Cranberry Limeade: for brighter sunshine, extra courage, and less morning sickness

also entitled

Every Saturday at 2:00pm the alarm on my phone goes off. A message associated with that alarm pops up on my screen.

Cranberry Limeaid and Mozzarella Sticks

Why Saturday? The Sonic nearest our house does a deal every day of the week. Saturdays deal is my favorite. An order of mozzarella sticks for a dollar.

Why 2:00pm? Because that is happy hour. That is when you can get half priced drinks at Sonic.

This alarm is a remnant from the early days when I was pregnant. The days before I could down an entire cheesecake. The days when eating was an accomplishment. The days where I was losing weight and worried to death about whether the little lima bean sized alien inside me was getting what she needed.

There was only one thing I could find that would always stay down and often calm my stomach enough to keep down some solid food. I'll bet you can guess what it was...

Sonic Cranberry Limeaid

Image borrowed from http://www.sonicdrivein.com/

To me this stuff was a literally godsend. It made me feel human. It made me feel that I could continue another day, that my little one and I were going to be alright, that this wasn't all a mistake.

To this day, I like to face a difficult with a limeaid in hand, but back then every day was difficult. I drank that stuff by the pitcher-full. I needed an alternative solution for days when money felt tight or I didn't feel up to going out.

Here's what you need:

- Lemon Lime Soda (I prefer Sierra Mist Natural because its the only soda I can find that comes in big bottles and has no artificial sweeteners or high fructose corn syrup)

- 100% Cranberry Juice, Unsweetened (don't worry, with the soda it turns out plenty sweet) 

- Lime Wedges to taste

- Pellet Ice (optional, but it makes it so much more authentic, you can buy it in bags at most sonic locations and keep it in your freezer at home) 

Combine the soda and the cranberry juice using a ratio of about 6 parts soda to 1 part juice. Pour gently so you don't loose the carbonation. Add lime wedges and ice.

To fill a 2 quart pitcher I would use about 6 cups of soda, 1 cup juice, and a couple limes cut into wedges. 

To fill a 16 ounce glass I would use a cup and a half (about 1 can) of soda, 1/4 cup of juice and maybe half a lime.

We had a punch bowl full of this stuff at the baby shower my friends threw for me. It was a big hit.

Here's some random shoutouts with links to other bloggers who like Sonic Drinks.

Linda at My Name is Momma (cute picture of tiny child and giant cup)

Erin at A Nickell for Your Thoughts (another cute cup as big as child pic) 

Camille at Makoodle (cute visual message about things that make us happy)

Shannon at Sweet Blessings (Printables "This home runs on LOVE Laughter and LOTS of SONIC DRINKS." I love it!)

Enjoy!