I am ashamed to admit that until 2 weeks ago, I was chronically dehydrated. I would have my coffee in the morning (8 ounces), maybe 16 ounces of water throughout the day (including any water with my lunch), and possibly some water or Crystal Light with dinner (max, 8-10 ounces). On days I workout, I drink more water, but otherwise, I was consuming no more than 35 ounces of fluid a day. Eep! 🙁
I attribute a lot of my low fluid intake to giving up diet soda. When I stopped drinking diet soda a year or so ago, I never replaced it with anything…and I had a 2-3 can-a-day habit. Besides, drinking water has never “tasted” good to me. It’s inconvenient to be well-hydrated with the frequent potty breaks, and I would always forget to bring water to work or elsewhere. Most importantly, I never got thirsty. I have no idea why, but I didn’t get thirsty.
The answer to my dehydration was in the form of a plastic tumbler with a straw…a pink straw 🙂 It was cute, I bought it…and I’ve used it. A lot! I happily drink 80+ ounces of water a day now 😀 ! I love that the tumbler is eco-friendly, cheap, practical (it keeps things cold a LONG time!), and super cute, too 😉 I fill it up with ice in the morning (7am) and the ice doesn’t melt until about 1pm. We have a water cooler at work that I’ve been using at least 3x a day, and I refill my tumbler again at least once in the evening, and 2-4 times if I workout.
At 20 ounces per fill, 6 fills gets me to 80 ounce a day, and most days are closer to 100-120 ounces. This may not be a big deal to people who are good water-drinkers, but this is huge for me. I even held off on blogging about my new found love for water and hydration because I wanted to be sure it would last. I am proud to report that I now get thirsty, I feel better, I exercise better, and my bathroom visits are slowly decreasing in frequency!
I purchased one of these tumblers for several people for Christmas and I hope they enjoy it as much as I am. If you’re looking for a last minute gift, or a practical stocking stuffer, I recommend one of these!
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And for the LAST cookie recipe for this Christmas season, a rendition of a peanut butter cookie my Grannie always made. Classic, delicious, and perfect for the peanut butter AND chocolate lover!
Peanut Butter Blossoms as seen on Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks, adapted from Betty Crocker
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1 egg white
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup sugar
~65 Hershey’s Kisses
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
In a large bowl cream the butter, peanut butter, and the applesauce. Add in the sugars and mix well. Beat in the egg and egg white until well combined.
In a small bowl mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture, stirring until it’s mixed well.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges and bottom begins to brown. Take the cookies out of the oven and immediately push a Hershey’s kiss into the center of the cookie. Remove cookies and set on a wire rack to cool. Yield: 4 dozen cookies.
Nutrition Information (per cookie): 101 calories; 5 g. fat; 5 mg. cholesterol; 66 mg. sodium; 12.6 g. carbohydrate; 0.4 g. fiber; 8.1 g. sugar; 1.9 g. protein
Result: These are a classic Christmas cookie (version of) in our house. Always have been, and they really are perfect for the person who loves both peanut butter and chocolate. Plus, they’re really cute 🙂 Who doesn’t love kisses?!
Question: Do you drink enough water? If so, what helps you get in enough water each day? If you don’t drink enough, how can you help ensure you get enough fluids each day?
They turned out great! As for the water, I never get enough-I’m not a huge water drinker. I do start every morning with a 32 oz. unsweet iced tea, but that’s about it.
These are my FAVORITE Christmas cookies! I love them. Thanks for your recipe. I may have to make these one day, even outside of the holidays.
I don’t think I have been drinking enough water lately, but who knows. I used to drink TOO MUCH, I think. I drank all day, everyday, but now I don’t think about it as much because like you said, I hate having to pee all the time! The tumbler is a great idea but I hate drinking out of a straw (as usual it makes me bloated from all the air I suck in with it). I will think more about my water consumption today, because lately I have only gone through one or two water bottles. Yikes.
