Friday, November 27, 2009

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
=^..^=




4 comments:

divad said...

Congrats on getting through Thanksgiving successfully! You have much to be thankful for!

Anonymous said...

wow I want to try those! I bought some liquid stevia about two years ago and it was awful, however it was not sweetleaf and it was flavored. Also I think all of these things have improved in taste since they very first came out.
I would love to try these!

Anonymous said...

oops i meant it was NOT flavored.

Glad you got through Thanksgiving unscathed! I am definitely scathed but looking forward to getting back to normal.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm. I just might give those a try! Thanks. And glad your Thanksgiving went well. Deb

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