.all natural protein smoothie.

The other night Tyler got home from the gym & realized we were all out of protein powder for his shake. So I came up with an all natural protein smoothie that is refreshingly delicious!

ingredients

few ice cubes
bunch of strawberries, bluberries, or whatever you have
1/2 banana
about 1 cup milk
2 or 3 giant spoonfuls of plain greek yogurt (I get the kirkland brand at costco)
splash of vanilla flavoring
sprinkle in some cinnamon

Blend it all up & enjoy! If you need yours to be sweeter just add some Truvia!
Mmm.. I think I'll go make one now :)

.Berry Trifle.

BERRY TRIFLE

.ingredients.

1 large prepared angel food cake

2 - 16 oz pkg frozen mixed berries or 4 cups fresh fruit (I like to add bananas)

3 cups skim milk

2 large boxes instant sugar free pudding (french vanilla or cream cheese)

1 - 12 oz container of fat free/sugar free Cool Whip

Cut angel food cake up into bite sized pieces and place 1/2 of them into the bottom of a glass bowl, then pour 1/2 of the fruit over cake. Mix milk & pudding mix with beater, fold in 2/3 of cool whip. Pour half of pudding mixture over fruit & then repeat the layers again. Top with the remaining Cool Whip. Cover & refrigerate for at least a few hours.

Makes 24 servings

142 Calories 2 g of Fat

Apple Slices w. caramel & almonds

APPLE SLICES W. CARAMEL & ALMONDS

a yummy healthy way to enjoy a caramel apple.

Walden Farms makes a line of calorie free, fat free, sugar free, carb free (everything free) foods like salad dressings, syrups, ketchup, chocolate sauce & caramel sauce. I'm not a huge fan of the salad dressings but when I saw the caramel sauce at Vitality Nutrition, I had to give it a try.

I warmed up only about a tablespoon and then added 10 chopped raw almonds into it.

Sliced an apple & enjoyed! Way quick and easy & it was good! I think the almonds are a must - you can even try peanuts or any other nuts as well.

I paired this meal with just a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese for my protein (just make sure you're remembering to eat the protein portion of the meal whatever it may be!)

Craving something sweet?

We all get those cravings, you know the "I just need something sweet, anything sweet" cravings. For a lot of us, giving into these cravings is our major barrier keeping us between where we are & where we'd like to be. But this doesn't have to be the case. If you are smart about what you put into your mouth, you will be pleasantly surprised at how effortless being fit & healthy can be.

This is one of my go-to snacks when I'm craving something sweet but don't want to indulge. Try it the next time you feel a craving coming on.

{the pic doesn't make it look as good as it tastes!}

Fruit Parfait

I usually make a bowl for Tyler & I so there's no leftover fruit cut to just go bad.

Makes 2 servings

approximately 200 calories

1 Banana

1 Apple

4 giant strawberries {costco} or 8 small

Handful of grapes

Handful of berries

{insert fruit here - be creative!}

1 - 6 oz container of Dannon Light & Fit yogurt

Be creative with the different flavors - The other night we tried Toasted Coconut Vanilla & it was delicious!

When I use just plain vanilla yogurt, I sprinkle cinnamon into the bowl and mix it all up - It's so YUMMY!

Go a step above & try greek yogurt for more protein!