A No Guilt Margarita

When we were on the cruise, we indulged in the fine art of the Margarita. Jeff has always enjoyed them… we have a couple Mexican restaurants here that do a pretty awesome Margarita. Kris has tried a strawberry Margaritas in the past, but seems to really have gotten into the real thing on this trip.

While in Galveston, we went to a restaurant called Tortugas on Sunday evening and had an awesome top shelf Margarita. Kris had asked about the drink specials, and we were told to that on Mondays, they have Margaritas for $1.50 until 5pm. Our cruise was scheduled to start boarding at 1:30, so it would appear that we would miss the Monday drink specials.

But, a bargain is a bargain, and a special is a special. One Jeff''s favorite things to do is to save money....So guess what, Monday morning before the cruise was to leave at about 3pm, we were at Tortuga’s at 11:30 for drinks and a little light lunch. Again, very Yummy!

Now, because the drinks on the cruise are expensive, we limited ourselves. But at the cooking school in Mexico, the Margaritas and Pina Coladas flowed freely and were free! So we partook freely too.

The downside of that is that we both came back home with a renewed thirst for more. Jeff took daughter Jenni for a Margarita at 10pm one night while Kris was in Minnesota. Yumm!

However, as the scales have testified, Margaritas are not known as a low calorie drink. In fact, the typical Margarita is just over 500 calories. So, you can not indulge without significant guilt and putting on excess poundage… neither of which we need or want in our lives.

So, with a little experimentation, Jeff came up with a diet and low- calorie Margarita.

2oz tequila
1oz triple sec
½ oz Lime Juice
½ oz Lemon Juice
Fresca – add to taste

This makes 2 drinks- add shaved ice or serve on the rocks. Rub a lime slice around the rim of the glass and dip in a plate of salt.

The Fresca adds some sparkle, and no calories. This should end up being about 70 calories per drink. Varying the amount or ratio of tequila and triple sec will vary the taste, but this is what we ended up preferring. We even went out and bought some Margarita style glasses.

Next, we will try adding some strawberry Crystal Light and some berry pieces for variety, with sugar on the rims.

Let us know when you want to come over for some cool drinks.