Every Cocktail, I Mean Cookie, Has a Mission, Say The Girl Scouts Say

According to the Girl Scouts, that mission is to "To Help Girls Do Great Things."  Well, that seems appropriate, doesn't it?  Liquor Chick Cocktails seek to help women do great things, too, Granted our readership and membership for that matter is a tad bit older (and yes, I saw you, Ms. High School Senior, trying to "like" me on Facebook.  Did you not read the fine print?? You must be legal drinking age to Like me.  Well, maybe your grade level belies you age, or you live in Canada and it's copasetic - let's hope.)

But, for the most part, we Liquor Chicks are not current girl scouts -- unless you count the mom leaders and Cookie Moms. And if you are one of these, then you totally need the recipes in this blog more than the rest of us. I mean, months of preparation, logistics, order taking, money handling, lugging, lifting, sorting, standing outside freezing while hawking -- you've done enough!!  And I bet you, unlike the rest of us don't even want to LOOK at another box of Thin Mints, Caramel deLites (no more Samoa?) or Trefoils [always thought that was an odd name (yes, I know it's a leaf – or I do now –  and a shape name - like the cookie. I just never saw the brainstorming AHA moment in that one.)] 

I don't want to look at another either - but that's because ever since they've been delivered to me 2 short days ago, I have ingested 16 Lemonades (yes that is a WHOLE box), 4 servings of Thin Mints and a whole lot of will power juice NOT to open the freezer and dig into my other favorites.  But they are still there, taunting me, every time I reach past them for the kids' chicken nuggets or the low fat frozen yogurt. I think, Man how good would that ice cream, I mean frozen yogurt be on top of a Peanut Butter Patty!!??

Well, I'll never know, because instead I reached for my cocktail shaker, and here's what I've come up with to remedy the Girl Scout Cookie cravings we either all have - or are sick of indulging in - right about now.  And the best news is that while a serving of Lemonades or Thin Mints has roughly 8 grams of fat, 155 calories and 22 carbs (YIKES!), these fabulous concoctions weigh in at a Liquor Chick worthy 0 grams of fat, 130 calories and fewer than 3 carbs each.  What are you waiting for, start mixing!! And I hope you started infusing that peppermint vodka and peanut rum like I strongly suggested earlier.

So here they are: my 4 favorite Girl Scout Cookies remade as my now 4 favorite drinks.  Let me know if I haven't included your favorite, and I'll be sure to get you that remake as well...

#4 - Thin Mint (I know it's most cookie connoisseurs’ favorite, and I always think I'm going to love it the most, but then every year, I'm left a little flat, thinking, humph I could have gotten away without ordering this one again.  And I don't know, maybe it's me, but this year it tasted a bit more like toothpaste than it has in the past years. Sorry ABC Bakers!) Anyway, I present you the cocktail version of the Thin Mint:

1 ½ oz. Peppermint Infused Vodka

1 ½ oz. Cocoa Bean Infused Vodka

Splash Blue Agave Nectar

Combine all ingredients in shaker over ice.  Shake vigorously and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a mint sprig to be fancy…or a junior mint to be a little naughtier. 

 

#3 – Caramel DeLite (Samoa?!).  I love the combination of coconut, chocolate and caramel in this cookie.  I have not opened the box yet, because I know I will be the only one eating from it – not the h-band’s or kiddies’ favorite by any means.  So I will keep it closed, and I will open up the booze instead: (I usually advocate making your own infused vodkas to cut down on calories and carbs, but this Van Gogh Caramel Vodka is pretty hard to replicate – besides it’s only one ounce and we can just shake a little faster to speed up the calorie burn, right?)

1 ½ oz. Cocoa Bean Infused vodka

1 oz. Van Gogh Dutch Caramel Vodka

½ Coconut Milk

Splash Blue Agave Nectar

Combine all ingredients in shaker over ice.  Shake vigorously and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with shaved coconut – and I always think coconut and pineapples go hand in hand, so add a pineapple wedge too, Besides, this cocktail will take you into summer too – not just cold dark winter when all you want to do is hide away with your cookies. Your bikini will thank you for this little addition – and what the hell, drizzle it with a little (light) chocolate syrup too.

 

#2 Lemonade.  Decadent, refreshing, cakey, icing-y (those are words, right?) – this cookie has it all.  But it doesn’t have enough to be my #1.  Probably because of its newness factor.  I don’t think it’s been around long enough to overtake an old standby of Girl Scout Cookie Stardom.  That’s just my thought.  But this cookie – and drink – is great because you feel like you are doing your waistline a bit of a service with the citrus fruit, and since the box actually says “naturally flavored” (you are NOT, as it also says “…and artificially.”  Gotcha!.) But let’s see what we can do with the drink at least to make it all better:

 

1 ½ oz. Lemon-infused Vodka

1 ½ oz. Light “Bailey’s”

Combine ingredients in shaker over ice.  Shake vigorously and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a stevia-covered lemon wheel.

