October Green Smoothie Challenge

The lovely Francheska of heyfranhey.com has introduced an October Green Smoothie Challenge! I'm excited because I am already a Green Smoothie addict. Also, I need to introduce some form of exercise back into my life. I figure that this would be a great way to start! I have a routine (believe me, I'm not one for routines or organization!) that I've gotten down to a "science". 

Every Sunday, I prepare my smoothies for the week so that it simplifies my already hectic mornings. I simply go in the freezer, grab a pre-made bag of bananas, sliced peaches, and sliced pineapples. I grab a couple of strawberries (already frozen) out of the container. And add in my fresh spinach (from the refrigerator). I then pour in my unsweetened almond milk (so yummy!!) and flax seeds. Finally, I whip it, whip it real good on high, switch to low, and I'm done! 

I have been drinking Green Smoothies since the summer and I've been loving it. I believe that drinking them for breakfast has helped me to maintain the weight I lost over the summer. I also feel more energized and healthier. 

Now if I can only increase my water intake...hmmmm...

Eat Your Veggies!

Eating vegetables used to be torture. Couldn't get up from the table until I ate mine. Most went to the dog underneath the table. Now that I'm older and wiser...I've realized that my parents weren't trying to torture me. They were actually my personal nutritionists at a young age.

And I have also finally found out that vegetables aren't my enemy.

Vegetables can help to:

• Reduce risk for type 2 diabetes
• Decrease risk of heart disease
• Lower calorie intake
• Decrease risk of stroke and cardio-vascular disease

The reality about vegetables is that not all vegetables are ranked the same. Not all vegetables have high nutritional value. Honestly I was shocked to learn this! I always believed that all vegetables were healthy and "good for you". This list proves otherwise. 

Commonsensehealth.com has provided a list ranking vegetables into three categories.

Category A - Highest in nutritional value, fiber, and protein.

Category B - Good vegetables but not the best

Category C - high glycemic, starchy, or high in calories. 

Below I have listed the vegetables that I commonly eat according to the A, B, and C categories. You can visit the link below to check out the rest of the list to see how some of your favorite vegetables rank!

Category A - 

Avocado
Bean Sprouts
Bell Peppers
Black Beans
Broccoli
Broccoflower
Cabbage
Carrots
Collard Greens
Garlic
Greens
Kale
Lettuce (red or green)
Onions
Parsley
Pepers
Spinach
Summer Squash
Sweet Potato and yam
Tomato
Turnip Greens
Winter Squash

Category B -

Artichoke
Chile Peppers
Cucumber (I'm shocked!)
Egg plant
Green Beans (another shocker!)
Turnips
Zucchini

Category C - 

Corn
Lettuce (iceberg)
Mushrooms
Potato
Water chestnuts

Eat up those vegetables and check out CommonSenseHealth.com for the complete list and other great articles on health!

I'm Not A Fan of the Color Green But...

I love Green Smoothies! I have been playing around with different ingredients and I've found one that is amazingly delicious (in my opinion).

1)Two Big Leaves of Kale

2) 1/2 Cup of Naked Green Machine 

3) 1 Cup of Naked Coconut Water

4) 2 teaspoons of Flax Seeds

5) 1 Banana (missing in the picture)

6) 5 Strawberries (also missing in the picture)

7) 1 teaspoon of Vega Protein Powder 

I throw them all into the blender and mix it at a low speed, then increase it to a high speed. I mix the ingredients up for about five whole minutes to make sure that it is as well blended as possible. Eventually I will invest in a better blender...but my Oster Blender works for now :-)

Update: This upcoming Monday begins Week Four of Insanity for me. I am trying to stay strong! I am five pounds down and I have lost four inches off my waist so far. I feel more energized and my strength/endurance seems to be increasing daily. 

Hoping that I can keep up with this program even with school beginning soon...keep your heads held high to my fellow teachers. Only 300+ more days left until our next Summer Vacation. Only...yeah right ;-)

Eating Healthy

Eating healthy doesn't have to be boring! There was a time that I used to dread the idea of eating right. I immediately thought of tasteless items like wheat taking over my diet. But it doesn't have to be that way! My idea of eating right includes watching my calorie intake, meal portion size, and water consumption. I have an insane sweet tooth but I try to only have a small treat once or twice a week.

Here is an example, or a snapshot, of my meals in one day:

Breakfast: One Cup of Raisin Bran Crunch with bananas on top and a cup of cherries.

Lunch: Oven Roasted Turkey Breast on a Telera Sandwich Roll with Fresh SPinach and Onions. Oh yeah, and another side of cherries (I loooove cherries).

Dinner: Whole Grain Farfalle Pasta with Baked Chicken, Spinach, Parmesan Cheese, and Heavy Cream mixed with Light Cream.

Healthy Mind + Healthy Body + Healthy Hair

I have mentioned quite often in my blog of my attempts to increase my workouts, alter my diet, and maximize my hair's health. In reality, all of these work together.

Without a healthy diet, I will not achieve healthy hair.

With this realization (a ha!) I have decided to do weekly updates titled "Healthy Mind, Healthy Body, Healthy Hair". I will note my progress, post motivational quotes/pictures, share healthy meals that I cook/prepare, and more!

Natural Hair and Green Smoothies

Natural Hair this week: The Braid Out vs. The Rollerset 

Health Kick!

For the new year, I am trying to (hint: trying to) change my diet. I am exchanging fried and breaded chicken for grilled chicken. White rice for whole grain rice. Regular Pasta for Multi Grain Pasta. And also trying to drink 36 oz. of water per day. I know this is half of the required amount. But I've come a long way. 0 oz. of water was the norm for me...

Another regular addition to my diet is vegetables. Previously, I would occasionally eat vegetables maybe two or three times a week. I'm bumping it up now. And when I can't steam them or boil them, I'm throwing them in my smoothie!

Currently I am using the Yoplait triple berry smoothie packs and blending in 10-15 leaves of fresh spinach. Yum!