Just in case you missed it…

So if you don’t have time to cut up some fruit everyday…here’s a great alternative!  Fruit cups!  I always get sugar free mind you.  Dole has some great options.  One cup under 80 calories and delish!!!  Click the pic for more.

Mmmm!  I’m hungry haha:P  A great way to keep crazy snacking and large portions at bay is to PUT THE DANG FOOD ON A PLATE!  It’s easier to keep chowing down if you’re eating food out of a bag, box, etc.  You don’t realize how much you’re consuming until the bag is empty haha…oops!  So by simply putting some chips, cookies, whatever on a plate you can see the portion size before you even start eating and BAM! calorie-overload avoided:)  Better yet put some fruit or veggies on that plate and you can eat tons more guilt-free!

Garlic!  I cook with it all the flippin time!  I have few recipes that do not include it.  So I was elated when I saw Hungry Girl talked about garlic in their email today!  I did not realize how many health benefits it had!  Here’s HG’s write up…

How many herbs can help lower blood pressure, aid in cancer prevention, AND keep away vampires? An apple a day may not keep the doctor away, but a clove of garlic just might. Besides raising helpful good cholesterols and lowering evil ones, this “stinking rose” also acts as an antibiotic and anti-cancer agent. And like most herbs, it’s bursting with vitamins and minerals — manganese, calcium, iron, vitamins B1, B6 and C… the list goes on and on. And on. Garlic’s even been shown to help prevent weight gain! - Hungry Girl

Mmmm…so get cookin and make sure to throw in some garlic!

I was at Nugget yesterday and was in the soup aisle looking for chicken bouillon when I saw SODIUM FREE!  If you ever cook with chicken bouillon then you know it’s super high in sodium…SUPER HIGH.  I am so stoked sodium free is now an option.  It adds so much flavor, but now it’s so much better for you!  I have yet to see this available anywhere else, so Nugget in West Sac kudos to you! Click the pic for more.

OMG OMG!  I am in luurrrve with Juicy’s new scent!  See I’m a nut and try to have at least three perfumes in rotation (I’m a tad obsessed).  Well I was cruisin’ Nordies and sprayed some Viva La Juicy on my sleeve and I could not stop smelling it!  My sleeve was shoved in my face the whole time I was there haha. It was like chocolate, I couldn’t get enough!  F.Y.I. that’s an awesome way to test a new perfume…spray it on your sleeve and then bounce.  If you love it, you know what to get next time you hit the mall.  Plus it’s hard to really get a feel for a new perfume when you’ve already smelled 20 bottles.  After awhile they all smell the same.  Sorry got sidetracked there…but needless to say Viva La Juicy is on my shopping list!  Go try it out:)  I think it’s a great fall scent. Hopefully they’ll have it one sale for Labor Day haha.  $65-$85 jeez!  I have a dog to feed people!  Whelp, that’s my rant and happy shopping!

I have been awful about getting out of bed all week!  I have been milking every second of sleep I can haha!  So needless to say I haven’t had time for breakfast:(  So here’s what I picked up…Dannon Light & Fit yogurt (only 80 calories baby)!  I got the peach flavor mmmm!  So it’s quick and yummy if you’re in a rush in the morning.  I then follow up with a Fiber One Bar (Strawberry is my new favorite)!  Pick up both, you won’t be sorry:) Click the pic above for more info!

My girl, Megan, came into the studio and supplied me with a bag of Skinny Pop!  Her friend makes this stuff locally and I have to tell you…it’s delicious!  I usually don’t like caramel corn because it’s so sweet and I know how high in calories it is (knowing that always spoils the fun haha).  Well, I need to hide this bag from myself because I can’t put it down YUM!  Oh but here’s the awesome part!  One whole bag (which is huge) is only 150 calories and 2.5 grams of fat!  Can somebody give me a hell freakin yeah?  Click the pic to pick some up for yourself:)  Enjoy! 

P.S.  this stuff is great to sneak into the movie theater!  Keeps the cals under control!

If you cannot give up your soda (diet or regular), then here’s a trick that will help you cut back.  ICE!  Load your glass with ice, that way you drink waaay less!

Here’s a tip I found on some random site online (see below).

“Use the dilution solution. Love regular soft drinks but hate the pounds the sugar packs on? (A 32-ounce soda has about 400 calories!) Do as my friend Linda does and cram your cup with ice every time you have a soda, and you’ll drink at least half as much. For Linda, that meant consuming about 200 fewer calories every other day. After a period of time her taste buds adapted. so all she really wanted was sparkling water. By making this one simple shift from soda to sparkling water, she cut 400 calories a day.”

Not all fats are bad and olive oil is great in so many ways (just don’t go overboard with it lol).  It can also help lower cholesterol!  Read Self’s write up below!

Olive oil

Like avocados, olive oil has healthy fat that increases satiety, taming your appetite. But that’s hardly its only slimming feature. “Research shows it has anti-inflammatory properties,” Kraus says. Chronic inflammation in the body is linked to metabolic syndrome.

Eat more Drizzle your salad with olive oil and you’ll increase the antioxidant power of your veggies, a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition notes. Or toss pasta with a few teaspoons of olive oil, fresh basil and sautéed garlic, Kraus suggests. Add this oil to your summer menus for a flatter tummy by fall.-Self.com

Yaaaaaaaay!  New necklace day!!!  I love this neckalce so much it’s sad!  I got it off one of my favorite sites ever, etsy.com.  The shop is called COGnitivecreations and her stuff is absolutely gorgeous!  Oh and one of a kind;)  Enjoy and click the close up pic of my new necklace to go shopping! 

Sidenote- I know I look like a DORK in the glasses lol. The guys at work are having fun with the “four eye” jokes haha. I’m getting Lasik in a couple weeks (super nervous but excited) and I can’t wear my contacts 2 weeks prior to surgery:(  So there ya have it!  Have a great weekend!