Watermelon Ice Pops

Oh hey guys, remember me??  Yeah I used to blog and make recipes and take lots of pretty pictures...you know, on a day-to-day basis.  Well with weddings, vacations, and just LIFE simply taking over, my blog has had to take the back burner for a bit, BUT as I've mentioned before, I'm about to launch my NEW (and very much improved) blog really, really soon.  As in like any day now!  It's a little makeover I've been working on for months so I'm completely excited to share the finish product with you soon.

Oh and lets not forget to state the obvious, summer is quickly approaching!  Time for pool parties, cookouts, country concerts and impromptu beach trips so what better way to kick off this fabulous season than with my absolute favorite summer recipe?!  These were such a huge hit last year that I just had to post these again - gotta love a good throwback.

 Nothing is more refreshing to me on a hot summer's day than fresh cut watermelon, especially at cookouts.  It's healthy, delicious and ridiculously low in calories, so why not freeze it up and put it on a stick??  I didn't use any fancy expensive popsicle makers either, just paper cups, wooden sticks and went to town.  Your kids will absolutely love making these and you'll love eating them!

 I used lime sherbet for the rind of the watermelon and mini chocolate chips for the "seeds".  This will probably be the easiest thing you'll make all summer and for only 2 points per pop, go ahead and indulge!  This is the perfect snack to have ready in your freezer to grab when you want something sweet, but don't want to kill yourself with calories.  Oh and feel free to go crazy and add a shot or two of vodka to make these pops really fun, I'm sure your friends will thank you.

No I won't judge.
I may or may not have already tried this myself.

 Thanks again for being so patient friends.  I promise this blog will be back up in no time and I truly appreciate all the sweet e-mails asking when I'll be posting recipes again!  The answer is expect all new recipes (along with a whole new look) this June.  In the meantime I'll try sharing more of my Tone It Up journey, which you can of course follow on my Instagram account, and some of my quick, go to recipes that I throw together during the week that make eating healthy easy.

So for now, hope you enjoy these delicious and utterly adorable ice pops and have fun kicking off the summer in style!

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Servings: 12

Serving Size: 1 ice pop

Calories: 78

Fat: 1.4 g

Carbs: 16.5 g

Fiber: 0.3 g

Protein: 0.5 g

Old Points: 1.6 pts

Points+: 2 pts

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Here are your ingredients:

Recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen

5 cups seedless watermelon pulp

1/2 cup raw sugar

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1 pint lime sherbet, softened

Puree watermelon and sugar in batches in your blender or food processor until smooth and strain into a medium bowl.  Cover and freeze until puree is slightly slushy, but not quite solid, about 2 to 3 hours.  Remove from freezer, stir well and add in chocolate chips.

Place twelve 5-ounce disposable cups in a shallow baking pan and spoon watermelon puree into cups, leaving about a 1/2 inch left from the rim.  Place pan in freezer for 2 hours, or until puree is solid, but not rock hard.

Allow lime sherbet to soften a bit, then spread over top of each portion of watermelon puree so that it comes up to the edge of the cup.  Smooth sherbet with the back of a spoon and cover each cup with plastic wrap.  Cut a small slit in the center of each cup and insert a popsicle stick into each pop so that it almost reaches the bottom of the cups.  Freeze overnight (or until solid) and can be frozen for up to two days.

Allow pops to sit at room temperature for about a minute, then gently pull out from the cups.  Serve and enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe 

 Enjoy friends!

Chocolate Chipotle Seared Salmon Salad

Good morning, fellow Eat Yourself Skinny readers! I feel so honored to be guest posting on the blog of such an amazingly talented, lovely girl as Kelly! I'm Rachel from The Pescetarian and the Pig, a food blog and cooking show where I, along with my adorable pet pig, Cupcake, share original recipes to please your palate. I initially started reading Kelly's blog almost two years ago. It immediately caught my eye because of the title: Eat Yourself Skinny (Hello! Who doesn't want to do that?). I loved the photography, which is mouth-wateringly gorgeous, and honestly I signed up for e-mails just so I could look at her food photos and drool. Haha.

