Put the Lime in the Coconut

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I’m a pretty casual and low maintenance kind of gal. When it comes to letting loose on the weekend, I’m easily satisfied by cracking opening a nice cold beer and kicking up my feet. Let’s be honest: I consider a beer in a bottle instead of a can “fancy”.

That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a nice glass or three of wine though. Especially if that glass of wine involves a good group of girlfriends and nonsense talk about absolutely nothing or anything.

When it comes to liquor, I usually opt out. The simple pleasure of opening a bottle or wine or popping the top on a beer suddenly becomes an effort of hunting down other ingredients and mixing a cocktail. To add to that, if you don’t know what you’re doing {read: me} it’s pretty easy to end up with something that tastes worse than cough medicine.

mojitos

Ok, I’m not obsessed with drinking. So why all the talk? I taste tested Bacardi’s new Classic Cocktails Light this weekend!

The perfect answer for someone who doesn’t have a clue and could really care less about the effort it takes to make a drink that tastes any good. I knew it was meant to be when the two flavors they came out with happen to be my favorite: Mojito & Pina Colada. bacardi light cocktails The cocktails come ready to drink: no mixing, no shaking, no stirring. Just pour over ice. Each 4 oz serving is only 95 calories. {That of course makes you think about how many calories are in a regular cocktail…”} They’re made with natural flavors, real juice, and pure cane sugar. So how do they taste? Pretty darn good. I’ll admit I was surprised; I didn’t put much faith in a pre-mixed, bottled cocktail, but I was wrong. Each was bursting with flavor and there was no mistaking that it was an alcoholic beverage. I’ve gone through all the trouble of making a mint-infused simple syrup to make an authentic mojito at home and trust me, this was way easy and yielded a significantly better outcome. Along with my sample of cocktails came a modern-themed “party pack”. I knew a party pack was on the way, but I was more than a little excited to see the signature orange circles of the CB2 logo on the side of the box sitting on my doorstep on arrival day. cb2 modern party pack CB2 is the baby sister of Crate & Barrel. {The party pack contained a combination of items from both stores.} I might have let out an audible squeal of delight when I opened the box. Do these people know me or what? teal chevron candle Chevron; teal; black & white; acrylic. Love, love, and love. The chevron candles and acrylic serving tray nearly made me jump for joy. Yeah, I know, things are really exciting over here. Other gems included a set of drink coasters emblazoned with the word “drink”. You know, in case you weren’t sure what they were for. Plus boldly striped cloth napkins and an assortment of differently shaped napkin rings. Metal toothpicks {?!?} and an ice bucket with tongs rounded out the package of goodies. dip dishice tongsdrink coasters with word drink Now all I had to do was throw a party. Err. Uh… This stuff is fancier than the paper plates and Solo cup style we usually have, so I had to think of a special occasion. We have a friend moving out of state soon, so we decided to have him and his girlfriend over for some farewell festivities. Having the ice bucket on the tray made easy to serve up some cocktails. Just ice & pour. The dip tray made the perfect serving dish for drink garnishes: fresh cut lime wedges, mint leaves, and shredded coconut. I should’ve tossed in a few pineapple wedges and fancy umbrellas. Winking smile I used the fancy toothpicks to keep the garnishes on top of the glasses so we wouldn’t get a sip of mint leaf. After all: bacardi sips of wisdom garnish I mean, if the pros say so. bacardi modern party Since I had mojitos and pina coladas on the brain I decided I’d keep the theme going as far as food. I figured a tropical fruit salad would be the perfect accompaniment to the “light” cocktails. It’s the dietitian in me coming out- balance, right? cupcakes and cocktails Wrong. Forget the fruit. Let’s have cupcakes. Smile mojitos and mojito cupcakes {Ok, I still made fruit salad. But who cares about that when there are cupcakes to be had?!} Pina Colada Mojito Cupcakes to be exact. What a mouthful. A delicious, tropical, minty mouthful. pina colada mojito cupcakes But this post is already 8 billion pages long. The recipe will have to wait until tomorrow. Yup, I’m a tease. vegan gluten free cupcakes And that indulgent-sounding cupcake recipe? It’s vegan and gluten-free. And yes, delicious. Excuse me while I go eat one more. And drink a mojito. healthy mojito Bacardi classic cocktails

BACARDÍ Classic Cocktails Light is a new line of low calorie, ready to serve cocktails. At less than 95 calories for a 4-ounce serving, BACARDÍ Classic Cocktails Light is available in Pina Colada and Mojito flavors and is made with natural flavors, real juice and pure cane sugar. Whether enjoying a favorite cocktail after a long day or throwing a party, BACARDÍ Classic Cocktails deliver classic cocktail taste that’s a hit with friends, won’t add inches to your waistline and won’t take all day to prepare. Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Bacardi via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Bacardi.

