HOWDEE!

So sorry to keep you waiting folks!  It's a busy time of year (yeah, but I promised to write a blog - I know!) and people seem to want me for other things (that's a good thing too!).

Here's a super, refreshing snack for you today.  Won't keep you full for long but it will most certainly quench your thirst and keep ya goin'!

Melonade

1 cup melon (preferable frozen) (I used watermelon and cantaloupe)
1/2 cup plain or lemon yogurt
1/2 lemon
1 cup coconut WATER (full of fabulous, natural electrolytes)
Ice, as needed

This is just what the doctor ordered on a hot day like today.  A great afternoon treat that's good for you.

Will be back soon - again, sorry for the delay.  I have dedicated part of Sunday to weekly blog writing so you won't have to suffer anymore!  Prepared and ready-to-go.  Coming soon ;-)

Happy Monday!

Did you have a fabulous weekend?  Goes by sooo fast!  I over indulged yesterday somewhat (darn bagel bagel bites!) but am back on track this morning!  Going to sip the Trigger Flush all day today (perfect in this warmer weather, no?) and start preparing my week of smoothies well in advance.

This morning's filling treat is......

Strawberry Oatmeal Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 cup skim or almond milk
• ¼ cup rolled oats
• ½ banana, (frozen)
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 tablespoon honey or 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)

Blend and enjoy.

 

This smoothie will be a big hit with adults and kids alike.  The rolled oats are really filling and will keep you full until lunch time.  Chock-full of fabulous ingredients to keep you strong and energized!

 

Enjoy my friends and see you back later. 

Decandence At Its Finest...

Who says you can't watch your waistline and indulge in a decandent treat at the same time?  Not me!  Not only is this decandent, it's GOOD FOR YOU!

Another football practice at noon so I'm treating myself to this baby (thanks to Princess Stephanie for reminding me how good this is) to tide me over until after practice.  You'll love it, trust me.

Chocolate Delight

1 cup coconut or regular milk
1/2 Tbsp. peanut butter
1/2 large, frozen banana
1 Tbsp. flax seeds
1 Tbsp. pure cocoa
Ice, as needed

* Depending on the consistency you can add a little water if too thick.

One might think that with all the running I do, I wouldn't need to watch my weight, lol.  Bit alas, I do!  So I am off again.  Next week I'll explain the "job" of the liquids we use and we'll take on part 2 of our "Triggers" - watch for it!

Stay safe out there folks.  Enjoy your loved ones, your friends and especially, yourself!

Peachy Keen!

This will have to be a short one folks - sorry!  Another crazy day ahead!  Fear not though, can't leave without my breakfast!

It's Peachy Keen !

1 cup peaches (fresh, canned or frozen)
1/2 cup frozen mandarin oranges
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup vanilla greek yogourt
1 Tbsp flax seeds (keeps everything running smoothly, lol)
Ice, as needed.

Blend, sniff (it smells sooooo good!) and enjoy!

People are decorating, renovating and upping their curb appeal so life sure is busy.  But that's a GOOD thing.  Blessed to be doing what I love day in and day out.

Meeting with a graphic designer as well very soon to discuss our logo - exciting times for Phancy Design.

And I almost forgot!  It's my weigh-in day today...drum roll please...another .9lbs. down! WOOT!

Pumpkin What?

Had a jam packed day yesterday! WHOA!  I was privileged to have a one-on-one conversation with the fabulous Barbara Conelli - it was a whirlwind!  She gave me some fabulous advice (and a kick in the butt) about my business and I really look forward to working with her again.

So I made the dreaded ribs, lol for dinner.  The men were happy! But my plate was nothing to sneeze at I can assure you of that!

See? Delicious dinner!

So did anyone try the Date Me smoothie?  I just loved it!  And it was a great filler that kept me going until lunch time.

After lunch I enjoyed a homemade Iced Cappucino Smoothie - an excellent afternoon pick-me-up.  That recipe will come soon.  In the meantime start saving the last bit of coffee in your pot every morning.  Don't pour it down the sink.  Pour it into ice cube trays and freeze for later!  You'll love the Iced Cappucino Smoothie.

Recently I had a craving for pumpkin pie (one of my faves!) and wondered if I could figure out a matching smoothie minus all those calories...YES!

What are the benefits of pumpkin?

- Pumpkin fruit is one of the widely grown vegetables that is incredibly rich in vital antioxidants, and vitamins. This humble backyard low calorie vegetable contains vitamin A, flavored poly-phenolic antioxidants such as leutin, xanthin, and carotenes in abundance.

