Labor Day Entertaining Tips — As Seen On CBS Austin’s “We Are Austin”

Labor Day weekend is here — and, while our celebrations may look a bit different than they have in years past, as long as we have the willingness to pivot and make some clever adjustments, we can all safely enjoy the holiday with our loved ones. Whether you’re going on a road trip adventure, planning a picnic at the park, hosting a small cookout with friends, spending the day by the lake, or having a movie day at home with the family, I’ve some great ideas for yummy snacks and tasty refreshments that will make any activity feel all the more enjoyable and memorable.  Make sure to click here to view my latest segment on CBS Austin’s “We Are Austin,” in which I share some hosting hacks for your Labor Day get-togethers, and keep on reading for the inside scoop on all the products shown on air!

LIVE CLEAN HAND SANITIZER

When it comes to any Labor Day gathering, always consider safety first! In addition to any mask-wearing protocols and social distancing measures you might be implementing, you’ll want to prioritize good hand hygiene — which means having plenty of hand sanitizer available.

The new Live Clean Hand Sanitizer ($4.99 for 8 oz. bottle; available at grocery stores) is the perfect choice for any Labor Day gatherings as it kills 99.9% of germs thanks to a 70% concentration of plant-derived alcohol, and yet it’s also much gentler on your hands than traditional hand sanitizers. Formulated with 98% plant-based ingredients — including soothing aloe — this hand sanitizer dries quickly, leaving behind no sticky residue. Plus, it doesn’t have the pungent, overwhelming odor typically associated with hand sanitizer, making it all the more appealing to those with sensitive noses!

As if that weren’t enough to catapult this hand sanitizer into your must-buy list, consider this: the formula is vegan and cruelty-free, plus the hand sanitizer boasts recyclable packaging and biodegradable ingredients, so it’s a product that’s gentle and safe for you, your entire family, and our planet’s ecosystem.

TERRA ORIGINAL VEGETABLE CHIPS

Now that we’ve figured out all the logistics on how to safeguard our health and that of our families and friends, it’s time to focus on the next priority: snacks! No road trip, picnic, cookout, movie night, camping trip, beach day, or boating trip would be complete without some yummy salty snacks, right?

To add a taste of excitement to your celebration, pick up some Terra Original Vegetable Chips ($3.78 at retailers), which are made from a variety of  colorful root vegetables like sweet potato, parsnip, taro, batata, and yucca and expertly seasoned with sea salt for a truly exciting snacking experience. Not only are these chips tasty, but they also brighten up any table spread, practically beckoning guests to reach for one (or two, three, and four!).

GARDEN OF EATIN’ BLUE CHIPS

Fun fact: blue corn boasts higher concentrations of the amino acid lysine and the antioxidant anthocyanin than yellow corn, making it the healthier option of the two. For that reason, if you’re whipping up some homemade guacamole for your Labor Day shindig, consider serving it with blue corn tortilla chips, which have a nutritional edge over their yellow corn counterparts and are also crunchier and heartier.

The gluten-free Garden of Eatin’ Blue Chips ($4.48 at retailers nationwide) are made from non-GMO organic blue corn, so they’re a healthy, clean snack option that will cater to the whole family. They’re also deliciously dippable, pairing beautifully with salsa, queso, black bean dip, pico de gallo, guacamole, and so much more!

SENSIBLE PORTIONS VEGGIE STRAWS

Kids and adults alike will love the airy, light, crunchy  Sensible Portions Garden Veggie Straws ($4.48 at retailers), which combine garden-grown potatoes and ripe vegetables like tomato and spinach to create a better-for-you snack that has 30% less fat per serving than the leading potato chip.

And if you need another reason to pick up the Veggie Straws (or the Garden of Eatin’ Blue Chips and Terra Original Vegetable Chips, for that matter), here it is: all these brands have partnered with Folds of Honor, an amazing non-profit organization whose mission is to provide scholarships to families of fallen or disabled military. The same is true for the Live Clean Hand Sanitizer, which bears the organization’s logo on its bottle.

WATERLOO LEMON-LIME SPARKLING WATER

Now that we’ve handled the snack menu, it’s time to turn our attention to refreshment options. Enter Austin-based Waterloo Sparkling Water’s new Lemon-Lime flavor, a refreshing alternative to zesty classic lemon-lime soda but without the sugar and artificial sweeteners. Each naturally flavored can contains zero calories, zero sugar, and zero sodium, making it a healthy beverage choice— and, thanks to Waterloo’s the dedicated in-house flavor innovation team, this is truly the boldest and most authentic tasting lemon-lime sparkling water to hit the market.

