Sometimes a girl's gotta drink...

I'm Irish. Not in the, "yay it's St. Paddy's Day, everyone's Irish kinda way." I'm seriously Irish. My Mom's maiden name is Roddy. Her Mom's maiden name was Martin. My great grandfather and grandmother came over from Ireland and I think we even have some outlaw relatives that blew up a train or something in Belfast many years ago.

Want more Irish proof? My Grandad lived with us for a few years when I was little and he would make us go to Irish pubs all the time. Whenever we were out of town, if there was a pub, we went. Even in San Antonio. Did you know there is a place called "Durty Nellie's" on the Riverwalk? It's dark and you throw peanut shells on the floor. A little sketchy, but my VERY Irish Grandfather loved it. Now we go back just to remember him. My Uncle Dennis named his four kids the most Irish of names - Liam, Gavin, Seamus, Mairead. Yep.

Ok, so I celebrate St. Paddy's Day. I'm legit. But, I certainly don't want to drink cheap green beer. I prefer other green libations, like margaritas. But the calorie count on those suckers is ridiculous. A frozen margarita has 180 calories (all carbs) for a 4 oz serving. Considering the average margarita glass holds 12 oz you're looking at 540 calories. I don't know about you, but I would much rather spend those calories on actual food!

So, I make a little version of my fave frozen drink with half the calories. Here's my recipe.

3 oz. fresh lime juice
4 oz. white wine
Splash of lemon juice
1/2 cup Splenda or Truvia
Ice
Lime wedges for garnish

In a blender, combine white wine, lime juice, Splenda/Truvia, and ice. Blend until ice is just crushed and mixture well blended (do not allow the ice to become a puree).

Serve in Margarita Glasses garnished with a lime wedge. Makes 2 to 3 servings. only 120 calories per serving.

I avoid adding salt because of all the sodium. These are pretty tart, so experiment with adding more sugar substitute. Also, you are probably wondering about the wine instead of tequila. Here's why: I have a hard time with liquor. It totally dehydrates me and I just feel like it's so strong and damaging to the body. No science behind that, just my gut instinct.

So there you have it! Drink up, it's St. Patrick's Day on Wednesday. And only have one, maybe two. Don't rack up the calories on something that doesn't fuel your body.

Slainte! [That's "Cheers" to those of you that just pretend to be Irish].