The 4th of July is only a week away and the store mannequins have certainly arrived in their starred and striped bikinis to make sure we don’t forget it.

It’s an American holiday that takes barbecues, fireworks, and beach parties to a whole new level and with it coming up fast, it’s time to pledge our allegiance to our diets. These diet shape-ups will have you ready to don your nautical wear from the first notes of the Star-Spangled Banner and beyond.

Smoothie Sailing: If no one has let you in on the secret yet, let me be the first to inform of the word of the day: SMOOTH-IES. Smoothies can be counted as a meal substitute or an afternoon snack and they are absolutely delicious (provided that you put the right stuff in them). These 8-ounce concoctions will leave you feeling fuller longer and they are great for sitting by the pool. Simply add ¾ cup of milk, 1/2 cup of berries, whey powder and peanut butter and sip your way to slim! Read More »

[I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the epitome of prim and proper- heck, who really is nowadays? But looking around at the misguided youths of today *ahem drinking buddies*, I’m starting to think that Miss Manners might have been onto something.

While you may never need to know how to greet a duke or how to tell which fork is REALLY the oyster fork, knowing how to deal with people whom owe you money, how much to tip, and how to address the ever annoying licorice-in-teeth conundrum without being rude might actually come in handy in the real world. I'm not trying to be your mother - oh goodness, no - I'm just here to help you out of those little etiquette dilemmas.

So here goes: a quick lesson in etiquette. The sh*t you might actually need to know.]

Let’s say you walk into your econ class, muffin in one hand, Starbucks cup in the other, ready to knock out at a moment’s notice. The professor walks in and without greeting, launches into his repertoire of the economy and whatnot as you lazily drop your eyelids. You figure you’ll look up from your “notes” once or twice before drifting off so at least you can say you tried. You look up and then…

BAM! You notice that his fly is completely open! Like, to the point where his uh.. stimulus package is threatening to show. You peek around the classroom to see if anyone else noticed but alas, everyone is mindlessly lost in their own oblivion. Crap. It’s up to you. “Should I tell him?” you wonder to yourself, “This is so awkward. Maybe I should just ignore it.” Of course, this wouldn’t be such a problem if it were one of these professors, but he’s not. You’ve never even spoken to him outside of class! Read More »

Most normal fajitas or any similar Mexican-like foods will set your number of daily calories over the edge with gobs of refried beans, sour cream, or crazy cheese sauces. Not this fajita—it has all the taste but serious health benefits as well. If you are craving something Mexican that isn’t quite authentic but that tastes fresh and delicious, this is what you want!

It can easily be a 15-minute dinner if you’re rushing, and it’s pretty versatile (any kind of bell pepper will work, the corn is optional, etc.). Here are the ingredients for one fajita:

• canola oil, olive oil, or vegetable oil (or any other oil, really)

• 1 thin-sliced chicken breast, cut into strips

• ¼ tsp taco seasoning

• ½ red bell pepper, sliced into very thin strips

• ½ medium onion, sliced into thin rings

• 2 tablespoons corn, fresh or frozen (optional)

• ½ to ¾ cup fresh spinach, rinsed and stemmed

• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat cheddar cheese

• 1 whole-wheat tortilla wrap

To begin, put the oil in a shallow pan. Let it heat up, and add the thin rings of onion and strips of bell pepper. Sauté them over low-medium or medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until they are browned, much reduced, and beginning to caramelize. Read More »

This happens to me all the time: I want to eat a nice, healthy salad, I really do—but I crave sugar instead. Usually, I end up eating a square of chocolate instead of a bowl of Romaine.

But now I’ve found the perfect solution: sweet spinach salad!

This takes less than five minutes to make, and it’s DELICIOUS. I feel like I am eating a dessert salad whenever I make it, no joke. All you need is some spinach, a few strawberries, a dab of honey, and a squirt of lemon juice.

Easy process: slice the strawberries and cut off the tops. Rinse the spinach and chop or tear it into smaller pieces. Toss the spinach and the strawberries in a bowl, and poke them for a few seconds to combine them.

Now for the fun part: squirt the lemon juice (I use about half a teaspoon) over the salad, then drizzle the honey over it. Mix everything up with your fork, and that’s IT! Dig in and enjoy… it’s the perfect side for a warm, summery day.

If spanakopita to you is just another word you can’t pronounce, you’re REALLY missing out.

The term for Greek spinach pie, spanakopita is made with phyllo pastry and is probably one of the most delicious things on the planet. Naturally, it also contains a lot of spinach, which gives you a chance to bulk up those muscles like Popeye.

To make my spanakopita, I cut this recipe in half with a few modifications: I omitted the parsley, kept all eight sheets of phyllo, and used less olive oil.

This recipe would be a complete cinch if it weren’t for the phyllo. Phyllo is a pain to work with, and you have to make sure to thaw it properly (at least a full day in the fridge or 3-4 hours in a normal room). When it’s finally thawed, you have to work

with it at lightning speed and keep it covered with something moist at all times… not to mention paint every sheet you’re using

with a little melted butter or olive oil.

Here’s the good news: if you don’t want to mess with phyllo dough (or if you don’t have any), the recipe works fine for quiche, too. Your final quiche product might turn out tasting a little less eggy/cheesy than a usual quiche, but it’ll be delicious anyway (and beautiful)!

Spinach lovers, unite!

This is one of my favorite meals of all time. It will impress the pants (hopefully) off of whomever you’re currently dating, and if you’re single, it will impress your own pants off yourself. No joke.

It’s easy to double or triple the recipe, so I’ll provide ingredients here for just one person. You need 1 cup of spinach (fresh, and optional), 1 tablespoon of olive oil, about ¼ cup chopped onion, a sprinkling of sugar, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 tablespoon of chopped sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed or dry, it doesn’t matter), about 1 ½ tablespoons goat cheese, 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh basil or ¼ teaspoon of dry basil, a sprinkling of salt, and two chicken breast halves. You’ll also need a few toothpicks. Read More »

Mmmmmm. When I was little, my mom sometimes made jumbo pasta shells stuffed with a mixture of diced mushrooms, ricotta cheese, spinach, and ground meat. They were fantastic, but a little too creamy for my taste. These, on the other hand, are not creamy at all and are every bit as good as my mom’s. They taste especially excellent with a nice hunk of Italian bread and olive oil.

When I make them, I sub out the ground pork for ground beef because I usually don’t have ground pork lying around. You can probably use frozen spinach if you want, but the fresh spinach really makes a tremendous difference. Also, I normally leave out the nutmeg—you can’t taste it in the final product, and I’m not a big nutmeg fan, anyway.

I also cut down on sodium and fat a little bit by replacing the heavy cream with light cream or milk (works just fine) and omitting the salt altogether (usually, the tomato sauce will provide all the saltiness you need). Read More »