Rainy Day #9

Happy Smoothie Day #9!

I’m pretty sure that it was just yesterday that I talked about the sun shining in my classroom windows.  Now I’m looking out at grey and rainy. 

It’s a good thing we looked at the weather yesterday and decided to take advantage of the sunshine and grabbed some Subway, went down to the lake and enjoyed the view from a picnic table in the park.  What a great impromptu dinner date.  Our original plan was soup and sandwiches.

This was followed by what was intended to be a quick stop at the grocery for more smoothie supplies and some flax crackers…oh, I’m in love!  I cleared them out of their supply of Mary’s Gone Crackers and will be enjoying these with a tasty little spread later this morning.  There was lots of fruit and greens in the cart, including some rhubarb, more spinach to round out the chard and kale that’s in the fridge and a pack of kiwi.  Yummy!

Today’s smoothies are both creations inspired by what I had on hand when I got down to business.   Breakfast includes spinach, Italian parsley, rhubarb, strawberries, cranberries, dark cherries, and orange with a helping of Navitas Naturals Superfruit Blend.  Lunch will be Swiss chard, romaine, kiwi, strawberries, mango, orange with a dose of Navitas Naturals Superfood Blend.

Dinner will pick up where yesterday’s impromptu date sent us on a fresh air detour.  I’ve already prepared a very fragrant Arabic Lentil Soup that I found in a Pinterest search.  I’m pretty sure my mouth watered as I read through the recipe.  That I was able to go to bed last night without sneaking a taste is amazing.  Now, I’m ready to get home and cuddle up on the couch with my sweetheart and enjoy the soup.

Stay dry and cozy, friends.

Back From Hibernation

After a long winter’s hibernation, I’ve dusted myself off, shaken away the sticky cobwebs, taking a good hard look at where I am TODAY and am on the road to moving forward.

Spring break was a few weeks ago for this happily busy high school English teacher and the realization that the weather for biking and running is just around the corner – even if it’s just for five minutes of this crazy Wisconsin spring – and I am not ready.  I have let myself and the habits I worked so hard on fall to the wayside as I transitioned into this new teaching position and the romance that quickly followed.

My eyes are wide open, the sun is shining, and I’ve taken back the control that I let slip away when things got hectic.  I took a good hard look at myself, looked at the bikes anxiously waiting in the garage, thought long and hard about how I was feeling (like shit! – physically, that is) and how I WANT to feel and I’ve made a change.

After much reflection on my attempts at health and happiness in the past, I’ve decided that I just can’t live with the space food that I’ve used to get me there before.  I NEED REAL FOOD.  I CRAVE REAL FOOD.  I LOVE REAL FOOD.

I’ve done lots of reading, watching, talking, question asking, and then a lot more reading.  Now, I’m experimenting with my produce section finds (soon to be farmers’ market finds) and my mad kitchen skills.

Today is Day #8 of what is starting as a 30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge and I am starting to feel lighter and brighter.  There have now been two hauls of produce from grocery to kitchen counter and it’s an adventure.  As with all culinary adventures I embark on, sometimes I follow the recipe, sometimes I improvise.  Today’s lunch is a Fat Burning Green Smoothie from The 30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge from Simple Green Smoothies.  Ooh…this is tasty!

So, that’s just a QUICK catch up on where I am, what I’m doing and what I’m eating.  I’ll surely be back very soon to continue sharing this new adventure with you.