Cold, light and refreshing drinks are the perfect way to quench your summer thirst and fill your belly. But many of the traditional summertime drinks come packed with sugar and calories. If you are looking to lighten up your drinks this summer, here are some helpful tips. And if you’re looking for healthy recipes, we got them for you.
Tips for lightening up drinks
- Use more and /or larger ice cubes.
- Go easy on the sugar. Add sugar to taste, not necessarily according to the recipe.
- Use freshly squeezed juices.
- Use smaller glasses.
- Try some good lower-calorie drink options: red or white wine, wine spritzers and drinks made with seltzer or club soda.
- Steer clear of drinks that are really desserts (e.g., cream drinks).
1 Serving
3 ice cubes
1 1/2 fluid ounces (3 tablespoons) reposado tequila
3/4 fluid ounce (1 1/2 tablespoons) ginger liqueur, such as Canton
2 fluid ounces (1/4 cup) freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice
1 fluid ounce (2 tablespoons) fresh lime juice
3 (1/4-inch) slices fresh ginger root
Grapefruit rind for garnish
Put ice in a cocktail shaker or mixing glass. Add tequila, ginger liqueur, grapefruit juice, lime juice and ginger slices, and shake well until extremely chilled. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with the grapefruit rind. Serve and enjoy.
Calories per serving: 204
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nutrition articlesStrawberry-Banana Protein Smoothie
Recipe by editors at EatingWell magazine (May/June 2015) and The Eating Well Test Kitchen
2 of 9
1 Serving
1 cup hulled strawberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 medium banana
1/2 cup diced mango, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon natural nut butter, such as cashew or almond
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed (flaxmeal)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ice cubes or 1/2 cup water
Combine strawberries, banana, mango, yogurt, nut butter, flaxseed, vanilla and ice cubes (or water) in a blender. Puree until smooth.
Calories per serving: 359
Note: This drink is a meal replacement
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nutrition articlesHealthy Green Juice
Recipe provided by allrecipes.com, submitted by PageLeeNC 3 of 9
2 Servings
2 green apples, halved
4 stalks celery, leaves removed
1 cucumber
6 kale leaves
1/2 lemon, peeled
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger
Process green apples, celery, cucumber, kale, lemon and ginger through a juicer.
Calories per serving: 143
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nutrition articlesSam-neni
Recipe by Samantha Heller, author of The Only Cleanse: A 14-Day Natural Detox Plan to Jump-Start a Lifetime of Health (Countryman Press, 2015)
4 of 9
1 Serving
8 ounces sparkling wine
2 tablespoons pureed fresh or frozen strawberries
Combine sparkling wine and pureed strawberries.
You can skip the sparkling wine and add the pureed strawberries to seltzer for a delicious, non-alcoholic beverage.
Calories per serving: 100
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nutrition articlesRaspberry-Rosemary Martini (R ’n R)
Recipe from the culinary experts at Miraval Resort & Spa in Tucson, Ariz. 5 of 9
1 Serving
2 ounces Stolichnaya vodka
4-6 raspberries
Leaves from 1/2 a rosemary sprig
5 ounces ?Triple Sec
Lime juice
Splash of Cranberry Juice
3 raspberries or 1/2 rosemary sprig for garnish
Ice
Combine vodka, raspberries, and rosemary in a cocktail shaker. Muddle ingredients together, add ice. Add the triple sec, lime juice, cranberry and shake. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with raspberries or the other half of the rosemary sprig.
Calories per serving: 259
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nutrition articlesChocolate Lover's Martini
Recipe from DrinksMixer.com 6 of 9
1 Serving
1 1/2 ounces vodka
1 1/2 ounces Bailey's Irish cream
1 1/2 ounces white creme de cacao
1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
Pour all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice, then pour into martini glass.
Calories per serving: 468
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nutrition articlesVodka Collins
Recipe from DrinksMixer.com 7 of 9
1 Serving
2 ounces vodka
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
Carbonated water
Shake vodka, lemon juice and powdered sugar with ice and strain into a glass. Add several ice cubes, fill with carbonated water, and stir.
Calories per serving: 164
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nutrition articles
4 Servings
1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries (plus 4 whole berries for garnish)
2 tablespoons extra-fine sugar
2 slices peeled fresh ginger (each about the size of a quarter) chopped
1/3 cup vodka (or more to taste)
1 1/2 cups crushed ice
12 ounces chilled ginger beer
Place the chopped strawberries, sugar, ginger and vodka in a blender and pur?e until smooth, stopping the machine to scrape down the sides as needed .
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher. Add the ice and ginger beer to the pitcher and stir to combine. Divide the mixture among four glasses and garnish each serving with a strawberry. Serve immediately.
Calories per serving: 111
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