Drink Booze + Stay Skinny?
I thought I’d start your Wednesday off with a dose of cuteness…
Moving on 🙂
I ran my 6 miles yesterday… it was rough. I think it was the humidity, combined with hills, combined with the jogging stroller. I had to stop and take a few breathers… which I’m totally okay with 🙂 I’m just saying… it was a tough run…
I was out of organic milk for M so I stopped by our local organic market and found this…
High Country Kombucha! I was drinking Synergy Kombucha until it was pulled from the shelves. Apparently, High Country is the first to complete the new labeling requirements which shows it has a lower alcohol content. I read that Synergy is suppose to be back on the shelves at the end of August. Yay! Both brands are still natural and raw. This was my first time drinking High Country. It was good, but not as good as Synergy. I missed the tanginess of Synergy and the fizz. High Country isn’t very fizzy. I’m interested to see if Synergy tastes the same as it did before… I hope so 🙂
About a week ago I was sent some Kerrygold Irish Butter to try out. Two pounds to be exact…
I’ve never tasted or cooked with Irish Butter before… so this was a first for me.
If you’re like me, you have no idea what the difference is between Irish Butter and regular butter.
Here’s the scoop:
Their cows are fed a year-round grass fed diet which produces very sweet, creamy milk. Their butter taste deliciously sweet and creamy! I had a little taste test at home and spread a piece of toast, half with Irish Butter, and the other half with Land O’Lakes Butter. There was a distinct difference in the two. The Irish Butter had a very rich taste.
I pondered on what to do with it…. since I hadn’t baked in ages, I thought I’d bake some good ole’ chocolate chip cookies.
I’ve always loved this particular recipe… it could just be mental… but I swear these tasted better! They were incredibly flakey and soft. You could taste the butter. Half a pound of Irish Butter went into this recipe.
Here’s what went into the cookies:
- 8 oz Kerrygold Irish Butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 18 oz (1.5 bags) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 360 degrees.
In a separate bowl, sift flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
In a mixer, beat together butter and both sugars for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat for additional two minutes. At low speed, slowly incorporate flour mixture. Mix until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
Drop by giant tablespoon full onto cookie sheet lined with silpat or parchment paper. Make sure cookies are at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 13 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Remove from oven. Let sit for 2 minutes, than carefully transfer cookies from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Enjoy 🙂
Drink Booze & Stay Skinny?
I love it when I read headlines like this. Drink alcohol and stay slim? Of course!?!! How could you not be intrigued by this…
A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that women who drank about one alcoholic beverage a day gained less weight over a 13 year period and were 30 percent less likely to become overweight and obese then nondrinkers.
Obviously, this doesn’t mean we should start to booze it up… we all know that drinking too much is not only unhealthy, but can lead us to the all night burrito bar 😉 The article suggests that maybe women who imbibe tend to eat less to compensate.
Here’s my two cents:
I’m all about having a night cap every now and again… but you all know I’m NOT a fan of counting calories. I do listen to my body, and I treat a cocktail like food. It never replaces food for me… but I do consider that fact that overdoing it is the same as overeating. I love having a glass of wine in the evening… and I think about that when planning my meal. The same rule goes when I eat out. My favorite drink of all time is a margarita. I can’t go to a mexican food restaurant and not order one. But I do know they are loaded with calories. I’m always mindful of what I order and how much I eat. Sometimes I finish my drink, sometimes I don’t. This study is saying the same thing we already know… those who eat and drink in moderation are more likely to maintain a healthy weight then those who consistently overindulge.
What about you? Do you find that you eat less when you drink?
I actually do eat less when I drink, but usually because I’m just not hungry – drinks fill me up! However, the next day I eat MORE than my share of food!
Ahhh love the pic of M. Total cuteness.
I eat less before and then if I drink too much end up eating more after.
We’re on the same page today. Great minds do think alike!
I don’t drink a lot but sometimes I’ll get a glass of wine with dinner. And I definitely am mindful of those calories and cut them from somewhere else. So I could see the link. Only, there has to be a range. I’m sure binge drinking doesn’t have the same association.
I don’t drink that often and find that when I do I end up eating a LOT more! Even if I just have half a glass of wine, there is something about alcohol that makes me lose control of my food intake. Maybe I just get relaxed?
The only kind of drink that keeps me from eating is a protein shake after a workout. I can go without eating for 6+ hours if I have that. Very filling!
funny because I went to a wedding this weekend where I had a bit too much to drink, but I didn’t eat dessert because I was so full from drinking. Normally I don’t pass it up, but this time I did.
Hell no! It always lead t me eating more once the alcohol starts to hit! But, if we’re talking only one drink, I just make he conscious decision not to order dessert or go nuts with my meal. A margarita is ALWAYS worth it!
I hear ya on the humidity! It is gross out! I prefer to eat my calories rather than drink them. I am also not so much a fan of the taste of alcohol…unless it has loads of fruit in it and we all know that is the worst thing to drink. I wish I could enjoy a nice glass of wine, maybe I just haven’t had a good wine yet?
I’m one of those that eats less when I drink alcohol with a meal. I tend to slow down, which makes me eat slower, so I fill up faster.
I’m with Lynn, I tend to eat less because I eat slower and savor both my wine and food. I do have a glass of wine daily, and I have never had a problem with weight gain from it.
you know, i don’t think it’s a cure-all, but i was just thinking about how i need to try and drink a half glass of wine while i’m cooking more often because i do tend to eat less that way! i don’t sample everything before eating and then i’m not as hungry when I do sit down to eat!
I’ve never seen Irish butter before. Your cookies look delicious 🙂 I purposely didn’t buy brown sugar this week because I’ve had a major hankering for Chocolate Chip Cookies!
I enjoy a glass of wine or a really good beer or two when I’m out with friends. The goal is to find a drink that you really love and savor it. That’s a hard thing to register when you’re fresh out of college–and definitely something I’ve struggled with until now.
I think generally when I have a glass of wine at night I’m not as likely to have a dessert or snack at night….generally. 🙂
i stopped drinking about 2 years ago – and that’s about when i started losing weight w/o having to think about it…so maybe?!?