Soothe Thee Fruit Smoothie

Why would a person want to drink her fruit? Because a smoothie has such “a-peel”! Change the fruit and change the flavor to blueberry banana, strawberry banana, or banana orange.

Serves 1 • Prep Time: 5 minutes

 

1  cup frozen unsweetened strawberries or blueberries, thawed, or 1/2 banana

1/2  cup nonfat Greek yogurt, such as Fage

1   cup

1   cup water, or ice

1. Combine the fruit, yogurt, orange juice, and water or ice in a blender and process until creamy. Pour into a cup and serve.

TIP: When your banana ripens a little too much—and there’s always at least one that gets too ripe to eat as is—freeze it unpeeled. Then peel it frozen, carefully chunk, and use in this smoothie. Or dip it frozen in chocolate syrup for a sweet indulgence.

Calories 125 • Total Fat 0.5g • Saturated Fat 0g • Carbohydrates 21g • Protein 8g • Dietary Fiber 3g • Sodium 107mg

 

WHO KNEW?

Q: Why use Greek yogurt instead of another kind of yogurt?

A: Greek yogurt can have twice as much protein as regular yogurt, leaving you feeling full and satisfied. It can also have less sodium by up to 50 percent than regular yogurt. If you want to lower your carbohydrate count, as well, regular yogurts have 15 to 17 grams of carbohydrates per cup, whereas Greek yogurt averages around 9 grams.

 

People who believe in luck collect daily events as evidence that they either have it or not.

By Jerry Wyckoff, PhD

You can collect daily events as evidence of good or bad days. Bad days are characterized by the little things that happened which get labeled negatively, such as the knee we bumped getting out of the car or the frustrating experience of misplacing our car keys and needing to get a ride to work. One or more of these things happen and suddenly, you’re having a “bad day.” You know the drill.

But you can collect the so-called good things from the day, just as easily as the bad, by noting the big smile your coworker gave you this morning,
the kiss from your child whom you left at school, the warm feeling you had when you heard that song you like, or the knowledge that you are holding a cookbook that gives you easy appetizers to begin a meal in a happy frame of mind.

Days, like everything, are actually neutral, neither good nor bad. It’s all in how you look at things, not in the things themselves. So spend your days looking for good things and putting what you consider to be bad things in perspective.

On the other hand, in the book The Human Side of Cancer, Jimmie C. Holland, MD, addresses a situation in which holding onto a healthy perspective on being a cancer survivor may be difficult: “Trying to put on a ‘happy face’ to pretend you are feeling confident, when in fact you are feeling tremendously fearful and upset, can have a downside. By feigning confidence and ease about your illness and its treatment, you may cut off help and support from others. The tyranny of positive thinking can inhibit you from getting the help you may need out of fear of disappointing your loved ones or admitting to a personality some people think is fatal.”

Attitude, personality, and emotion all play a part in how you see the world. So if you are having difficulty getting back in the swing of life because you are anxious or worried or fearful, know that feeling this way from time to time is normal. If every day is filled with depression, however, and you are unable to collect any “good things” from day to day and reframe your situation, consult with a psychologist, social worker, or a good friend who will listen and support you. You’ll feel better and look better, and you may find that you become healthier. Good days, like good meals, don’t just happen; you make them happen by how you think about them.