What you'll find on my own blog is a plethora of different types of food. On a daily basis, I eat very very clean. But when I want dessert, I don't cut corners... I go all out decadent. I like to feel like I've been karate chopped in the face with flavor. When I want chocolate, I can't stop thinking about it until I've eaten enough chocolate that I'm sweating it out my pores on the stairmaster the next day.

However, I'd prefer to get my incessant craving for chocolate under control in a much healthier way. One in which I won't need to do the extra hour on the elliptical to get my sugar levels back to normal. I prefer to add my chocolate to my list of recipes that are "Super Clean and Healthy".

Enter my Chocolate Chipotle Seared Salmon Salad. This salad is totally clean, totally healthy, high protein, low carbohydrate, and refreshing beyond belief. Using a thick cut of Scottish Salmon (which I highly recommend, if it is available to you. It is so much creamier and tastier than its salmon counterparts), and covering it in my "Chocolate Chipotle Salmon Rub" before pan-searing it creates this warm, spicy, semi smokey filet that is just to die for. Then, I paired it with my favorite crispy raw veggies: Jicama, cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and super-crispy romaine lettuce hearts. Top it all off with my equally clean and refreshing "Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette" which adds a tangy zip to the salad and compliments the chocolate salmon perfectly. I am quite honestly obsessed with this salad and I've been eating it 2-3 times a week.

Chocolate Chipotle Seared Salmon Salad
Per 1 Serving

6 oz. Scottish Salmon
1/2 Heart of Romaine cut horizontally
1/2 Cup Jicama, Sliced into sticks
1/2 Cup Tri-color Mini Bell Peppers, sliced
1/4 Cup Diced Tomato
2 Tbsp. Chopped Cilantro
1 Tbsp. Diced Pickled Jalapeño
2 Tbsp. Red Onion, diced
1/2 Cup Cucumber, sliced and quartered

Rub Salmon with Chocolate Chipotle Salmon Rub. Place in a pan brushed with olive oil over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes each side until barely cooked through (or to your liking, I like my salmon very rare).

On a dish or in a bowl, arrange vegetables with lettuce as your base.

To serve, place salmon filet on top of veggies and top with about 2 Tbsp. of Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette.  Feel free to garnish with a sprig of fresh cilantro and a wedge of lime.

Serve while salmon is still hot and enjoy!

 Thank you so much Rachel for sharing such a delicious recipe!  My mouth is literally watering!!  Feel free to head on over to her blog and check out which delicious recipe I'm sharing...gotta love a good foodie swap!

 

How to throw a Derby party!

So I'm sure it's no surprise to anyone when I say there is ONE event each year that I do not miss...I mean ever.  Yes folks, that event would indeed be Gold Cup.  Remember when I posted about it here and here?  Well this year we decided to go ALL out and as Skinnygirl Cocktails' newest insider, they asked me to taste test this exciting occasion so I just had to share with you all the little details, cute dresses and fun cocktails!  A HUGE thanks to my sweet friend Heather for taking such beautiful photos!!

 

First of all, you can't throw a derby party without first choosing your dress and hat, think big and colorful.  Race day hats are iconic to the sport so this is a must!  You also want to dress your man in an equally attractive, yet colorful outfit and yes, bowties are optional and strongly recommended!  I mean they just look so cute, no??  Feel free to check out Skinnygirl Cocktails' guide to the derby while you're at it, this guide has everything you need to know to prepare for the big day!

 

   Aren't my friends simply fabulous??

I was also SO blessed to have my brother back home from Afghanistan just in time to join us all.

Now a derby party of course isn't complete without signature cocktails and yummy food!  I made us all Mint Juleps, my favorite Moscato Punch (made with Skinnygirl's newest girl moscato of course!) and delicious Apple Pie.  We also had an assortment of finger foods, sandwiches, desserts and dips, I don't think anyone went hungry!  Fresh flowers are also a must, I think they just bring the whole table together.  Check out our spread and let me know what you think!

 

AND since many of you have requested this Moscato Punch that I've been making on the reg lately after seeing it so many times on my Instagram, well you are welcome!!  As most of you know, I'm so blessed to partner with and be considered a Skinnygirl Cocktails insider, so I just LOVE sharing recipes like this with you!

 

Cheers! 

