Tip & Recipe

Hey guys :) Today was HARD. And the worst part is at night. I may have to spend the whole night on the elliptical to stay out of the kitchen : OH WELL!!! It's all about willpower (which I am sorely lacking!) Anyway, I read an interesting article that talks about the appetite suppression power of grapefruit (which, of course, I hate). Anyway, I did have some grapefruit essential oil which I put in a glass of water, but essentially, if you eat 1/2 a grapefruit before your meals, you'll be able to correctly gauge how hungry you are. They're low calories, but quite filling, so you'll be able to eat less at mealtimes. Anyway, thought I'd pass that along!! Also (I'm sure many of you know this already) but drinking a glass of water before eating also helps you gauge your hunger level, as thirst often presents as hunger. And COLD water jumpstarts your metabolism. ;) I thought I'd pass on a recipe, too -- (a'la my slowcooker -- I'm pretty much in love with my slow cooker).

Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup

(10 servings, 70 calories per serving)

2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 red onion, diced
2 (14 oz) cans chicken broth
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
6 oz. evaporated milk
Small handful fresh basil leaves, sliced thin

dd tomatoes, onion, broth and dried spices and salt to crock pot. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours.

Carefully use a ladle, scoop tomatoes and onions out of the pot (draining excess liquid back into the pot as you're doing this....the idea is to get most of the chunks out) and into a blender. Blender on high speed until smooth. Return blended tomato mixture to crock pot.

Slowly stir in evaporated milk until soup is a consistent color (add more or less milk based on your preferences).

Stir in basil leaves.

**This freezes extremely well, so it's good to use as single serving lunches, too. It's pretty filling, and low in calories (And I HATE tomatoes, and love this soup, so go figure).**