Family-Friendly Party Punch - Cheeky Kitchen

When my husband came home after living in California for 2 months with a new job, we were all a little glum. Rather than coming home to load our packed boxes into the back of a moving van, he was coming home to stay. The job fell through, and it broke our Calfornia-or-Bust hearts. After a good cry with the kids, and a revamp on our life plans, I went to visit my favorite spiritual guru, Marlene Milner, who suggested we turn the occasion into a celebration. Rather than focus on the sadness of the situation, she said, go Pollyanna on it and offer up a toast to the beauty of the situation.

And so we did.

We nabbed a big, beautiful cake from a favorite bakery, had it inscribed with ?Congrats, Dad!? and mixed up a batch of this beautiful Green Tea Sparkler to toss into martini glasses and incite the energy of a champagne celebration. Then, we each offered up a cheers to integrity, new beginnings, and the courage of adventuring into the unknown.

A big part of focusing on vegan eating was, for me, the health and wellness of my own body. It?s so easy to shove nasty foods into your belly and call it a celebration, but I hardly find high-fat foods, high-sugar, heavy-on-the-alcohol foods and beverages a? reason to rejoice.

Any recipe that tastes like a party while still sticking to a strict concept of healthful eating is a recipe I love. Like this White Grape Green Tea Sparkler. It?s made from 3 simple, natural ingredients. It takes just minutes to make. And it tastes like you?re sipping on stars.

No added sugar, no alcohol. Lots of sparkling, fresh flavor. Now that is something to celebrate.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Put away the bubbly! This simple, beautiful drink is just as elegant as champagne, but is significantly nicer to your body. Alcohol-free, but with just enough oomph to make you feel like you've gone and drunk something special, you'll also get a dose of cancer-fighting reservatrol from this drink, and fewer calories that you would with a glass of champagne.

Ingredients:

4 packets green tea steeped for 1 minute in 1 cup of hot water
4 cups white grape juice, chilled
1 bottle Pellegrino, chilled

Directions:

Pour the white grape juice into a large pitcher. Add the Pellegrino right on top of the grape juice. To maintain the natural fizz of the drink, place the spout directly over the juice before pouring the Pellegrino. Serve immediately. Garnish with raspberries, if desired.

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