Going Gluten

That is what my kids call it. Gluten. Is this gluten? They don't seem to get that the free part of the sentence is really what makes it work. So, anyway, it's not been as awful as I'd thought it would be...

I've had many ask why I decided to do it...(Brooks is currently the only one going gf, and the only child that I think needed to). Basically, I'm trying to see if it works...see, Brooks was born crabby. I thought he had colic. Now I have another suspicion. He was just being himself. Whining, crying, and complaining are his go-to m.o. He also has zero tolerance for pain in any form. So he is constantly complaining that his tummy hurts. I literally cannot tell if it actually hurts, or if that is just the way you feel when you need to go to the bathroom. The child, naturally, has no idea. It's all pain to him.

He also (at the risk of over-sharing), is always loose, in the poop department. I always attributed this to the fact that we (especially he) eats tons of fruits, veggies, and oatmeal etc. Talking with Brian about some of Brian's health complication a month ago or so, I just came to the thought...with other health issues on Brian's side of the family, it's possible that Brooks is allergic to something. Somehow gluten just seemed like the natural "first thing" to eliminate as a trial.

So, it's not been as hard as I thought it would be. This. is largely due to the fact that most of the foods (dinners) we eat are naturally gluten free (chicken, rice, veggies.

I actually think that it's working for him. When he's had a cheat or two, he's in the bathroom with pain in his tummy again. It's been interesting! So I'm going to keep him gf at least until the summer, and then perhaps experiment a little with his tolerance levels. For example if there is no wheat in the product itself, but they say it may contain gluten, because of the warehouse its made in etc...perhaps he'll be able to tolerate those scant "maybe" amounts in foods. Or perhaps not. We'll see.

I've had people inquire as to taste and cost. No, nothing tastes better when it's gf. If it tasted better made with xyz substitute flours, than it would be made like that! We all like "better"! What you can say is, it tastes good, for gluten free. And that is the truth. If you stop comparing, it's quite ok. It is not an exact replication of regular foods, but it's tasty and edible (more than taste, I've noticed texture is an issue for me). The skinny on that is - Brooks is a kid, and not overly picky about that stuff yet. He hasn't had a lifetime of awesome pancakes to really tell the difference, and so far, he has not issued a single complaint. I taste/eat a small portion of everything I serve him, at least once, just to make sure it's good and not totally gross.

Cost. - I flat out could NOT afford to feed all 5 of us gf, if we kept similar diets, menus and foods on the table at each meal. Anything gf is packaged at half the size. The package is half the size of "normal" food, and each thing inside the package is also half the size of it's "normal" equivalent. The cost is more than double, often triple or more for that tiny package.

Here are the subs that I have made that are working for us quite nicely!

These cookies taste very good! I would say the main difference between is that the aftertaste texture (crumbs left in your mouth after chewing and swallowing) is more "mealy/grainy" than a Chips Ahoy. They run you about $5 for this 8.6oz package. (Chips Ahoy is typically a 14oz pkg, to give you an idea). Not an everyday snack, but I keep on hand for something special. We had a cookie fellowship at church - put 5 of these into a ziploc in my purse, and that was his food for the evening.

This mini bread is Udi's brand. We've heard it's the best, and its pretty good. The loaf is miniature, and the slices are about half the size of store bought sandwich bread. You get 12 slices (including the end pcs:-/) per loaf, for 4.99.

You can make 6 mini sandwiches with this little loaf! It's soft and tastes fine. The aftertaste, as with the cookies, is a little more "mealy" than normal bread, all in all, if you want bread, you'll be able to eat this as a substitute with no problem

These cake mixes run just over $5 per. I've made a vanilla one so far, and it was good. Heavier and more dense than "normal", but acceptable.

We get this corn pasta from Trader Joe's, which means the corn is not GMO. Brooks and I like it better than the rice pasta.

Xanthan gum. It's used as a thickener, and is added to gf flours etc for baking. For our St Patty's Day meal, I made a cheese sauce to go over the cabbage...I thickened it with this, instead of flour, like I normally would. So we all enjoyed a gf cheese sauce, and there was no difference at all.

16oz of gf flour for 4.99. So far, I've only made pancakes with it. Using my normal family recipe, and subbing out the flour (using less milk too), I make 18 gf pancakes, and freeze them for future meals for Brooks. I've heard there are decent gf pancake mixes out there, but have yet to try. This works for now, and is easy!

