My journey to overall health and wellness... Thanks for coming along!

--

Monday, April 11, 2011

KEEPIN' IT GREEN...

30 Day Challenge!

Inspired my one of my Pilates & Blogging heroes,
Lisa Johnson, and her 30 Day Challenge, I have decided to do one of my own.

At first I had a hard time deciding what I was going to do... I don't really like the idea of
giving something up. That mentality has never worked for me. It only makes me want said thing even more. So I thought, what's the opposite of giving up?
Adding in!

I had my answer... For the next 30 Days (and hopefully a lot longer) I will make sure to have SOMETHING GREEN with every meal. In truth, I am already pretty good at this for 1, even 2 meals a day. But every meal will be an interesting challenge...

One way I plan to keep this promise to myself is by making Green Drinks in the morning. Greens aren't the easiest things to add to breakfast, but I have found that drinking them is so easy and tasty!!

Here is the Green Drink Recipe I am loving at the moment:


Big bunch of Kale or spinach leaves- I'm not going to tell you how many to put in, because it's up to you. I will say this: Imagine it is on your plate and you are eating it with dinner. How much would you eat as an adequate serving?
Big handful of parsley
- adds some snap!

1 green apple peeled, cored and chopped

Handful red grapes-
Blueberries are another good option
.
1 banana

Juice of 1 lemon

Water
- How much depends on how thick you want the drink. I like mine to be more like Juice so I add quite a bit.
Splash of Soy milk- optional, but I like the texture it gives.

Throw it all in a blender (or use your
emersion blender like me) and viola...Yummy Green goodness- which I promise tastes AMAZING!

*This recipe makes 2, so you can have one now and one later, OR share (Jay is on board and really loving the green drinks).

Eventually I want to start experimenting with other green things/veggies to add in to my drinks, so if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them!


Being as it has never been my style to share everything I eat or drink here on this blog, I am not going to be documenting my every green meal. I will however be keeping you all updated on my progress (I'm thinking once a week) and sharing yummy green recipes I come across.


Also, feel free to share in the green goodness and join me on my Keepin' it Green 30 Day challenge!


Wednesday, April 6, 2011

LEAN BODY LOVES...


My KitchenAid Immersion Blender


A few months ago our food processor (which was a hand me down from my mother-in-law) finally went kaput, so we set out to Bed Bath and Beyond to get another one. Originally we (I) wanted to get a mini blue one to match our (my) beautiful blue stand up mixer, but we instead came home with this magic little appliance and here's why:

-It's 3 devices in 1! Not only it is a blender, but also a food processor and a whisk. What can I say, I love getting more for my money.

-It's small and easy to store- fits right on the counter.

-It's easy to clean- And along these lines, eliminates the giant mess of transferring soups into the blender or food processor to puree.

-You can make a million (slight exaggeration for effect) things with it!

Here are just a few of my favorite things to make with my Immersion Blender & it's attachments:


-Walnut Canellini Bean Dip-

1 15oz can cannellini beans drained & rinsed
1/2 cup walnuts
2-3 cloves garlic
Fresh parsley to taste (small handful)
Fresh basil to taste (6-10 leaves)
Juice of 1 lemon (approx 3 Tbl)
2 Tbl olive oil
Salt & Pe
pper

(Throw everything in the food processor and blend until smooth)

-Green Smoothies-

(a new phenomenon for me which I will expound upon in more detail soon)

-Whipped Cream-



-Mashed Potatoes (sweet or regular)-

(which I made on Thanksgiving)

-Frothy (Soy) Milk for my morning cuppa Joe-


-Pesto-

-Fresh Salsa-

-Split Pea, Lentil or Tomato Basil Soup-

If you like being in the kitchen, and haven't discovered the joys of the immersion blender then you are surely missing out!

*Cannellini dip recipe courtesy of Linda Turek.*

** As always, the opinions on this blog are mine and mine alone, and everything I endorse is out of my own genuine love of it.**

Monday, April 4, 2011

TWO YEARS AGO TODAY...

Jay asked me to marry him in Montauk.
Being the clever devil that he is, he got it all on video.
Some of you have already seen this, but I felt like sharing it on the blog, and also reliving one of the best moments of my life.
So here it is, the proposal I never knew I always wanted... Enjoy!