Not only is it a great thirst quencher, but it’s a phenomenal and versatile mixer for healthy cocktails. The Waterloo team recommends serving the Tequiloo Rita this Labor Day weekend, a delicious take on a traditional Margarita that’s fruity, fizzy, and fun. To prepare the Tequiloo Rita, you’ll want to reach for a cocktail shaker and mix the following ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. of Altos Plata Tequila
• 1 oz. orange juice
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• agave syrup
• ice

Next up, shake, shake, shake the ingredients (and your tail feather, if you so please!), then pour the ingredients into a Margarita glass, top with Waterloo Lemon-Lime, and garnish with lime.

See? Forget making lemonade or limeade! When life gives you lemons and limes, make cocktails!

For more mixology inspiration for your Labor Day parties,  follow the hashtag #WhenLifeGivesYouLemonLime on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.

AUSTIN EASTCIDERS SPIKED SELTZER VARIETY PACK

Even if you’ve drastically changed your diet — banishing white bread, pasta, rice, and dairy from your pantry and fridge — you may be sabotaging your own weight loss efforts come happy hour. After all, most alcoholic beverages — whether we’re talking about beer, vodka, rum, tequila, bourbon, or wine — are loaded with calories that can add up quickly.

So if you’re watching your waistline but you still want to imbibe this Labor Day weekend, reach for an Austin Eastciders Spiked Seltzer. This 100- calorie, all-natural spiked seltzer uses real fruit and contains no malt sugar or refined grains, setting it apart from all other spiked seltzers on the market. There are three Spiked Seltzer flavors available— Peach, Black Cherry and Apple — and each one features no artificial ingredients and is remarkably low in sugar, with just 2 grams of sugar per can.

You and your guests can try all the Spiked Seltzer flavors by picking up an Austin Eastciders Spiked Seltzer Variety Pack (visit AustinEastciders.com to find a grocery store or liquor store near you), which contains 12 cans, with four cans of each of the aforementioned flavors per box. The Black Cherry and Peach flavors are also available as six-packs so, if you’re already enamored with those flavors, you can stock your fridge or cooler accordingly.

Also, if you’re still looking for activities to fill up your weekend agenda, consider visiting the new Austin Eastciders Barton Springs restaurant, which is located at 1530 Barton Springs Road. Once there, you can try the Spiked Setlzers while munching on delicious snacks like cider queso and smoked chicken wings or sharing a cheesy pizza pie.

You can also pick up a Variety Pack to go at the Collaboratory Tap Room located at 979 Springdale Road.

HIGH BREW MEXICAN VANILLA COLD BREW

Good coffee is a pleasure and good friends are a treasure, so there’s nothing quite as delightful as combining the two. If you share my belief that coffee runs the world (and who doesn’t?), then treat yourself and your besties to High Brew’s Mexican Vanilla Cold Brew ($10 for a 4-pack; available at HighBrewCoffee.com, Amazon.com, and local Austin grocery retail partners).

This 90-calorie cold brew features 100% Colombian dark roast beans in a delicious flavor combination of vanilla and cinnamon that’s lightly sweetened with pure cane sugar. Patiently brewed via a process that involves soaking coffee grounds in ambient temperature water for hours, without the use of heat, High Brew’s gluten-free cold brew is less acidic than traditional hot brewed coffee, plus it has twice the caffeine and features a higher concentration of antioxidants.

Not only will a can of High Brew Mexican Vanilla Cold Brew prepare you for any adventure, but you’ll feel great about supporting a local, Austin-based brand with a socially responsible ethos. High Brew sources its beans from the Antioquia region of Colombia through a Direct Trade partnership, thereby obtaining the highest-quality coffee beans while supporting farmers in the region. High Brew Coffee also gives a portion of the sales from every purchase to these farmers, thereby helping to support infrastructure development, environmental sustainability, loan programs, fair and equitable wage practices, and education grant programs.

In addition to fair labor practices and wages for its farmer partners, High Brew has also made sustainability a priority. The brand’s Direct Trade parters have constructed three Micro-Wet Central Mills, thereby helping to outsource the wet milling process to centralized facilities (as opposed to each farmer performing this process on his/her own land). This infrastructure change helps to decrease water usage immensely– per the brand’s calculations, outsourcing the wet-milling process results in decreasing water usage from 30 liters to 3 liters of water per each pound of coffee produced. Amazing, right?

So go ahead and stock up on some ready-to-drink cold brew — or, if you’re hosting a dinner party, visit your local HEB and pick up a multi-serve 40-ounce bottle for you and your guests to share!