When I took Brooks off gluten, I also took him off oats. No more of my homemade granola bars for him, or oatmeal for breakfast. I will eventually reintroduce the oats, and bought these ones, guaranteed to be gf. It was 6.49 for this small bag. I've heard Quaker oats are also gf, although not certified as such, so that will be one of the things I test him on when I reintroduce "possible" gf products. He will be limited in his oatmeal consumption, until I am sure he's ok with them.

My friend Teresa showed me how she makes this dough. She adds dried herbs (basil) to the dough, and that really makes it! Using this pizza crust, and freezing the remainders for future meals works well. We just pull out and reheat a couple slices per meal. So while these flours, etc, are not cheap, at least they last well, since he doesn't eat a lot!

At Uncle Dale's birthday party. We all had a Boston Creme Cake, and we bought Brooks a few macaroons, which are naturally gluten free, and he loved them!

That's all I've had to do, so far. Everything else we eat, he can eat. So not terrible, right?! Mostly it's just planning ahead and making sure to bring a few snacks if we go out. For breakfasts - Chobani yogurt and Chex are gf!

Ghee & Peanut Butter - Recipes

My motivation for eating healthy/more healthy is this: I *hate* to exercise. So I feel like maximizing what I put in my mouth, nutritionally, means I have to work out less;-) I have been reading a lot in the "paleo" diet world (eating whole, real, food. Nothing processed) about ghee, or also called clarified butter. I didn't know anything about it, so I decided to do some research, and wow. Google it. It's crazy! 

This organic butter costs 4.29 at Trader Joe's.

Here is an excerpt from this article: which gives a pretty good overall picture of the advantages of ghee over butter.

"Calories, Fat and Cholesterol

Ghee is a more concentrated source of fat than butter since the moisture and other milk solids are removed. One tablespoon of ghee has 13 g of fat and 117 calories versus butter, which has 11 g fat and 100 calories per tablespoon. Dr. Jay Glacer, in his book ''Body Renewal,'' suggests that ghee is rich in natural antioxidants, composed mainly of short chain fatty acids, and its cholesterol fraction resists oxidation. This is important since cholesterol becomes harmful when it is broken down or oxidized by free radicals that lead to clogged arteries and heart problems. The short chain fatty acids present in ghee are metabolized and used for energy immediately by the liver and resist being stored in the body as fat."

To start: Use a organic unsalted butter. Trader Joe's claims in their organic butter that they do not add water - this is not something conventional butters will be able to claim. The amount of water, and chemicals used the the regular/normal butter making process is beyond mind boggling (why ruin something so natural?). So buy organic, where you are getting the cream and fats only. Or make it yourself...I have yet to try this, but really want too!

Begin to melt on low heat

Once melted (stirring often to help break up chunks), it will begin to bubble/simmer, and create a froth. It is separating everything out of the butter. You will be left with only the butterfat. Ghee is perfect for people that are lactose intolerant, as all the milk "parts" will be removed in the process

Keep skimming the butter and removing all the foam

I am holding a 1/2 C measuring cup, so pictured is about how much foam I could remove with a slotted spoon (about 1/4C perhaps?). This process so far took about 15-20 mins of melting, simmering & separating the butter

I did not have cheesecloth, so I used a coffee filter to strain the remaining butter

Can you see all the white parts in there? Straining those out

You can see them caught on the filter

We are left with pure ghee (which is only the butterfat). This is the yield from processing 1 lb of organic butter

Cooling down. Tip: Did you know the lids of parmesan cheese containers or coffee creamers fit on mason jars?

Apparently, it will stay very soft/liquid on the counter, and lasts for 6 months. It lasts longer and will take a hard form in the fridge. I put mine in the fridge, I am unsure which way I will like it best. Ghee has a very high (450+) smoke point, so it will not burn in cooking/sauteing the way butter does. I also thought perhaps I should measure it into an icecube tray in 1T measurements, and once hard put in a container, and keep in firidge. Easy to grab a predetermined amount then, for cooking. Maybe next time!

Result - ever so slightly time consuming (30mins total) but not at all difficult. Excited to cook with it! I'm even gonna try a little bit on toast, just to see! :-)

EXPERIMENT #2. - Homemade Peanut Butter.

This made possible by my new food processor! LOVE it!!

