Although this holiday season is coming to a close, you still have time to gather and celebrate the coming of the new year with friends and family. In order to help prevent the average weight gain of 5-7 pounds during Thanksgiving and New Year’s, Lehigh Valley Health Network has come up with 8 Healthy Holiday Drink Recipes that are just as tasty as their calorie-filled counterparts!
Holiday Coffee
1 cup skim milk (or soy milk)
4 oz. brewed coffee (can be decaffeinated or flavored coffee)
1 small banana
1 Tbsp. dark chocolate syrup
For iced coffee, 1 handful crushed ice
Put all ingredients in a blender. Blend for 1 minute. Pour into a warm mug or tall glass. Serve with peppermint or a cinnamon stick.
One 12-oz. serving, 190 calories
‘Skinny’ Eggnog
1 cup skim milk
¼ tsp. rum extract
Dash of ground cinnamon
Dash of ground nutmeg
Sugar substitute to taste
Pour ice-cold milk into a lidded container and shake vigorously. Add rum extract and sugar substitute and shake again. Pour into a tall glass, sprinkle with spices and add low-fat whipped topping, if desired.
One 8-oz. serving, 86 calories
Minty Hot Cocoa
2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1-2 packets sugar substitute (to desired sweetness)
Dash of salt
1 cup skim milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. peppermint extract
Mix cocoa, sugar substitute, and salt in a large mug. Heat milk in the microwave for 1 minute or until hot. Slowly add the hot milk to the cocoa mixture in the mug, stirring until well blended. Stir in vanilla and peppermint.
One 10-oz. serving, 102 calories
Cranberry-Apple Cider
4 cups cranberry-apple drink
1-2 packets sugar substitute (to desired sweetness)
¼ cup thawed frozen lemonade concentrate, undiluted
8 sticks cinnamon
½ tsp. whole cloves
¼ tsp. whole allspice
¼ cup light rum (if desired)
6 lemon wedges
Combine cranberry-apple drink, sugar substitute, and lemonade concentrate in a large saucepan. Tie 2 cinnamon sticks, cloves, and allspice in a cheesecloth bag and add to cranberry-apple drink mixture. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove mixture from heat and discard the spice bag. Stir in the rum. Garnish with lemon wedges and remaining cinnamon sticks.
Six 8-oz. servings, 48 calories each
Angel’s Wing
6 cups boiling water
1 ½ cups orange juice
6 tea bags
1 ½ cups pineapple juice
¹⁄³ cup sugar
1 unpeeled orange sliced
2 tbsp honey
Warm your crock-pot first with some hot tap water. Then pour boiling water over the tea bags in the crock-pot. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags. Stir in the sugar, honey, orange juice, pineapple juice, and orange slices.
Cover and heat on low for 2-3 hours; serve from the pot.
Jack Frost
2 oz pineapple juice
1 ½ oz cream
¼– ¾ oz coconut cream
¼ oz raspberry syrup
Shake well over ice cubes in a shaker. Strain into a large highball glass over crushed ice, add a pineapple chunk, and an amarelle cherry and serve.
Plum Pudding
2 oz red grape juice
1 oz lime juice
2 oz soda water
Pour into a highball glass filled with broken ice.
Santa Claus
46 oz pink grapefruit juice
12 oz raspberry juice
1 qt raspberry sherbet
2 liters ginger ale
Pour pink grapefruit juice and ginger ale into a punch bowl.
Add raspberry juice or 12 oz frozen raspberries (stir to thaw). Add sherbet and stir until melted.
These eight healthy holiday drink recipes are sure to please everyone at your gatherings, but please remember to be safe and drink responsibly. What holiday drinks do you make for your parties?
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