Recipe Corner: My Go-To Breakfast Smoothie.

The title of this blog is "Sweaters and Smoothies," yet I haven't talked much about smoothies!

I have experimented a bit, asked advice on Facebook, pinned a bunch of recipes on Pinterest, and just randomly googled flavor combinations.  I would like to try more, but right now I have a go-to recipe that I try to drink every weekday morning.  I've noticed a difference in my body when I stop drinking them...apparently I don't get as much fruits and veggies as I should, and this is just a perfect and tasty way to get my nutrients.  I make it last through the morning at work until an hour or so before lunch.

It seems kind of silly to take pictures while I make it because it's ridiculously easy to throw together as long as you add the ingredients in order.

Strawberry-Banana-Peanut Butter Spinach Smoothie (with almond milk, flax, and protein)
Serves: 1  (20 oz)

First, you need the necessary utensils:  kickass blender (Black Friday sale, thank you), 1 cup, 1 tablespoon, and 1 stylish tumbler.

Pour one cup of plain unsweetened almond milk in the blender.  I like it unsweetened because it acts as a liquid base and doesn't make the smoothie overly sweet.  I prefer the kind of almond milk that you get in the dairy case because they tend not to have carrageenan.  That deceptive ingredient is everywhere, especially in almond milk that you can store in a pantry.  I like Trader Joe's brand:

But I really prefer Silk's brand.  It's 30 calories less and tastes nicer.  It's hard to find that at Trader Joe's, so I have to wait until we get to Giant to pick some up.  I'm fine going between the two.

I add a scoop of french vanilla flavored protein next so it absorbs in the liquid faster.  I was recommended this brand by a good friend who works at a health food/supplement store.  I also tried the strawberry and thought it was fine, but I prefer the vanilla.  I just like vanilla in everything!  My trainer prefers that I have whey protein.

Next, I add either 2 tablespoons of flaxseed or 1 tablespoon of chia seeds.  I was using chia seeds for awhile, but Trader Joe's was out of stock before a storm once, and I decided to give flaxseed a go.  I really like them both and can see going between the two.  The chia thickens the smoothie more, and I prefer a thicker texture.  But this flaxseed is just so tasty and healthy as well!

Fruit is next.  I typically hate bananas, but I've realized just how vital they are to giving a smoothie body and texture.  Plus, their health benefits are amazing.  I just hate the smell and taste, so I make sure to overpower it with other flavors.  I use half an organic Chiquita banana (to save on calories and taste).  Sometimes I peel one and freeze the other half, sometimes I actually stop being lazy and just break up and freeze the whole bunch of bananas so I'm always ready.

Next is 3/4 cup of strawberries.  I like getting frozen fruit because then I don't have to use ice (another great tip from a friend), and I don't have to worry about it going bad.  I've been known to throw away things without using them because they spoiled thanks to my kitchen laziness.  Bad habits, waste of money- no good.  Plus, I really should start to follow the motto that Weight Watchers always shared:  "Plan to succeed."  

I love to add a tablespoon of peanut butter for extra protein and flavor.  Smart Balance is my favorite.  I don't mind using the real stuff over the powdered because I only use half a serving, the taste is stronger, and it keeps me fuller longer.

This is the powdered peanut butter I sometimes use- recommended once again by my friend!  It tastes good, if a bit subtle, and has minimal calories and fat in comparison to regular peanut butter.  However, I'm actually more curious to see how it would taste in some of my baking recipes.  I do recommend it if you're looking for an alternative.

I add the greens last.  I tend to go for a big handful of organic baby spinach a lot because of the mild taste.  The final color is unappealing, but the spinach adds amazing nutrients and really cuts the sweetness down.  I have a hard time drinking smoothies without green veggies.  

I've also tried kale and Trader Joe's Power Greens that has kale, spinach, and baby chard.  All of the above is good, but spinach is my favorite.  

