Tired of Salad? Me too.

Don't get me wrong, I love salad. It is maybe one of my all-time favorite foods. BUT.
Sometimes we get tired of eating like a rabbit, so replace it with...
Gazpacho!
A Spanish-Inspired soup, that you're supposed to eat cold!
AND, you can totally make it without spending hours dicing!
You can make it in MINUTES in a BLENDER!
And you'll probably use less oil than you would in a salad!

What you need:
*Tomato Juice, or V8 - about 2 cups (more or less to suit your desired consistency)
*Fresh Tomatoes - about a cup of grape tomatoes, or 2-3 large ones
*Celery - 1/2 cup
*Cucumber - 1/2 cup
*Bell Pepper - 1/2 cup (I usually use a contrasting color, to make it pretty)
*Red Onion - 3/4 cup (or to taste, and use any kind of onion, i just like red because it's not that sharp in comparison)
*Garlic - one or two cloves (up to you!)
*Salt and Pepper (a pinch? Remember, you can add more to your serving later)
*Olive Oil - one tbsp (for a whole batch of gazpacho, that's very little, and it helps to get your mixture soup smooth)

Optionals:
*Herbs (any really, and as much as you like! I even put in dill the other day, and it was amazing!)
*Avocado (for garnish, and some essential fats - if you're in the mood)
*Balsamic Vinegar or Glaze (also could be used for garnish)
*Hot Sauce (I like mine spicy!)
*Lime
*Crusty Bread

Directions:
1) Roughly chop your veggies (and herbs if you wish) and pop them in the blender
2) Add the tomato juice
3) Blend to desired consistency
4) Serve with any garnishes you desire (about 3/4 cup a serving!)

Yeah, it's that simple. Enjoy your salad substitute!

Recipe of the Day: Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Warning: You might be addicted to this easy recipe.
Well, why wouldn't you be? It's delicious and way more filling than a 100 calorie pack. Yeah, that's right, these will only knock off 100 calories off your day! How? Oh... there's no butter!

What you'll need:
- 4 medium white potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled [Tip: Smash them with the flat of your knife to peel off the skins easily]
- 1/3 cup of skim milk (or more, if you like really thin mashed potatoes)
- 1/3 cup of non-fat sour cream
- Salt & pepper (to taste)

The Recipe:
1. Boil the potatoes and the garlic in a pot for approximately 16-20 minutes, until tender
2. Drain, let sit for a moment
3. Add milk to the pot while its still warm
4. Add the potato/garlic mixture back into the pot
5. Add sour cream into the pot
6. Take your potato masher, and get all that stress out. Mash them up to whatever texture you like.
7. Season your potatoes the way you like them. (I usually put a ton of pepper, and no salt)

This recipe should make about 4 servings. I sometimes eat them without anything on top, or sometimes with ketchup, but...

Can't eat mashed potatoes without gravy? Try this:
1. Spray pan with cooking spray
2. Add 1 small onion (diced) and 1/2 cup of mushrooms (chopped) to the pan, cook until tender, pour into a bowl, and leave aside.
3. Add 1 & 1/2 tbsp of flour to the pan with 1 tbsp of non-fat sour cream, and stir until thick-ish
4. Add 1/2 cup of red wine, and 1 cup of vegetable broth, stir
5. Add 1/2 a cube of vegetable bouillon (or if you're not making this vegetarian, you can use poultry seasoning), and a small can of low-fat cream of mushroom soup into the pan, and whisk together until completely homogenous
6. Add the onion and mushroom mixture to the pan and let simmer until thickened

You'll have plenty of gravy, but if you divide it into 4, it's also only 100 calories a serving!
Personally, I'd probably just eat the potatoes as a meal alone...
But add 3 oz of chicken or turkey to create a delicious meal for about 350 calories!

It almost like having the holidays all year round!