A Healthy Chilled Dessert !

I had a family Hot Dog Roast a couple weeks ago and it was so hot out, that I thought a chilled dessert would be perfect. So, I made these tasty frozen fruit bites.  They are worth a try.

Frozen Fruit Bites

Ingredients:

Low fat vanilla wafers

1/2 cup Vanilla low fat yogurt

1/2 cup Neufchatel (low fat) cream cheese softened

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp honey

Sliced strawberries & whole blueberries (used to put on top of each one) 

Use a mini cupcake pan & mini liners.

Put a cookie, flat side up in the cup cake liner

whisk the rest of the ingredients together.

Put one tsp of mix ontop of  each cookie. Top with fruit.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer.

Remove from freezer 20 min before serving.

I think I am going to make these again for Labor Day.

Tasty & Healthy & Real Easy to Make!

    

Good juice ~~~~Wicked bad juice

I decided to detox my body from all the wonderful birthday cake that I ate over the past few days. I juiced for breakfast and lunch. I made a yummy fruit juice for breakfast. I used canalope, oranges and apples and grapes. It was very tasty and I really enjoyed it. My lunch juice was yucky, but I drank it. I juiced tomatoes, carrots, radishes and celery. I wasn't thrilled with it though. I felt like my body welcomed the nutrients instead of all the sugar it has been given in the past few days. I am going to the farmers market sometime this weekend for some ripe peaches. I think I will try to make some juice with the summer produce from the local farmers.
I am going to try to juice a few times a week. I will see how my body responds to the fresh juices. I hope fresh fruits will be liquid sunshine to this 49 year old body. Ha Ha :)

~My Birthday~

I tell my family that this is the year I plan to do a few things that I have never done before. Just simple things, like taking a cake decorating class, Yoga or Tie Chi. I feel like this is the time for me to do activities just for me. After all these years I have done so much for those around me, (I will continue to do so), now it’s time to sit back and think about what I want to do.

I also know that I have begun to look at age in a different way. I notice that people my age are now taking medication for one thing or another. Our health becomes a big focus point at my age. We want to be as healthy as possible so that we can live a long time and enjoy all this life has to offer us.

My relationship with God has changed. I have to admit I don’t go to mass as much as I should, but I feel that I am closer to God more now then when I was younger. I put my life in his hands and I will live the life that he has chosen for me. God is good and I continually thank him for all the blessings he has given me.

So, I know that this is the last year of me in my 40’s and I plan to have a blast, in a very healthy and fun way. I will drink plenty of water as well as some fine wine. I am going to eat chocolate as well as my fruits and veggies. I also plan to spend time with fun and positive people. Life is good and all is well.

I am off to enjoy my birthday with my family and I sure hope to eat some cake.

Ready to Juice it up

So, I finally went out and bought a juicer. I have been looking into getting a  juicer, so I am happy to say I finally purchased one. I just hope it doesn’t become another kitchen appliance that takes up space. I thought that might be the case with my Kitchen Aid Mixer and it is my most favorite appliance that I own. So, we shall see. Ever since I landed in the hospital in January I have been thinking how to include nutrient dense foods. Juicing is one way to get health benefits of fresh fruits and veggies in one drink.


There are 3 main reasons why juicing is so beneficial:

• The juice requires hardly any digestion, it’s absorbed quickly in your system and you start to get the health benefits right away.

• When you juice you use more fruits and veggies than you can actually eat. As a result, you are drinking a densely packed amount of vitamins, minerals and other plant based nutrients.

