Let's Talk Snacks! 100 Calories or Less by @Donna_Fasano

 Let's face it, we all overeat now and then. Whenever I overindulge, I do what I can to get myself back on track as quickly as possible. Here’s a list of my go-to snacks when I’m focused on sticking to 1200-1400 calories per day:

1. 1 cup frozen seedless green grapes – 65 calories    
2. 1/4 cup wasabi peas – 100 calories
3. 1/2 cup of slow-churned ice cream – 100 calories
4. 2 stalks celery (about 7” long) and 2 tablespoons hummus – 100 calories
5. 30 goldfish crackers – 100 calories
6. 1/2 cup of cottage cheese and a small wedge of cantaloupe – 100 calories
7. 2 tablespoons PB2 spread on 1/2 granny smith apple – 90 calories (PB2 is powdered peanut butter that is 80% fat free. Mix 2 tablespoons PB2 with 1 tablespoon water.)
8. 1/2 of a medium-sized baked potato and a heaping tablespoon of salsa – 100 calories
9. 8 baby carrots – 100 calories
10. 2 Tablespoons PB2 spread on 2 stalks celery – 66 calories
11. 1 cup of tomato soup – 75 calories
12. 1/2 banana (sliced and frozen) dipped in 2 teaspoons dark chocolate chips (melted)  – 100 calories
13. 1/3 cup Greek Gods Vanilla Honey yogurt – 96 calories
14. 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce sprinkled with cinnamon – 75 calories
15. Banana smoothie – blend 1/2 a banana, 1/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, and a handful of crushed ice – 100 calories
16. 2 long pretzel rods dipped in 2 teaspoons yellow mustard – 77 calories
17. 1/2 cup steamed edamame (shelled) with a splash of soy sauce – 100 calories
18. 16 cherry tomatoes sliced in half, 1/8 cup crumbled feta cheese, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice – 95 calories

What are YOUR go-to snacks when you’re trying to get your diet and your weight back on track?

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This month, I'm celebrating St. Patty's Day by offering A REASON TO BELIEVE to Kindle readers for just 99¢. You save $3 off the regular price of this Irish fairy tale.

A Real Fairy Tale

It seems like a grand idea, temporarily trading her pixie wings for a womanly form to help handsome widower Paul Roland with his baby girl. And the moment she holds the precious bairn in her arms, Fern knows true happiness for the first time.

But Fern never anticipates the dizzying emotions she feels for the man who not only needs her as a nanny, but as a woman whose passion can heal his wounded heart. Suddenly the forbidden fairy rule she gently bends because of the baby is in danger of being irrevocably broken.

Some things are meant to be…

About the author: Donna Fasano is a USA Today Bestselling author. Learn more about her at her website: DonnaFasano.com.

My New Year's Resolution by Mona Risk

On December 31, I wrote my resolutions. Exactly as I do every year. And every year I promise myself I will do my best to maintain them all year long. Usually I manage to reach the end of February before I slack.

This year is an absolute disaster.

1- Dieting: no bread or wheat.
Unfortunately, I cooked and baked so much for the kids and friends. Seriously I can't just throw the leftovers. Someone has to finish all the delicious sweets before I can start dieting. Guess who's doing her best to clean the fridge of cakes, baklavas, chocolates, special breads... Oh my stomach!

2- Exercise: two hours a day. Either at the gym or if it's a good weather, walk outside or swim in the heated pool. So far the weather has been gorgeous in Florida but... I'm sick, congested, and can hardly breathe. Exercising is out of the question until I get better.

3- Write four new books. Hu...
I finally finished the one I started six months ago. But I will write the four books for sure as soon as I can publish and promote the one I just finished.

4- Talk to my kids every day. Hmm... Shouldn't they be the ones calling their sick old mother? When I told them that, the answer was, "Mom, you're far from old. I wish I had your energy. You'll get over your cold soon. Can you babysit on Tuesday?"
Maybe I should call once a week or once a month!

I look at the card where I used my best penmanship to write my resolutions and sigh. It's only January 4, 2015. Maybe I can start on these resolutions on February 1st.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GFUDBWS

USA Today Bestselling Author, Mona Risk, recently received an Outstanding Achiever Award from Affaire de Coeur Magazine. Her name has often been posted on the Amazon.com 100 Most Popular Authors in Romance list. She's a two time winner of Best Contemporary Romance of the Year from Readers Favorite; a winner of Best Romance Novel of the Year from Preditors & Editors Readers Poll; and an EPIC Award finalist.

A tireless traveler, M. Risk writes contemporary romance, medical romance, and romantic suspense, all sprinkled with a good dose of humor and set in the fascinating places she visited, or more simply at home.