Wednesday, February 20, 2013

I'm Bringing Healthy Back! {and a Green Smoothie Recipe}

At the beginning of the year, I was super motivated to lose some weight before we went on Bryan's company trip to Jamaica. I did great - I met my goal and got back to my 'normal-heavy' weight and out of the 'oh crap, it is not normal for me to be this heavy!' range. But on the trip, I ate and drank all I wanted. Then the week after the trip is dubbed 'feast week' - as in, the annual beach trip is over, now we can eat lots of junk. And since then (for the last month now!), I keep saying to myself that next week I'll start being healthy again. Well I finally stepped on the scale again, and that was plenty of motivation to make me quit procrastinating (eek!!). So this week, finally, I'm bringing healthy back - for good this time!

For one thing, we've jumped on the green smoothie bandwagon. Gotta admit - I am totally shocked Bryan likes these too! I'd expect the color alone to frighten him away from trying a sip, but he reluctantly gave it a try, and he's hooked. If you're still skeptical that they actually taste good, let my vegetable-hating husband be a testament to how delicious they are!



Everyone seems to have their own green smoothie variation. This one has been my go-to, and I think it's a good starter version if you haven't tried them yet since it has minimal, simple ingredients and doesn't taste 'green'. It's also a great light version if you're trying to lose a bit of weight like me, and you don't want too many of your daily calories to come from a drink.

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1 banana
  • 1 tbsp PB2
  • 1/4 c. nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt
  • Handful of ice
  • A couple tablespoons of water
Throw your water, ice, banana, yogurt, PB2, and spinach in a blender. You can also add a bit of sweetener too if you'd like - I usually only do that if my banana isn't very ripe (brown & spotty is the best!). Blend & enjoy!

And take a look at those nutrition facts - one little drink has about a third of your Vitamin A & C for the day, a quarter of your fiber, a good chunk of protein - and less than 200 calories and a gram of fat. If you're wondering about that 4.8 in the corner, it's a food score that basically means it's super healthy for you overall. Plus it's actually very enjoyable to drink! 

You may have seen this on Pinterest, but it's a handy little guide with some additional green smoothie ideas...

via
Do you do the green smoothie thing? What are your favorite ingredients?

15 comments:

  1. Seriously, it doesn't taste like Spinach? I'm trying to find a way to get the great benefits of green veggies to my kiddos w/o the battle that typically ensues. This looks like a keeper. I'm bookmarking it.

    Visiting today from Thumping Thursdays.

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    1. Yeah this is a great sneaky way to get some veggies in! The spinach taste really doesn't come through despite the bright green color. This is a very bare bones version - you can always play with it to add whatever they might like - other fruits, extra pb, chocolate milk mix (my husband likes chocolate protein powder in his). Good luck!

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  2. I was doing really good on my diet too but then we moved and its been a month and I have yet to get back on it! I think I will give this a try! Thanks for sharing. Stopping by from TT Love your blog, I am now following you on GFC!
    Would love a follow back. http://nicholsfam.blogspot.com/
    -Megan

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    1. It's so hard to stay on track when there's a disruption in your routine! Although moving is a much better excuse than a quick vacation, haha. I will definitely be stopping by & following!

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  3. We do smoothies all the time! When my husband is gone for the evening, I usually make one for dinner for myself and our boys. I've not tried PB2 yet, but am ordering it soon! We use vanilla Greek yogurt, a frozen banana (which makes it creamy and you don't have to use ice!), a handful of spinach, whatever frozen fruit I have on hand, and then either vanilla or chocolate 180 Smoothee mix. Yum!
    You've got a new follower! I found you through the Thumping Thursday blog hop! I'm looking forward to reading through your home building adventure!
    Jessica :)

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    1. Oh yum, the smoothee mix sounds like a great idea, and I will have to try the frozen bananas too! Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  4. I use PB2 in my smoothies too! Great flavor and less fat! If you want a cookies to go with it, check out my copycat cookies post http://giftedgranny.weebly.com/food.html

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    1. Yeah I love that stuff - so good! I will definitely come by and check out your cookies!

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  5. Your title is so catchy! I want to see more of your recipes.

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