....to help you fit into that little black dress!  =)  

This is just a basic green smoothie recipe.  Like every classic black dress, it's great on it's own, but can be easily accessorized to fit your mood.

Ingredients:

     1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

     1 scoop vanilla protein powder

     1/2 banana

     1 cup baby spinach

     ice

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend.  {Doesn't get easier than that.}

***Would also be great with berries, flax seeds, chocolate protein powder, peanut or almond butter, other types of greens....the possibilities are endless!

{205 calories, 3g fat, 19g carbs, 4g fiber, 28g protein}

Homemade "Sun-Dried" Tomatoes

I'm not sure why I ever buy bulk tomatoes from Sam's....I'm the only one in my family who eats them and they always go bad before I can get through the whole batch.  {See how these are starting to turn?}  Not wanting to waste, I dusted off the 'ol dehydrator and decided to try something new....

I sliced the tomatoes in quarters and put them in the dehydrator on the highest setting {155 degrees}.  This is what they looked like about 10 hours later....

They're slightly crunchy, slightly chewy and a little tangy.  I've been meaning to put them on a salad, but I keep snacking on them like chips.   

At this rate, there won't be any left! 

Breakfast Smoothie

{170 calories, 3g fat, 9g carbs, 4g fiber, 27g protein}

Once again, I find myself starting at square one on Monday morning.  I have a bad habit of undoing all my hard work on the weekends.  I really need to work on that! Among this weekend's culprits....leftover peanut butter cheese ball {What did I tell you?!}, ice cream sandwich dessert {recipe to come} and homemade whoopie pies made by a friend {It's rude not to try them....at least that's what I tell myself!}. 

Today, I started my day with a low-carb protein smoothie.  It was just what I needed to get back on track!  

Ingredients:

     1 cup unsweetened almond milk

     1 scoop vanilla protein powder

     1/2 cup frozen raspberries {no added sugar}

     liquid stevia {to taste}

     ice {about 3 cubes}

Instructions:

     Mix all ingredients in a blender.  Garnish with extra raspberries.

**You can find liquid stevia in the organic section of your grocery store.

The Perfect Side Dish

There's nothing like a big bowl 'o berries to complement any meal.  Another thing I've learned recently from my sister-in-law, the health coach, is that not all berries are created equal.  Raspberries, blackberries and strawberries are all low glycemic {meaning they have less of an impact on blood sugar levels} while blueberries are higher glycemic.  I still love blueberries - and they have so many health benefits - but I've been trying to swap them out for lower glycemic berries when I think about it.  I got these blackberries at Sam's Club and they were some of the best ones I've had in a long time.  Yum!