[1] Sovány is the only organic sparkling fruit-flavored water (all photos © Sovány Beverage Company).

[2] Whether straight from the fridge or chilled on ice, the flavors are most refreshing—and very low in calories.

[3] Add fresh fruit and/or herbs for a fizzy mocktail.

[4] In addition to individual cans, you can buy Sovány in 12-packs or 24-packs.

Sovány is something new on the healthy beverage scene: A line of sparkling waters made with USDA organic fruit.

In fact, it’s the first sparkling water made with organic fruits. You’ll notice the real fruit flavor from the first sip.

Sovány is an elegant refresher and can substitute nicely for a higher-calorie glass of wine.

Drink it alone, or use it as a mixer. We think you’ll love it.
 
 
NO SUGAR ADDED

This elegant flavored sparkler has just 20 calories per 12-ounce can. The first three flavors in the line are:

 
There’s also Simply Sparkling, an unflavored, nicely carbonated water.

The three flavors contain a whopping 12% organic fruit juice, with no added sugar.

By comparison, Sovány’s “real fruit juice” competitors often include 6% or less juice (and not organic, either), plus added sugar [source].

The sweet fruit flavor comes from the unsweetened fruit juice. There is no sugar added. The sweetness is that which naturally occurs in the organic fruits.

We guarantee that Sovány Sparkling Flavored Beverages will deliver refreshing moments of guilt-free happiness: low-calorie with fresh, natural-tasting fruit flavor.

And environmentally friendly.

The line is:

 
Sovány is not just delicious; it’s better for you and the planet.
 
 
THE BRAND’S INSPIRATION

During the summer of 2017, company founder Marcella Fodor was craving a refreshing, tasty beverage that would fit her healthy lifestyle.

Underwhelmed by what she found in stores, she started mixing sparkling water and organic juices in her kitchen.

The blends became a staple in her fridge, and when friends started craving the recipe, Marcella knew she was on to something good.

The product name, Sovány, derives from founder Marcella Fodor’s Hungarian roots. It’s the Hungarian term for ‘slim,’ which translates in the minimalist design and approach of the brand.
 
 
GET YOUR SOVÁNY

 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CARBONATED WATER

Ask someone what they like to put on their baked potato.

You’ll get a variety of answers, including any and all of these:

 
We have a longer list here.

We’ve also written about sweet potato toppings, and how they can turn a simple potato into a dazzling main or side.

But today, we discovered a new topping:
 
 
A GREAT TOPPING FOR SWEET POTATOES: BELLE CHEVRE CREAM CHEESE

Belle Chevre cream cheese is one of our favorite products.

It’s a line of four sweet-and-tangy spreadable cheeses in fab flavors:

 
Here’s our full review.

Each of the flavors is splendid: perfect for spreading on your bagel, toast, muffin, crispbread and any place you’d spread cream cheese.

Truth to tell, we can eat an entire container as a snack or “cheese course.”

But thanks to a suggestion from Belle Chevre, we have a new use for it: sweet potato topping.

The Cinnamon, Fig and Honey flavors beautifully complement the sweetness of the potato.

You can buy them online from Belle Chevre.

If you need a quick hack, buy whipped cream cheese and flavor it to taste with cinnamon sugar or honey.

Remember that less is more.
 
 
> POTATO HISTORY
 
 
> TYPES OF POTATOES

[1] Load your baked sweet potato with Belle Chevre goat cream cheese in Cinnamon, Fig or Honey (photos #1 and #2 © Fromagerie Belle Chevre).

[2] One of five flavors of Belle Chevre cream cheese. Each of them might do well in a baked sweet potato.

[3] Six ways to top sweet potatoes. Check ‘em out (photo © North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission).

[1] Make mini popcorn balls in your favorite colors (photo © National Popcorn Board).

[2] You can buy bags of popcorn or pop your own (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

[3] Popcorn trail mix is easy to make. Here’s the recipe (photo © Delicious Meets Healthy).

[4] You can flavor popcorn with herbs and spices for any occasion. Here, pumpkin pie spices create Pumpkin Spice Popcorn (photo © National Popcorn Association).

[5] Use popcorn as a garnish, like this caramel corn garnish on a carrot cake. Here’s the recipe (photo © Honest Cooking).

January 19th is National Popcorn Day, celebrating an all-American treat. (October is National Popcorn Month.)

Popcorn is an all-American food, born by accident thousands of years ago. The oldest popcorn known to date was discovered in 1948 in a cave in New Mexico.

Here’s the history of popcorn.

We’ve got interesting ways to use popcorn, below.

For today, here’s a fun recipe from the National Popcorn Board. They call it Pop-a-rif-ic Popcorn Balls.

You can leave them their natural beige color, but there’s more eye appeal with a bit of food color (photo #1).

For the rest of the year, you can use the same recipe with theme food colors to make the popcorn balls for specific holidays and sports teams.

Make a batch for movie night, game-watching or for general snacking.

Note that while this recipe is not a low-calorie snack like plain popcorn, it is a whole-grain snack.
 
 
RECIPE: POPCORN CANDY BALLS

Ingredients For 14 Balls

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the popped popcorn in a large bowl.

2. COMBINE the marshmallows and butter in a large saucepan over low heat; cook until melted and smooth. To color the popcorn balls, add a few drops of food coloring to the smooth marshmallow mixture.

3. MIX well to distribute the color evenly, then pour over the popcorn. Toss gently to mix well. Cool for 5 minutes.

4. ADD the optional mix-ins and stir well to distribute.

5. BUTTER your hands well and form the mixture into 2-1/2 inch balls. Makes about 14 balls.
Variations:

Place nonpareils in a shallow bowl or plate. Roll popcorn balls in nonpareils after forming.
 

MORE POPCORN RECIPES

What Makes Popcorn Kernels Pop

 
 
SEASONAL POPCORN RECIPES