 

#1 Peanut Butter Patty. You probably have already guessed this by now, so I will forego the drumroll (after all you’ve already read about the four boxes I bought from my very lovely Cookie Mom. It was the only one left to be cocktailed. That, plus, if you remember my Halloween Candy Cocktail Entry, you’ll remember the Reese’s Cocktail was an LC must-have too).  But yes, peanut butter, chocolate, crunch – how can you go wrong? Well, if you EAT it, you can – that’s for sure. Who wants to use up the 165 calories and 9 grams of fat, never mind the 20-something carbs if you actually ate the COOKIE.  Don’t do that – do this:

1 oz. Peanut-infused rum

1 oz. Cocoa Bean-infused vodka

1 oz. Light “Bailey’s”

Combine all ingredients in shaker over ice.  Shake vigorously and strain into shaved dark chocolate-rimmed cocktail glass.

 

And there you have it.  So, stay out of your freezer, or your kitchen pantry or snack cabinet.  Reach only into the liquor cabinet and satisfy your Girl Scout Cookie cravings with these low calorie drinks instead.  You’ll not only be doing something great for your waistline, but you’ll also be doing it for all the girlfriends that come over too.  And that’s what Girl Scouts is all about. Great Things for Great Girls – no matter whether they’re Cookie Selling Moms or cookie-regretful moms

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Day 1 - 10 pounds UP

I woke up this morning feeling lighter already. So I checked the scale, and HUH! I had actually lost 2 pounds since yesterday. I WAS pretty good yesterday - worked out to the Biggest Loser Kinnect Game, shoveled about a million square feet of snow, danced to Dance Central with friends.. PLUS I avoided the snacky snacks that were put out at our friends' house, and instead stuck to clear, low calorie VODKA. On to something? Of course! Lesson of pre-30 day Challenge day: Leave the snacks on the table and you CAN have those (light) cocktails. Isn't that more the point anyway?

So here's what I started my DAY 1 with: Let's see if I can continue the mysterious weight loss for the rest of the 30 days:

Breakfast

Healthy Breakfast Burrito: 2 egg whites, 1 whole egg, mushrooms, splash of shredded low fat cheese in a whole wheat wrap
Skinny Latte - 2 shots espresso, 1/4 cup skim milk, splash Blue Agave Nectar for sweetness, dash vanilla extract

Lunch (we ate late!)

Hummus Plate - red peppers. olives, artichokes, housemade hummus, whole wheat pita triangles
Cup Vegetarian Chili
2 Beers (oops!! I really tried to say wine, or even vodka -- BUT, we were at Hingham Beer Works so I did what any health-conscious diner would do... I ordered the Stout. Twice.)

Dinner

Slice of Veggie "Quiche" - 6 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, frozen summer vegetables, dash Panko crumbs, dash taco cheese. Baked at 350 degrees for 15 minutes
Carrots, celery & low-fat veggie dip
2 Light Vodka Drinks

Workout

50 minute OUTDOOR run (in 23 degree weather). This, I think, counts as double because of the frigid temps, acrobatics I did around snowbanks and oncoming cars, and DID I MENTION IT WAS 23 DEGREES???!!) Just don't ask me how far I ran, or my awesomeness will go down a few notches in your eyes... Plus, I will simply respond: "I ran 50 minutes." As an aside, my thighs were so frozen that I couldn't tell if my spandex pants were falling down [they usually do, so I erred on the side of "Yes" and pulled at them every once in a while with my stone cold, Halloween glove-clad fingers. (kids have North Face, I have iParty...)]

The Will Power Moment of My Day

When a leftover large cheese pizza was brought in by a friend who drove my 6-year old home from a birthday party. I watched as four kids gnoshed at the slices, wanting one, and thankfully did not give in. Besides, I reasoned -- the drink will taste better than the pizza, so I poured a new one. And it did.
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Diet-Worthy Drinks To Whittle Away the Pounds

This is a new installment to be updated regularly over the next month, and will follow the food, drink and workout habits of our resident Skinny Bitch, as she aims to get even more so. Ten pounds in 30 days, to be exact. Care to join her?

I am not sure when it started, but I have decided "it" ends today. Now I haven't changed my eating habits (fad-diets, "healthy" movements all the while), drinking habits (steady, frequent) or exercise regimen (even added some extra cardio with all this shoveling lately – no seriously, I was running between shovel paths) in the past few years-- so what gives? There is a big white devil-elephant in the room, and it's called my expanding midsection. Today I realized that my abs were no longer noticeable, no matter how much I inhaled. I also realized that the usual straightening up of my posture, and "sucking it in" STILL made me look un-thin. YIKES MOMENT!!!

So what's a Liquor Chick to do? I am swearing here, on this blog, to do something about it. I feel I had to put it in writing and not just whine about it to the husband, friends and children that just don't get it. ("You were probably too thin to begin with!" reasoned one logical girlfriend - Um. that's not helpful. "That's what happens when you get older!" said the oh-so-lawyerly spouse. Yeah, that'll get you lots of action this weekend. "You need to lose weight" said the four-year old. AHA! Now that's what I am talking about! Out of the mouths of babes comes the truest ‘dat’ that I've heard all week.

