Going Green

Repeat after me: Spinach is my friend. If the words don't sound right or roll off the tongue with ease, practice a few times but don't accidentally insert sugar instead of spinach. Those "s" words easily get me jumbled up, too.

Monday morning I ate a piece of buttercream frosted red velvet cake for breakfast. It was leftover from Christmas dinner and compliments of Sam's Club's delightful bakery. Tuesday morning I ate a slice of Marie Calendar's crumb coated apple pie for breakfast. Cinnamon and brown sugar pair so well together in the morning. So well, in fact, that I have a hard time convincing myself that bran flakes would be as satisfying to jump start my day. I have welcomed a pattern of eating this holiday season that oddly resembles my past two breakfasts. Brownies for lunch? You bet. Fudge for dinner? Awesome. Peanut M&Ms for a midnight snack? Bring it on. Also bring on the stomach aches, orneriness, mood swings and expanding waistline. It is time for something to give and I really don't want it to be my zipper.

Although it is true that my daily workouts have been averaging 90 minutes on the treadmill, (because that is the only way I get to watch my beloved Hallmark movies), a little voice has been echoing in the back of my mind that no amount of exercise will make up for poor eating habits. I know that eating well contributes to me feeling well and maintaining a healthier self-image, but something has backfired in my wiring enabling my hand to shove every pretty little confection into my mouth before my senses have time to object. I obviously have no willpower this season, so I have to change how I view and think about food.

I am incredibly sensitive to sugar even though you wouldn't know it by the way I consume it like it's on clearance. I absolutely love sugar, but it does not love me back. I get a lot of headaches, jittery nerves, dizziness and the like when I consume too much of it or forget to balance it with protein and vegetables.
Perhaps if someone could find a way to dress up broccoli to make it look like Christmas tree sugar cookies, then I would be more apt to grab a handful of nature's green instead of Wilton's green colored sugar sprinkles.

Last night I peeked through my sticky sweet fingers to see a roller coaster that would not cease its downward spiral until I pressed the emergency brake. I knew I had to make a change or I would find myself sitting in a vat of frosting becoming so high on sugar that I would forget my own name and start talking to the imaginary kitty that keeps creeping through my kitchen.

Enter Sam's Club. The same vixen that brought me heavenly red velvet for the holidays apparently has a vegetable section that they keep well-hidden in the corner. Okay, so it is in plain sight but the holiday cakes are on display stage left of the front door. How is a woman supposed to be thinking about carrots when they put festively colored green and red bows on perfectly frosted confections?

As I was making my way to the produce section, I must admit I peeked at the bakery aisle to see if they had any cakes left. My 20/20 eagle eye vision counted three. That just goes to show that out of the fifty they had on display, I wasn't the only senseless woman to get lost in the dazzling aromas of vanilla, chocolate and Italian creme cake batter. Feeling satisfied in my deluded rationalization, I quickly refocused my attention to my task and filled my cart with spinach and frozen fruit. I was already stocked on soy milk and bananas, the other essential ingredients for a sunrise spinach smoothie.

This morning I awakened excited to try the much-hailed green smoothie that I keep reading about on the Internet. After perusing some recipes, I decided upon a concoction that I thought would work well for me.

2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 cup soy milk
1 cup water
6 frozen strawberries
1 medium banana
1 clementine

I blended all the ingredients and poured them into a Coke glass to aid with the presentation.

I didn't even bother with a timid sip as I began downing the green speckled liquid, pleasantly surprised that it tasted good. I didn't even notice the spinach flavoring and became full after one serving. There was enough smoothie for two full glasses so I put the other in the fridge to enjoy post workout this afternoon.

Although I didn't see the Northern Lights flashing overhead or hear a Hallelujah chorus in the background, I did immediately feel better that I made a wise meal choice and I hope to continue making good choices so I can even out my blood sugars and rid myself of this excess weight that has been plaguing me since birth of baby and birth of neighbor treat plates.

I think next time I make this I will use frozen bananas and add some blueberries or other frozen fruit for added flavor. Frozen bananas seem to thicken the shake more than fresh ones. I will have to play with it a bit to find the perfect blend of fruit and veggie harmony.

But in the mean time, let's raise our Coke glasses and have a toast; let's hope this spinach nectar can relieve Momma's sugar bloat!

Here's to a happy, smoothie day!