- A cup of cooked, mashed pumpkin contains more than 200 percent of your recommended daily intake of vitamin A, which aids vision, particularly in dim light, according to the National Institutes of Health.

- Pumpkin is an often-overlooked source of fiber, but with three grams per one-cup serving and only 49 calories, it can keep you feeling full for longer on fewer calories.

- Like their orange comrades the sweet potato, the carrot and the butternut squash (to name a few), pumpkins boast the antioxidant beta-carotene, which may play a role in cancer prevention, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Source: Huffington Post

 

You need not overlook its fabulousness anymore!

PUMPKIN PIE SMOOTHIE

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt*
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk OR ½ cup skim milk
• 1/2 banana, frozen
• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice or gingerbread, to taste **
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon, to taste**

Blend and enjoy! 

 

** Add more if you like a stronger, spicy taste (I do!)

* You can also use plain yogurt and add vanilla extract for taste.

 

 

I buy my pumpkin in a can (not to be confused with pumpkin pie filling - you want PURE pumpkin), measure out 1/2 servings and freeze them.

 

Did not get as much batch cooking done as I would have liked (hey, I was pooped!) but I did manage my all-time favorite pea-soup!

 

Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:

• 16 oz bag of dried split peas
• 1 medium chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove or more if you like more garlic, use 2-4 cloves of garlic
• 8 cups fat-free chicken broth
• 2 tsp of olive oil
• 2 large carrots - chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 ham hock

Directions:

 

- Rise peas and drain them.
- In a pot, lightly fry onions and garlic in about 2 tsp of olive oil.

- Add peas, carrots, ham hock and your chicken stock, then cover the pot and let it come to a boil.
- Once boiled, reduce heat and cook for about two hours (beans should be very soft by then).

Make sure to check the water and consistency. You may need to add hot water if it becomes too thick. Remove ham hock and serve. 1 cup = 3 points

 

Whatcha got planned today Peeps?  Let me know what you think of the Pumpkin Smoothie!!

Be good, be kind, be beautiful!

Master List

I'm told that people are scattering to the grocery store to stock up on smoothie ingredients ;-)  Fear not.  I am going to give you my "Master List" of items you'll want to keep in the house so you can create my, and your own smoothies.  It may "seem" expensive at the beginning because you may not have everything on hand but that will taper off quickly.

Fabulous weather is just around the corner as well so many of the frozen fruits I am purchasing right now will be soon replaced by fresh fruits.  When the season is in full swing I will purchase in large quantities and freeze them myself.

Have any pick-your-own fruit and veggie farms near you?  Pack up the family and make a day of it!  You'll save a bundle and grab some of that all important family time.

So begins the list of everything you can use in your smoothies...feel free to substitute in the recipes as well.  Use your imagination!  Cherry Almond "Cheesecake" can easily become Peach or Strawberry Cheesecake too so don't feel limited by any of the fruit & veggies listed below.

Liquids (We'll talk about liquids in the near future.  They all have different jobs to do)

-Milk
-Almond Milk (shelf life of 1 year in tetra paks)
-Coconut Milk (shelf life of 1 year in tetra paks)
-Coconut Water (do not confused this with coconut milk - big difference)(shelf life of 1 year in tetra paks)
- Water
- Juice (orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime, apple, etc..avoid sweetened juice and "drink" versions!)

Fruits (fresh or frozen)

- Pineapple (I usually buy mine in a can, drain it then measure out 1/2 cup servings)
- Bananas
- Peaches, pears, plums (again, if cans are cheaper that week, just rinse them off and freeze)
- Cherries (I buy frozen as who wants to pit them?  Cans are usually really expensive and the cherries packed in thick syrup - I avoid!)
- Citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit)
- Tropical fruit (you can often find pre-mixed in the frozen food section)
- Fruit cocktail (you can often find pre-mixed in the frozen food section)
- Berries
- Melons
- Kiwi

 

Veggies

We haven't used a lot of veggies YET.  But we will, believe me.  Just thinking ahead as to what we will need.  Again, you don't have to have EXACT ingredients every time.  Substitute as needed.  These are veggies I often eat regularly.

- Kale
- Other dark greens (bok choy, dandelion (not the flower, the leaf lol), swiss chard...)
- Carrots, celery, cucumber (goes GREAT with watermelon), peppers
- Broccoli, cauliflower
- Brussel spouts (probably won't see those in a smoothie but who knows?!)
- Radishes (did you know they are fantastic when fried in cooking spray or baked? Uh huh!)

