TASTE: TOOLS FOR A HEALTHY NEW YEAR

the holiday season is finally behind us, and with it goes all of the required overindulgence. here, a few secrets to help with getting our eating and drinking back on track.

We're obsessed with these cocktail mixers, which have ZERO calories and are sugar free and all-natural. With great flavors (cucumber mint, ginger lime and margarita), they pair perfectly with a variety of spirits from vodka, to whiskey and  beer and make it so easy to be your own mixologist.

Ah, the slow cooker. For the longest time all we had to choose from was the Crockpot from 1950-something, but today there are dozens of options out there. Our favorite is the All Clad Deluxe Slow Cooker with Aluminum Insert ($249.95). It's pricier than many others, but it's a true workhorse and features a nonstick cast-aluminum insert that you can use on the stovetop to brown ingredients before transferring it to the base for slow cooking, which is where the real magic happens. 

When we first read about Hungryroot, we were a little wary of their mission: "to unleash the flavor of vegetables, bring them to the center of your plate, and make them craveable." I mean, we like vegetables. A lot. But to unleash them? Needless to say, we were pleasantly surprised by these ready to cook vegan meals. Standouts are the Cauliflower Couscous with Moroccan Almond Curry, the Celery Root Noodles with Sweet Basil Gremolata, the Almond Chickpea cookie dough and the Cacao Mousse that's made with sweet potato. The meals are super quick to make and are really, really flavorful. Seems you really can unlesash the flavor of vegetables.