Awesome post. Those cookies are a staple at my Grandma’s during Christmas also. AND I am totally with you on the dehydration thing. I never drink, never have. I am notorious for buy a bottle of water in the morning and by 3pm I haven’t even moved the water level past the top of the label. Yeah, that means about two drinks. The one time I will drink is when I am bored. It is great for during class or training. Just unscrewing the cap, taking a drink, rescrewing the cap and repeat can get me through long session. And worse, I’ve now started drinking a lot more pop. Not sure how to do it, but I definitely need to rehydrate.
I completely understand where you were at before the tumbler though.
Off to the airport soon to pick up Mom and brother. Hope your winter vacation starts soon!!
I drink a lot of water naturally. I think it’s just that I enjoy it. But I always have a glass of water on-hand either at my desk or, when I’m home, on the coffee table or my nightstand or wherever. When I’m bored of water I switch to iced tea, though I’ll chug an entire gallon of that in a day so I have to watch it. But just having a portable cup may help. My husband has one of those cups, the Starbucks one, and loves it!
Another girl just posted this on her site and brought up the question- why are this usually only made around Christmas time? I don’t get it…
Ha! I can’t believe you posted this– I JUST bought a tumbler exactly like this yesterday morning! I’m already loving it 🙂
Straws can really make drinking water fun! Brings out the kid in me. I am constantly drinking all day long. It’s just become a habit for me. I bring a reusable water bottle so I can always refuel. Tea or adding lemon/lime is great to spice things up when I’m home too.
I don’t drink enough water lately. I find the busier I am, the less I remember to drink. I have a tumbler like that….its a starbucks one, actually. I think I need to go and fill it up right now!!! 🙂 I feel really “puffy” lately, and I think it might be due to the fact that I am skimping on daily water!! Thanks for the reminder!
I’ve been trying to quite soda…maybe I will try your technique 🙂
Wow this peanut butter blossom just looks so delightful!
I’m impressed that you kicked a 3 can / day coke addiction.
Love the tumbler!!! Glad you are feeling better and getting in all the water.
And wow….those cookies look SO good. Have a great day!!!!!
Yay way to get all your water! I’m really good about drinking water, but it’s because I crave it and am thirsty all the time. When I stopped drinking diet pop probably 2-3 years ago is when my water intake really ramped up.
I love peanut butter blossoms. I’m a huge PB and chocolate lover (um it’s the best combo ever created!) so these are right up my alley.
I have a very similar cup – 2 in fact. The straw is brown though.
I love the cup and also find that I drink a lot more when I have it at work. I’ve already had my cup of tea and a full 20 oz of water. I love it. Plus it is dishwasher safe.
I always come to work equipped with a full Sigg water bottle. I drink it throughout the day, filling it up as I go. I also rarely stock juices or other sugary beverages at home. We always have both dairy and non-dairy milk on hand, but I use that pretty much only for coffee and cereal/oatmeal. I’ve found that if there is water in front of me, I will drink it!
I love my plastic tumbler so much!!! I have two.. a pink one and a starbucks one 🙂 they’re the best!
I drink so much water its ridiculous. Its pretty much all I drink other than wine. 🙂
congrats on drinking more water!! That is a huge deal! Even bigger deal? Nixing the soda habit! Kudos!
I LOVE that tumbler! I might have to snatch one of those puppies up, too. 🙂
I actually have the opposite problem. 🙁 I even had my doctor test me for diabetes (runs in my family) because I drink 150+ oz. of water a day and am SO THIRSTY all of the time. I have no idea what is wrong with me?!
Wow. I carry a 32 oz bottle around but I’m lucky if I finish it on some days. I definitely need to work on my hydration!
I have a very similar cup – 2 in fact. The straw is brown though. I love the cup and also find that I drink a lot more when I have it at work. I’ve already had my cup of tea and a full 20 oz of water. I love it. Plus it is dishwasher safe.
I LOVE that tumbler! I might have to snatch one of those puppies up, too. 🙂 I actually have the opposite problem. 🙁 I even had my doctor test me for diabetes (runs in my family) because I drink 150+ oz. of water a day and am SO THIRSTY all of the time. I have no idea what is wrong with me?!