Green Today, Green Tomorrow

March 11th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Fitness - (4 Comments)

Greens To Go. Thank you Daylight Savings Time for NOT SAVING ME ANY TIME AT ALL.

Green Smoothie to Go

OK, that’s not true. I had plenty of time for breakfast this morning, I just ran out of time. This is why God invented Travel Mugs. For people like me who continue to underestimate how long it will take to get all of the children out the door on time.

Today’s green goodness was a blend of orange juice, spinach, cottage cheese, broccoli and frozen strawberries.  Much like this smoothie, except without the banana – only because I forgot it, not because I’m holding a grudge against bananas or anything.

Gimme Green Juice

March 10th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Vegetable Lovin' - (3 Comments)

We’re 10 days into The Greener March Challenge. ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?! Greens today came in the form of green juice that I made and drank 45 minutes before I left for a run.

We’ve had the Breville Juice Fountain Plus for about three and a half years now. I still love this little appliance, even with the addition of the Vitamix to our kitchen appliance family last year.

Breville Juicer

It’s sort of like children I suppose. I don’t love my food processor or juicer any less now that we have a Vitamix. I have room in my heart (and my appliance cupboard) for all of them.

Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld was one of the first books I read when I was beginning to learn more about cooking and nutrition.  (The Family Nutrition Book by Dr. William Sears was another one if you’re just getting started.)

I remember looking at her recipe for brownies with spinach and wondering if you truly couldn’t tell there was vegetables in them.  This was about a year before I discovered green smoothies and did not yet understand the invisibility powers of spinach when prepared the right way.

A Greener Birthday

March 8th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Vegetable Lovin' - (10 Comments)

My biggest gal turned 9 years old today. NINE! I guess that means I must have been 16 when she was born because I can’t possibly be a day over 25 myself.

(What?)

Ava’s birthday breakfast request was bagels, and so bagels it was.  After Deep Nutrition, bagels became more of a treat around here – this is why it was a birthday request. Bagels have been missed!

Some greens still managed to elbow their way into the birthday breakfast line up – a spinach and mushroom omelet with half a French Toast bagel (awesome!) and cream cheese.

Spinach and Mushroom Omelet

It’s Easy Being Green

March 7th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Lunch - (1 Comments)

I am smack dab in the middle of a string of crazy days here.

Not hard days, just very full days.  This morning started out with a 4 mile run, then it was a few hours at home to get some work done around here before taking the girls to an afternoon class while Kaz and I ran a bunch of errands.  Then it was off to pick up Zak at work and head to dinner with family for some birthday celebrations.   I think it’s the hauling around of kids that ups the intensity of a full day by about 300%.  Now we’re home again and I’m about to post a picture of lunch before then diving head first into bed.

Almost-But-Not-Quite Raspberry Cheesecake Smoothie

March 6th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (Comments Off on Almost-But-Not-Quite Raspberry Cheesecake Smoothie)

I am on a green smoothie kick. This Greener March Challenge has gone straight to my head.  And straight to my blender.  And then straight to my stomach.  I haven’t made green smoothies in ages, and now I can’t seem to stop.

None of my the avocados from my most recent haul are ripe yet, otherwise I would have made an avocado smoothie again.  I still wanted a smoothie for breakfast today though, so I tried to come up with something different this morning – hopefully just as good as that avocado smoothie.

Smoothie Math Fail

March 5th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (5 Comments)

Have you ever made something really, really good – but then just plain forgot to ever make it again?

Maybe it’s because it’s too painful to remember. Our brain knows that we will feel so sad we don’t have that delicious food item in front of us at this very moment, it protects us from the pain and won’t allow us to relive it. Not even a little memory jog so you can make it again. It’s like PTSD, except from food. I’ve got Post Traumatic Smoothie Disorder.

The Greener March Challenge, Day 4!

Today’s green round up started with an avocado (and spinach) smoothie that was so awesome I was forced to share.

Avocado Green Smoothie

I eventually had to get out a bib and strap him into his seat because this “sharing” of my smoothie was getting out hand.

Sharing My Avocado Smoothie

(We’re going to revisit this smoothie more closely tomorrow because it deserves its very own post.)

Some red leaf and green leaf lettuce was seen on top of a turkey burger in the afternoon, plus the last of the roasted Brussels sprouts from yesterday, topped with a little a garlic powder.

Day Three of Green

March 3rd, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Short or Sweet - (5 Comments)

It’s the end of Day 3 in this Month of Eating More Green Stuff challenge! Here’s a look at the greenery that showed up around here today.

The first green vegetable was spotted shortly after my (8 mile!) morning run. My favorite halved and roasted little green heads,

Brussels Sprouts Day 3

with some left over beef chili topped with a little shredded cheese and a few roasted sweet potatoes too.

Brussels Sprouts and Chili with Sweet Potato and Cheese

There was some unpictured, unexciting steamed broccoli consumed before running some errands this afternoon (“running errands” is code for “a trip to Wegmans”) and after a simple dinner of eggs and Ezekiel toast, I sipped on this green smoothie while putting together this post.

Saturday Greenery

March 2nd, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Lunch - (6 Comments)

It’s Day 2 of The Greener March Challenge! Here’s today’s lunchtime salad – KAPOW!

Saturday Salad

Oh, wait. I mean, Hi! Did you eat something leafy and green yesterday? And today already too? High five!

If you’re about to become a lean green eating machine for the next 30 days or so, we should talk about salad sooner rather than later.

If you’re already a salad shooting pro, please share your salad secrets with us!  But if salad is something you’re only feeling so-so about, let’s talk about how to make salad time quick and easy. Because when it’s quick and easy, it’s more likely to happen.