Road Tripping Essentials with Southern Breeze Sweet Tea

This post is sponsored by Southern Breeze Sweet Tea. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

As you guys know, we've been attempting to stay on the Keto diet for a few weeks now, and I'm happy to say, we've had great success with it! However, this past weekend, we took a road trip to the beach, and I was more than a little nervous about how to keep my carbs and calories down with tons of temptations along the way. After all, road trips are usually synonymous with junk food, amiright? 

To keep things on track, I was determined to set myself up for success. I knew a few fast food and gas station stops would be happening, so I made sure to pack a few items that would help keep me excited about the trip as well as maintaining my healthy ways.

Snacks like nuts and cheese were a given, but when the idea to pack a few mason jars and some packets of Southern Breeze Sweet Tea struck me, I have to be honest, I was pretty proud of myself. It's never occurred to me before to pack my own beverages. I always just stick to water when we travel. Of course it helps with hydration, but it also is readily available at every stop. However, I also know myself well-enough to know that I would definitely feel a little less strict about my sugar, carb, and calorie intake on vacation, and may or may not be tempted by a soda or two. After all, vacation is an excuse to let loose a little in every sense of the word. 

Before hitting the road, I rounded up a few mason jars. I kept them empty on the trip, but had a little plan in mind. Each time we hit a fast food chain for breakfast or lunch, I'd ask for a cup of ice and a bottle of water (a cup of water would work too!). Then, I'd add my Southern Breeze Sweet Tea cold brew tea bag to the mason jar, fill it with ice and pour water to the top. The tea would steep as we were getting back on the interstate, and once I got all of the food squared away with my chauffeur (aka husband, the driver), I would return to my tea, stick a straw in, give it a stir, and enjoy!

I've shared with you before my love for Southern Breeze Sweet Tea. Over the past few years (I was first introduced to them in 2015!), I've gone from liking their products to absolutely LOVING them. And that is in large part due to their Half and Half cold brew flavor. This tastes exactly like the Southern sweet tea you grew up enjoying, but it's better for a few reasons. One, it's single serving which means if you're in the mood for tea, you can make just one glass! Two, it's zero calories and zero carbs making it a healthy alternative. (Note: if you're doing Keto like me, be sure to make decisions for yourself about which sweeteners you want to incorporate into your diet. Since I drink 95% water, I don't mind treating myself to different sweeteners from time to time. Southern Breeze is made with just 4 ingredients: Black Tea, Natural Flavor, Citric Acid, and Sucralose (sweetener).) Three, it's cold brew, so no boiling water required which is perfect for road-tripping! 

Once I was done, I'd simply put the lid back on and move it to a different cup holder. I didn't have to worry about it spilling or immediately removing the jar at the next stop. Reusable cups FTW!

In addition to this little travel hack, I also packed a few things to keep myself occupied. I always make sure to have a good read, and even after having this Emily Giffin book for a few years, I still had not read it, so it came along for the ride. I also grabbed a few old issues of Southern Living that I wanted to read. I packed my good headphones that go over my ears for catching up on the latest podcasts, too. I don't know about you guys, but the tiny earbuds aren't comfortable for me, so these are a must when I know I'll have them in/on for a while.

Other road trip essentials that are a must have for me are cute but comfortable clothes. We started our weekend with a stop along the way for me for work, so I couldn't arrive in my usual Lululemon attire. I chose a stretchy pair of white jeans from Old Navy, a cute striped tie front shirt from J.Crew Factory, and some thrifted espadrilles I picked up a few years ago. Note: if you take a look at the top online, it says that it's red, but I definitely think it reads pink which in my opinion, is way more fun for spring. 

If you're heading on your own spring road trip this season and want to avoid those sugary beverages found at every fast food joint or roadside stand along the way, consider incorporating my mason jar/Southern Breeze hack. If you're curious about trying the half and half flavor (or any other kind for that matter!), I have good news! First time purchasers can can use the code APRILSHIPFREE for  free shipping now through April 30, 2018.

And finally, Southern Breeze is having a pretty spectacular spring picnic giveaway that you can enter, too! Click the graphic below to be taken to the page to enter.

Any other road tripping essentials that I'm missing? Or vacation diet hacks I should know about? Let me know in the comments! 

Christmas Comfort Food: Garlic Cheese & Sweet Tea

Growing up, my dad had this rule: we didn't travel for Christmas. Everyone, every year, was welcome at our house which often meant we had a tiny house filled to the brim with people - mostly, my immediate family of five and my grandparents, my Nana & PopPop. They would either come a few days before Christmas or Christmas day and bring loads of gifts and a cooler full of annual Christmas treats. 

Nana always made a few things: chocolate candy with marshmallows (which I never loved...shhhhh...don't tell anyone), homemade spicy snack mix, and my favorite: garlic cheese. We would immediately dig into the cheese with any crackers we happened to have on hand and of course, pour a tall glass of sweet tea on the side. Eventually, Christmas became synonymous with garlic cheese. 

My Nana passed away earlier this year, and this will be our first Christmas officially sans garlic cheese. So, I set out to try the recipe for myself. I had worked it up in my head as though it was going to be this crazy involved recipe that I'd never be able to accomplish. Well, it turns out that it's not complicated at all. I'm not sure I've mastered her flavor profiles - you know how grandmother's are "just a pinch of this or that" without any exact measuring. Ironically, I cook the same way, so I can't complain too much.  

This garlic cheese is perfect to have on hand in your fridge, especially in the coming days and weeks leading up to Christmas. I like to keep snacks like this on hand for any unexpected guests. I also make sure to have a variety of beverages on hand, too. One of the best beverages I've discovered is Southern Breeze's Cold Brew Tea. 

They're perfect because in just under 5 minutes, you can have freshly brewed sweet tea without the hassle of boiling any water. You simply steep a single serve, zero calorie (!!!) tea bag in cold water and let it sit for a few minutes. While you're waiting for the tea, you can assemble a festive platter of the garlic cheese and a bowl everything crackers for a quick visit with friends or family who pop-by. 

I wanted to share the recipe for garlic cheese with you today. It really is so simple, and I hope you give it a try! Happy holidays and happy snacking!

Garlic Cheese Log

makes 2 logs

You will need:

- 1 lb sharp cheddar

- 1 block of cream cheese, softened

- 2 cloves of garlic, minced 

- 2 tsp red pepper

- black pepper to taste

- paprika 

To prepare:

1. Set-out cream cheese to soften. 

2. Shred block of sharp cheddar using a food processor and cheese grater attachment. If you don't have a food processor, you can grate by hand. 

3. Once cheese is grated, remove cheese and set aside. Swap your attachments in your food processor back to the regular blade. 

4. Add half of the cheese back to food processor. Add half of the block of cream cheese and pulse. 

5. Repeat step 4, leaving original mixture in processor. 

6. Add garlic, red pepper, and pepper.  Pulse one final time. 

7. Remove cheese mixture and shape into 2 equal sized logs. 

8. Pour paprika on a plate (or other flat surface) and roll logs in paprika until covered completely. 

9. Wrap cheese in parchment or saran-wrap and refrigerate. 

Note: Get creative with your roll - you can roll in pecans or even curry powder!

Enjoy! 

This post is sponsored by Southern Breeze Sweet Tea. All opinions are my own.