Put the lid on, hit blend on low, stop to scrape if necessary, give it a good final pulse....and you're done!

I make these before my shower in the morning so I can put the smoothie in the freezer to thicken for about a half hour.  If it's not a work day, I actually get a few chores done while waiting.  Imagine that!  

This is the nutritional content for this particular smoothie. (with TJ's almond milk, flaxseed, and spinach)

So tell me, what are your favorite smoothies? 

"Sugar, she's got the power, soothes my soul for half an hour, half an hour...."

These have absolutely been the craziest few weeks.  The snowpocalypse is never ending!  Last week, we lost power for 2 days and we have an all electric house.  Combine that with 20 degree nights, and yeah, that was hell on earth.  We were terrified of pipes bursting (despite constant running water), and we learned that we're able to sleep in a 49 degree house.  Not something one really wants to learn!  The power went out last Wednesday at 6:45 am and came back on Thursday at 8:35 pm.  I am so relieved that didn't happen when I was recovering from surgery.  My husband's parents were more than willing to have us stay over, but we just felt more comfortable knowing what was going on with the house at night.

Needless to say, I could have completely messed up my diet during this time.  Instead, I lost another pound!  This soft diet has been very helpful.  Naturally, I could have eaten some really bad things, but I still chose not to.  In fact, I just had my heaviest meals in 2 weeks today, and my stomach is crying right now.  We got lots of exercise with shoveling snow and walking around in 10 inches of snow.  I didn't snack at all, but my meals were certainly substantial.  I don't think it's really going to affect me though, as I realized what has been holding me back and kept me on a plateau for months...

SUGAR

WHITE SUGARY SNACKS

I didn't realize I had such a sweet tooth.  The soft diet has kept me from cookies and other useless sugary snacks.  I'm ok with ice cream...for some reason, I think the milk keeps me full with a half cup.  Donuts and pastries are just evil for me.  I love cake products so much, it's not even funny.  And if I may pat myself on the back, my homemade cupcakes are decadently amazing.  

I was ok staying away from crunchy Doritos and chips.  I tend to count out my serving sizes, and then I have to put the bag away.  The more I stayed away from addictive sweets, the more I didn't crave them.  When I got back to work, I tried a couple lemonade Girl Scout cookies and chewed very carefully.  My body started telling me "more...just one more...come on..."  It freaked me out.  You may say, Well DUH, but I didn't realize what an addictive substance white sugar is.  I read about organic and raw sugar, and while they're better for you in terms of being chemical free, they still break down in your body the same way as regular white sugar.

I don't plan on banning sugary products altogether, but I certainly plan on cutting them down big time.  I realized that I get hungrier with more cravings when I eat those snacks.  My trainer has always said that carbs with no protein is just the worst thing for me and my body chemistry.  She's always told me that if I must have a donut that it should be immediately eaten after lunch or dinner so my blood sugar doesn't spike.  If I eat nothing but carbs for breakfast (sometimes that would be a donut or two), my appetite and mood will be off for the rest of the day.  I crash very hard with just carbs.  In fact, I don't know how I did so much shoveling this morning after having Trader Joe's French toast with syrup.  That's probably why I overcompensated with lunch and dinner.  However, the only snack I had was a little Coke, and it tasted gross and syrupy.  High fructose corn syrup is so evil, but we all know that.

I figure I need to start cooking again, and while I will still bake decadent treats, I want to be able to make other healthier and more natural options as well.  My best friend directed me to this cool website called My Whole Food Life, and the recipes look really good!

So, I'm down 48 pounds and SO close to my second goal.  I'm excited to be this close to 50 lbs down, and I'm fitting into clothes really well.  We went to a one night Broadway revival concert on Saturday, and I looked FABULOUS in my size 16 dress, if I do say so myself.

I changed into strappy black heels a block away from the theatre.  Considering we walked about 6 miles in the city, I'm sure as hell glad I made the sensible decision!  It's worth it to drag extra shoes with you in a cute satin bag (hidden in the plastic bag).  But look, I have ankles!  Holy crap, right?  

