No actually everything you make is suppose to be fresh, cuz your detoxing your body of all the added salts and fats. Although cream of soups seem healthy they are full of sodium. So if you want to make a soup use all the veggies you want and spice up the soup w/ spices but not too much salt. Your only using 2 cups of lowfat milk per day so if you want it to taste a little creamy use less water and substitute for a cup of milk. I'm sure there are some really great recipes for soups on this website so check out some of the other fatsmashers recipes*

Borrowed this from KLOS website they gave some good advice for that whole working on ur body b4 summer thing that we do. So just thought i'd pass it along. Healthier eating habits [site map] Home - Health And Wellness - Healthier eating habits Are you sick of garden salad and granola bars? With a little creativity, a healthy diet does not have to be a boring one. Here are 10 tips to keep you on track. 1. Substitute vegetables/ legumes for rice and other carbs – Bread, potatoes, steamed white rice can act as fillers to give that feeling of fullness after a meal. However, they are also a haven for calories and starch. Basically, starch is converted to glucose and if not burned off through exercise, is converted to fat. Diabetics and weight watchers beware. If a dish calls for rice or potatoes, try using beans instead, you’ll get more muscle-building protein instead of carbs. 2. Experiment with new combinations- Keep it exciting and even discover new flavors. Instead of croutons for that salad, why not toss in seared tofu or even fruit? And when a dish calls for sugar, perhaps honey might do the trick. 3. Snack often throughout the day- Contrary to popular sentiment, eating small portions several times throughout the day may be better than gorging on three full meals. Trail-mix and dried fruit are chock-full of protein, vitamins and fiber and also work as fillers so you eat less at the dinner table. 4. Salsa- The wonder condiment in its red variation is usually full of garlic, chilies and tomatoes, effectively making it rich in lycopene and vitamins. Use it instead of gravy and thick cream sauces for meat, fish and poultry dishes. 5. Use herbs instead of salt- if a dish tastes bland try using some chopped herbs such as rosemary, basil or oregano for flavor instead of reaching for the salt shaker. Cutting down on sodium is especially crucial to those suffering from water retention and high blood pressure. 6. When cooking, forgo that extra pinch of salt- many common ingredients such as chicken stock, anchovies and soy sauce already contains high amounts of sodium. Salt can give the illusion of taste, but in most instances, really just masks the flavor of the ingredients. Remember, with salt you can always season to taste at the table. 7. Plan meals so that you can use the extra food in other dishes- For example, bake chicken breasts for a meal and use what's left in sandwiches, soup or a stir-fry. Shelled shrimp can be reincorporated with lime, crushed peanuts and julienned cucumbers for a Thai style salad. 8. Salads need not be boring- There is so much more to salad than lettuce and dressing. Try it with different greens like arugula, spinach and watercress. Fruit, nuts and beans like edamame also add to taste and texture. Try grilling vegetables traditionally eaten raw and vice-versa. Experiment with vinegar, oils, fruit juices and even yogurt for dressings. 9. Eating healthy is convenient- take advantage of ready to eat packages. Canned fish, bagged salads and ready cut fruits from the supermarket. 10. Explore world cuisines- get inspiration from the cuisine of a different culture. Much of world cuisine especially from Asia and the Middle East are considerably healthier than American and just as tasty. Oftentimes the ingredients used can be incorporated into a local dish to creating something that is fantastically new and interesting.

Takes about a day....I posted 2 and they went thru by the next morning...bring'em on girl....new recipes are always fun to try...looking forward to seeing them..YUMMY*

We all need it and use it to keep ourselves doing good w/ eating habbits and exercise....i've kinda found myself in a slump. I can't seem to motivate myself to fit the exercise back into my day. Haven't eaten very well either. So what do you do to motivate yourself?*

Wow good for u keep up the good work!*

U can mix it up anyway u want, like i'll mix up a can of tuna w/ the vegall. As for craving the bread and tortilla, don't worry the next 2 weeks goes by fast and by this time u should be able to shake off any temptations. The cereal should kill those bread cravings though. It does for me.

Not until phase 3. U still can't have tortillas or breads. but i'm looking at the copy of the book right now, phase 2 add on's PER DAY Meats 3-4oz (side of a deck of playing cards) Chicken: baked w/ out the skin (no fried) Turkey: baked w/ out the skin ground beef: Extra lean or ground sirloin, broiled, sirloin steak, broiled Lamb broiled Seafood Halibut, tuna, salmon, snapper striped bass, etc: 3oz no fried Shrimp 4 large mussels 3oz Oysters 6-12 clams 3 Eggs u can now add 1 whole to ur 4 eggwhites milk cheese - 2 1/2 cups, cheese 1oz (about 1.5 slices) 6oz lowfat yogurt (2times per day) Cereals cold unsweetened 1.5 cups perday and 1/2 cup hot cornflakes, cheerios, oatmeal, farina/creamof wheat, total, branflakes, life, ricecrispies, puffedrice, puffed wheat, shredded wheat, special k, chex sweetners 4tsp granulated surgar or surgar substitute drinks - 3 cups of tea, 5cups of clubsoda, 2 cans of diet soda, 1 cup freshl squeezed fruit juice (u can divide this up into 1/2 cup servings) lemonade - made w/ real lemons and 2 packets of surgar substitute flavored seltzer or tonic water and of course unlimited tap water.

This is what you get per day 2cups lowfat milk water - unlimited 2 cups herbal tea tofu beans - boiled not refried - unlimited 2 cups oatmeal 2 servings (6oz) lowfat yogurt fruits - unlimited veggies - unlimited 4 egg whites 2 cups brown rice herbs, spices of any kind, olive oil about a TBSP, limited salt. if you can try to squeeze in a 15-20 min workout 5 days out of the 9. Oh ya NO POTATO and no avocado. I know they're veggies but the book says to cut those two out for phase 1.

Ok that's a heck of a lot harder than my situation, I thought it was hard to eat right and fit in some exercise uninterupted w/ 3 kids. I can only imagine w/ 5 it must be that much harder. Well, try to start eating much much much more veggies and fruits and try to cut out all those simple carbs like cookies, cakes, flour breads....I know it sounds hard but just that alone will help a great deal. And if you over eat at least you know veggies and fruits won't hurt your diet like chips and other stuff. You can totally do this having 5 kids is one of the most hardest things a woman can do, to lose weight and get healthy should be walk in the park for you.....YOU CAN DO IT!* Good luck i'm sure you'll do well.*

Great! At least your making an effort to change eating habbits. I hope you make lots of friends here, its a great support system that i've come to love. I've only been on for a week and if it wasn't for this I would've already broken my eating program. So good luck and I hope you achieve your goal.*

That is so great. Congrats on your getting closer to your goal. Sounds like you got great will power and now you know you can do anything you put your mind to. Great job and keep on going girl!*