• Liver detoxification – cleaning out your system

Breakfast Sandwiches

I am helping do my part in helping my hubby and myself keep on track.  It's hard because we both LOVE food.   So, I have been making breakfast sandwiches on Sundays for us to take to work during the week.
WW English muffins or bagel tops, scrambled egg whites, a few sprinkles of WW shredded cheese and Low fat Turkey bacon.  A total of 5 points. All we have to do is pop it in the microwave at work.  This with some fruit and coffee make a nice breakfast. 

~~~~Java~~~~

Have you ever noticed just how often we Divas talk about coffee? It’s a hot topic, as well as one of my favorite hot beverages. As a Christmas gift last year, I received a Keurig coffee maker and at first I wasn’t thrilled with it, but within a week I was totally in love. I can have a wonderful hot cup of coffee within minutes. No wasting a half a pot of coffee for just one cup. My favorite is the “Donut House “blend. MMMmmmm. I also enjoy the "Chocolate Glaze" as a dessert coffee. My summer time favorite coffee is the Dunkin Donut Iced Mocha Latte made with skim milk and no whipped cream. I have to discipline myself to only purchase one Latte per week. The food addict in me wants one every day…. I just love them that much.

This past weekend I went down the shore with my sister. We usually go to the pool and then sit in the hot tub to relieve our aches and pains and just plain relax. In came two more women, one at a time. Somehow we started to talk about “True Blood” the show on HBO. Then, the topic turned to coffee…Ahhh; I could almost smell the coffee brewing. We all told each other what type of coffee we like to drink and why. One woman’s choice is Dunkin Donut coffee, the second lady enjoyed Wawa and third’s favorite was Starbucks. It was fun just talking to some other woman about this beverage and then the conversation turn into talking about our children…..See, coffee has a way of opening up the lines of communication. We Divas can bond over the talk of coffee and that is just plain cool.

As a busy society we no longer go over to our neighbor’s house just to enjoy a cup of coffee and shoot the breeze. It’s a shame, because it’s fun to talk about a lot of nonsense, sitting around a kitchen table. So instead, it seems like more and more often people are meeting at their local coffee shop to catch up on each other's lives. There is nothing more fitting than a coffee shop filled with the smell of bulk coffee beans brewing to perfection while you sit and talk about the little things in life. So, in a way this replaces drinking a cup of coffee over the neighbor’s house.
Now a day’s, coffee drinks are just so popular and some are scrumptiously delicious that they could be a sweet dessert. There are just so many coffee choices, sometimes walking into a coffee shop can make your head spin, but in a delightful aromatic way.

So, relax with a cup of coffee and enjoy your day!

~~~Yummy Sangria~~~

After a day of cleaning, there is nothing like a refreshing glass of Sangria (Tastefully Simple Style).  Made with fresh fruit.......refreshing!   Divas if  you have to clean.....make sure you treat yourself afterwards. http://www.tastefullysimple.com/home.aspx

Cleaning....more than a chore...sometimes it's down right fun.

I am having a family hot dog roast this weekend.  I love spending time with my family and god knows we don't spend enough time together, but guest in my home equals, cleaning the house.  Sometimes, I can really get into cleaning...... I crank up some music and go to town. But honestly, most of the time I can't get into it.  I also noticed the older I get, the more I hate wasting time cleaning......but more than that, I despise a dirty house.  One problem is, I have one old Beagle and a cat.  These four legged friends sure can shed some fur.  Anyway, today I am going to clean my house and can't wait till I am finished......I am going to enjoy a wonderful glass of sangria as soon as I am finished.  So, is cleanliness really next to Godliness, and if so what does that really mean?
Right before my daughter was due to have my granddaughter my sister Debbie and I decided to clean her house. We thought it would be nice to come home from the hospital to a clean house. That was so much fun...yes it was fun to clean because we made it fun. We dressed up like cleaning Divas. We laughed and sang and of course we cleaned.  We also brought a picnic lunch to have during our lunch break.  We made some fun memories and yes, this was all based around cleaning.  Okay, well time to pump up the music and dig into the cleaning of my home.

Taking baby steps to a healthier me.

 How about some healthy fresh fruit juice?
I love freshly squeezed orange juice. I don’t make it often, but I think I am going to hop on it and start squeezing away.
What could be better for you then store bought fruit juice? Raw fruit juice! When you buy juice, it is always pasteurized. Pasteurization not only kills bacteria and preserves the juice, but also destroys many (if not most) of the vitamins, minerals and enzymes, along with their health-promoting properties. Sometimes the process adds chemicals, sugars and other unhealthy ingredients. Fortunately, juice is easy to make at home, so try fresh, raw, homemade juice for a burst of nutrition, plus orange juice is also an excellent source of potassium.

I am thinking about getting a juicer….that’s one kitchen gadget that I don’t have.