The roaring twenties will no doubt be a theme of many a summer party this year as The Great Gatsby film release has everyone reconnecting with this classic novel that embodies one of the most fabulous periods in our history. When most people think of the 1920s in the U.S. they think of the flappers, Prohibition, gangsters, and jazz. What people often overlook are the great advancements in home cooking and recipe development during this period.

The availability of “sliced bread,” refrigerators, and other convenience foods that are dogged today helped (mostly) women spend 44 hours each week in their kitchens preparing meals. By 1965, women were only spending 25.7 hours per week cooking, and research in 2010 revealed women today spend only 13 hours each week on all household chores.

If you plan on hosting a Great Gatsby party this summer, you’ll want to dress the part of course, but the food can play a major role in pulling together the theme. If healthy is your goal, stick to the recipes we’re sharing. But if authenticity is most important, you’ll appreciate the homemade, healthified versions of many of these processed foods that are still popular today.

Thai Blueberry Old Fashion

Alcohol was banned for much of the 1920s during a period known as Prohibition, but that didn’t keep the booze from flowing. The Old Fashion, a tart whiskey-based cocktail, was a creation of this decade that we still raise a glass to today. Guests will easily celebrate with this jazzed up version with fresh blueberries and a Truvia simple syrup.
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When it comes to beverages I’m usually indifferent. Between drink and food, I’ll always choose the latter for my calorie splurges. But when a healthy indulgence comes along in liquid form I’ll at least consider giving it a shot.

After testing four agua fresca recipes this week – yes, four –  pineapple agua fresca was the clear winner; the absolute best! This leads me to believe if there’s one fruity drink you indulge in this summer, this simply must be it!

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Where I live, it was 71 degrees while I raked the leaves out of my yard yesterday, and last week I comfortably wore flip flops. All of this warm weather is backed up by a new report from the National Climatic Data Center that says 2012 will go down as the hottest year on record. It’s hard to believe Christmas is less than four weeks away when we’ve yet to pull out our winter coats!

While any other winter we’d be stirring up hot chocolate by now to stay warm and cozy, this year we need something to keep us cool. That’s right, we’re making Frozen Hot Chocolate and think you should, too!

It’s still creamy, chocolatey, and topped with marshmallows, but it’s blended with ice and sipped with a straw instead. Our Frozen Hot Chocolate was inspired by the original at New York’s Serendipity. As delightful an experience as that candy shop trip can be, their version has 340 calories. Ours, however, makes 140 calories sound pretty indulgent!
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This 4th of July is going to be a hot one with temperatures already in the 100s and rising, at least here in Kansas! So we thought it would be more than appropriate to share a fizzy, tasty and healthy chilled drink to cool you down for your Independence Day celebrations.

It all starts with ice cubes. We found these fun little patriotic molds at a local craft store for a dollar or two. But of course, if you can’t find anything like this, regular ice molds will yield a similar result.

The ice cubes are incredibly healthy as they’re simply pureed berries. We chose a mix of raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. But choose whatever combination you prefer, and add a little sugar for a touch of sweetness if desired.
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7-Eleven just announced its newest product called Slurpee Lite, a sugar-free version of their wildly popular frozen slushy drinks.

The sugar-free version of the convenience store’s Slurpees will come in several flavors, including mango, strawberry banana, and cherry limeade, with more flavors to be introduced later. The drinks will be flavored with sugar-free Fanta soda and will contain 50 percent fewer calories than the original.

An eight-ounce serving of a Slurpee Lite contains a mere 20 calories. Currently, a 12-ounce Coca-Cola Slurpee has 97 calories and the Fanta flavors in the same size have 99 calories.

This shift for the frozen treat comes as a response to soda, juices, and other various high-sugar, high-calorie drinks being named as the biggest culprit in the obesity crisis. Just last week the Institutes of Medicine recommended the total ban of sugary drinks in schools. Soon it is believed that a government enforced calorie reduction on drinks and snacks will take place. 7-Eleven may just be trying to get ahead of the game.
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