Another NSV is that I can look down and see my toes, even with my stomach pushed out.  I can't tell you if there's a full pedicure going on, but I can tell you that toes exist.

I also finally shoveled snow for the first time in 3 years.  My husband was kind enough to spoil me for 3 years, but now I'm at a point where shoveling is good for my cardio!  Now we have 2 snow shovels.  

Check out the LAYERS!!  That Game of Thrones Lannister shirt never even fit this well on its own in the summer!  And for fans, look, my coat turned me into a Wildling.  

On that note, my husband is definitely not doing the traditional flowers and candy thing for Valentine's Day this year.  Flowers tend to make me sad because they die, and candy is just the worst thing for me now!  So, he bought me half of the new Game of Thrones Pop Figures and gave them to me early.  

We collect all of them, so this is genuinely exciting for me!

I will probably have more to say on the sugar topic another time, as the manager of my gym lent me the past August issue of National Geographic all about sugar and why we can't resist it.  In the meantime, I'm just working on controlling my cravings and not eating for the hell of it during these cabin fever winter storms.

Cabin Fever and Calorie Consumption

If you live in the Northeastern part of the United States, you know just how brutal the weather is right now.  

It was colder than Alaska at one point around here.

It's freakin' FRIGID.  

For once, I empathize with Jon Snow.

It hasn't been this bad in years, especially with the constant snowstorms, ice, and temperatures significantly below freezing.  I get in the car, go to work, maybe go out to grab food at lunch if I didn't bring anything, get in the car, and go straight home under the blanket.  It's so cold that I just want to put on jammies and ignore anything that involves actual movement.  Why the hell would I want to go back outside when I have my Sheldon Cooper sofa spot, comfy jammies, and two fuzzy blankets for the sofa?

I don't want to bring clothes with me to the gym because I hate changing in public.  I've actually gotten into a good routine of running home, jumping in my tank and yoga pants, grabbing my water, and running back out the door.  These past couple weeks have really thrown me.  I try to do some Wii dance games, but it's not enough.  I want to work my entire body on the treadmill.  And when I sit at home, I'm more tempted to consume junk.

We don't really have a lot of junk around the house anymore, but I manage to find the cookies and Hershey Kisses.  One of my problems is that I try to be so good with my main meals so I have enough calories leftover to snack.  I have significantly cut my snacking, but I still have work to do.  I have carrots and hummus in the fridge, but the Turkey Hill all natural ice cream is so much more appealing.  I have 100 calorie fat free Hershey's pudding that I end up topping with a tablespoon of chocolate chips and squirt of Reddi Whip.  That one isn't too bad until the chips turn into two tablespoons and the whipped cream is being aimed directly in the mouth because "one extra bit can't be so bad."  Right.  Tell me another one, self.  

My trainer has been working with me on the snacking.  We have discussed how even though I'm staying within the calorie range that I could be making better choices with the quality of food I'm eating.  I may do better with food that has fat versus sugar, but high sodium blows me up and makes me lethargic.  I get so focused on the calorie counting that I don't look at the big picture.  I feel like I've been in a weird plateau with the scale numbers, but I've had so much progress with how my clothes fit.  I just bought a new dress that's a size 16!!  That is absolutely major for me.  We also discussed how I need to absolutely keep tracking on MyFitnessPal as the day goes on.  I was falling into a habit of recording things at the end of the day.  I absolutely need to see what my intake is throughout the day and how I can budget out portions and treats by the end of the day.    

I want to work on being more conscious about my protein and veggies and avoiding carbs at night, but it gets hard at this time of the year.  I'm proud that I finally said Screw it and went to the gym this morning.  My joints felt so much better after I did so.  I don't want something as crazy as weather to hold me back from my goals.  I know that this month is not going to be particularly high for the scale loss and that we all go through periodic plateaus.  However, I'm going to be wearing a smaller hot ass glam dress in NYC next month, so I'm feeling pretty damn good.  