 

 

2 bottles Skinnygirl Moscato wine

3 cups of Sprite

1 can of frozen pink lemonade concentrate

1 pint fresh raspberries

Combine all ingredients into a large pitcher with a few cups of ice and mix well.  Add fresh raspberries and chill until ready to serve!  Enjoy!

 

All in all it was a beautiful day with gorgeous weather and really amazing friends.  I truly couldn't ask for more and already can't wait until next year!

 

 

©2013 Skinnygirl Cocktails, Deerfield, IL; Avg. Analysis:  All Products:  Protein 0g, Fat 0g; Vodka with Natural Flavors (per 1.5 oz.):  Calories 75.6, Carbs 0g; Cocktails (per 1.5 oz.):  Calories 35.2, Carbs 2g; Sangria (per 5 oz.):  Calories 132, Carbs 22.5g; Wine (per 5 oz.):  Calories 100, Carbs 4.8g A LADY ALWAYS DRINKS RESPONSIBLY™

Sponsor Spotlight

Miss Erika writes for the blog Happy Wholesome which she started as a place to share her life, inspirations and her all-around healthy lifestyle.  You can expect to find her favorite recipes as well as little snippets of her life enjoying fine wine, spending time with her family and being an avid runner.  She's also a self-proclaimed chocoholic so we're pretty much best friends in my book!  So if you're looking for delicious healthy recipes or simply want to make a new friend, you will just love a Happy Wholesome!

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Lauren, the sweet girl behind the blog Pockets Full of Happiness, is nothing short of inspirational!  Losing over 65 pounds simply through diet and exercise alone, she's successfully been able to keep it off for two years and shares her success story through her blog.  She also shares the things she's most passionate about in life such as fashion, health/fitness, recipes and most importantly, teaching girls to never give up!  She also recently got engaged (yay!!) so please head over and send her some love!

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Allow me to introduce to you Miss Ashley from the fabulous blog Sweetpea Lifestyle.  If you love all things pink, girly, enjoy making a craft or two or are even just looking for some delicious recipes to make this weekend, Ashley's blog is your absolute go-to!  When she's not journaling the world around her through her gorgeous photography, you'll most likely find her preparing a brunch or dinner for her closest friends or even cooking her way through Ina Garten's cookbook!  She's also launching her first ever e-Book this month called Successful Entertaining which will include 100 recipes, endless tips and tricks for flawless entertaining as well as a ton of printables!  So head on over and visit this self-admitted cookbook addict and see for yourself why I adore her so much!

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Hope you all enjoy these ladies and their blogs!  I know I haven't had many recipes lately, but I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things very soon.  I'm bursting with new recipes to share with you, especially since joining Tone It Up!  Thanks for being so patient lovelies!!

My Tone It Up Journey

If you've been following me on Instagram for the past few months then you know I've recently joined the Tone It Up plan along with starting their 8 week Bikini Series.  I have had SOO many e-mails and questions asking me about this program so I thought I'd make a whole blog post about it for you all.  It has literally changed my life!

Tone It Up was started by two best friends who are both (gorgeous!!!) trainers and fitness enthusiasts.  Karena and Katrina decided to create a place where they could share their knowledge on how they TOO lost weight and got in shape all while making it fun and motivating in the process!  These girls are absolutely incredible, I literally can't say enough good things about them.  They have a huge following on Twitter and Instagram as well and are very engaged with their readers, they love responding to their fans!  I can't tell you how many times I've posted pictures of my workouts on Instagram and came home to a "like" or comment by Karena and Katrina.  It just makes you that much more motivated knowing that your trainers are checking in, no matter how busy they might be!

Basically how the program works is first you join the nutrition plan and you can choose from regular, vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan or pescetarian.  Every plan is created specifically around YOUR diet and comes in a PDF form so that you can have it everywhere.  I have it on my kindle in my phone and on my iPad!  Now I love all the little details that the plan has, including their infamous 7 Day Slimdown, extra workouts not posted on their blog, recipes for the Bombshell Spell and Meta-D you always hear me talk about (among MANY other recipes), but I'll be totally honest and say if you are already eating clean and eating 5 times a day then this might not be the plan for you.  I started eating clean a few months ago and it was beyond overwhelming!  I wasn't sure what to eat, when to eat it, how much to eat, etc.  So when I joined Tone It Up, it literally laid all that info out for me including specific meal plans that helped me see how I should plan each week!  Like I said above, this was life changing.....literally.  The plan is pretty pricy, but completely worth it in my opinion!  You truly get your money's worth and then some, including a lifetime membership to their Tone It Up Community which is pretty much priceless!

