Cool Beverages to Enjoy

Lately, I’ve had the opportunity to try out different beverages.  Coffee was the main ingredient in a few, and tea another.  These can be found in the grocery store and packed into your lunch back or back pack for a drink on the go or at work.  I stuck a couple of these in my cooler to enjoy during a road trip and also brought them to lunch at work and we also keep them in the fridge at home.  I love soda, but I’m trying to stay away from the really sugary sweet stuff, even my coffee drinks aren’t as sweet as they used to be.

TeaZazz – This is a semi-new sparkling iced tea though TeaZazz has been around on the west coast since 2006. We really enjoyed this pleasant blend of tea (black or green), fruit flavors and carbonation.  TeaZazz is a refreshing change from tea and flavored waters, with a light bit of fizz and without the High Fructose Corn Syrup.  There are only 25 calories in a serving of TeaZazz which makes it a delicious low calorie drink. The Green Tea with Mint was my favorite while my husband liked the Green Tea with Lemon. You can also choose Original Tea or Peach Tea , all are carbonated and all are tasty.  The bottle is 20 convenient ounces, large enough to share, but small enough to carry in for your work lunch.

The only draw back is that it isn’t local for me and has limited store availability .  However, that is not too big of a problem because you can order a case online – shipping is included in the price.  If you register online, they’ll keep you updated so that you’ll know when it shows up in your area.  

 

Adina Drink No Evil Coffee Energy Drink – First off, besides being delicious it is made with fair trade organic coffee a big plus in my book.  Also it is packed with natural antioxidants (one can contains the equivalent of 4 servings of fruit) and Drink No Evil contains Guarana for a natural energy pick up. Drink No Evil has organic NO fat milk and evaporated cane juice.  My favorite flavor Drink No Evil is Caramel Kick.  I love that it has a really nice caramel taste, but isn’t too sweet.  All of the others were just as great and I loved them all.  I shared the mocha with my husband because that’s usually his favorite coffee drink, and he agreed.  I took the others on the trip with me – the Double Xxpresso, Hazelnut Hookup and Vanilla Nut Case – a very nice slightly spicy nutty vanilla drink .  They stored away nicely in the cooler and were a perfect pick me up on my long drive.   You should be able to find Adina Drink No Evil Coffee Energy Drinks in Whole Foods Markets.  I haven’t found them in other stores yet, but hopefully it will be there soon.  I’ve asked at my local place a couple of times hoping to push the issue.  Adina’s other beverages look just as cool.

Shock Coffee – This is a new coffee drink my husband found.  He liked it so much he ordered a case of the mocha and a case of the latte online, since we can’t find it nearby. (These aren’t organic though like the Drink No Evil). This is another really good tasting lightly sweetened coffee. Shock coffee contains 50 percent more coffee than the other brands, so if you want to stay awake, this might help.  I like this question under the faqs.

• Q. Is Shock Coffee available in decaf?
• A. Exactly what part of hyper-caffeinated didn’t you understand

 

Caribou Coffee – Iced Coffee Drinks – This is the drink we pick up most often because it’s convenient and easy to find.  While Drink No Evil is my first choice, Caribou Coffee comes in close.  It’s lightly sweet with a nice coffee flavor.  It comes in Vanilla, Regular and Espresso.  Espresso is our favorite of the three. Here’s Deb’s review from a while ago.

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Hood Eggnog: Perfect for Your Holiday Celebration

 

I had the privilege of receiving some Hood’s Eggnog to try out with my family recently. Let me tell you, this isn’t your grandma’s eggnog. Hood’s comes in a variety of festive flavors including Pumpkin, Sugar Cookie, Cinnamon and Gingerbread. If those just don’t scream “winter holiday” I don’t know what does!

My family and I enjoyed the pumpkin. Spicy and flavorful, it’s fine by itself or with a shot of rum for that extra something – something. A word of caution though, your six year old might find it a little too spicy for his pallate. Warmed in the microwave with the aforementioned rum and topped with whip cream, it becomes the perfect adult movie-watching treat on a chilly rainy night.

I froze some of the eggnog to take with me to my Mom’s house for the holidays. This eggnog begs to be shared with others and I intend to do so…and I won’t forget the rum!

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Dunkin Donuts Coffee vs. Starbucks Coffee

 

I’m a simple girl. I don’t spend much money on myself and it doesn’t take much to make me happy. My favorite times are spent hiking on the weekends with my family or having a movie or reading night at home. So when I received a case of Dunkin Donuts packaged coffee in the mail it was a real treat. You see, Dunkin Donuts is my favorite coffee ever. It’s like Christmas came early.

So just after receiving my case of packaged coffee (Two giant thumbs up for the Cinnamon Spice, by the way) I saw a commercial about how more people prefer the taste of Dunkin Donuts coffee to that of Starbucks. It took me less than 30 seconds to agree. Now, don’t get me wrong because I do love me some white chocolate mocha, and I actually spend more time at Starbucks because it’s closer, but if I had to choose, it would be Dunkin Donuts all the way.