Don't get me wrong -- I am still one of the fittest bad-ass chicks you'll ever know. I mean, how many women actually ask for 30-pound hand weights for Christmas? And, I can hold a plank the longest of anyone in my family. Hey, that's pretty impressive -- My four-year old now takes yoga. Push ups? 40 reps, straight as a board (no wimpy knees for me). So all in all, fitness and strength levels -- gooood.

But there is that pesky (multiplying) layer of skin (okay, fat?) that has adhered itself to my six-pack, glutes and hammies...and it now needs to go AWAY!! Is it winter warmth that my body aims to create, by packing on a few extra? It wasn't THAT long ago that I looked this this:
And I am not doing too much differently than I was doing back then. Same old occasional indulgences or a once-in-a-while vacation from healthy eating. But I used to be able to do this from time to time, remark about the Guinness Gut that I developed (aptly named in Dingle, Ireland) and know that this temporary condition would be gone faster than it took me to run out of the chilly peninsula’s ocean when I saw the sewage pipes nearby.

Or that was how it used to go. Now –and by now, I just mean since the start of the cold weather, when I will speed up the hour of cocktails or sample a few too many low-fat warming brownies – the Guinness Gut seems to have made way to a Perma-pooch. And I am not gonna take it anymore! This is the year of 20th high school reunions, friends with hot tubs and a constant need to look one’s best (Isn’t every year though?)

Speaking of hot tubs, I was in one last week with my college girlfriends who hadn’t seen me in over a year, and one of them remarked, “Hey, isn’t that the bathing suit you were wearing for the Boston Globe photo?” (seen above, when my daughter and I frolicked on the beach and we weren’t ashamed to have our pictures taken doing so. Today she would probably throw her body in front of mine, since, as she claims, I need to “lose weight”. Sweet girl). I responded that yes, this was the suit. And you know what that was met with? Total silence. I know what they were thinking – “Hey, that photo must have been airbrushed, because you don’t quite look the same in it HERE in front of us.”

Oh well, at least it still fits. Wait, do two piece bathing suits ever NOT fit, or do we just finally give in to the fact that we are spilling out of them in all the wrong places? Good question. I have always been the one with the opposite of a self-confidence problem. Always thinking I look fabulous, I have finally realized that since I now think I may be looking not quite my best – that I must really look atrocious. White elephant-like, even.

So where can I place this blame?? That’s another blog I suppose. But here I am taking up the initiative to change. Where do I start? Not swiping the peanut-butter and jelly crusts left over at mealtime? Passing by the bowl of candy and not having “just one.” Swapping out my decadent coffee creamer for skim milk? Try all of the above and more. When I stop to really think about it, all those stolen bites and smallish indiscretions have really added up – just like the numbers on the scale.

I am undertaking this blog to chronicle my journey back to looking like the Boston Globe hottie. Today is Day 1. I will detail my eating, exercising and drinking habits daily, in hopes to get a handle on what's created these love handles... Though maybe I should start tomorrow – I just made kids’ lunches, and… well… let’s just say I should go shovel the driveway AGAIN to make up…

But don’t think this new dedication to tracking my intakes and outputs will sacrifice any sort of fun I have. After all, Liquor Chick drinks are healthy, low calorie alternatives to high sugared alcoholic drinks. We all know we need THOSE from time to time (okay, daily).

Seriously, I am determined to show you that we can stick to our lose-10-pounds plan and not give up drinking. After all, what’s the fun in that? We can’t deprive ourselves of EVERYTHING just because we want to see our abs again. Plus, it was another snow day from school today. We’re lucky we’re not drinking already!! Though I am counting the minutes.

BOTTOM LINE: In order to be happy with my bottom again, I will keep track of my meals, snacks, workouts and cocktails in this blog. Follow along with me, and we’ll both be looking hotter than hot come our 20th year reunions this summer (though my goal is February 21st – one month from today). When you see me, feel free to keep me honest… I’ll try not to spit my drink at you.


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I Always Knew Christina And I Were Connected Somehow

So we all either saw, or read about, or watched over and over again, the National Anthem flubbing by Christina Aguilera.  And I say, to that -- who the HELL cares?? Well, actually, I care - but not in a "wow she's unpatriotic, a traitor, a disrespecting bad BAD girl" kind of way.  No, I care, because – hey, if SHE can mess up a song, than I don't feel so bad messing up my things once in a while either.

So, thanks, Christina.  Thanks to you, I can fully admit that I got way into the moment (wasn’t that your “excuse”?) of the ski get-away weekend I was planning for, and then on, this past week, that I lost my place [in my 30 day Challenge] myself.  Boy do I feel better knowing I have company the likes of you! I always knew we had a lot in common...

Now, can both us chicks just MOVE ON, PEOPLE??  Back to the Challenge. I am picking up on the day I left off on, even though it was about 6 days ago.  For those of you that actually, noticed – thanks for not tweeting, blogging and exposing me on all the gossip sites…I owe you a drink.

 

I mean -- check out the resemblance.  Uncanny.