Proteins & Natural Fillers

- Low-fat Greek yogourt
- Low-fat flavoured yogourts
- Low-fat cottage cheese
- FLAX SEED (we'll use that A LOT)
- Oatmeal
- Silken tofu
- Dates & Figs
- Nuts

 

Others

- Honey
- Sweetener
- Apple cider vinegar
- Balsamic vinegar
- Fresh Mint (I grow my own)
- Cilantro, Parsley
- Unsweetened Cocoa

Again, please don't go out and buy EVERYTHING on the list.  Focus on the items you can clearly see using regularly.  Items like cocoa, flax seed, honey and oatmeal will last a really long time in airtight containers and so little is used that it's really cost effective in the long run so don't fret!

If you see the almond and coconut milk on sale (it does happen OFTEN), stock up.  They last a really long time when they are unopened.  They don't often appear in sales flyers however so visit that section of the store regularly.

Same with frozen fruits - Wal-Mart, Loblaws, IGA and most other stores carry their own brands - stock up when you see them on sale.

It's all do-able, it's all affordable when properly planned, it's all blend able - so get shoppin' and get blending!

Enjoy my friends!

I know, I know...

I know I tempted you with pears yesterday but I just wasn't feeling it this morning.  I'm fussy about my pears.  I really have to be in the mood and I just wasn't.  I did have a hankering for dates though :-)

I mentioned dates a few days ago - filling, sweet and taste just like candy.  These fibre-filled gems are good for you too!



6 dates: 140 calories, 0 fat, 3grams fibre

I promised the family chicken and ribs for dinner tonight so needless to say my points have to be well planned.  It's a treat for them as I really don't like ribs.  I KNOW!  You think I'm crazy, right?  It's not that I won't eat them but I can't say that I really enjoy them (although the dry rub kind are ok-ish).  Let's face it, we also know how fatty they are, not to mention messy.

They really enjoy them so I will cook them with love and watch them eat, lol.  I am perfectly content with juicy, broiled chicken - hold the ribs.  I can taste it already.

Now back to the smoothie...Reminder:  All of my smoothies, except where otherwise noted, serve 1 person.  Easy enough for you? 

My goal when creating meal replacement smoothies is to ensure they actually take care of your hunger and keep you full.  Also, don't forget to snack in between (healthy snacks are GOOD for you) meals and keep hydrated.  Staying hydrated also keep aways those "trigger" cravings.

Date Me Smoothie

1 cup low-fat milk (I used almond milk)
1/2 banana (frozen)
3 dates
1 tsp honey
Ice cubes

Blend until smooth.  It's smooth, it's creamy, it's delicious, it's filling and it's yours for the blending.

After dinner tonight I am getting pampered and my husband is giving me a 2 hour massage) I am going to be doing some serious batch cooking (although I prefer the crossed out version, tee hee!).  I am a BIG soup fan so will have some crazy good soup recipes for you too.  I take my soups seriously - heck, who am I kidding?  I take all my food seriously, lol.

Watch for a new smoothie recipe tomorrow as well as one for soup!

Be kind, be fulfilled, be safe and until tomorrow!




Some Things Just Get Better And Better!

Thank heavens for smoothies!  I'm looking ahead at my schedule and there isn't a lot of time blocked off for any "me" time.  Par for the course this time of year but now even more grateful for my smoothies!

I'm on the run this week, yet again but just HAD to share the my latest discovery.  Cherry Almond "Cheesecake".  Uh huh.  Craving cheesecake?  Well worry no longer my friends. THIS will cure every craving and keep ya full until your next meal.

Cherry Almond "Cheesecake"

Note: You'll want to follow the recipe in order as it will blend more smoothly.

1 cup - Frozen dark cherries

113g - 1% cottage cheese (that's the little container pictured below-Feel free to buy a large container and measure accordingly)

1 cup - Almond Milk

Blend until smooth.  Remove blade and add:

1/4 tsp - Almond Extract
1 packet of sweetener (optional)
3 ice cubes

Re-attach blade and blend again until smooth.

I say re-attach blade because when I did it, I didn't re-attach properly, LOL!  Thankfully I caught it before making TOO much of a mess :-)  What's life without a little giggle, huh?

Happy Breakfast folks, enjoy today's recipe.  Tomorrow I'm thinking of something with pears....

