Diet, Light and Sugar-Free

I have been struggling with the diet, light and sugar free-ness of it all.  I have been trying to cut down on the number of calories that I have been drinking away, but I am not loving the artificial taste of my new drink choices as I have been a diehard Dr. Pepper and Coke drinker.  Don't get me wrong, Diet Dr. Pepper is good, Crystal Light packs are always in my kitchen (avoid the ones sweetened with Truvia - blah!) and I have even tried the MiO Liquid Water Enhancer, but I can't see myself knocking any of those back long term.  This week, I switched to flavored iced tea and just limited how much sugar I used when I made the pitcher.  My co-worker suggested sweetening it with honey instead, which I was planning to try when I made another one.

I went to the grocery store and was about to pick up a few more flavors of tea when I saw the Lipton Peach Apricot Iced Black Tea To Go Packets.  Someone had already done the work for me and it was only 5 calories!  Thank you!

I got home and poured the mix into a bottle of cold water, started shaking it up to mix it and paused.  Why the heck does this stuff look so grainy?!?  Oh crap, I just wasted my money.  I picked up the box again and read, "Tea takes longer to dissolve so SHAKE WELL".  Oh.  All capital letters, huh?  I never have been good at reading all of the directions, lol!!  I continued to shake it up until everything dissolved, opened it up and took a small sip.  Hmm, not bad.  I took another sip.  Then another.  Well shoot, this is actually good!  While there was a little bit of aftertaste from the artificial sweetener (it still has some, honey or not), it was MUCH better than Crystal Light because of the tea flavor itself.  Finally!  I will definitely be purchasing the Black Currant Raspberry Black Tea To Go Packets.  They also have a Lemon Iced Black Tea and Blackberry Pomegranate, Strawberry Acai and Mango Pineapple Green Teas in to go packets.

Oh yeah...that big "5 calories" you see on the box?  That is for one serving or HALF of a bottle of water.  I found that out after I continued to read the information on the box.  Would it really have been that big of a deal to just put 10 calories on the box?  And tell your buddies at Crystal Light to do the same!

More information can be found here.

Do you like Starbucks?

I am not a coffee drinker.  I know that some people cannot make it through the day without a cup, but I do not have that problem.  I have had a nice latte from Starbucks on occasion (as in once a year), but I am definitely not a part of the diehard pack that must go there for a $4.00 cup on a regular basis.  However, I recently found myself to be the winner of a gift card from this lovely establishment as a door prize.  While everyone else was clapping as my name was called, and I stood and walked to the front of the room with a smile on my face, all I could think was, "What the heck am I going to do with this gift card?"  Regifting is always an option, but I decided to branch out a little bit and look up their menu online to see if they had any healthy options that I could enjoy.  I need to prepare before I find myself aimlessly wandering around the store asking for something like a Frappuchino, which I've never even had before.

Considering how often I have heard bad news about how unhealthy the menu is at Starbucks, I was surprised to see that they do offer lighter options for those who prefer it.  While they do have a 490 cal banana nut loaf and a 500 cal double chocolate chip frappuchino, I found a few options that I think I would like to try.  The beautiful photos put me a summertime frame of mind :-)

Petite Vanilla Bean Scone (140 cal) 

 A moist, bite-sized scone flavored with natural vanilla extract and real vanilla beans.

Deluxe Fruit Blend Salad (80 cal)

Medley of seasonal fruit. 

 

Peach Raspberry Yogurt Parfait (300 cal)

Peach-flavored yogurt, raspberry puree, peaches and crunchy granola.

 

Tazo Shaken Iced Passion Tea Lemonade (130 cal)

An infusion of hibiscus and natural tropical flavors, mixed with lemonade and hand-shaken with ice.

                                                            

Tazo Shaken Iced Passion Tea (80 cal)

An infusion of hibiscus and natural tropical flavors, mixed with lemonade and hand-shaken with ice.

 

Tazo Shaken Iced Green Tea Lemonade (130 cal)

Green tea and lemonade, lightly sweetened and hand-shaken with ice.

 

For more nutritional information:

Starbucks Drinks can be found here.

Starbucks Food can be found here.