...it's so tasty too!

Who said all diet foods had to taste horrible? Well for nearly everyone that is dieting we know that no one says it, but it is very true that not all healthy food gives you the warm and fuzzies that most comfort food do.

In my journeys to find healthy food (read as: spending my days surfing pinterest) I came across a recipe for smoothies. The guidelines for the smoothie were very rigid, "Use this exact ounce of this specific brand name item, don't worry that it costs you $10 for a small portion!" Needless to say I was not impressed. I did however come across another website and I used their smoothie recipe as a base for my very own.

In total the ingredients for these smoothies (I say 'these' because I have more than enough for many smoothies and a variety of them.) cost $13. I didn't have to buy the honey or milk (or orange juice) but those are staples in most kitchens so I'm not counting them in my cost. I bought four bags of frozen fruits at $2.50 each, and a 1 tub of yogurt. You can buy as needed and it'll keep the cost down.

Here are the ingredients I used for my smoothie today, this is a smoothie for one person, I will also show you alternatives.

1/3 cup plain low fat yogurt


1/4 cup low fat milk (you will add more as needed to keep the smoothie... well smooth)


1 teaspoon honey


1 cup frozen mixed berries


This is the result! It tastes amazing!


Now for the alternatives:

Substitute orange juice for milk, go for the ones with the least amount of calories and sugars. I personally prefer no pulp, but it is up to you. With the orange juice you can omit the honey, you are getting the sweetness from the juice and therefore the honey is not really needed.

The price of fruit is outrageous these days, surprisingly though frozen fruit is a less expensive solution (different fruits will go on sale different days and if you shop mid week, most of the time on Wednesday things will be on a better sale because that is the day most stores get their new shipments *bonus tip from someone that works in a grocery store*), it also cuts out the need for ice in your smoothie.

If you can afford the fresh fruit, which sadly doesn't last as long as frozen (another perk to frozen) you will do a cup of fruit and 3/4 cup ice.

If you're daring go ahead and throw in a vegetable, carrots or spinach blend well with these drinks. It's up to you what you want in your drink. I am fully experimenting here. Yesterday I had orange juice, mango, and blueberry! Tomorrow I might even try with *gasp* unsweetened cranberry juice!

Let me know if you try and what combinations you used. I love all sorts of crazy combinations and I'll keep you up to date on what I try next and how it works out.

Weekly Weigh In Saturday 1/12

It's that time of the week.

Time to step on that scale and be rewarded for all the hard work this past week!

How did you week go?

Did you gain or lose?

(remember - you can share as much or as little info as you like)

Let the commenting begin.......

I am still being good.  But I am always ALWAYS hungry.  So I thought I'd share some food porn. Enjoy.

Kick Off Week Day 7 - Tuesday

Keep your expectations realistic.

This has been my biggest downfall throughout my entire life.

Does this scenario sound familiar?

You spend the entire week counting everything you eat, getting in those workouts, drinking your water, so you are all jazzed up about getting on the scale at the end of the week.

Then you get on the scale, and you're like - WTF????

I was good all week.  Why have I not lost like 10 pounds???

Yeah, I've been there my whole life.

This is the hurdle that I've had to get over, in order to have success in losing weight over these last two years.  It is sometimes really hard to be good all week and then get on the scale, and see that you've only lost 0.3 pounds.  It's frustrating.

To get past this, keep these things in mind.

- No matter how little you've lost, you've still lost and that's a positive!

- All those little losses add up, and before you know it, you've lost 5 or 10 pounds.

- Your body doesn't always follow your schedule.  Maybe your body needed 8-9 days this week to show a loss, and not the 7 you expect.  Your body will show the loss on the scale when it's ready.

Just remind yourself that you will see the loss next week.

Some weeks are going to be disappointing.  So prepare yourself ahead of time.  Don't let that disappointment send you into a tailspin, because that is counterproductive.

Kick Off Week Day 6 - Monday

Try to eat a salad for one meal each day.

Make yourself some edible art for yourself.

Maybe, just maybe Edward will present you with an apple.

Seriously though, if I try to eat a salad for one meal each day (either lunch or dinner) I have a lot more points left for the other meal that day.  Plus if all I bring to work for lunch is a salad, well then I guess that's all I'll be having.

Be careful eating salads at restaurants.  They are usually bad news and have more calories than if you were to just order the damn cheeseburger that you really want!

Here's my other secret salad eating tip.

I never put the dressing on my salad.  Ever.

I dip my fork in my dressing each time I pick up a bite of salad.

You know those cups of dressing they give you at a restaurant?

I can literally get away with eating only half of one of those.

Think of all the calories you are saving???

Just make sure when you order a salad out, 

that you ask for the dressing on the side.

So it's good to always have a salad made in the fridge, 

so there are no excuses!

Kick Off Week Day 5 - Sunday

Count every little thing that passes your lips.

It is so easy to get lazy about this.  
However, if I stop counting, I overeat.
Count every. Single. Thing.

When you grab that small handful of M&M's, you think it's not a big deal.  Snack on a few crackers.  Whatever little things you like to graze on, add up fast.

Measure it, count it and write it down.
If nothing else, it will make you aware of how much you should be eating in order to lose weight.

I do the old Weight Watchers points.  I get 24 points per day, and those points can get eaten up really fast with snacking.
Even after you've been doing this awhile, and you think you know what you're doing and you think you don't have to keep track.
Keep track!

Kick Off Week - Day 4 - Saturday

Weigh In Day

I pick Saturday as my weigh in day for a few reasons.

1) It's the day my points reset and I'll have those extra bonus points if I need them for the weekend.

2) If I've lost weight, it will help keep me motivated through the weekend.

3) I know this is TMI, but with you girls I feel comfortable saying this.  On Saturday, I'm not rushed as I am on the weekdays, so I can relax, drink my coffee, and then hopefully go to the bathroom - like really go to the bathroom! LOL  Sometimes that doesn't happen during the week.  Just saying.....

So I like to make sure I get everything out before I weigh myself.

So I'm going to post my weekly weigh in each Saturday.  Feel free to join me, or if a different day works better for you, please do a post on your day.

So today's weekly weigh in is going to be my starting weight post.

After this, I will be posting how much I've lost (or gained).

So in the comments, you can post as little or as much information as  you want.  You can write what your weight is that day with your loss/gain, or if you're more comfortable, just post your loss/gain.

We're in this together!