Can you believe that Christmas came and went already? Yeah … me neither. With all the New Year’s Resolutions that probably (for most of us) have already been broken, I made one that is a winner–drink more and get healthyish. But, Susie, how is that a thing? Sit back and let me throw some learning your way.
Here are two things helping me through my resolution:
I learned that sparkling wine … is healthy.
To begin, sparkling wine kicks the other wines’ butts ringing in around 80-90 calories per glass. The other guys? Closer to 110-300. See … we’re already on the way!
Even better, (at least for me) the bubbles seem to make me drink sparkling wine a little slower than non-bubbly booze. And, even if I’m drinking slower, sparkling seems to make me feel a little boozy sooner than other drinks. (Is that just me?) So, two more reasons that may I consume less!
Working out CAN be fun.
As I’ve learned, there are fun ways to get your steps and reps in. While I love to run alone to clear my head, I have recently become a fan of buddy workouts; they motivate you and keep you accountable. (Oh, and you have someone to grab a smoothie with after sweatin’.)
If you need a few, quick workouts to get you started, check out Melissa Rountree’s fitness tips on the #DrinkingwithSusie feature we did together.
I have also been enjoying Camp Gladiator, which is a butt-kicking workout, but the high-energy, friendly instructors keep you motivated and moving, so it flies by. Find one of their super convenient classes (a ton of places and even more class times) and then email me for a referral to knock some $$$ off. 😉
So, before popping out to the millions of random shindigs that happen in January (we thought we were done with the holiday parties, but housewarmings, baby showers, girl’s nights … geez), grab a totally totable split of your favorite sparkling (like my little bottle of Segura Viudas Brut Cava). That way, with all your hard work, you’ll not only look great, but you’ll feel great by starting the night on a healthy note.
If your resolution was to be more generous or a better friend, take a whole bottle to share! Then you’ll look like you’re not only a baller, but then you can tell them how healthy it is for them and you’ll look like you care … like, a lot. (And don’t forget to deck your bottle out with a tag like this one by Southern Fried Paper!)
If you’re really into the healthy cocktails (believe me, they’re out there), adding a couple of carefully chosen ingredients may help in other ways. I enjoy this cocktail because adding ginger and lemon have health benefits of their own. Ginger is a natural nausea and indigestion remedy and lemon is jam packed with vitamins.
LIGHT(EN) UP THE NIGHT
1oz vodka
1/2oz lavender simple syrup
1/2 oz ginger liqueur
1/2 oz lemon juice
Segura Viudas Brut Cava
Add first four ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into a coupe (or any martini-style glass) and top with Segura Viudas Brut Cava. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Around my home lately, I’ve been favorite Segura Vuidas Brut Cava, which happens to pair well with autumnal flavors thanks to its slightly spicy notes. My favorite pairing? Just about anything pumpkin, which happens to be super healthy, too! I got a little crazy this holiday and kept making the pumpkin bread below and gave them to neighbors with the little splits in the picture above. BEST.NEIGHBOR.EVER.
PUMPKIN BREAD
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Preheat oven to 350º. Combine ingredients with mixer and pour into two prepared (greased) loaf pans. (Makes two medium loaves or four smaller loaves.)
So, let’s tackle this year and get healthy-ish with a little help from our favorite sparkling wine and the buddy system!
SEGURA VIUDAS CAVA
seguraviudasusa.com
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
#OpenUpCava #SeguraViudas
***Special thanks to Segura Viudas for sponsoring this post.***