One of my most favorite things about my lifestyle changes (both the current one and ALL of the previous efforts before it) is the fact that I genuinely love healthy food. Granted, I also love fried chicken and chocolate-covered anything, but still... I thoroughly enjoy a nice salad, fresh fruit, a bowl of grapes and strawberries. I love foods I had previously assumed I'd hate: bean sprouts, tofu, kale. It's all good in my hood. But something that has always been a favorite of mine and has grown into an absolute must-have for me: SMOOTHIES.
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| I just LOVE 'em! |
Strawberry, banana, blueberry, acai berry, doesn't matter what it is, I'm a fan. What makes smoothies even more awesome is the fact that even if you're not a fan of things like kale or spinach, you can throw a few pieces into the blender with your fruit smoothie and you'll never taste it. It's a win-win, people.
I typically buy the bags of frozen fruit in the freezer section at the grocery for my smoothies. You know, the just-add-milk deals? So easy and they taste great. I wish I could experiment more with fresh fruits, but the stuff is so dang expensive. I do plan to try out a few new recipes, however. Strawberry-banana smoothies get old after a while.
Do any of you guys ever try out new smoothie recipes? Let me know if you have any good ones!
I'm back. I've been on hiatus for over a year now. What happened, you ask? Well, I was doing fantastic on my lifestyle changes, and then my father came down for a week-long visit from Tennessee and we ATE. EVERYTHING. IN. SIGHT. Seriously, I ate a ton of food. My dad is only able to visit Louisiana 3-4 times a year, so when he does he has to eat every southern food he loves: poboys, fried shrimp, fried oysters, raw oysters, gumbo, jambalaya, crawfish, etouffee, all of it. Of course, what kind of hostess would I be if I didn't eat along with my guest?
So, long story short, I spent a week eating nonstop, and then suddenly it was June and I had completely stopped my exercise routine, was eating fried food, fast food, bread (lots and lots of bread), pasta, etc. It was pitiful. I was able to distract myself from my failure, though, because I was headed to Europe for a study abroad trip in mid-June. That trip was fantastic, and I'll tell y'all about it later just for fun. When I got back it was only a few weeks until my 4-year-old started pre-k, so I was busy with that. Then my fall semester started. Then I had my 10-year high school reunion to help plan and pull off in October, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then Spring semester....
Needless to say, I've spent the last year successfully distracting myself from my re-expanding waistline. I'm so disappointed to admit to you guys (and myself) that I have gained back 22 of the pounds that I lost. All but 8 pounds. What a wasted year, health-wise. I've come back to my blog several times over the past two months, wanting to start writing again, but losing my nerve because I know you guys won't judge me, but I judge myself. Oh yes, I judge myself. Especially when I read over my old posts and see how motivated I was and how much progress I was making.
However, my pity party is going to be a short one. No time for that, right? I've wasted one more year, and that stops now. I am going to try this rodeo again, and hopefully I'll have the willpower and determination to stick with it this time. I'm not sure if any of you guys have kept my blog on your lists, but hopefully you have and I'll be hearing from you. I'll be checking to see if you guys are all still around as well.
Here's to second (or twenty-fifth) chances.
