mix, pass on bottled mixes that have sugar and potentially dangerous artificial dyes and put your bottle of tequila to good use with some of these lighter recipes. Use higher quality spirits, such as Partida Tequila or Camarena Tequila, so you won’t want to mask it’s flavor with sugar and high-fructose corn syrup.

With no garnish, salt or secondary liquor required, the alcohol and sugar content are lower than traditional margaritas by as much as 200 calories. Agave nectar, a natural fructose sweetener extracted from the blue agave plant, has a lower glycemic index rating than sugar, honey or maple syrup and readily dissolves in cold beverages so it blends effortlessly in cocktails.

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Posted on May 2, 2024 by Maris

Celebrate Cinco De Mayo with Healthier Mexican Fare

Cinco de Mayo, which many Americans know as an excuse to drink Coronas and eat guacamole, is a day that has a great deal of significance in Mexican history. The holiday commemorates the Mexican army’s unexpected victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

In Mexico, the day calls for great celebration, and Americans have adopted Cinco de Mayo as a celebration of Mexican culture that often centers itself around food and beverage. We all know that it can be difficult to stick to a diet or healthy lifestyle on holidays that revolve around salty snacks, cheese-drenched main dishes and caloric alcoholic beverages, so we put together a round-up of our favorite Mexican-style recipes for your own celebrations that won’t break your calorie bank.

This year, you can celebrate Cinco de Mayo without forsaking any of your cravings – or expanding your waistline.

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Posted on May 2, 2024 by Maris

Your Royal Wedding Watch Party Checklist

It seems the whole world is anxiously waiting for the upcoming royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. If you are one of the many planning a royal wedding watch party for your friends and family to witness the sure to be beautiful ceremony, make sure you have everything you need to throw the perfect royal wedding bash.

Thankfully, we have compiled a list of all the ingredients for a perfect royal wedding watch party that might get you talked about more than the wedding itself.

First off: the food. You can’t celebrate a royal English wedding without traditional English food. Check out our delicious list of Healthier Royal Wedding Watch Party Recipes for main dishes, side dishes and desserts that make you feel like you hopped the pond- without breaking your calorie bank.

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Posted on April 27, 2024 by Kelly

Royal Cocktails for Your Royal Wedding Watch Party

If you’re planning a cocktail party to celebrate the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29, you’ve probably already started thinking about your menu. If you’re planning on serving libations along with your canapes, think beyond champagne and get creative with some festive cocktails.

According to Serious Eats, brown ale used to be known as “the beer of the British masses” but if you want to avoid a royal beer belly this year, opt for a lower-calorie cocktail and save the brew for after swimsuit season. We tracked down two cocktail recipes from Grey Goose that include fresh, light spring flavors so you can sip without wrecking your diet.

Whether you are watching the procession from Buckingham Palace or the comfort of your own home, toast to the bride and groom with an elegant cocktail fit for royalty.

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Posted on April 14, 2024 by Maris

Slim Down Your Cocktails for Fat Tuesday

One of the key components to any Mardi Gras celebration is a great cocktail. Whether you’re celebrating in the Big Easy or not, you can keep the beverages flowing like wine – and you don’t even have to spend a day’s calories to do so.

In order to slim down your cocktails, avoid using bottled or powdered mixes, which tend to pack artificial ingredients, excess sugar and calories. Also, use fruit as a garnish whenever possible to sneak a few nutrients into your cocktail.

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Posted on March 7, 2024 by Maris

Healthier Super Bowl Eats for Green Bay Packers Fans

Wisconsin might be known for its cheese production but there is more to the Badger State than saturated fat. With the Green Bay Packers taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers in this weekend’s Super Bowl, waist watching Wisconsin fans are probably racking their brains to develop Super Bowl menus that don’t revolve around the words cheddar, Swiss and Roquefort.

Though cheese is certainly a staple in many game day dishes, you don’t have to go queso-crazy this week if you’re a Packers fan looking to pay homage to your favorite team. We did some digging and found a handful of recipes and snack suggestions to help you root for Aaron Rodgers and his clan without having to spend the rest of the week on a treadmill.

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Posted on February 3, 2024 by Maris

Throw a Healthy Tailgate Party

Fall and winter mean a lot of things, but amidst all the holiday talk we can’t forget about tailgate parties! The typical football-party fare is filled with calories but you can pull it all together and leave many of those calories behind! Don’t forget that when you make your own food, you control what goes into each recipe!

Chips and dip can be slimmed down with a few tricks.

  • When making dips, avoid using mayonnaise, cream cheese and sour cream. I like to substitute greek yogurt in my recipes and most people hardly know the difference. Guacamole, salsa, and hummus are all delicious, healthy and easy to make!
  • Serve your homemade dips with crudites instead of chips. Carrots, celery, cucumber, bell peppers and other crunchy veggies can be just as fun to dip and dunk!
  • If you’re surrounded by the vegetable-wary, just make sure you buy baked chips. Go one step further (and that much closer to healthy hors d’oeuvres) by making your own. Buy pita bread, cut it into small triangles, add some seasoning and bake them. It’s simple and you can control how much salt you add.

Alcohol plays a big part at football parties, but it also plays a big part in ruining diets.

  • Blue Moon is a good craft beer that’s relatively low in calories at only about 100 calories per serving.
  • Lime and orange slices go a long way to improve the taste of light beer.
  • Instead of using traditional mixers for cocktails, consider making your own and using less sugar. I found the simple combination of orange-flavored vodka mixed with some sparkling water and a Crystal Light packet to be surprisingly delicious.

Main courses pack a huge calorie-punch because of all the carbs and fats that are usually included. Instead of blowing your diet, keep in mind:

  • Anything made with beef (tacos, burgers, chili and steak) can be made with bison meat as a lower fat, higher protein option.
  • Turkey and tofu are also good alternatives. Turkey dogs, tofu dogs and low-sodium, nitrate-free hot dogs are all available at most grocery stores.
  • If your meal includes carbs such as rice, noodles, buns or rolls be sure you go for the 100% whole wheat options.

Some healthy tailgating recipes to try:

Turkey and Black Bean Chili

Italian Turkey Burgers

Jillian Michael’s Guacamole

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Apple Cinnamon Fruit Dip

Veggie Burgers

Easy Baked Beans

Posted on November 27, 2024 by Theresa