Lately I’ve been hooked on these yummy smoothies for breakfast:

Packed full of good-for-me things and loaded with antioxidants: pomegranate juice, frozen blueberries, greek nonfat yogurt, a dash of honey. Yum. Take a closer look if you like.

Anyone who knows us or reads this blog knows that Rick and I both love to cook and eat. I don’t think we eat badly either. We don’t eat much in the way of processed foods and you won’t find our freezer filled with frozen ready-made dinners. We’re all about cooking fresh. We don’t eat out very much because we enjoy our own food more. Plus, when you eat out you cannot control what you are eating. You have no idea how the food was prepared (what fats, sugars, etc. that they might have used) and are probably taking in way too many extra calories loaded with things your body doesn’t need. As far as portions go, restaurants today give you so much more than you could or should possibly eat that’s it’s ridiculous! Many times Rick and I will share an appetizer and an entree (if we can agree on the same one!) and that works out very well.

For several years (before we moved to New Jersey) Rick and I followed the South Beach Diet and we both got downright skinny. It got kind of old and boring. (The diet part; not the skinny part!) Then we started eating a more modified South Beach by letting in some pasta, potatoes and bread. Then we pretty much threw out the South Beach plan and just ate everything in moderation which pretty much worked but neither of us were as skinny as we were. But like I mentioned before, we got lazy over the past few months and noticed a slight gain. Funnily enough, we both started complaining at the same time. It was time to put a new eating plan into action, so since the start of the year we’ve been South Beaching it again. It’s working, slowly but surely. There is a difference.

I’m always looking for new recipes that are both good for you and good tasting at the same time. And let’s face it, at the beginning of a new year doesn’t everyone think about eating more healthily? Losing one or two stubborn pounds that may have crept up when you weren’t looking? I bought these two great books recently (smoothie recipe came from Cook Yourself Thin Faster) and have been pouring over the recipes and tips.

They are not really “diet” books, just guidelines for eating things that are good for you and avoiding the things that are not. They are all about not depriving yourself of the foods you crave, just making small adjustments to them to make them more calorie friendly. You might not notice the weight loss for several weeks it’s so gradual, but it’s there.

Cook This Not That is a wonderful little book! Packed full of all kinds of helpful things, it begs to be read from cover to cover to glean all the little hints and tips on every (colorful) page. “Score card” pages show nutritional and dietary comparisons of dairy products,  bread, rices, grains and pastas, meats and fats so you can see at a glance the differences. Other pages include “Matrix” pages where you mix and match different ingredients for skewers, homemade salad dressings, pasta and toppings, crock pots, smoothies and more. Full color photos of each delicious looking recipe adds to the allure of this great little book.

The other book, Cook Yourself Thin Faster is the follow-up to her first book Cook Yourself Thin. I have both books, but I think the second one has better recipes. We made one the other night “Cod Saltimbocca” which was absolutely delicious! We both loved the cannellini bean/radicchio side. Here’s the photo from the book.

I can’t wait to try more of them out! And no, I don’t own stock in the companies, nor do I know the people personally. I just think they are great little tools to help you eat right. If you happen to buy one or the other I don’t think you’ll be sorry!