By Alison Lewis

Is there such thing as a healthy cocktail? I believe cocktails don’t have to be unhealthy, and with the right combination of ingredients, you can actually enjoy a slimming cocktail that is bursting with flavor. With the excitement of fall holiday parties, tailgating parties and Halloween parties upon us, these creative ideas and recipes are great examples on how to create “healthier” fall cocktails.

I recently created a survey on Facebook asking, “What are your favorite fall ingredients?” My social media friends’ answers included what you would imagine: cinnamon, cranberry, pumpkin, pomegranate, nutmeg, allspice, apple pie spice and ginger. Now, how fun to try them in some festive fall cocktails! These favorite fall ingredients can actually kick up the flavor of fall cocktails without adding fat and calories.

Fall Cocktail Pairings

Here are some great pairing combinations using fall flavors:

• Wine, limes, lemons, apples, oranges
• Champagne and fresh grapefruit juice
• Bourbon and apple cider
• Champagne and fresh fruit purees
• Vodka and low-sodium vegetable or tomato juice
• Brandy, honey and water
• Brandy, cider and cinnamon
• Rum, fruit juice and fresh fruit
• Vodka and light cranberry juice, apple, or pomegranate juice, light orange juice or fresh grapefruit juice (can you say Appletinis?)
• Brandy, Wine, cloves, allspice and ginger
• Apple cider and ginger
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By Kelsey Murray

Everyone knows that a Happy Hour with friends can quickly become a diet-buster. With fried appetizers, sugary mixers, and high-calorie alcohols, you can end up consuming a lot more calories than you had planned on. For example, did you know that a typical mixed drink can contain more than 500 calories in a small 4-ounce serving? That’s a diet buster if I’ve ever heard of one.

So, what can you do to lower your total caloric intake while still enjoying the occasional cocktail? For a long time, people have tried tricks such as using diet soda or sparkling water as their mixers or limiting how many drinks and finger-foods they consume. Recently, Skinny Girl Margaritas and Budweiser’s Select 55 hit the scene and calorie-conscious drinkers rejoiced. However, there still was not a lot of low-calorie alcoholic drinks. Luckily, there is now another option hitting liquor stores for those who want to sip up but not ruin their weight loss goals.

TY KU is a liquor brand that has long been concerned with creating healthier liquors by using all natural ingredients and ancient Japanese distillation and brewing techniques. They have now released a low-calorie line of liquors that contain about half of the calories of other brands and come in several varieties.

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In this week’s Health Buzz, learn how to stay fit while you beat the heat and enjoy what’s left of this blazing hot summer.

With stories from Shape, SheKnows, MomGenerations, and our team, you’ll learn how to actually enjoy a swimming workout, how to finally fit yourself on the to-do list, make plans for your first 5K this fall, and get to the bottom of this whole raw food vs. cooked food argument (spoiler alert: it’s a bit of a tie!).

Plus, sip into one of the best recipes we’ve stumbled upon all summer – watermelon mojitos. In a popsicle. We’re loving Sugar And Charm for this one!

It’s all in this week’s Health Buzz! Click to watch it now.

See more Health Buzz episodes.

With farmer’s markets across the country in full swing, you might be wondering how in the world you’re going to navigate the overflowing stands of fruits, vegetables and fresh herbs.

With more leafy greens than you can count and basil plants that seem to be bursting at the seams, how does a produce novice manage to take home fruits and veggies that will make it to your table and into your meals and snacks?

This week, we’re taking you through some of the herbs – popular and obscure – that you might encounter at your farmer’s market. Because fresh herbs sold at outdoor or indoor local markets are typically fresh and free of preservatives, you’ll need to use them pretty quickly.

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Dating – either as a single person or half of a committed couple – can make for a very exciting time. When you think of going on a date, most often you might envision dinner, maybe a movie, or coffee and dessert.

New relationships always seem to pack on the pounds. Many experts say it is because once you are comfortable, happy and secure in a relationship, you are not as diligent about your physical appearance. While in the beginning it is a nice feeling to be able to relax in a new and exciting relationship, a few months in, you may look in the mirror and wonder where all your hard work went.

Especially in the summer, dating can often involve activities and foods to keep your temperature down, but summer time dating doesn’t have to be a body buster. Instead of curling up with your cutie in a dark room, some ice cream and watching TV, here are some terrific summer date activities that will help you keep your cool, but won’t leave you running for a mu-mu to cover up your not quite ready for close up body.

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