129 days until "summer break", uuuummmmmm...

shit.  that's 18 weeks and 3 days.  i have over 30 pounds to lose before then.  shit. 

i LIVE to eat. 

but i need to...............

EAT to live.

okay, diets?  yuck.  exercise?  yuck.  but if i want to ACTUALLY lose over 30 pounds by summer, then i have to do one or the other.  fine.  i'll give both a stab.  (feels like the right word to use with diet and exercise, doesn't it?) 

over 2 weeks ago, i made a decision to eat healthier.  that means lots of fruits and veggies and protein.  and no.  no, not no, hell no does that mean going without carbs.  so far, 10 pounds down.  20 to go.

with changing my eating habits, i find myself no longer thinking about my next meal at all times.  and by eating better foods that are lower on the glycemic index (think, diabetics, kind of...) my blood sugar stays steadier all day.  that means i don't binge eat.  (and you're an idiot if you think i would EVER purge.  i hate to throw up.  and i hate to waste food.)  of course, eating healthier tends to be a little boring or bland at times.  i mean, i love pastries and lattes and fries and pie.  what's a girl to do?  well, i'll tell you.  get some creative juices flowing and tweak some recipes.  and i did just that.  TWO yummy recipes that are bikini-friendly. :)

the first is a breakfast recipe.  or i suppose you could have it for dessert...  i made a blueberry cheese danish.  it was good.  not awesome but definitely curbed a craving for me.  next time i am going to use strawberries instead since they tend to be sweeter than blueberries.

skinny blueberry cheese danish--single serving

nutritional facts: 231 calories, 2g fat, 18g carbs, 16g protein

cake batter:

1/4 c. heartsmart bisquick

1 T.   soy flour (you can sub for regular but your protein count will go down)

1 T.   splenda

3 T.   egg beaters

1 T.   skim milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 T.   zero-calorie butter spray

cheese filling:

2 T.  FF cream cheese

1 T.  splenda

1 T.  egg beaters

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

fruit topping:

1/2 c. fresh or frozen berries

1/2 T. splenda

preheat oven to 350 degrees.  cake batter: mix dry ingredients first then add wet.  pour into a PAM sprayed mini-loaf pan.  cheese filling: soften cream cheese (microwave 10 sec.) then mix with splenda.  next add wet ingredients.  spoon on top of cake batter but leave room around the edges.  fruit topping: defrost berries (if needed), then mash or chop.  add splenda.  spoon on top of the filling.  bake 16 minutes.  let cool.  enjoy :)

the second recipe is a beverage.  it is my own version of a caramel macchiato. yum!!!  i seriously sipped on this for an hour because i didn't want it to end!!!

skinny caramel macchiato--single serving

nutritional facts: 105 calories, 0g fat, 22g carbs, 2.5g protein

1/3 c. skim milk

1/6 c. boiling water (40 mL)

1/6 c. international delight: coffee house inpiration skinny caramel macchiato

3/4 tsp. instant coffee

dash of cinnamon

2 T. FF aerosol whipped cream

combine first four ingredients.  top with whipped cream and cinnamon.  enjoy!!

if you try these recipes, let me know what you think.  i'd love to hear any improvements or different versions!  i would LOVE to add to my "skinny" collection. :)