If you don't have a SodaStream in your life, you need to get one! I'm obsessed with mine but I have to admit that I got on the train a little late in life. I wish I had purchased one much sooner! So, I put together these recipes with the help of SodaStream to inspire everyone to reject the vending machine and all those delicious looking sugary drinks that get advertised to us all summer long. I know they look good on billboards and in commercials but so many carbonated drinks and sodas are loaded with sugar and sodium.
I kid you not that my SodaStream has become a healthy replacement tool. You can make your own fizzy drinks without the huge calorie intake. If you already have a SodaStream, you know what I'm talking about (just skip ahead to the recipes below). Drinks loaded with sodium (that seem to be lower in calories or have zero) will most often make you feel bloated and sluggish. Not good if you're trying to lose weight! The opposite will happen! Your body will hold onto all the water it can (soaked up by all the sodium in your system) and you'll experience weight gain. Womp womp.
Trust me, I'm not preaching. I've been there...I grew up in the 90's when EVERYTHING was about soda and "power-ades" that were anything but powerful. Watch my tv segment below if you're looking to make a shift. It has truly helped me stay on the straight & narrow. Soft drinks and sodas can be so addicting.
You can easily replicate the 3 recipes I featured on the CT Style show!
I mean, they're soooo easy you could make them with your eyes closed. Use a SodaStream or another carbonation appliance to prepare the sparkling water needed. Here they are...
1. Fizzy Thyme Lemonade
Prepare a glass with rinsed thyme sprigs, 1-2 thin slices of lemon, fresh lemon juice and a 1-3 tsp of maple syrup. Add sparkling water made with your SodaStream. **Under 10 calories.
2. Strawberry Mint Sparkling Water w/ a Splash of Pineapple
Prepare a glass with diced strawberries and thinly sliced mint leaves. Add sparkling water made with SodaStream followed by a splash of pineapple juice. **Under 40 calories.
3. Watermelon Jalapeno Crush
In a blender, combine 1/2 cup of fresh watermellon (cubed), 1/2 of a lime, a handful of mint leaves and 1 small jalapeno pepper (or less depending on your spicy tolerance). Blend until foamy. Pour out mixture in glasses (halfway up the glass). Finish by adding sparkling SodaStream water SLOWLY as the mixture will fizz and rise very quickly (to avoid overflowing). Garnish with mint and a few thinly sliced jalapeno rounds.
Just a few tips to ensure a fizzalicious drink making success:
- With each recipe, make sure to allow time for your ingredients to marinate in the water in order for the flavors to be released so that you can taste them better.
- Pick healthy ingredients that you think will go nicely together. I’m a big fan of combining a fruit with an herb or root. Or even a veggie, like a cucumber, which can be an very refreshing with sparkling water.
- Experiment! There are so many items in your pantry and refrigerator that can serve as great ingredients and flavor enhancers. I literally added Maple Syrup to the Fizzy Time Lemonade after rumaging through my pantry for something sweet.
Got a SodaStream recipe or story you want to share?
Leave it below in the comments for me! Thanks for reading. Luv ya!