3.29 at Trader Joe's. Ingredients, Peanuts and salt

After about 20 seconds

at 6:58

at 6:59

at 7:00

at 7:01

at 7:02, done.

 As it whirs around, the natural oils in the peanuts are released giving it its creamy smoothness. You don't add anything at all!! And wow, it sure is smooth! Literally took minutes, as you can see, and done! The kids all had to have a lick, and they were sooo impressed that it tasted like peanuts, haha!!

Keep it in the fridge for a firmer texture. You may have to give it a shake, if you don't use it a lot, the oils will separate, as with all natural peanut butters. I have a feeling ours won't last long enough for that to be a problem:-) I don't really even eat peanut butter, but the kids love it. Natural is sooo much healthier than the hydrogenated store bought conventional ones, and homemade has a cheaper price tag than other natural peanut butters. Sold!

The yield of my evening adventures:-)

Breakfast Burrito - Recipe

I have been trying to be very conscious of the types of foods I am eating - as I know/notice that this really makes an impact on my energy levels and ability to lose weight. While calling this way of eating, paleo-ish, it's not truly paleo. For example, the flour wrap in this recipe! Generally speaking, when trying to keep my protein up, my fats and sugars down (goal of 24g sugar per day is HARD to adhere to!)...basically it doesn't leave much room for anything but meats, and veggies, haha!!, so it's Paleo-ish:-) Of course I do not calculate all this or set the goals, My Fitness Pal app does it for me.

I found this recipe, as a knock off, of McDonald's breakfast burrito. It's really good! I have changed it up a little from the original, just to help cut calories, and fat - and I don't think the essential taste has been compromised very much, if at all.

1 lb turkey sausage, pre cooked/crumbled (mild)
1/2 C yellow onion, diced
1/4 C fresh tomatoes, diced
1 T canned green chili's (freeze the remainder to use next time!)
10-12 Flour tortilla shells (8" size)
9 eggs (2 C)
about 1 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Favourite Taco or Picante sauce for dipping

Place sausage, onion, green chili's and tomatoes in pan and heat on med. temp. until heat through, stirring frequently to avoid burning.

Beat eggs and add to pan. When cooked remove from heat. Cover and store in fridge for future breakfasts.

To eat, place some cheese & egg/sausage mixture in tortilla and microwave until heated (30-45seconds, for me).

CALORIES - My version of this recipe - including the flour tortilla, but excluding the cheese, is about 193 calories per burrito. It tastes fine without the cheese, I think! If you include the cheese, it's about 266 per burrito. Not sure what it would be if you "ate the insides" without the wrap (for gluten free?), but it would taste yummy that way too...while being more like a scrambled egg than a burrito:-)

(Including the cheese) -
Total fat 14.4g
Cholesterol 184.4mg
Total carbs 20.9g
Dietary Fiber 1g
Sugars 1.9g
Protein 14.7g
Calcium 24.3%
Iron 11.5%

Sometimes I eat this without the cheese if I am, or know that I will be, near my daily "goal" of 40g of fat - but even with the cheese, I think it's healthy enough, and it's a very filling breakfast or lunch, with lots of protein, and it tastes so good! Winning!

Ice Cream - Recipe

A healthy ice cream. Really? No, really! I came across this recipe from a friend, Michelle. It's not ice cream at all, in fact...but something I can eat on my Paleo styled diet, and something that is also lactose free, for those that have issue with that. There are TWO ingredients:

1 ripe banana, and Cocoa powder. That is it!

Prep work: You have to cut and freeze the banana. When bananas are getting too soft to eat, slice up, and freeze until "ice cream" fix is desired.

Needed: A food processor. Thanks to generous family members and Christmas time...I have one! (YEAH for me, I love it sooooo much!)

Start to blend the bananas. Just let it go 'round and 'round. They will get chunky/weird looking like this

Then add 2+ teaspoons of cocoa powder. I add about 3, but this is kind of to taste. Keep it blending and it will get all smooth and creamy and blended. Then it's done.

Then you eat it.

It has the consistency of a Frosty from Wendy's. Does not melt really at all, especially does not melt as quickly as homemade milk ice cream, and tastes mostly like cocoa/chocolate with a hint of banana in the background. Considering it's mostly banana, the flavour is very mild. Think like Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey:-)

It would probably even be nice if you stirred in a few choc chips, or even a crushed cookie, if you really wanted it to seem like real ice cream. Depending on your dietary needs (mine won't allow me to try this at the moment, but you bet I will be trying this someday).

