At Home Happy-Hour
A lot of the complaints I hear from people starting on their health and fitness journey have to do with changes in their social schedule. Happy hours and nights out are fun, but can lead to excess calories and full on food regret. Happy hours can easily go from one drink, to two drinks, to three (or six, I mean, am I right?) and food orders can escalate just as quickly from cheese plate, to cheeseburger, to pizza, oh my! When I decided to make a change in my physical appearance, I realized quickly that would also mean a change in my lifestyle. The tricky part, I didn’t want to change anything. I lived for those happy hours, nights with girlfriends, other couples, and my fiancé. But when I broke down what actually happened at happy hours, I quickly realized that I could duplicate the experience in my own home without any caloric guilt. That’s right, folks, I created at home happy-hours.
Think about it, what we really love about happy-hour? The cheap food and drink? The ambiance of the bar/restaurant? The company and conversation? I figured out that I could duplicate all of these things, IN MY OWN HOUSE. The food and drink are even cheaper, the ambiance more comfortable, and the company- ready for it- stays the same. Except now I can control the intake of food an alcohol, by setting menus that fit my new lifestyle. We had our first at home happy-hour in December, it was an instant hit. Not only did we save money, calories, and still get the conversation/company; we didn’t have to worry about driving anywhere and got to spend time with our beloved pups. It was an all-around win/win and so the weekly tradition of at home happy-hour was born.
Now there are some basic rules:
Set the ambiance. Phones go away. TV goes off. Light some candles. Dim the lights. Light a fire. Whatever it takes. At home happy-hour does not mean just go home and hang out on the couch, put a little effort in it- I promise, it will pay off. When we are inside, I dim the lights, light the candles, radio on- TV off. We sit/stand around the kitchen island and talk to each other. It’s an hour of us time. When we are outdoors, we light a fire, turn on the waterfall, and sit at our patio set and again, enjoy our us time. Our friends love these just as much as we do, and the same conversation flows as if we were at a busy bar (except we don’t have to wait for seating or be bumped around by total strangers). Got kids, wait till bed time for your hour, this works for so many different people.
Set the menu. Every week I will post food, wine, and non-alcoholic pairings. Some of my best AHH’s have been with mocktails and pairings, because the heart of these hours is the time for us to de-stress and unwind. All recipes and pairings will fit into the 21-day fix meal plan (umm... BC you can have wine!) and wont- I repeat WON’T count as a cheat. That’s right, you will not even have to sacrifice a coveted cheat for these AHH’s, you’re welcome.
Break out the nice stemware and plates. You know, those plates you have for company, that stem ware you received as a wedding gift- bring it out. Treat yourself!
Invite friends over, enjoy with your loved one, or just have some time to yourself. I’ve had several AHH’s where it’s just me and some secretive guilty girly TV ( yeah so it’s prob Pretty Little Liars, stop judging, we all have our guilty show, and I neeeed to know who A is, okay?). Also, did I mention yoga pants are totally acceptable for these, now I have your attention… that’s what I thought.
Here is my first At Home Happy-Hour Pairing:
21-Day Fix Caprese Salad with Balsamic Reduction
Prep Time: 5 min. Cook Time: 10-15 min.
1-Green, 1-Blue, 1-Yellow Swap (if you have wine)
Ingredients:
4 oz. Fresh Mozzarella
2 Heirloom Tomatoes
Several Fresh Basil Leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste
½ cup Balsamic Vinegar
In a small sauce pan over medium heat, begin reducing the Balsamic vinegar. Most people think to make a good reduction, you have to add sugar or spices, but nature has already taken care of that for you. All you need is patience. Bring the reduction to a simmer, causing small bubbles to rise to the surface and keep like this for 10-15 min, or until you insert a spoon and it stays coated. *WARNING*: DO NOT over reduce; this will lead to a very sticky, candy like substance and a ruined pot.
Slice mozzarella into ¼ inch thick slices, follow suit with the tomatoes. Arrange on plate alternating between tomato slice, mozzarella, and basil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to season.
When vinegar is reduced, let cool for 1 min and then drizzle it over salad with a spoon.
Pairings:
Non-alcoholic: Rosemary citrus detox water
Ingredients:
2 parts citrus sparkling water (I use 2-cans of Grapefruit LaCroix)
1 part still water
Segmented lemon and Mandarin oranges
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Wine Pairing:
A sparkling wine goes best with the light and fruity notes of this salad. I LOVE sparkling wine, most people think it’s just for special occasions, but it’s actually my favorite everyday wine. Bonus: it has less calories all most all other wine varietals. TIP: buy a half bottle, it saves on money and then you don’t need to worry about waste or over indulgence.