Talkin' Triggers...Part 1

The dreaded trigger foods...you know what I'm referring to.  Those foods that once you start eating them, you cannot stop.

I love WW because you really can eat anything you want, provided you log your points.  But that, for me, can be a trap.  For instance...if I "say" I'm going to have two chocolate chip cookies it usually results in my eating an entire sleeve.  Ouf.  Sweets are my trigger.  Go figure.

I tell myself to stop because it's wrong. I continue.
I tell myself I'm going to be sick if I eat all that.  I continue.
I start to berate myself about how I am deliberately sabotoging my efforts.  I continue.

Before I know it, I've ruined my day in terms of points.  It's a lack of control, it's my body saying, "More, more, more."

From Women's Health Magazine

Junk Food Junkies

"It may seem silly to think about being addicted to food, something we'd die without, but most of us eat for a lot more than just survival. Merely looking at or thinking about a food you know you love activates the reward portion of your brain, the nucleus accumbens—the same area stimulated by drugs and alcohol. This triggers the release of dopamine, a feel-good chemical that enhances your awareness of that food (so forget ignoring it!).

And once you've taken that first bite, watch out. Tasting food engages all of your senses (and may be felt more intensely in women than in men, for unknown reasons). Your nervous system responds by secreting insulin (which drops blood glucose) and relaxing your stomach muscles, which makes you feel like you need to eat more to be satisfied, says Susan Roberts, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition at Tufts University and coauthor of The "I" Diet.

There's a reason this tends to happen almost exclusively with fatty and sugary foods and not, say, lettuce. The saturated fats in foods like bacon and cheese impair your brain's normal ability to regulate appetite and cravings, so you don't realize you're full until you're completely stuffed, says Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., a health psychologist at Stanford University and author of The Willpower Instinct. What's more, that effect on your appetite can last for up to three days, the length of time it takes to flush those fats from your system. So one unhealthy indulgence can end up triggering a major relapse."

This is real.  You may have told yourself that it's not.  That it's all in your head.  It's not.

I had to make the conscious choice to avoid them.  Which is fine.  I mean, do I really need sweets?

What triggers you?  How do you avoid those foods?  Do you have suitable replacements for your trigger foods?  We can talk more about this and will.  Important: Don't blame yourself! Today is another day - let's move on!

Let's help our bodies move forward with this delicious blend...

Trigger Flush

Ingredients

1 grapefruit sliced

3 oranges sectioned

1 cucumber sliced

Sprigs of mint leaves (I grow my own now)

1 tray of ice

1/2 - 1 pitcher water (depending on the size of your pitcher)

Wash grapefruit, orange, cucumber and mint leaves. Slice cucumber, grapefruit and peel oranges. Combine all ingredients with ice into a large pitcher.

Refrigerate Stir and Enjoy!

Note: Cherry Almond "Cheesecake" is what's on the menu today!  Protein packed and full of flavour.  Check back in tomorrow for the recipe!

Have a wonderful day and stay safe out there!

Can you taste Heaven?

I do believe I can!  Omigoodness!  I so enjoyed this new addition.  No, really, I was beside myself!  And the fact that no one else in the house enjoys the key ingredients only made it taste better because I'd never have to share <insert evil grin> !

No rest for the wicked today.  It's a working day but armed with this baby, I am GOOD TO GO!  Do I sound excited?  I really, really am!  Heck, this one would be great on the beach too!

Heaven In A Cup

1 cup Coconut Dream (original, unsweetened)
100g Liberty Greek Coconut Yogourt (that's the entire contents of the little cup pictured above)
1/2 cup pineapple (frozen)
Blend and enjoy.
That's 4.2 points of ABSOLUTE GOODNESS

Really, that's all it is and you'll feel like you're in Heaven (or some tropical paradise).  It comes out thick and rich and it really fills you up.

See?  The straw stands up with no help at all.  Thick and delish!

This weekend also brought about another discovery.  I love sweets (that's not the discovery - just pointing it out) but can't eat them because sugar for me is a trigger food.  We'll talk trigger foods tomorrow as I think we all have them but this essentially means that the more sweets I eat, the more I want, the more I crave and of course, the more I eat. So I have no choice but to avoid them.

As I flitted my way down the grocery aisles (I do that a lot - flit and grocery shop) I fell upon figs and dates.  I LOVE dates.  Always have (my grandmother made a mean, high fat, loaded with sugar and all things bad Date Square).  Geeez they were good! 

