Valley Social: Yoga @ the Biltmore

Looking for an alternative to the typical Sunday morning church service? Refresh your spirit and balance your chi with Sunday yoga @ the Biltmore.

Hosted by Lululemon Athletica, this free weekly event takes place on the lawn in front of the store (see picture to the left) @ 1030a. Space is limited and it fills up fast so everyone is encouraged to arrive early to grab their spot.

Sunday's class will be hosted by instructor Laura Bleam, Owner of Sumits Yoga on Camelback.

Sushi and Champagne

Since revamping my diet I had not eaten out. A friends birthday was approaching and I was interested in seeing if I could rise to the occasion. My goal? Find a healthy way to enjoy my food, drinks and girlfriends without throwing my diet out of the window. I guess I shouldn't call it a "diet" because it's more of a permanent lifestyle change (not some get thin quick thing), but a "diet" in the sense of meaning "the food I eat".

Anyways, we headed to Stingray Sushi and my spirits were high because sushi is relatively healthy. AZ summer nights are still pretty hot (averaging in the 90s) so I was armed with my 1L bottle of Smart Water (a great way to stay hydrated, a bottle of water before you go out is highly recommended so you don't use alcohol to quench your thirst). I ordered my favorite Philly Roll (319 calories) and a mimosa (75 calories) and guess what? That was it!

I managed to have an enjoyable night out for less than 400 calories. I even shocked myself.

For anyone in the process of changing their eating habits, stay encouraged that you can still maintain your social life and keep your waistline in check.

Drink Smarter

The weekend is here and I wanted to share a few tips I found on how to reduce calories, enjoy responsibly and drink smarter:

1. Alternate alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks to save calories. It's also a good idea to start your night off with a glass of water so you can stay hydrated and not use cocktails to quench your thirst.

2. Choose wine, light beer, or simple cocktails made with low-calorie mixers. Mix cocktails with water, club soda, low calorie juices, artificial sweeteners or sugar-free syrups for easy calorie savings.

3. Skip the mixer altogether. Try ordering your favorite spirit or one of the new flavored liquors on the rocks.

4. Dilute your drink. Another option is diluting your drink with club soda or sparkling water. Wine spritzers are a low-calorie standby. And if you usually drink vodka and cranberry, for example, try it with club soda, just a splash of cranberry juice, and a squeeze of lime. Garnish with a wedge of citrus or pineapple to add flavor and few calories.

5. Have a game plan. Before you head out for a night on the town, determine how many drinks you're going to drink and stick to that. It's easy to get caught up in having a good time once you catch a buzz and drink more than you intended. If you're going to have 2 or 3 drinks, stick to that.

Mixologist

If you're someone that likes to add a personal touch to your BBQ's and weekend soirees, here are a few of my favorite summertime drinks (with a healthy spin) for you to try!

1. Lynchburg Lemonade

Lynchburg Lemonade is a great summer drink. Unfortunately, it is also loaded with sugar (standard recipes have up to 40 grams of sugar, between the soda, the sweet and sour mix, and the orange liqueur). This recipe has three grams of carb from the lemon and lime juices. It also has fewer than half the calories of standard recipes.

Ingredients:

• 1 jigger (1.5 oz or 3 tablespoons) Jack Daniels whiskey
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• a few drops of orange extract
• 1 cup diet lemon-lime soda (such as Sprite or 7up)

Preparation:

Pour ingredients into a glass. Add ice, and stir. Garnish with a slice of lemon.

Each serving has 3 grams effective carbohydrate and 107 calories.

2. Mojito

Mojitos are very refreshing, which makes them a great summer drink. The trickiest part of making a sugar-free Mojito is that sugar helps release the flavor from the mint (think of sugared strawberries and the juice that forms -- it's a similar thing). Special attention needs to be given to the "muddling" part -- really smash those mint leaves! Also, sugar alcohols (the best being erythritol) are much better than other sugar substitutes for releasing the mint. The cooling aspect of erythritol works really well in a mojito.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. (2 tablespoons) lime juice or lime wedges from about a third of a lime
• 8 mint leaves
• 1 heaping tablespoon erythritol or other sugar substitute equalling a tablespoon or sugar (see note above)
• 1 jigger (1½ oz.) white rum (nutritional analysis uses 80 proof)
• Club soda

Preparation:

1. Put mint, lime or lime juice, and sweetener into the bottom of a highball glass. "Muddle" by mashing ingredients together. Traditionally, a "muddler", which looks like a miniature wooden baseball bat, is used to accomplish this. However, the handle of a wooden spoon or spatula works fine.

2. Fill the glass about ¾ of the way with ice. Add the rum and top with club soda. Stir and enjoy.

Each serving has 2 grams effective carbohydrate and 103 calories.

3. Margarita

Margaritas tend to be very high in sugar. Traditional ones have Triple Sec or Cointreau, both orange liqueurs with 5 grams of carb per tablespoon (16 grams per jigger). Margaritas made with sweet and sour mix are usually worse, as 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of sweet and sour mix has at least 17 grams of sugar, and sometimes more.

Ingredients:

• 1 jigger (1.5 oz) tequila
• 2 Tablespoons (1 oz) lime juice - bottled more convenient, fresh tastes a lot better
• 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) water
• 1/4 teaspoon orange extract
• 1 Tablespoon's worth artificial sweetener (I like to use liquid, carb-free types)
• Ice - small handful
• Margarita salt or kosher salt

Preparation:

1. Wet the rim of the glass and dip into a small plate of salt.

2. Combine all ingredients. You can either serve it over ice (in Mexico I've usually been served it this way, but I can't say I've had extensive experience), or strained into the glass, or blended in a blender.

2 grams of carbohydrate using bottled lime juice, 2.5 for fresh.