Whew! Running out of smoothie steam

Days 25 and 26!
I have to be honest, I'll be glad when this challenge is over. The fall season is upon us; it's 50 degrees in the morning and I don't necessarily feel like drinking a cold green smoothie in the morning. However, I committed to 30 days of green smoothies and I am going to finish this challenge strong!

Yesterday (day 25), I was out most of the day and grabbed a green drink while I was shopping at Whole Foods. Unfortunately, they were all out of the yummy Evolution Fresh green drink which I reviewed earlier. I tried a new brand by suja elements called Green Charge. After my first swig, I was like "darn this is some good green juice!" I kept on drinking.

Wait a minute. 

This beverage is making my sweet taste buds a little too happy. I looked at the sugar contents and read it has 33g of sugar in 1 bottle! Holy moly! I stopped drinking it immediately! I knew if I continued I would have a serious sugar crash in an hour. Even though the sugar came from fruit, it was too much for my body to process at one time. 

I've mentioned this before, but I think it's worth repeating. When drinking green smoothies, you really have to be careful with your fruit to greens ratio. Ideally, it should be 2 c of greens to 1 c of fruit. Even though this drink had spinach and kale listed on its ingredients list, it was mostly fruit - mango, kiwi, pineapple, apple and banana.

So Day 25 was kind of a bust, but today (day 26), I'm back on track. 

2 c organic baby spinach 
1/2 tsp matcha green tea powder

1/2 frozen banana

1 tbsp natural peanut butter

1 serving Amazing Grass Organic Wheat 

1 packet Jay Robb Egg White protein powder (chocolate)

You may notice some ingredients that I haven't used previously. I cleaned out my cabinet and found my beloved matcha green tea. This stuff is SO good for you! I don't know why it fell out of my daily rotation. Read the 8 Wonders of Matcha Green Tea and I'll bet you go out and purchase some. I haven't seen it sold in groceries stores yet. I usually get it online or at Teavana. 

FUN FOR THE DAY 

Yesterday, I went and got a manicure at my favorite nail salon. I always leave there super relaxed. Yesterday I decided to get a 15 min chair massage in addition to the manicure since we did a TON of upper body work that morning at Unite Fitness Studio. My shoulders needed a little TLC. One thing I have to remember is that the manicurists at this salon are just that - manicurists. They are not trained in massage. Although relaxing, it wasn't exactly what my upper body muscles were aching for. 

This afternoon, I have plans to meet my neighbor and favorite photographer, Karise Allen, for happy hour. #goodoldfashionedgirlfriendtime

Cheers!

Juicing it for the day

Days 21, 22 & 23!

Saturday was a busy day full of errands and social events. After eating an omelet for breakfast, I headed out the door to tackle the to do list. While I was out, I ran into Starbucks for a bottle of water and I found this green goodness in a bottle. 

Intrigued, I picked it up and read the label. 35 calories and 6g sugar per serving. 

All the things I love! I purchased it, but I was taken aback by the cost. $5.95! At that point I was all ready to experience it so I handed over $6, cracked it open and took a swig. 

Total deliciousness!

I'm so tempted to buy a juicer for the house now. Thanks Starbucks for providing a healthy green option to drink. Evolution Fresh. 

(Saturday) FUN FOR THE DAY

The boyfriend and I went to a birthday BBQ birthday celebration at a friend's home. Always a good time! Here's a photo of us at the event. 

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Day 22

On Sunday, I created a quick basic smoothie. Sometimes simple is best. 

1 c chopped organic kale, stems removed

1 c dandelion greens

1 serving Amazing Grass Organic Wheat Grass

1/2 organic Fuji apple

1 c sweetened vanilla almond milk

(Sunday) FUN FOR THE DAY

After church, I chilled out on the couch and watched a movie which I very rarely do. This was my first time seeing Couple's Retreat and Vince Vaughn had me laughing out loud!

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Day 23
When drinking a green smoothie, it's important to have the correct ratio of greens to fruit so you don't overload your system with sugar and experience a blood sugar spike.