Did you know that 6 dates are only 2.2 points?  Those little guys pack quite the sugar rush and guess what?  6 is enough!  This is a GOOD thing!

Now to the best of my knowledge I have never tried a fig in my entire life.  Seriously.  Definitely not in its pure form anyways.  Picked up the box to discover that these suckers pack a walloping 5 grams of fibre per serving!  I had no choice but to bring them home :-)

I was not disappointed!  3 figs for 1.4 points and they are filling!  And the best is, again, no triggers!  If you haven't tried them, do!  You won't regret it!

Off to work but check back tomorrow to really get into trigger foods and I'll post a brand new recipe!  See you then.  Stay safe.

What A Difference 14 Days Makes!

Welcome aboard and welcome to day 14 of my journey.  Why is this woman starting a blog on day 14?  Well...I had to be sure of myself, that I was actually onto something and that I could indeed do this day in and day out. 

So I'm a smoothie junkie, of sorts. I have an ever-running wild imagination and smoothies offered me yet another way to be creative.  For those of you who don't know me I am also the owner of Phancy Design .  Creativity, needless to say, encompasses my entire life.

Not being a big breakfast eater (unless of course it's a BIG breakfast in a restaurant where I have nothing to prepare and can eat 'til my heart's content or until I explode,which ever comes first) I knew I had to find a substitute I would stick with.

My typical breakfast consisted of Algorsa's Moroccan Bread (2pts). I buy mine at Loblaws, which to date is the only place I've seen it (in Montreal).

Now I've included the link but sadly you can't see the bread on the website (what's up with that?). Fear not, this is what it looks like.

This bread, for the record, is a life saver! Huge bun-shaped bread which I use for toast, as a hamburger bun, garlic bread, etc...FYI, your hamburger patty will be dwarfed by this bread (but that leaves more room for the tomatoes, onions, lettuce and pickles.  Just sayin'.).

But, I needed a breakfast change.  Change is good.

Re-enter the smoothie. It's been 14 days now but after just ONE week I lost 3.6lbs. HELLO!  Week two came in at a respectable .9lb loss.

Why this is good:

- It broke the yo-yo cycle and/or stall I'd been going through for the past 6 weeks (up 1 pound, down 1.5, up 2, you probably know the drill)

- But even BETTER than that...I FEEL better and my skin, hair and nails have been changed dramatically!  And really, what more can you ask for?  I feel HEALTHY!

And really, it's how we feel that really counts right? My 12-yr-old son, in all his wisdom, is forever telling me, "If you FEEL good, you LOOK good".  And he's right!  The moment you feel better, your outside self looks better because you're glowing, you're happy and you're smiling!!

So all this to say...if you're feeling slumped for breakfast or lunch (step away from my dinner, this girl LOVES her food!) try one of my (or your favorite) smoothies.  You're going to love it!  And if you think you lack imagination, no worries, I have enough for all of us.  So get blending!

Walking On Sunshine (also pretty good at cleansing)

1 lemon, peeled and chopped
2 cups of ginger lemon tea (I used 2 Twinnings* teabags, steeped overnight)
1 Tbsp honey
Ice cubes (you can use as little or as much as you like)
Blend and enjoy!  It's really like drinking a little bit of sunshine and we can certainly use it here in Montreal!

And just an FYI - I think this tastes MUCH better than the Iced Lemonade at Timmies (4pts for their medium by the way!).  And it's not loaded with sugar and funky ingredients!

* I used my Twinnings teabags in an effort to get rid of them, lol.  My all-time favorite in the Lemon-Ginger from Stash.  It's just SO much better.  I drink some every day and it's great for digestion issues too (it's decaf in case that's an issue for you)!

For the of you who LOVE food like me, I can assure you that I'm still eating!  A LOT.  Case in point, dinner on Wednesday night:

 

Baked acorn squash (pinch of Epicure Hummus seasoning on top), Zucchini and Beef Teryaki - not too shabby for 6.6 points huh?

 

I have use of 18-23 points per day so I use them wisely but ALWAYS eat the minimum (and sometimes the max too!)

 

It's important to point out that not all the smoothies I'll be sharing with you are meal replacements. Some are great meals, some are snacks and others are just GREAT, refreshing treats that DO provide some type of nutrition. Just so we're clear :-)

 

I look forward to getting to know everyone better and I hope you'll check back soon.  Let me know if you've taken up the smoothie challenge, I'd love to hear your results.  Until tomorrow...a new smoothie, a hectic day, followed by a new recipe.  Do check back in :-)