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est. 2007

  1. How I Quit Sugary Drinks & Win a New SodaStream Play!

    Trying to wean yourself off sugary soda drinks? Make super-easy fruit-infused soda water with ginger, mint and lemon, via WeeBirdy.com. Do you remember the SodaStream? I was a child of the '80s, and I distinctly remember staring longingly at the seemingly magical machine in the SodaStream TV ad. Instant fizzy drinks you can make yourself! In your own home! My tiny mind was blown. Fast forward a few decades and the SodaStream is back, dressed up in a range of six bright new colours and a new name: SodaStream Play. In case you missed the '80s, the SodaStream Drinks Maker allows you to transform regular tap water into refreshing sparking water in seconds. You can add one of their ready-made flavoured syrups, such as cola, lemon-lime and orange, but I use my SodaStream to make instant sparkling water. And it's been a revelation!
    The new Sodastream Play comes in a zesty yellow shade, via WeeBirdy.com.

    My new yellow Sodastream Play adds a pop of colour to my kitchen. Photography by Rebecca Lowrey Boyd/Wee Birdy.

    Super-easy fruit-infused soda water with ginger, mint and lemon, via WeeBirdy.com.
    Super-easy fruit-infused soda water with ginger, mint and lemon, via WeeBirdy.com.

    Ingredients for tasty fruit-infused sparkling water: fresh limes, lemons, ginger and mint. Photography by Rebecca Lowrey Boyd/ Wee Birdy.

    You see, I've been making an effort to reduce my sugar intake over the past few months, and I've cut at all sugary fizzy drinks. This hasn't been easy, especially when I had a borderline addiction to ginger beer. Oh, how I adore ginger beer, smacking of Enid Blyton picnics and hot summer days. I just about mainlined the stuff while I was pregnant, as the ginger really helped with nausea. But it's full of sugar, and it had to go. But replacing delicious ginger beer with a glass of boring old plain water isn't the best strategy. But "special sparkling water" infused with fruit is something much more enticing and palatable. Trying to wean yourself off sugary soda drinks? Make super-easy fruit-infused soda water with ginger, mint and lemon, via WeeBirdy.com.
    Trying to wean yourself off sugary soda drinks? Make super-easy fruit-infused soda water with ginger, mint and lemon, via WeeBirdy.com.

    Table runner, coasters and tumblers from Freedom; bowl from Missoni for Target; tray from IKEA.Photography by Rebecca Lowrey Boyd/Wee Birdy.

    I came up with a lemon, ginger and mint sparkling water, inspired by the zingy hot water version at Cafe Longshot in Beecroft. All you need is a bunch of fresh mint, fresh ginger and a lemon. 1. Cut up slices of fresh ginger and add it to a glass, along with some slices of lemon and a good squeeze lemon juice. 2. Pack the glass with fresh mint leaves. 3. Give your SodaStream three good pushes, and voila, instant sparkling water! 4. Add the sparkling water to your ginger, lemon and mint, and top with ice cubes. Give it a good stir to infuse all of the flavours. And there you have it - healthy sugar-free fruit-infused sparkling water.
    Super-easy fruit-infused soda water with ginger, mint and lemon, via WeeBirdy.com.

    Fill an ice cube tray with slivers of ginger and sprigs of mint for instant sparkling water goodness. Photography by Rebecca Lowrey Boyd/Wee Birdy.

    The SodaStream is super-easy to use and the Play Drinks Maker was designed by Yves Béhar, making it a streamlined and stylish addition to your kitchen bench. You can keep things minimal with a simple white design, or add a pop of colour to your kitchen, like my new vibrant yellow SodaStream. Trying to wean yourself off sugary soda drinks? Make super-easy fruit-infused soda water with ginger, mint and lemon, via WeeBirdy.com. WIN A SODASTREAM PLAY! UPDATE: THIS GIVEAWAY HAS NOW CLOSED. WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON WEE BIRDY'S FACEBOOK PAGE ON NOVEMBER 15. The nice folks at SodaStream want to give two Wee Birdy readers a brand spanking new white SodaStream Play, valued at $99 each. To be in the running, all you need to do is: 1. Sign up to my brand new weekly newsletter (see below), which will be packed with more Wee Birdy goodness. If you already subscribe to my newsletter, you're automatically qualified to enter the giveaway.
      
    2. Leave a comment below (along with your email addressed, which won't be published) telling me how you would make sparkling water extra-special. Maybe you have your own recipe using soda water? Entries will be judged on creativity. Entries close Friday 14 November at 5pm AEST. Winners will be announced and contacted by email on November 15, 2014. Sorry, competition open only to Australian residents - I'll have a giveaway for overseas readers soon!
    Disclosure: Wee Birdy was gifted with a SodaStream Play for review purposes.
    Posted at 11:14 am in Design, Giveaways, Homewares
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