It's one of those recipes you have to try to believe. Calorie wise...you've got a banana and a bit of cocoa powder, you're looking at approx 110 calories. Not too shabby for a midnight snack. Try it out. It's really is worth it! I have never been so obsessed with freezing leftover bananas, let me tell you:-)

Healthy Desserts - Recipe

I did something abnormal for me. I made a "healthy dessert". Actually, I've made two so far. Let me detail the experience. My new eating habits are going very well, I am consistently down 13 lbs, so I would still desire to be down quite a few more to be a healthy weight, but am very pleased with these results, as they have come from controlling my intake alone. I have not worked out one time, even for 2 minutes, since starting this "diet". I need to change that. Anyway. Who can eat like a herbivore {practically} and not have a dessert?!

So check out this recipe I saw on Pinterest...I thought it was worth the try for 58 cals per Chocolate Chunk Muffin!

Source: healthyisalwaysbetter.tumblr.com via Darla on Pinterest

A very unconventional recipe - I have never made a muffin with no flour! Anyway, here is the recipe in case the link above ceases to exist someday. {When choices are given, my selections are in blue}

1 3/4 oats
3 egg whites
3/4 C unsweetened cocoa
1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 C plain greek yogurt* (or regular plain low fat yogurt)
1/2 t cream of tartar (or 1 1/2 T vinegar)
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 C hot water
1 C sugar substitute (like Splenda) OR 1/4 C + 2 T Stevia*
1/2 C choc chips

*I used Chobani fat free plain yogurt and Stevia in the raw
Preheat oven to 350, line muffin tins. In a blender (or food processor), mix all ingredients together, except for choc. chips. Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth. Place in a bowl and stir in 1/4 C choc chips. Scoop into muffin tins and bake for 10 mins. Remove from oven, sprinkle remaining choc chips on top, bake for another minute or so. (until inserted toothpick comes out clean). If making 24 muffins from the batter, it's 58 cals per muffin.

UPDATES/NOTES: I make these often now. What works best for me, is to put the oats in the blender alone, and grind until "powdery", and then add the rest of ingredients, and blend until mixed and smooth. Spray the muffin papers with vegetable oil spray. Also, it cooks in my oven for about 18 mins. I put chips on top at the 10 min mark, and return to oven until done.

MY ISSUES
Basically only one...maybe two. It doesn't look like the fluffy muffin pic online, it looks like this:

The main problem though was that it stuck to the muffin papers really bad. Next time I will spray the muffin papers with veg oil. ?. Weird. The batter was slightly thinner than normal muffin batter, maybe more like/slightly thicker than cupcake batter. It definitely needed the chips in/on top to sweeten it up. They are very cocoa-y...and I am not a dark chocolate fan (if you are, you would love!)...I don't think I'd enjoy them much without the sweetness of the chips on there. But as it is, this is a very yummy recipe, that I will make again for sure. I may attempt to grind/blend the oats and then mix everything with the Kitchenaid instead of blender? Brian and the kids adore them, picking everything they can off those papers! No one complained of it tasting too healthy or not sweet enough. Worth another shot and a few tweaks for sure.


RASPBERRY FROZEN YOGURT
Since I have an ice cream maker, I wanted to make a healthier ice cream type dessert. My first try was yummy. Find this recipe and many more, here.

3 C unsweetened frozen raspberries
2 C fat free plain yogurt (I used fat free Chobani Greek Yogurt, Vanilla flavour)
1/3 C white sugar (to taste)
1 T vanilla extract (I omitted this, since the yogurt was already vanilla, not plain)
1/2 - 1 C mini chocolate chips

Process all in blender until smooth (except choc chips), and follow ice cream maker instructions, add choc chips at the last five minutes to ice cream maker.

This was a little tart, but VERY good. I actually preferred it to ice cream using heavy cream...the texture was better, and it left a better taste in the mouth. (sometimes the heavy cream gives a "coats the tongue" feeling/aftertaste, and the yogurt does not). If using a sweeter fruit (strawberries?) I bet you wouldn't need much/any sugar. Next time I will use plain yogurt, I just didn't have any at the time, and wanted to get it done:-). We all loved it!