I really do love this blog because it's holding me accountable and keeping me motivated by publicly chatting about these topics.  I normally would whine and kvetch to my husband and trainer, but I think it's time that their ears get a break.  Let's just keep fingers crossed that the snow will ease up and that we'll hit a heatwave of 33 degrees soon!

The Personal Work Drawer, or What Satisfies the Midday Nosh

A special drawer for food and necessities is a part of making yourself at home in your workplace.  I didn't really use my locker for food at the mall, but I used my locker for a few things at the bank.  Once I hit the office environment (and finally got my own desk), I started to stock the bottom right drawer with a revolving selection of personal items.

Naturally, I have Alleve or Advil there at all times, and I have a growing collection of napkins and wrapped plastic utensils from random takeout places. I bought pretty Post-Its and pens that I hide under plastic bags so no one can snitch them from me.  I like to have some food in the office because you never know when you'll get caught up in work or if you just need a mid-afternoon boost. (And yes, I keep it clean and crumb free, I don't want to find new little friends!)

Let's take a look at the current necessities in my drawer!  I am not shilling any of these items, just sharing what I enjoy right now.

I have this just in case I'm running late in the morning or can't run out to grab lunch.  I used to only eat the Trader Joe's apple cinnamon brand at this office (Quaker at the bank), but I like this one because there's a lot more nutrients.  

I've kept this in my desk since the bank days.  I like to have it on hand in case I bring french vanilla yogurt to work.  I eat yogurt in waves...lately I've found it's just too damn sugary (and I just can't do plain).  I'd rather have my fruit in my smoothie.  

Yeah, I've obviously eaten a lot of Wendy's chili at this job...it's probably the best thing to get when you don't have time for anything besides the drive through window.  Low calorie, protein, fiber, and probably other ingredients I don't want to know about, but it's still the lesser evil.   Anyway, they always throw too many cracker packets in the bag, and I save them in case I need a nibble.  It was really helpful when I was getting over a stomach bug recently!  On that note...

Seriously, you never know when you're going to need these!  Zantac is probably more effective, but I like that these have calcium.

I've tried different teas over the years but have a hard time finding ones that I want to keep drinking.  K-Cup teas are really strong, and I prefer to dip a teabag (insert childish giggle).  Green tea is one of the best beverages in terms of antioxidants, and I started drinking this kind in the new year.  It's really good!  Very delicate.  I try to have it every afternoon.

My trainer is trying to get me to have more balanced snacks, and I enjoy having string cheese and an apple.  I get a bag of organic gala apples and Trader Joe's organic lite string cheese to last over a week.  My smoothie has peanut butter, and I have to be in the mood to eat nuts. (more childish giggling)  My trainer woke me up to the fact that my body responds best to protein based foods and crashes with just carbs.  One of my big challenges this year is to find and maintain a balance in meals.  

Hey, at least I don't constantly have lowfat potato chips and reduced fat Cheez-Its in my drawer anymore.  I like having a little something "bad" in my drawer because then it will prevent me from dipping into any office candy or cookie dishes.  I have found that quality dark chocolate is so satisfying, and I love getting unique treats from Trader Joe's.  That pretty much ensures no high fructose corn syrup, which is another major plus!  These powerberries have been out of stock for awhile at my local Trader Joe's, and I was so excited when I saw them on the shelf today.  And yes, I keep a 1/4 measuring cup in my drawer so I can measure the perfect serving.  I also eat ice cream at home out of a 1/2 measuring cup.  

However, I will have a box of Girl Scout Lemonade cookies in my drawer next week, thanks to my co-worker's daughter.  I eat one after lunch in the afternoon.  My other co-worker with a sweet tooth can't believe my willpower, and I may have to watch for sticky fingers...

Now that I've managed to ramble about 7 simple items, what keeps you going during the day at work?