Fizzy Orange Julie--a treat for a hectic summer!

I am such a bad blogger. Being an entrepreneur and blogger is sometimes just too much. I have been so swamped with our summer camps. Teaching 6 solid hours in an academic camp and spending literally 16 hours a day working. It is crazy. I have a little break this week. I do mean little. I have a seminar to prepare for tomorrow evening...

But you are here to get ideas on low carbing. The rest of the life is just fluff. Ah, bet we all wish we had tons of hours to devote to healthy eating. You don't either and that is why you are here, right? I get it. Lately, our meals have been really simple summer fare. Lots of grilling and salads. The few recipes I have found time to develop for the blog were bombs. This recipe was not--just the photo. But it has been too long and I don't want to wait for the chance to capture the perfect photo. So here it is.

For the newsletter this month, I am featuring some of the food processor and blender recipes I have used in the past. Sometimes we just don't remember to use these appliances as much as we should. They can do some amazing things and are huge kitchen helpers. And hey, this time of year, dinner can be a cold protein shake!

This drink is a summer favorite. I don't know if they have this where you are, but here in my little corner of the world, we have Sonic Drive-in. Those evil people ( and I can say that because one of my sweet students is a car hop there and she has stories) are running a special of half price shakes after 8 p.m.. I promise they are everywhere. Not in sugarfree versions, of course. But all my friends seem to have them. They are even promoting like 25 flavors. Instant deprivation. I have had shake envy.

I just had to find some time to get home and make a healthy protein shake. I mean all that sweet, creamy cold stuff can still be good for us, right? I also have a fond memory of Dr. Pepper floats from Sonic. I opted for a version of that....only with the orange soda I happened to have at home. Yum. The shake tastes like vanilla ice cream, and the orange sodapop adds a fun fizz and citrusy tang. We use our Soda Stream so the beverages don't have aspartame. (just a little in the pudding mix, but that really does add to the flavor and ice cream-like texture. You could leave it out and add in a half tsp of vanilla with a pinch of xanthan gum) If you don't do sucralose either, stock up on some Zevia sodas. This just might get you through the summer. It might taste a bit like an Orange Julius too--you decide.

Fizzy Orange Julie

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup plain yogurt

3-4 ice cubes

1 tbsp sugarfree vanilla pudding mix

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1/2 cup diet orange soda

Into a blender, add water, yogurt, ice, vanilla pudding and protein powder. Blend well. Pour into a tall glass. Add diet orange soda to top the glass. Drink as is or mix with a spoon.

 The newsletter has some more smoothie ideas. It also has some very interesting ideas for using food processors--Not So "Nuttzo" Butter, Green Gazpacho, and Rainbow Shredded Salad. If you want to order the Diner News, head over to our website. I will try to be a better blogger, I promise!