Unfortunately, I think I overloaded on the sweet fruit today because a few hours of consuming the smoothie, I totally crashed! I was so sleepy, I had to put my head down on my desk and close my eyes for a few minutes. After my quickie nap, I got up and decided to eat some lunch even though I wasn't really that hungry. I ate protein to balance out all the carbs that I consumed this morning. As soon as I ate a few bites, I felt back to my normal self again. 

Here is today's recipe. If you decide to follow it, I highly suggest using less fruit. 

2 c organic baby spinach

1/2 c fresh pineapple

1/3 organic cucumber

1/2 organic fuji apple

1 tsp Maca powder

1 serving Amazing Grass Organic Wheat Grass
1/4 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 c water

Cheers! Cheers! and Cheers!

Switch up the greens

Days 19 and 20!

I may have missed writing about it, but I didn't miss drinking it. "It" would be my yummylicous green smoothie. Today's post will have recipes from yesterday and today.

I recently read an article, WHY YOU SHOULD ROTATE YOUR GREENS, which explains why it's important not to drink the same concoction every day. For the past 18 days, I've pretty much been using spinach and kale. After reading this article, I decided to switch it up a bit. I had some leftover romaine from my chopped-salad-everyday-for-lunch obsession so I used that in Thursday's drink. I never would have thought to use romaine lettuce, but I read the following on Simple Green Smoothies:

"Romaine lettuce is a nutrient rich leafy green that is good for your heart and low in calories. The vitamin C and beta-carotene content help to lower cholesterol and prevent build up on artery walls, which reduces the risk of heart attack. Being low in calories also helps you lose weight while keeping you full."

I mixed romaine lettuce with kale and it was pretty good. 

1 c chopped kale, stems removed

1 c romaine lettuce

1/2 beet

1/2 c fresh pineapple

1/2 banana

1 tsp Maca powder

1 serving Amazing Grass Organic Wheat Grass
1/4 c chopped walnuts 
1/2 c carrot juice
1/2 c water

FUN FOR THE DAY

Almost forgot about this but yesterday, I had an evening event to go to with the beau. Rather than putting on dress pants and top, I put on the cutest, sassiest dress I own; a new addition to my closet compliments of the stylists at Stitch Fix. Unfortunately, I don't have a good photo with me in the dress, but it's so cute! It's very retro (not my usual style), but feminine. When I wear it again, I'll be sure to get a photo.

Day 20

Today I tried a new green - dandelion greens. A bunch of organic greens cost $2 at Whole Foods so I figured that was worth a try. According to Simple Green Smoothies, dandelion greens are bitter but high in calcium. I made sure to add a banana and stevia to counteract the bitter taste. 

1 c dandelion greens

1 c chopped kale, stems removed

1/2 beet

1 tbsp hemp seed

1 tbsp walnuts

1 serving Amazing Grass Organic Wheat Grass

1/2 frozen banana

1/2 organic bosc pear

1 serving Stevia Kal
1 c unsweetened almond milk

FUN FOR THE DAY NIGHT

Date night with my boo! The weather is great and we're headed to center city for dinner and whatever else comes our way!

Cheers!

Learning to listen

Whew! Day 18 folks and I'm still movin' and groovin'!
Right now, I am movin' and groovin' in slow motion. I had another kick arse workout this morning at Unite Fitness Studios. I was running on endorphins all morning until...3 PM. 

BAM!

I felt like I just had to lay down and take a good nap. But I didn't. I had errands to run so I kept moving. I got home around 5 and I didn't stop. I still had to put my groceries away and prepare dinner and do a load of laundry.  

Ironically, this morning in class, the coach told me (when I finished running suicides in the stair well of the building), that this type of intense workout would give me tons of energy this morning and I would crash around 2. I didn't believe him because I eat really well and my energy is usually sustained throughout the day. 

Well, since I was out all day, lunch was just a KIND bar and some water at the hair salon. A light lunch + a kick arse workout (where I burned almost 600 calories), = an energy crash. 

