From looking at the final product you would think this was just any other bowl of delicious and totally innocent ice cream. Dont believe what you see. It is delicious and refreshing. However it wasnt so benign when it had splattered everywhere in the kitchen. Top and bottom cupboards, puddles on the counter, dripping down the front of my pants, staining the kitchen rug, the dog trying to lick at the heap of blueberry syrup on the floor. There was a lot of very creative swearing.

See I pictured this whole thing happening in my head as I was dumping the blueberry mixture into the blender and cringing, waiting for the worst possible thing to happen. Then it did. While I was tightening the blender pieces and making sure everything was put together properly to avoid disaster, it never occurred to me that the rubber disk that creates a seal in the bottom of the bowl could slip to the side and create a gap for evil purple liquid to escape from.

As soon as I poured the blueberries in the blender the chaos started. In the crevice where the glass bit of the blender meets the plastic base the liquid started spurting out. Not just drizzling or trickling. It was shooting out on the underside of the cupboard and on my arms. About a third of my precious blueberry mixture ended up on the counter. I tried to tighten the pieces hoping for the best. Crossing my fingers the whole time I blended and made a beautiful purple liquid with no other major issues.

I wrapped the blender in dish towels and added the heavy and sour cream prayed for no more spurting. And all was well until I went to pour the mixture into a bowl at which point the precarious rule of physics that was keeping the liquid from seeping everywhere left me. Half of the ice cream mixture ended up in the bowl, the other half on the floor. That any of it made it in the bowl was more than I had expected. Things were already a mess so I continued with this highly mistaken course of action, emptying the blender, putting what made it into the bowl into the refrigerator, out of my sight to cool off and began the laborious task of de-purpling the kitchen.

It didnt put up nearly as big a fight going into the ice cream maker but the whole time it was churning I was thinking “boy this better be good.” This was going to have to be awfully good ice cream to make up for the disaster.

In the end all I can say for it however is that its interesting. Blueberries work really well with the tartness of the sour cream and it creates a nice rich velvety texture. Amidst all the drama I did manage to put in too much lemon juice (which I had to substitute since I had no lime) and most of my precious berries were in a puddle on the counter so it wasnt as delicious and sweet as it probably should have been. Its quite sour which isnt a bad thing it just isnt very dessert like.

Id only recommend making this if you have much better luck than I do with blenderfuls of malevolent purple liquid. Ive learned my lesson and will be keeping my blueberry obsession to very simple recipes from now on. Which mostly means if you need me Ill be standing in front of the refrigerator gorging myself on berries straight from the container. Its safer that way.

Sour Blueberry Ice Cream

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen, if frozen, thaw and drain)
1/3 cup agave nectar
Pinch of salt
Grated zest of one lime
Juice of 1/2 a lime, or more juice to taste
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream

In a medium saucepan cook blueberries, sugar, salt, lime zest and juice over medium heat, stirring, until mixture boils and the berries pop and soften, about 4 minutes.

Pour the berry mixture into a blender and whirl until pureed, the mixture will not be completely smooth. Add the heavy cream and sour cream and pulse to blend. Taste and add a bit more lime juice or agave nectar if you choose.

Pour the blend into a bowl and refrigerate until it is chilled before churning into ice cream.

Original recipe from Noble Pig Blog.

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The energy you use in your home can come from a coal-fired power station, hydroelectric power, or a wind turbine. You won’t know which because the end result is electricity. The energy that fuels your body can come from fats, proteins or carbohydrates. You won’t know which because the end result is ATP, or cellular energy,” says Cooney, concluding that “Your body will use the energy it needs and store the leftover fats, proteins or carbohydrates as fat. When you do the sums, it’s ultimately a matter of calories in and calories out.” ~ By Alan

So how do you lose weight? Eat less and exercise more. Nobody likes that answer, but continuing to ask the question isn’t going to change it.

We know that any diet will work and, for that matter, any exercise program works, provided youre burning more calories than youre eating.

The question we ask ourselves when it comes to diets or exercise programs is often: Will this help me lose weight? Chances are, whatever it is, it will. The question we may want to ask ourselves is this: Can I follow this for the long-term?

Thats one reason that making lifestyle changes is one way people find long-term success.

What about you? Have you ever found yourself trying to go back to an exercise program or diet that worked for you before? If it worked, why werent you able to stick with it? Is it time to let it go and find something you can do for the long-term?

Weight loss is all about believing in yourself and finding a program that you think works for you. If you believe in yourself it will make it that much easier for you to succeed in your journey. Here are a couple of tips to help you stay motivated on your way:

1) Set Short-Term Goals:

While it is essential to long term goals you must set short term goals as well. Why? It’s simple. If you just set long term goals then you will get disappointed and maybe quick because of a lack of results. But with short term weight loss goals like losing a 1 or 2 a week, or shaving 10 seconds off your mile time then you can see results and it will keep your eye on the prize.