Join in the discussion about #BacardiCocktails on August 1st:

Patriotic Parties: Refreshing Firework Smoothie

Holidays

{Note: This is the first in a series of posts about celebrating summer sponsored by Bacardi.}

Nothing screams you’re getting close to the beach for 4th of July weekend after a long monotonous drive through back roads and chicken farms like a roadside fruit stand packed with juicy, mouthwatering peaches.

sparklers

Every year growing up we’d get up at the crack of dawn one mid-summer Saturday, pack the car to the brim with boogie boards and beach chairs, and start the day-long drive from MD to the beaches of NC. Just as we approached the Outer Banks {really approached the Outer Banks, not just drove past the sign that tricks you into thinking you’re almost there}, the peach stands would start popping up.

peaches fruit stand

First there’d be one sketchy shack by the side of the road. Then another. And another. Eventually you just HAD to stop. You could almost smell the sweet nectar of peaches seeping through the car vents on top of the slightly salty smell of the near-beach air.

When we finally got to the beach, we’d begrudgingly unload the overstuffed car, then happily stack the kitchen counter full of freshly picked peaches. When we tired of having sticky juice run down our chins as we bit into the ripe peaches, we’d turn to the blender. {Ok, no one gets tired of juicy peaches. But they still make good smoothies.}

bag of peaches

For the rest of the week we’d blend up cold afternoon treats of peaches, bananas, and our secret tropical ingredient: Tang. You know, the sugary, powdered orange drink mix? Yeah, that’s the stuff.

It’s been years since I’ve been to the Outer Banks, but now that I live in NC, the husband and I take an annual trip {or two} to the closer beaches of NC and SC. It’s become a tradition to celebrate 4th of July weekend {better known as the husband’s birthday around here} at the beach with friends. We just got back from a trip at the beach and I learned a thing or two about keeping this breastfeeding momma hydrated in this inferno of a summer heat wave the whole country seems to be suffocating in. Remembering my peach-Tang-smoothie beach concoctions from childhood, I once again turned to the blender to help hydrate and beat the heat.

 

These ingredients are definitely a must for Independence Day beach bash birthday trip that’s just around the corner.

4th of july word art

Firework Smoothie

by with a Side of Sneakers

Ingredients (2 smoothies)

  • 3 oz coconut water
  • 12 oz coconut-almond milk
  • 3 cups ice
  • ½ cup strawberries
  • ½ cup blueberries

Instructions

Mix coconut water, coconut-almond milk, and ice in blender. Pulse and blend on high speed until ice is fully crushed. Divide into 3 parts.

Return 1 part of coconut mix to blender. Add strawberries and blend to combine. Pour into separate container.

Add another serving of the plain coconut mix to blender. Add blueberries and blend.

Fill glass by alternating smoothie layers so you end up with white, red, and blue stripes.

*Feel free to sub another kind of milk or fruit as desired.

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It’s the perfect smoothie to go along with your Fourth of July celebration fare. Serve alongside or as an appetizer to some of these fabulous Independence Day cookout recipes:

4th of july cookout recipes

1. Crispy Blackened Tofu from Daily Garnish

2. Grilled Guacamole from Two Peas & Their Pod

3. Corn Pudding from Duchess of Fork

4. Chocolate Dipped Pretzels Sticks from Cupcakes & Cashmere

4th of july printable keep calm and wave on

Source

What are your favorite 4th of July cookout staples & cocktails?Share your go-to’s in a chat with Foodie tonight at 4pm PST for a chance to win a $250 gift card from Sur La Table. Join in with #BacardiCocktails!

Bacardi Client Logo for Author Program

BACARDÍ Classic Cocktails Light is a new line of low calorie, ready to serve cocktails. At less than 95 calories for a 4-ounce serving, BACARDÍ Classic Cocktails Light is available in Pina Colada and Mojito flavors and is made with natural flavors, real juice and pure cane sugar. Whether enjoying a favorite cocktail after a long day or throwing a party, BACARDÍ Classic Cocktails deliver classic cocktail taste that’s a hit with friends, won’t add inches to your waistline and won’t take all day to prepare.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Bacardi via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Bacardi.