Slender Beer-Garitas

23 May, 2013 by Claire | Leave a comment

It’s quite possible that beer-garitas are a Texas thing. They’re made of beer and tequila, are bigger than your head, and are full of calories… Check, check, and check for being a Texas staple. Despite the fact that I was born and raised here, though, I’ve never actually tried a beer-garita myself. For one thing, I don’t really like margaritas. I mean, I like the ones that are shaken by hand, served in tiny glasses, and have fresh fruit, but they also cost like $15 a pop. Those cheapy ones made from pre-made frozen mix, on the other hand, they just don’t do anything for me. And that’s not even considering the hundreds (yeah, plural) of calories per glass.

I don’t mean to sound like I’m on an alcoholic high horse, though. I definitely like to get down, which is why I knew I needed a better party drink for the upcoming three day weekend. To me, Memorial Day (and any extended weekend, in general) means day drinking. And day drinking isn’t the time for some froofroo fruity cocktail. Day drinking is the time for strong, frozen drinks that send you to bed around 7 pm, leaving you awake and disoriented by about 3 am.

So what strong, frozen drink does a nutrition blogger who doesn’t like margaritas make? It’s like the beer-garita was delivered to me on a silver platter, just begging to be slenderized. My version is light in flavor and calories. The fruit juice keeps it fresh, a far cry from those mixes that are always either way too sour or way too sweet. And there’s enough tequila in these to make this Memorial Day a fiesta.

Slender Beer-Garitas
Makes: 6 drinks | Calories per serving: 123
Fat: 0.1 g (Sat Fat: 0.0 g) | Carbohydrate: 7.2 g | Fiber: 0.1 g| Protein: 0.8 g

ingredients:
4 12-ounce bottles of Corona Light
1/2 C fresh lime juice (about 8 limes should do ya)
1/2 C fresh orange juice (about 4 small navel oranges)
1/2 C tequila (…or more)
2 C ice
2 packets Splenda
2 T sugar, for garnish
2 t salt, for garnish
lime zest, for garnish
orange slices, for garnish

directions:
1. Distribute the beer into ice cube trays, about one beer per tray. Freeze until solid, at least 4 hours.

2. Add your fresh lime juice, fresh orange juice, tequila, ice cubes, Splenda, and frozen beer cubes to a blender. Blend until completely smooth.

3. In a small bowl, combine the salt, sugar, and lime zest to use on the rim of your margarita glasses.
4. Pour in the beer-garitas and garnish with an orange slice!

Lazy Sunday

10 February, 2013 by Claire | Leave a comment

Hey. It’s been awhile since we got lazy on a Sunday. Let me know if you see something you like from today or any other Lazy Sunday. Next week is Insta-Recipe week, so I’ll be sharing recipes from my most popular Instagram posts.

[strawberry banana oatmeal bake]

[chia'd my apple overnight oats]

[simple 300 calorie breakfast]

[two ingredient post-workout pancakes]

[multitasking]

[siggi's snack getting me through a long school day]

[my first papaya experience]

[the slender student take on a bagel + lox]

[roasted chicken apple sausage + farm grown veggies]

[300 calorie fettucini alfredo + turkey meatballs]

[thinner than thin crust turkey sausage pizza]

[no cook dinner-- brown rice, smoked salmon, cucumber and avocado]

[fajita chicken bowl with homemade tortilla chips]

[turkey meatloaf + stuffed bbq baked potato]

[slender sips]

Slender Students Abroad

7 January, 2013 by Claire | 1 Comment

The Slender Student guide to eating, drinking, and working out while studying abroad!

So, you’re going abroad next semester. You’re expecting fun friends, a different culture, easy classes, and maybe a romance with a Spanish man.

What you might not be expecting?

The abroad aftermath– pounds gained and self esteem shot. If you’ve been with The Slender Student from the get, then you already know that the blog was born out of my desire to help people avoid the nasty (I mean that multi-definitionally) situation I found myself (and my bod) in after a semester in Barcelona. Since it’s about that time, I thought I should send my internationally-inclined readers down memory lane with my abroad advice series that covers my tips for eating, working out, and drinking far from home. Disfrutad.

I’d love to hear more tips from other past study abroaders!

Slender White Russians

25 December, 2012 by Claire | Leave a comment

What drink could be more festive than a white Russian? They’re rich, creamy, and at 300 calories each, have a few too many and you’ll end up looking like Santa.

Try out my recipe and cut out almost half of the calories without sacrificing any of the signature coffee-flavored sweetness.

Slender White Russians | The Slender Student

ingredients:
1 C skim milk
1/4 C fat free coffee creamer
2 t instant coffee
1/4 C vodka

directions:
1. Dissolve the coffee in the creamer.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and pour over ice.

Slender White Russians | The Slender Student

Thirsty Thursday

29 November, 2012 by Claire | Leave a comment

I get a lot of questions about alcohol. People ask me if I drink, what I drink, and if alcohol makes you fat. The answer is yes.

Drinking is something we’re constantly faced with in college, whether we like it or not. I happen to like it. But more than that, I like being smart and slender about it.

When we’re talking about alcohol in the form of liquor, beer, or wine, the calories come from the alcohol itself (7 calories per gram) and then the rest are from filler (added sugar, flavorings, etc.). If you want to consume fewer calories when you drink, choose something with less alcohol, less filler, or just drink less. If you want the most “alcohol bang” for your calorie buck, check out some of these suggestions.

source

Perhaps more important than what alcohol you choose is what you choose to mix with it. This should be a no brainer, but it’s worth mentioning. Things like fruit juices, sodas, and tonic water are all high in calories. That vodka cherry sour you have in your hand? Put it down. It’s full of calories, not to mention the fact that it tastes like garbage. Sugar-filled garbage with a straw. Cut down by choosing to mix with a diet soda (I know, I know…everything in moderation) or club soda. Flavor with lemon or lime, not sugary syrups.

Aaaand more important than any of this is to be safe when you drink and to know your limits. It doesn’t matter how many calories you’re drinking if you’re putting yourself in danger when you do it. Use your brains, Slender Students.