2) Reward Yourself:

A good thing to do in order to continue on your weight loss path is to reward yourself with little things that you have been wanting. Take this for example. "If I stay on track and lose twelve pounds this month, then Ill buy myself that pair of heals Ive always wanted." Little incentives like that can really go a long way when it comes to keeping you interested in your program.

Losing weight can be a difficult challenge for anyone but we can all succeed in the task if we are willing to put in enough work towards it. There are plenty of tips and tricks out there that you can use to your aid and conquer all of your weight loss goals. Remember that in order to lose the weight and keep it off for the rest of your life, you cant change your habits for a month or two. You need to change your habits for the rest of your life. Good luck and the best wishes along your weight loss journey.

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1.  Exercise: "move it to loose it".
   Walk, run, dance, playing with kid or just doing household work.
2. Smart Food Choice: Healthy and balanced Food, portion control and lots of water.
3.  Be Happy: Try to Keep Depression away. Listen to music, talk to close friend or loved ones, hug your kids, play with pet, take time for you hobbies. Exercise keeps depression away.
4.  Self-Control: Dont lose your hard work & goal in emotions, whether its Celebration, happiness or depression or being part of any event or self-sympathy.
5. Self-motivation: Keep rewarding yourself and find a way to get up and start again. Its never too late, to correct yourself and be back on track.
6. Revise your Goals: Keep weighing yourself and rework on your action plans. As with time weight may change or it may hit a Plato so you need to step up to get more result. Never be shy or scared to check your weight, face it and prepare to conquer.
7. Planning and Preparation: Plan your exercise and prepare for meals in advance will always keep you on track.
8. Rest: Well 8hrs of rest is must for body to get recharged otherwise it goes in fatigue and chances of slipage is maximum. Weak and tried bodies are perfect home for diseases so make sure to follow the last rule. But not more than 8hrs as anything is excess is bad for body.

By: Reena Sharma

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Week 27... the week of my vacation.  I canceled my weigh-in appointment Saturday morning because I knew I had been eating like I was on vacation pretty much all week.  So I rescheduled for the same time this Saturday coming up and Im hoping to balance out my bad eating last week with being good this week.  I honestly feel like I used vacation as an excuse to eat badly but I also feel like I needed a vacation from this diet for a week - not just work.  Sometimes its really hard to focus on long term goals and overall health when youre feeling deprived.  And during vacation I immediately started to feel deprived because we had a "staycation" and were hanging around locally all week.  It theoretically should have been easier to follow my plan since I hadnt gone anywhere but having that much free time in a familiar place is a recipe for dieting disaster.

So today Im back on track and ready to share another recipe with you all:  Mashed Cauliflower!

I recently got a recipe from the Medi-Weightloss Clinic for mashed cauliflower BUT I was not impressed with the recipe and vowed to try it later because the recipe I had already was so good.  I hope you like it too!

MASHED CAULIFLOWER

1 large head of cauliflower, florets only
1 3/4 cups fat free reduced sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp light butter (such as Land O Lakes or Smart Balance with Canola Oil)
2 Tbsp fat free sour cream
2 oz fat free cream cheese
1/4 cup scallions, sliced
1/2 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar/Mexican cheese blend
salt & pepper to taste

Place cauliflower florets and chicken broth in a large saucepan/dutch oven and heat on high uncovered until boiling.  Cover the pan with a tightly fitting lid and continue to cook on high for 12-14 minutes or until cauliflower is tender and a very light brown.  All of the broth should be gone, if not then drain cauliflower in a colander and return it to the hot pan and saute until all moisture dissolves.  Add cauliflower and all remaining ingredients to a food processor and process on lowest setting (or pulse) until cauliflower reaches a potato-like consistency.  Serve immediately or reheat just before serving. 

Makes about 6 servings, 1/2 cup each.  Approximate nutrition information (including 1 dash of salt & 1/2 tsp black pepper) per serving is as follows: 

Calories		90.0
Total Fat		3.6 g
	Saturated Fat	0.8 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.1 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	0.0 g
Cholesterol		13.9 mg
Sodium		380.0 mg
Potassium		449.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate		9.8 g
	Dietary Fiber	3.7 g
	Sugars	0.8 g
Protein		6.2 g

  And some photos of the cooking process because I was bored! 

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Itll look like there isnt enough broth in the pan but believe me, there is!

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As you can see, I used 1/3 Less Fat Philly cream cheese instead of fat free but it was all I had.  And thats what 2 oz of cream cheese looks like... I actually weighed it!  :)

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Plain Jane food processor with all of the uncooked ingredients waiting for the cauliflower to finish cooking

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Birds Eye View of the uncooked ingredients in the food processor, I literally just throw it all in there any which way

Cauliflower and broth almost done cooking... be careful of steam, it builds up quite a bit!

The finished product should look like this in your food processor

And this is 1 serving (1/2 cup) with 4 oz of steak (for dinner!)

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