Strawberry Lime Spritzer

You know those summer days when it's so freakin' hot out you feel like you just might melt?! Today is  the third day in a row that's threatening record temperatures and humidity that is through the roof. You know it's bad when you get out of the shower and start sweating before you even start to put your make up on. I think it's pretty safe to declare this week the first "bad hair" week of summer. Hello frizz...how you doin'??

via Pinterest via Deb Ford Moreland

We have a really old house that doesn't have any duct work, so no central air for us. We do have a heavy duty stand up one that hooks into our window though, but no matter how high we run the A/C, our house just can't seem to get rid of the ickiness that comes with such crazy humidity.  I've been more motivated than ever to get up bright and early to do my workouts before work just so I can get ready for work at the gym instead of at home :) 

Normally, I would say that this is the perfect beer drinkin' kinda day, but I'd like to stay away from anything that's laden with calories, so I decided to recreate one of my favourite non-alcoholic drinks instead. Have you ever had a Strawberry Limeade from Sonic? Sadly, there are no Sonics in Canada (or in Ontario at least), so I always try to make a pit stop for some tater tots and a limeade whenever I'm visiting the fam.  Last week my mom & I stopped on the way to the airport for breakfast. Strawberry limeade, tater tots and cheddar poppers --- oh my --- what a meal!!

Strawberry limeades are soooo good and the one I had last week got me thinking about how easy it would be to create my own verison at home. It turned out to be pretty fabulous -- the perfect summer bevie when you're looking for something that's a little 'fancied up' without the booze. I used sparkling water instead of a sugary soda, so it tastes more like a spritzer, but a little Truvia (stevia) helped to sweeten it up perfectly. Strawberries are in season right now and they were so perfect in this, but you could also buy some frozen strawberries to keep on hand and they would work  as well.

Strawberry Lime Spritzer
Makes 1

4 - 6 strawberries, stemmed & chopped

3 - 4 thin slices of lime

lime flavoured sparkling spring water

1 - 2 tsp Truvia (or stevia) --- sugar would also work in a pinch

Using a fork, mash your chopped strawberries.

Place in a glass. Add 2 - 3 lime wedges and then pour in your sparkling water. I added the Truvia at the end and gave it a little stir...be careful, mine foamed up and overflowed a wee bit! Add more Truvia to your desired sweetness.  Use additional lime slices & strawberries to garnish.

Strawberries with stems --- too cute!

Oops! Watch out for spillage.

Yummm....

Whoa baby

*Note: Make this up about 15 - 20 minutes before serving. I found the flavours of the limes and strawberries came through much better after soaking for a bit*

I give you the bomb-digity of summer bevies!

Do you have a favourite restaurant that you like to visit when you're on vacation?

What's your favourite summertime drink ~ alcholic nor non?

Have a great Thursday & stay cool my friends,

Andrea
xoxo

Strawberry Blueberry Oat Muffins

Isn't funny how the weekends fly by so fast when the weekdays drag by so slowly?!? I can't believe the weekend is already halfway over ~ I was so busy cleaning up dog poop in my backyard (I can't even begin to describe the amount of doggie doo that has been uncovered  now that the snow has vanished) and cleaning off muddy dog paws, that this day just flew by! Oh, and I can't forget that I met with a trainer and got a weight program set up at the gym. I am so excited to see the results over the next few months!

I'm on my own tonight and I'm planning on an early morning trip to the gym, so I thought I would spend some time tonight making a delicious and healthy breakfast that both Derek & I can enjoy.

I bought a huge container of strawberries at the grocery store last weekend for the awesome price of $2.50. I couldn't pass them up! I've munched away on them this week, but I still had a bunch left and they were starting to look a little sad & wilted. I haven't had much bread in the past 3 weeks and it is something I've been craving since I started the cleanse. I did splurge and buy wheat-free, gluten-free brown rice tortillas, but I couldn't bring myself to pay between $6 & $7 for a loaf of bread. Now that I'm done the cleanse I wanted to find a delicious and healthy recipe to satisfy my craving and this recipe certainly fits the bill.

Strawberry Blueberry Oat Muffins
Adapted from Strawberry Oat Muffins by Healthy Food for Living

1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
3/4 c oats
1/4 c wheat germ
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 heaping tsp cinnamon
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c strawberries, pureed
1/2 c almond milk (any type of milk would work)
1/2 c maple syrup
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg (a chia or flax egg would probably work)
1/2 c strawberries, finely chopped
1/2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

Heat oven to 350. Prepare a pan of 12 muffin cups.

Combine first 7 ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl.

Add the next 7 ingredients into a larger mixing bowl and combine.

Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until the dry ingredients are moistened.

Fold in the strawberries & blueberries.

Pour the muffin batter equally between the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 16 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean after being inserted into one of the muffins. Cool on a wire rack.

At this point, it might be hard not to try one, but trust me those blueberries are packing some serious heat and we don't want any burnt tongues now, do we??

Serve your muffins and enjoy. Tastes best (in my humble opinion) when smothered with delicious Earth Balance and served with a side of fresh fruit.

These muffins are delicious. They're not too sweet and having muffins full of fresh berries in mid-March is just completely awesome if you ask me!!

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend so far! Tomorrow I have absolutely NO plans after I hit the gym in the morning - that is so rare & so wonderful. I am looking forward to a great day!!

Do you have a favourite muffin that you just love to bake?

What is your definition of the perfect Sunday?

Andrea