Food for thought

I love to cook, but I just don't seem to ever find the time to do it that often anymore. Maybe that should be one of my goals. Since we moved into a house and are able to have a grill now, we do grill. I guess that counts as cooking:) I seem to work random hours and a lot of evenings so coming home at 9:30 or 10 not only is it not the optimal time to cook a meal I am often too tired to want to. Perhaps I should start making gourmet breakfasts or lunches. I do make a great smoothies though. I use plain yogurt(yoplait is my favorite) about 1 cup per serving and I blend with frozen strawberries (or blueberries/cherries) also one cup and sometimes I through in a banana. It's plenty sweet for me so I don't add any sweeteners/sugar. If all the fruit is very frozen it turns out really thick, basically like frozen yogurt. Makes a great dessert! If you want it thinner I nuke the strawberries in the microwave(since I buy frozen) since they are softer that way it makes it a little thinner. Also have the option to use milk or soymilk to thin it out. I never add ice but that's just personal preference. Enjoy!
Since I mentioned sweeteners/sugar above I guess it would be a great time to discuss those. I have been hearing more and more about the dangers and just negative effects of artificial sweeteners. A friend suggested I visit www.splendaexposed.com Supposedly they may cause you to gain weight as well as be potentially harmful to your body. I want no part in something that makes the inside of my body look horrible even if it could make the outside look better. It's not just splenda...I'm sure equal, nutrisweet, etc all have issues. The more I think about all these so-called miracle foods that are all constructed in a lab, the more I wonder how they could really be good for us. Now I'm sure there are some definate scientific advantages to some of our food and products. However I am thinking it's best to stay away from most processed and chemically altered products. But sometimes you really have to analyze a product to decipher if it really is the better option