I saw this in Better Homes and Gardens (July 2007). It's a list of ingredients that you can mix & match to make a variety of different fruit Smoothies.

As I've mentioned before, we're doing the whole "low-carb thing" again.

Also, as I've mentioned before, we don't do it "by the book". (Far from it.)

We are entering what I call the "comfortable phase" of the Low-Carb Diet Plan, and I'm here to tell you, you can eat low-carb for 3 weeks and counting and STILL...

...want to stay on the plan

...fit into your clothes better (even enjoy the "baggy factor" again!)

...not feel deprived

...feel GREAT about being having more energy ALL throughout the day

Yeah, we're at it again... though I'm not sure we have near enough willpower to stick with it this time.

For the record, here's how we did last time.

Jim travels A LOT, and neither of us takes the time to cook these days. So sticking to a 100% Atkins-friendly diet is going to be quite difficult this go-around.

Nevertheless, we're bound & determined to give it a go & see what happens.

To help us enjoy the ride this time... we've found 10 snacks & desserts that make the "dieting" process a little bit easier and a whole lot more FUN!

In light of the fact that it is Strawberry Season here in Tennessee, and thanks to Jan's excellent coverage of all the Strawberry Festivals and U-pick 'Em places in the state, I am resurrecting this "post from the past"...

After picking strawberries last spring, we became addicted to strawberry fruit smoothies! They're extremely easy to make. And somewhat healthy too.

Here's how to make a smoothie...

In keeping with the Caribbean theme going on in my house this weekend, I dug deep into my memory bank to come up with an all-new, low-cal (and fat-free!) refreshing beverage.

Actually, it was lunchtime, and we were all out of soda, and I've never been one to drink water with meals... so I resorted to using up some leftovers from a get-together we had with friends last weekend. I found some pineapple sherbet and diet Canada Dry ginger ale, so I decided to make a personal-sized version of the punch that we served that night.

I call it a Beachy Pineapple Punch Sherbet Smoothie!

The recipe:
Fill a tall glass half-way with ginger ale ($3.99/12-pack or $1.79/2-liter), then add a few scoops of the ice cream ($2.75/gal Kroger brand), and wa laa -- a refreshing, light beverage... with a kick.

Who says punch is only for parties?! Besides I was in the midst of my own "escape to the Caribbean" party and this hit the spot perfectly.

The best part: This recipe is so adaptable. You could substitute virtually ANY flavor of sherbet for the pineapple-flavored ice cream. (I'm looking forward to trying the Raspberry and the Rainbow sherbets.) This makes for great variety when you're trying to watch your weight, yet you get a craving for something sweet!

(Just think of all the money we're gonna save not running to Smoothie King every other night, Jim!)

Sticking to the Atkins weight loss plan has been a breeze for both Jim and I, but we still have a need for something sweet on occasion.

We recently tried a Low-Carb Smoothie from our all-time favorite: Smoothie King.

In fact, it was part of the motivation for going on Atkins in the first place... that we would still be able to satisfy our craving for a Smoothie by ordering their "low carb" version, instead of the megga-carbed and megga-tasty "regular" Angel Food smoothie.

One word...