Here's a little run down of my "check-ins" and workouts that I share on Instagram and Twitter....this helps to keep me accountable and I've met so many other Tone It Up girls along the way!

Sure makes being accountable that much more fun!

Basically to sum ALL of this up - I eat 5 clean meals each day, always have my "booty call" first thing in the morning (no its not what you think, this would your your morning workout!  Get your mind out of the gutter ladies....), drink at least 70 oz of water each day and take my vitamins.  I also always try to get a workout in the evenings as well and Tone It Up's Beach Babe DVD might be the greatest thing Karena and Katrina have ever created.  If you don't want to spend the money though, they have TONS of free workouts on their YouTube channel and website!  They are worth checking out, TRUST ME!  Their gorgeousness alone is enough to motivate me to keep this up.

That or hang my head in defeat, but I think you'll find them helpful :)

I also have had many requests for my typical weekly meal plan so I thought I share that too.  Now this various a lot since I always try at least two new recipes each week - if I like them then I add them into the rotation.  I've been meaning to share these recipes on my blog (grrr I suck), but I've just been SO busy lately and I promise you these recipes are coming SOON!

Monday

M1:  Perfect Fit protein pancakes with fresh fruit and a Bombshell Spell

M2:  Apple or celery with some all-natural peanut butter/hummus OR 3 egg whites and fruit

M3:  Crock pot salsa chicken with brown rice and some asparagus

M4:  Blueberry zest muffin OR a Lara bar

M5:  Lemon and herb chicken with broccoli seasoned with Mrs. Dash

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Tuesday

M1:  Perfect Fit protein pancakes with fresh fruit and a Bombshell Spell OR I'll make some overnight oats

M2:  Mixed fruit and a Zico coconut water

M3:  Lemon and herb chicken with broccoli seasoned with Mrs. Dash (leftovers from the night before)

M4:  Blueberry zest muffin OR a Lara bar

M5:  Bowl of chicken chili (this is a great prep meal!) with a side of greens

Those are just two days of examples, but you see what I mean!  The nutritional program lays out exactly what to eat, what NOT to eat and when you should eat so it's really helpful.  I also highly recommend purchasing their Perfect Fit protein - it's delicious and completely organic, raw, all-natural, gluten-free, non-GMO, etc....need I go on??  It might be the best protein out there (in my opinion), but try it for yourself and see what you think!  I use it every morning in my pancakes, in smoothies, in baking - it's perfect for everything!  I'm sure you also may have noticed above that I created a weekly meal plan chart just to help myself with meal prepping which is something I do every Sunday.  This is a game changer folks....prep, prep, PREP!

Here's a PDF version of the chart I created if you'd like to plan ahead too!  I keep this on my fridge all the time and change it up a lot!

Click HERE to download this chart!

   Well I hope you all find Tone It Up super helpful!  I was not paid AT ALL by them to do this review, I simply have just found so much success with this program that I think you all should know about it too!  Like I said before, creating an Instagram account to post your workouts, meals and inspiration not only keeps yourself accountable, but you will also find tons of ideas from others who are also on the program as well.  TIU has an amazing community of girls and you'll soon realize that beginning this lifestyle isn't a hassle, but a way of life!

So how have I done so far in the past month and a half while being on it?  Well so far I've lost a total of 10 pounds, a whole pant size and my mid-section is starting to look so much more toned.  All my summer clothes that were tight last year are now loose on me (that was the most exciting thing so far!!) and on top of that, I feel better than I've ever felt and don't have food cravings anymore.  I probably eat more than I use to, but it's all small clean meals throughout the day that keep me satisfied and my energy up.  Let me know if YOU start the plan too because I'd love to follow your journey as well!!!

Thanks for reading lovelies!