DAY 110 Friday Favorites

 Hello Journal,

Thanksgiving is in the bag, and it went smoothly. Easier than I had anticipated. I decided ahead of time what was "worth it" on which to spend my calorie budget, and only ate what I really wanted. The day was nice... quiet and peaceful, and not a smidge of guilt over eating everything that wasn't nailed down... because that didn't happen this year. I totally enjoyed my sugarfree homemade punky pie, with a small dollop of whipped cream on top. Yummers!

Today I'd like to do another Friday Favorites having to do with water. Actually... an easy, fast and tasty way to flavor water. I have a hard time drinking plain water, but if it has even a subtle hint of flavor, I'm good to go.

My all time favorite "instant water flavoring" is a line of flavored liquid stevia made by SweetLeaf. I have almost all the flavors, and love them all. But my absolute first choice is Grape. The flavors come in little 2 oz bottles with an eyedropper in them, so you just grab it from the fridge, give a quick squeeze into your glass, plop in ice and water, and you have a lovely refreshing drink.

The bottle I'm looking at right now is Vanilla Creme. It says it is "All natural, zero calories". You can also use them to flavor sparkling water, milk, tea, coffee, yogurt, etc etc.

I rarely drink regular diet soda now, and then only if it doesn't contain aspartame. And the natural brands of diet soda are expensive. So this is a nice alternative.

Oh, and since I love Cream Soda, here is my version of one, using flavored liquid stevia:

-Fill a 16 oz cup about 3/4 full of ice.

-Fill almost up with seltzer water.

-Add a dropperful or two (I like two, but you adjust to taste) of Vanilla Creme Liquid Stevia.

-You can stir and drink as is, or if you can spare the calories and want a Deluxe Vanilla Cream Soda, you can add a splash of milk or half & half, maybe a tablespoon, or to taste.

It turns the drink into a scrumptious treat!

They comes in several flavors:

Grape

Root Beer

English Toffee

Vanilla Creme

Chocolate Raspberry

Valencia Orange

Lemon Drop

Peppermint

Hazelnut

Apricot Nectar

Cinnamon

They seem expensive at first glance... $14.99 per bottle from the maker. But it is VERY concentrated, and will last a long time. I buy one or two at a time whenever I buy other stuff from places around the web, or from a local natural foods store. The first time I bought some, I chose a sampler pack, to discover which ones I liked best. (The prices on Amazon are cheaper, but be sure to check into the shipping charges)

Advantages: 

Tastes great

Saves me money from not buying sodas

Makes me enjoy my flavored water, so that I DRINK more water

Has a variety of flavors, so I don't get bored

Is almost an "instant" drink

All natural, no chemicals or funny aftertaste

By the way, to those who have tried stevia and say it's bitter or has an aftertaste... I have used stevia for over 10 years. Whenever I hear this and ask them, it is almost always caused by one of two things: 

--they used too much stevia (it truly is incredibly concentrated) 

--OR they bought a cheap off brand that really DOES tasted icky

I promise you this SweetLeaf brand is NOT icky! It is most definitely yummy.

And no, I am not a shareholder, am not an employee, and do not get kickbacks for endorsing it. I just LOVE the stuff... it is one of my Favorite Things.

Link to individual flavors (here).

Or, their specials (here).

From Dr Phil's book: "I believe that what works in your life works because you make it work. You succeed because you make the right choices, you choose the right attitude, and you enact the right behavior to generate the right results."

My verse for today: "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."

My quote for today: "It is essential to our well-being, and to our lives, that we play and enjoy life. Every single day do something that makes your heart sing." --Marcia Wieder

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=