Sparkling Refreshment!

I love water. I love looking at it, swimming in it, throwing it at my children (when they aren’t expecting it on a hot day, as we play in the yard), and drinking it. I am one of those annoying restaurant customers that can drink a pitcher or two of water without even thinking about it–especially when I have to sit and wait.

When I was a teenager, I started paying attention to the food around me and the importance of making healthy decisions. I decided to eliminate soft drinks from my diet. I wasn’t really that much of a soda drinker, but corn syrup, artificial flavors, and caffeine were things I decided to avoid. Now, almost 20 years later, I’m still happy without them but I do enjoy a fizzy drink on occasion. Sparkling water has become one of my favorite refreshment indulgences.

Unsweetened, carbonated water with a hint of flavor, like LaCroix and Perrier, are anything but boring water. I’ll be honest…if you’re used to syrupy-sweet typical soft drinks, you may be a little surprised by the flavor and fizziness of carbonated water; but they are also wonderful to enjoy with fresh fruit, or even to mix with your favorite drink (like juice, lemonade, tea, or sangria) to give it a little sparkle without adding guilty calories. I like these drinks straight out of the can, but sometimes I make a special drink like the raspberry lemonade below.

If you’d like to give sparkling water a try and save money, click here to go to a coupon link. At the moment, they have coupons for LaCroix (in some zip codes–28513 works) and Perrier in others (32258); both work wonderfully for the recipe below, as does the Truvia (coupon also available).

Fresh Raspberries

Raspberry Lemonade

• 2 Raspberry lemons (see below)
• 2 packets of Stevia or 2 TBSP simple syrup (or more if desired)
• Fresh squeezed Juice of 2 lemons
• 2 cans bottled sparkling water (can be flavored if you choose: raspberry, lemon, lime)
• ice

Place raspberry lemons and ice in two glasses, dividing equally. In a small pitcher combine the sweetener, juice, and sparkling water; stir to combine. Pour into iced glasses and enjoy.

Snack or Drink Garnish

Raspberry Lemons

• The shell of 1 juiced lemon, cut in two halves
• 1/4 cup fresh raspberries
• 2 TBSP granulated sugar

After juicing a bunch of lemons for a recipe, I didn’t want to throw away the beautiful shells of their rinds that were left over. I pulled out the remaining fibers and filled the resulting cup with a paste of fresh raspberries mixed with a little sugar. I keep these in my freezer and add them when I need something extra to flavor or garnish a drink. Just drop one in, like a decorative ice cube, and you are set.