Life Style Change

Alrighty, especially if you are on facebook, you've heard that last Sunday I started a 500 calorie per day "diet". I don't actually really count it as a diet per se, but more like a much needed lifestyle change. I've been trying to "be good" (ie: eating right) since January, however, it just wasn't working for me. I needed something more dramatic. I hate to exercise with a passion. I'd much rather control my intake than eat something and work it off. Maybe that is odd to you, or maybe you're like me. Exercise is the worst (although necessary). The reason I went so drastic for the calorie count per day is:

A system reset
A chance to eliminate all extra calories and only choose the best foods
A chance to shrink my stomach while still keeping metabolism going

I do realize that eating so little is not good, and could put you in "starvation mode" but I was careful to avoid that by eating about every hour (mostly fresh veggies), to keep my body processing foods. I am not suggesting that *anyone* try this or do what I did. I just did what I knew my body needed. You should check with your doctor before trying any weight loss program and see what is best for your body type. I guarantee you no doctor will condone what I did, but I knew what I needed to do that would work for me.

So I started out...hungry!! All the time! This lasted until Wednesday. On Wednesday I noticed a change...I was hungry, but not starving. I was not craving sugars/junk foods. I felt refreshed and well rested (although I was going to bed much earlier to avoid snacking, lol). I was drinking a LOT of water, to help me feel full (I normally hate water).

I came to realize that I was eating A LOT of extra food in a day. In reality, I was likely taking in only about 500 to 700 healthy calories a day - all the rest was not healthy (iced coffee, a cookie, fruit juices, too much fruit, not enough veggies etc). Hmmmm. Also, my portion sizes were WAY too big.

So in one week, I lost 9 lbs. I am upping my intake to 800 cals this week, and 1200 next week, and will add back in some exercise (no exercise when on way low cal intake). However, I am keeping it at 800 (or 1200) healthy calories!

As it is a much needed lifestyle change, and not just a "lose weight quickly" ploy, I am formulating ways to keep all the weight off. From now on, we will be having a meal (like in the pics below, of grilled meat and veggies only) 5 days a week. The other 2 days I will make a "normal" recipe like I used to every night. Lasagna, honey mustard chicken, spaghetti, pizza etc...these things will go on a rotational basis and will be enjoyed in a proper portion (which is for pizza, only 1 slice. Boo). Evening snacks (any food after dinner) is out. I don't even have anything in the house (can't be tempted!).  Thankfully, my kids only really truly love veggies anyway, so they are in heaven, and Brian is also doing this with me to lose about 10 lbs (he did the 500 cal thing too, while working! Although I think Thursday he upped his cals to about 800, so he didn't do quite the whole week, and this week will be about 1200, and he'll slowly build back up to 1600 -which is his goal intake).

I do not intend to place an over-emphasis on calorie counting long term - but in the short term, much needed. Without it I kept slipping back to old habits. Once I feel I am in a good habit of healthy eating patterns, I'll ease off - also once I've lost the extra weigh these (lovely) children gave to me. I am not one to place weight above all else and be some crazed lunatic who has to exercise 24/7. Everything needs to be in balance, and health is one of those things. So until I've achieved "healthy status", I'll be a little crazy about it, but then I can relax in it, knowing my good habits are paying off.

I wrote down everything I put in my mouth, and googled the calorie content. 500 cals a day is NOT a lot, so those foods had to count and be very filling (proteins) or be very low cals (veggies)

Towards the end of the week, I discovered My Fitness Pal. It's an app (Android for sure, maybe iphone too?) and also online (sync's up), so you can track your intake daily. I love it! If you get it, add me as a friend (user name: darbyjane) so we can help each other out! I love this daily chart...it shows you the goal (this is based on 1200 cals, which will be my standard, as suggested to me by my fitness pal, with the goal of losing 2 lbs per week) and then how you actually did. I went over in my sugars yesterday (a 700 cal day), by eating a grapefruit, kefir and raw carrots only! Not a lot of lee-way there, hey?! I guess I won't be sneaking a Snickers in there very often:-)

Grilled chicken, spinach, lettuce, peas and carrots. Standard fare. 1 T of balsamic vinaigrette on there. We season the meats (chicken, salmon and beef) all with the same lemon pepper seasoning (0 cal)

3 cups spinach, 1 hard boiled egg, 2oz grilled chicken, 2 T balsamic vinaigrette dressing. This is my fave lunch (or dinner)!

