berry green smoothie - 10g

I kept hearing about these green smoothies everywhere and decided to try making one that was low carb.

The first go around didn't turn out too hot. I drank most of mine by sheer willpower and the kids did not drink theirs. I used too much spinach and not enough water so after sitting for a bit, it got really, really thick. Yuck. It did keep me full all morning/afternoon though! I just had a light lunch and ended up having a late dinner because I just wasn't that hungry.

Today I tried again, and I'm really happy with this one. I made it for myself, but my son tasted it and wanted some, too, which he promptly downed. I just finished this one with my lunch and expect to be pretty full the rest of the day!

Berry Green Smoothie
1 cup strawberries
3/4 cup blueberries
1/2 gala apple (for sweetness)
1 cup spinach
1 CARBmaster Raspberry YumBerry Yogurt
1 cup water
handful of ice cubes

Throw it all in and blend!

If it comes out tasting a little bitter, you can add more fruit or 1 tsp of sweetener of your choice.

Makes 3 8-oz servings.

The counts

Net Carb: 10g

Protein: 3.5g

Fiber: 3g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.

watermelon - 2.6g

I was looking around on Pinterest (big surprise there...) searching for tips on watermelon picking.

Our garden was all weird this year and everything basically stopped growing for like a month even though we watered religiously and did everything else we could think of to have a great harvest. Randomly, everything picked up where it left off and started growing, but all of our crops ended up small, non-existant or late.

:(

We've had a few picked-to-early watermelons and a few whose flavor was meh, but today I (finally) got a really good one.


It's a doozy at almost 30 pounds!

Anyway, while I was browsing Pinterest, I noticed that no one had pinned about the least messy way I have found to cut a watermelon:

It's perfect. The juice, seeds and small chunks run down the holes and are caught in the pan instead of getting all over your counter and floor! I came up with this solution all by myself so I'm going to go ahead pat myself on the back for it. Good job, self. :)

When I worked for a catering company, I learned the the quickest way to cut a watermelon. Grab a trash can so you can throw the rind straight in and a good knife. I use a bread knife because it has nice, long serrated blade and the tips are great for picking out the seeds.

Slice it in half then lay one half on the flat side. Slice the rind off each side, then chop the top off so you basically have a watermelon cube.

 

Next, cut it like a loaf of bread. I do about 1" slices.

 

 

Cut each slice into strips. At the catering company, we'd then cut these again to make cubes, but having a toddler and a pre-schooler at home, I just leave them like that so they can pick them up and eat them as is.

 

 

I used to spend way too much time picking out the seeds for the little ones, but now I just separate the parts without seeds into a different container. Non-seeded are for the kids, seeded are for the hubby.

 

 

The (contained) mess! Rinse it in the sink and you're done!

 

As far as carbohydrates go, it's not too bad of a snack, if you can stop eating it. A serving size is only 1/4 cup, but I tend to eat a cup at a time...

 

The counts

Serving size: 1/4 cup

Net Carb: 2.6g

Protein: <1g

Fiber: <1g

*All counts listed are based on my best guesstimation and not necessarily correct. Remember to check the specific nutritional content of the brands you are using as each one is different.