Hungry Girl Presents: Guilt-Free Happy Hour

It’s no secret that the infamous “freshman fifteen” weight gain is often attributed to the increased consumption of alcohol that comes with newfound freedom in college, especially if the alcohol is accompanied by high-calorie mixers. In general, drinking some of the “tastier” beverages out there, whether they are alcoholic or non-alcoholic, can slip some unwanted floods of extra calories into your diet (Did you know that the average Long Island Iced Tea has 780 calories? Eek.).

Fortunately, thanks to some recipes from Hungry Girl (nutritionist Lisa Lillen), I’ve compiled a few seriously good low-cal cocktails and other yummy drinks that won’t make you feel deprived, but won’t wreak havoc on your diet.

“Magical Low-Calorie Margarita”

Ingredients:

6 ounces diet lemon-lime soda

1 1/2 ounces of tequila

1 packet (two 5-cal) servings of sugar-free powdered lemonade drink mix (use half if you want your drink less sweet!)

2 tablespoons lime juice

5-8 ice cubes or 1 cup of crushed ice

Optional: lime wedge (for a cute garnish!)

Directions:

Stir all ingredients together, except for the ice. For a frozen drink, place mixture in a blender with the ice and blend until smooth. Or, you can just pour the mixture over ice and sip away!

Makes 1 serving

Per Serving: 115 calories, 0g fat, 55mg sodium, 2g carbs, 0g fiber, 0g protein

(Typical Margarita = 740 calories… ouch)

“Pina Colada Freeze”

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces coconut rum

1 1/2 ounces sugar-free coconut syrup

1/4 cup fat-free vanilla ice cream

1 tablespoon canned crushed pineapple in juice

1 no-calorie sweetener pack

5 to 8 ice cubes or 1 cup crushed ice

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high speed for about 30 seconds (until the mixture is completely blended). Pour out and enjoy!

Makes 1 serving

Per serving: 156 calories, less than 0.5g fat, 41mg sodium, 18g carbs, 0.5 g fiber, 12g sugars, 2g protein

(Typical Pina Colada = 650 calories)

“Kickin’ Cranberry Cosmo”

Ingredients:

5 ounces Diet Ocean Spray Cranberry Spray juice drink

1 1/2 ounces vodka

1 teaspoon lime juice

5-8 ice cubes

Optional: splash of diet lemon-lime soda, lime wedge (for garnish)

Directions:

Combine vodka, cranberry juice drink, and lime juice. Stir thoroughly. Combine mixture with ice, put it in a shaker (or a glass with a lid), cover tightly, and shake well. Strain drink into a large martini glass. If you’d like, top with a splash of soda and garnish with lime wedge.

Makes 1 serving

Per serving: 100 calories, 0g fat, 32 mg sodium, 2g carbs, 0g fiber, 1g sugars, 0g protein

(Typical Cosmo = 150 calories)

And here are a couple fun non-alcoholic ones (you can also subtract the alcohol from any of the above recipes, too)

“Freakishly Good Frozen Hot Chocolate”

Ingredients:

One 25-calorie packet of diet hot cocoa mix

3 ounces of hot water

1/4 cup light vanilla soymilk

1/2 ounce sugar-free calorie-free syrup (white chocolate or vanilla… you can get the vanilla at a local Starbucks, btw)

1 teaspoon sugar-free chocolate syrup

2 no-calorie sweetener packets

2 tablespoons Fat Free Reddi-Whip

5-8 ice cubes or 1 cup crushed ice

Directions:

Place hot cocoa mix, chocolate syrup, and sweetener in a glass, and stir in 3 ounces of hot water. Next, add soymilk and sugar-free syrup and stir again. Place mix in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes or until cool. Pour mix into a blender and add ice. Blend on highest speed for about 45 seconds or until well-blended. Pour into a tall mug. Finish off with whipped topping.

Makes 1 serving

Per serving: 58 calories, 0.5g fat, 184mg sodium, 10g carbs, 1g fiber, 5g sugars, 3g protein

(This recipe was inspired by the AMAZING frozen hot chocolate at NYC’s Serendipity3, which has 850 calories!)

“Mint Mocha Freeze”

1 ounce sugar-free calorie-free peppermint syrup

1 tablespoon sugar-free chocolate syrup

2 teaspoons Coffee-mate Fat Free French Vanilla powdered creamer, dissolved in 1 ounce of warm water

1 teaspoon instant coffee

5-8 ice cubes or 1 cup crushed ice

2 tablespoons Fat Free Reddi-wip

6 ounces water

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in a blender, except for the Reddi-wip. Add 6 ounces of water. Blend on high speed for 30-45 seconds, or until completely blended. Pour into a tall glass and top with Reddi-wip.

Makes 1 serving

Per serving: 55 calories, less than 0.5g fat, 37mg sodium, 13g carbs, 0g fiber, 4g sugars, 0g protein

(Starbucks Mocha Mint Frap = 470 calories)

“Creamy Orange Dreamfloat”

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Cool Whip Free, frozen (good swap for ice cream!)

1 can diet orange soda (or you can substitute with diet root beer, too)

1 flexy straw

Directions:

Pour soda into glass. Top off with 1/2 scoop of the Cool Whip. Insert straw and enjoy!

Makes 1 serving

Per serving: 60 calories, 1g fat, 150 mg sodium, 12g carbs, 0g fiber, 4g sugars, 0g protein

I know some of the sugar-free ingredients may be out of the way to get, but they are well worth it because many are toppers and mix-ins! For example, sugar free chocolate syrup tastes delicious on your favorite fruit, lowfat ice-cream, or frozen yogurt. We all deserve a treat once in awhile, but definitely not one that we would regret!

[Picture from Hungry Girl and recipes from book Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World]