I remember when I lived in my first apartment in Middle Village, Queens, NYC (this was in the mid to late 80’s). There was a Dunkin Donuts a little more than half mile away on Woodhaven Boulevard. Every Sunday I would pick up a newspaper a couple of large Dunkin Donuts coffee, and a warm, freshly baked bagel or roll from the bakery across the street from my apartment. Now that’s comfort food. Read more

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Halloween Party Cocktail Recipes

 

These recipes comes to us courtesy of our friends at Brown-Forman:

Finlandia Vampire Juice
In a tall glass with ice mix:
2 oz Finlandia Lime Vodka
4 oz tomato juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh horseradish
Splash of steak sauce (any brand)
Splash of hot sauce
Garnish with eye ball radish

The Finlandia Vampire Juice is not only good for fending off the undead, but it makes for a great tailgate cocktail this football season. But, if the Finlandia Vampire Juice does not satisfy your inner vampire, then try the Vampire Martini made with Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur.

Vampire Martini
1 ½ oz. Finlandia Vodka, chilled
1 ½ oz Korbel Champagne
¾ oz part Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur
Rim the glass with red sugar (use food coloring) or drop in a set of wax vampire teeth for a real surprise.
Pour vodka and half of the Chambord in a martini glass, top with Champagne and pour the remaining Chambord over the back of a spoon to make it float. If you want a drink that is sure to appeal to your coven, try the Chambord Candy Apple Martini. This cocktail is neat, sweet and guaranteed to make you move your feet.

Chambord Candy Apple Martini
1 oz Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur
1 oz Finlandia Vodka
3/4 oz apple schnapps
Splash of Tuaca Liqueur
Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a martini glass.
Rim the glass with caramel and garnish with an apple slice. Read more

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Halloween Recipes: Bloody Good Punch

 

Muah ha ha! This recipe for Bloody Good Punch comes to us courtesy of Noble Juices. We approve of Noble Juices and are happy to pimp them here because they’re a green business and because they don’t put any funny stuff into their juices. The Blood Orange is perfect for a Halloween punch.

Bloody Good Punch

12 oz Frozen Unsweetened Raspberries, thawed
1 3/4 cup Blood Orange Juice
12 oz Unsweetened Pineapple Juice, chilled
48 oz Diet Ginger Ale, chilled
1 Medium Blood Orange, thinly sliced (optional)

Mash raspberries; strain, reserving juice and discarding seeds. Before serving, combine raspberry juice, orange juice and pineapple juice in punch bowl. Stir in ginger ale. Garnish with orange slices, if desired. Serves 8 – 10.

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What I’m Digging and Giving Away: Hansen’s Natural Sparkling Sleek Sodas

I wouldn’t tell you I’m digging a product if it isn’t true. Sometimes though, a product comes along that I enjoy so much I don’t know if "What I’m Digging" is enthusiastic enough. When I tell you I’m truly digging Hansen’s Natural Sparkling Sleek Sodas, take my word for it, this is good stuff.

Hansen’s Sparkling Sleek Sodas are made from sparkling water and natural fruit juice flavors. It’s very light and refreshing without being overly sweet and syrupy. In fact, it’s sweetened with pure cane sugar and there’s no high fructose stuff or chemicals or words you can’t pronounce – except maybe pomegranate. I’m always having trouble with that word.

The flavors are unique as well: Blueberry Pomegranate, Cranberry Grapefruit, Dragonfruit and Valencia Orange. Oh and the best part? 90 Calories,baby! And if carbs aren’t you’re thing, you can get a sugar free version.

This is a light, sophisticated and refreshing beverage.  Check out the video review and then read on to see how you can win a four pack of Hansen’s Natural Sparkling Sleek:

Read more

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What I’m Digging: Caribou Iced Coffee

I love Iced Coffees and Frappacinos and Coolatas and other cups of sweet, frosty coffied goodness. Here’s the thing though, many of these products are overly sweet and very fattening. That’s why I was so pleasantly surprised after sampling Caribou Iced Coffees. They were light, not too sweet and low in calories. So I can have my guilty pleasure without actually feeling guilty. Thus, total pleasure no guilt.

Caribou Iced Coffee comes in three different varieties, Regular Iced Coffee, Iced Coffee with Espresso and Vanilla Iced Coffee. Each ranged from 100 to 140 calories per bottle, with maybe a gram and a half each. And speaking of bottles, here’s something else I liked. The bottle is made of lightweight aluminum instead of glass. I can put one in my purse and it’s not very heavy.

True iced coffee and frappy-type drink lovers might find the Caribou Iced Coffee a little too light for their tests. I’m not one of them. I appreciate it’s lightness, because it has less sugar and other stuff the flavor of the delicious Caribou coffee comes through.

For more information, do visit the Caribou Coffee website.

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