Not only am I pooped, muscle soreness just kicked in. I almost didn't crack open this laptop to write today's post. 

I'm no physical fitness expert, but I do know that I need to let my body recover before I do another intense workout. I was planning on going for a run tomorrow and back to Unite Fitness Studios on Friday, but I think I'm going to rest tomorrow and do a light workout on Friday. Unite Fitness Studios will see me again on Monday. 

Sometimes you just have to listen to your body. It knows best. I'm constantly trying to stay in tune with my body when it's time to eat. My goal is to eat when hungry and stop when full. That can pretty hard to do, but I know if I keep at it, eventually it will become second nature. 

So tell me, are you in tune with your body or are you on autopilot? 

FUN FOR THE DAY 
Today, I had an appointment for a wash, blowout and trim at Topper's Spa with Albert. I love getting my hair done there. He gets me in and out within an hour because he works on one client at a time. I get the BEST scalp massage and I can sip on fun beverages while I'm getting my hair done. Definitely worth the extra $$ for a little pampering and a precise trim. 

Plus, today the weather was absolutely gorgeous and perfect for window shopping in Rittenhouse Square. As I walked down the street, the wind was just blowing through my light and fluffy hair. Definitely the highlight of my day. 

DRINK OF THE DAY
2 c organic baby spinach
1 c frozen organic blueberries
1/2 beet 
1 serving Amazing Grass Organic Wheat Grass
1/4 c chopped walnuts and pecans
1 serving Stevia Kal
1 c unsweetened almond milk

Cheers!

Counting calories is not for me

Day 17 of the 30 day green smoothie challenge!

After having a love hate relationship with My Fitness Pal (online calorie tracker) for years, I finally realized that counting calories won't work for me long term. Now, don't get me wrong, there are a few folks out there who are die hard calorie counters. I have a good friend who is one. She's kept a daily online food journal for YEARS and it works for her.

I can't do it.

PROBLEM #1 
I question the validity of some of these online food databases. Why are there 18 different entries for the same food? 

PROBLEM #2
You have to be precise with your measurements. Scales, measuring cups, measuring spoons...yawn. If you have to calculate the nutritional value of an entire meal without a recipe you're in trouble! Oh and don't even get me started if you want to eat 3/4 of a serving. How the heck do you calculate that accurately?

PROBLEM #3
It's extremely time consuming. When you're not entering your food, you're thinking about entering your food. It's a vicious cycle. You never really stop thinking about food. All day. Food is the main thought of the day.

A SOLUTION
Have fun instead of calculating!

Yep, have fun. 

Sarah Jenks, health coach extraordinaire  recently challenged me to drop the diet mentality and focus on having fun every day. When you're focused on doing fun things, you're NOT focused on food. When you're not focused on food, you're not focused on eating. And when you're not focused on eating, you don't eat needlessly. Amazing, right? 

I truly believe all that time spent focusing on food calculations (and not seeing immediate results) was putting my body in a constant state of low grade stress and we all know what stress can do to the body. 

Now, having fun on a daily basis is a lot harder than it sounds. I had a daily routine that did not include having fun. Wake up, workout, eat, work, eat, work, eat, drink, sleep. 

Repeat. 

It's taken me a few months to really into the habit of doing something fun each day. Going forward, I will include my fun for the day (FFTD) in addition to my drink of the day. That will be a challenge for me, but I'm up for it.

FUN FOR THE DAY 
Gave myself a steam facial at home with my new sample of Glamglow Mud Mask. I read a review of this miracle mud by Nadege and I had to try it. My skin definitely felt tighter and cleaner after the first use. It's SUPER SOFT! Can't wait to see how it does after more applications.

Oh, did I mention I had a glass of Merlot while steaming? :) That was a fun facial for sure! 

This morning's green goodness was comprised of:
2 c organic kale, stems removed
2 tbsp goji berries
1 serving Amazing Grass Organic Wheat Grass
1/2 frozen banana
1 c organic carrot juice

Blend. Enjoy. Cheers!