Food scale. I got this one at walmart for 4.97. Totally worth it. Weighing portions so I know how much I'm eating. I measure or weigh everything, since I am not used to what a "healthy" portion size is. Eventually my eyes will "shrink" I'm sure, and I'll be able to guess at it.

Attempting to drink apple cider vinegar - in 8oz water with 2 t maple syrup added...I couldn't do it. Only got about 1/2 down...it tastes soooo terrible. I hate vinegar! I know it's good for you, but I just can't do it!!

A "surf and turf" 2oz strip steak, 4oz salmon, lots of spinach and asparagus

Dinner on my 700 cal day (yesterday - should have been 800 - trying to get up to it healthily!): 1/4C rice, 4oz chicken in red thai sauce with steamed asparagus and raw carrots. It looked like such a small amount of food. I was shocked. But you know what? It filled me just right!

Kashi freezer meals. Not leaving myself room to be tempted when I run out of time for dinner (ie: eating a big bowl of spaghetti & meat sauce b/c it's quick). They are 9.5 oz each (1 serving) and are 270 calories. They look yummy! There are also a few things you can get from McD's...the grilled chicken caesar salad (with balsamic vinaigrette dressing instead of caesar) will come in at about 270 also. Options for when you're on the go.

So there you go! I am consistently down 9 lbs now, and will keep plugging away at this until I lose 30lbs total! I'll be updating along the way, and will maybe even post a few pics of my healthier self! I never did meet a dessert I didn't like, so this is huge for me:-) But having Brian to commiserate with (we text "I'm starving" back and forth, and have to change the channel when food commercials come on, lol!) has been so great. I don't think I'd be able to handle it without his help!

My Diet

So I started a diet a few weeks ago. I was waiting until Christmas was over...and then after Christmas came the news of TWO upcoming family weddings, so whats holding me back?! For Christmas I even got a gym membership to Planet Fitness (open 24/7 fully staffed, and the one near me is brand spanking new...for $10p/mth, cancel anytime!). The time is here to lose (current goal) 20 lbs...(ultimate goal) 40 lbs.

Now, of course I know you all are going to say that I'm nuts, and why would I ever want to be that skinny. Etcetera. I know this because that is what you all actually do tell me. And I tell you, losing 40 lbs would still have me 5 lbs HEAVIER than I was when I was 5 months PREGNANT with Kenna. I am not trying to get back to my 14 year old body or weight. I'm aiming for my 27 year old weight. Not even. But I'd be exceedingly glad with a ball park number. Basically you are all telling me I wear fat well. Complimented as I am, I've decided to put in some serious work and watch that number fall.

Problem 1. I hate exercise. Problem 2. I love food. So I am working on the exercise thing with various methods (Jillian DVD's, the gym, my treadmill). My first goal is to run 30 mins solid (at a pretty good pace) without stopping or slowing down. So far I can't, but I'm getting close. I'm a terrible runner.

Food. I am trying to stick to a paleo/caveman style of diet. So fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, and meat. I also allow myself kefir yogurt for breakfast b/c I believe it is so healthy, but otherwise, no dairy, grains, pastas, sugars etc. I've allowed a few cheats of course (trying to limit that to 1 per week).

Anyway, it's been an adjustment for sure. Much of my standard fare for a snack or lunch is a smoothie. - I really want to get into green smoothies (with veggies), and will start with my first tomorrow (with spinach) - we'll see how that goes! Anyway, I usually just dump fruit in the blender...sometimes I have a great smoothie, sometimes not. Because I am not sweetening it with anything I find it sometimes hard to get the right balance. Today I decided no more! I tinkered with my smoothie until it was perfect. Then I wrote it down. Then I made quite a few baggies for the freezer, ready to pull out and dump in the blender.

Add 1 Cup of water, and some whey protein if desired.

1/2 C blueberries
1 banana
6 strawberries
4 pineapple chunks
4 mango chunks
2 peach slices

Add 1 C of water and protein powder, (if you want). Makes 2 smoothies. I am using frozen fruit. If not frozen, perhaps less water, and add ice. Love it. A perfect blend of flavours I think! I'll have to tinker with adding in other fruits too, as I have them. And the veggies...can't wait to see if I can disguise them!

This is the whey powder I've been using. I don't have it everyday, but I really don't mind the taste at all! (it's vanilla bean)

Yum!

So far, I've lost 2 lbs. Which ain't much, but it is something!!