Try something different than just grilled hamburgers this summer!

Try this delicious recipe next time you want to fire up the grill!

Grilled Chicken Breast with Cucumber and Pepper Relish

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber - peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/8 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

• Directions

1. In a medium bowl, prepare the relish by mixing together the cucumber, parsley, chopped onion, bell pepper, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix the cumin and chili powder with the olive oil. Rub the mixture onto the chicken, and place in a shallow dish. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.
3. Prepare the grill for medium heat.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill chicken 8 minutes per side, or until juices run clear. Serve with cucumber relish.
• Amount Per Serving  Calories: 205 | Total Fat: 9.8g | Cholesterol: 67mg

5 Great Reasons to Kick Your Diet Soda Habit!

Luckily, I can honestly say that I have never been an 'addict' to soda but I will admit...I occasionally look forward to treating myself to a cold, fizzy diet coke with lime (with lots of pebble ice!)... but here's another article convincing me that I should make that treat few and far between...
Here's 5 reasons to kick that soda habit:
1.  Weight Gain- Diet soda drinking correlates with both increased waist circumference and a heightened body mass index.
2.  Higher Sugar Consumption- Artificially sweetened drinks activate our sweetness response, but don't completely satisfy it, leaving you craving more of the real thing. 
3.  Kidney Problems- Researchers show an association between drinking two or more servings of diet soda per day and faster kidney function decline.
4.  Increased Diabetes Risk-“If you're a consumer of diet soda, you have a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome than a non-consumer,” says Lyn Steffen, Ph.D., R.D,
5.  Stroke-A January 2012 study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that people who guzzle diet soda daily have a 43 percent higher risk of vascular events—such as stroke and heart attack
For more info read the entire article at http://caloriecount.about.com/blog