It’s no secret how much I love my caffeinated icy cold beverages. You can tell my stress level by the quantity I refill my 40 oz. Stanley with each day. You may say I am a connoisseur of these cola beverages. I used to drink Diet Coke, but when Diet Dr. Pepper came out, I went to that. Then came Coke Zero, and that was my favorite, until Dr. Pepper came out with Dr. Pepper Zero, and that was my new favorite. But the list gets longer as they came out with Dr. Pepper Cream Soda Zero Sugar, and then Dr. Pepper Cherry Zero Sugar. Now I trade off between the Coke Zero, and all the Dr. Pepper Zero flavor varieties. But most of the time, it’s Coke Zero because Costco sells it by the case. Yes, my name is Leslie Johnson and I am addicted to caffeinated beverages. :)

Last week my two daughters both called me on the same day to tell me about the new Dr. Pepper Zero flavor that had just come out – Dr. Pepper Creamy Coconut Zero Sugar. Errin found hers at the Smith’s in Layton, however, they didn’t have any with Zero Sugar, and I can’t tolerate that much sugar. I told her to let me know if it was good enough to venture out of my house to go find some. Why is it the Coke Zero in my Stanley suddenly didn’t taste as good? Errin called to report how fabulous it was, and then the search was on! Steph called me immediately to tell me she was on her way to find some for herself. We all love Dr. Pepper, and we all love coconut so the mixture of both was a hafta-do! Steph drove to five stores and every one of them were out of it in both varieties – with sugar and zero sugar. Why is it when you can’t have something, you want it even more? The next morning she was up and at it early. She scored the zero sugar variety at Smith’s, bought me a case of 12, and dropped it off at my house. We both wanted to try it immediately, but it’s just not as good unless it’s super cold. So we put some cans in the freezer, and set the timer for 20 minutes. Have you ever put soda in the freezer and forgot it was there? It’s a frozen explosion you never want to have to clean up, hence the reason I now set the timer every time I do this! We anxiously awaited the ding of the timer, and poured ourselves a glass over ice.

It was good, but I felt it needed some lime which of course I didn’t have, but I did have some “True Lime” packages and those were the perfect addition for me. One package of “True Lime” to one can of Dr. Pepper Creamy Coconut Zero Sugar = Yum!!!! “True Lime” comes from real fruit that is dried and crystalized and comes in a packet, 1 packet = 1 lime wedge.

I enjoyed the entire case in a couple of days, yes that’s a lot of soda, and have been on the search for more ever since. Smith’s stocks theirs in the back of the store on pallets – not in the normal soda isle at the front of the store. Sadly, I’ve now been three times and haven’t been able to find any more. It appears this version is popular! I hope it’s so popular that it becomes a staple flavor and not just a limited edition flavor.

One good thing that happened while searching for this delicious soda, was another healthier find! I decided a few years ago to start trying more unique and different kinds of fruit from all over the world. There are so many yummy options out there, we don’t need to be stuck with apples, oranges and bananas! Don’t get me wrong, I love those as well, but I also like to be adventurous. I love a good yellow mango! These are a variety called Ataulfo, which are golden yellow in color, smooth, and non-fibrous. There’s also nothing like a ripe papaya with a little lime juice on it. I enjoy a good kiwi but it has to be ripe. We also like the gold pineapples from Costco. They are sweet, and we eat them fresh or grilled with brown sugar and Soy Vey drizzled on top. As I walked past the produce I noticed a new type of orange, it was called a Sumo Mandarin Orange. They felt soft and squishy, have a really bumpy skin, and a big knob on top, but I decided to try a couple anyway.

Oranges are one of the few fruits I can get Ron to eat. These oranges are about the size of a normal good sized orange, not small like a normal mandarin orange. They are really easy to peel which is always nice. We both enjoyed them so much, I went back and bought six more the next day! I’m guessing these are a seasonal item, so if you are interested in trying them out, I would get them as soon as possible. I found them at Smith’s in Kaysville.

There’s nothing like a perfectly tangy sweet juicy orange! I haven’t had an exceptional orange in years, and this one fits the bill!

While I was there, I also saw some Dragon Fruit. While watching a Hallmark movie recently, I saw that perfectly cute couple eat one of these, and decided I needed to try one.

Because I saw how they ate it, I knew to cut it in half, and scoop it out with a spoon. It looks a lot like a kiwi with lots of edible little black seeds. I don’t know if I just got a bad one, but mine didn’t have very much flavor.

It had the consistency of a kiwi, but was extremely bland and almost flavorless. Sadly, that went in the garbage after the first spoonful, but at least I gave it a try. The moral to this story is, don’t trust everything you see in a Hallmark movie. :)

Now that I’ve shared my addiction, I just want to say as much as drinking soda is not healthy for us, going on this search and the conversations with my two daughters about it brought LIGHT and joy into our lives this past week!!! Life can be hard, and finding something fun and adventurous brings laughter, joy, and something to look forward to. All those words bring LIGHT, and anything that fosters relationships is a good thing in my book!

If you too are a caffeinated soda beverage-aholic, go get a case of the new Dr. Pepper Creamy Coconut with or without sugar – and don’t forget the lime! If you’re worried about eating healthier, eat a Sumo Mandarin Orange before or after your soda libation. Both things will fill your body and soul with LIGHT!

Have a great week! Love Ya, Les :)

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