Getting Back in Your Routine Post Thanksgiving

Happy Belated Thanksgiving! It has sadly been almost a month since I blogged last and I apologize for the extreme delay! We have been in the process of moving into a new house which is very exciting because now I have an awesome kitchen to whip up healthy foods to blog to you about! There is much more counter space now and better lighting for pictures- yay for the little things :). Moving is a double edged sword of being wonderfully exciting as well as completely stressful. I never knew how much "stuff" we had until we moved and now the daunting question is where to put it??? Anyway- more about that later- I owe you a new post and that's what I am going to do!

Today I woke up saying that it was "my day to revamp". I think we all get like that after a few days of food binging on holiday treats, or birthday cake, or whatever your guilty pleasure is. It is the day when you get sick of feeling "bloated and blah" and say- I'm going to eat well starting today. Well today is the day for me. Two whole days of eating turkey, stuffing, pie, & macaroni and cheese left me feeling tired, bloated, and just not myself. SO this morning I made a simple cereal but with "the works". Here is what it is...

1 cup        Kashi GoLean Vanilla Graham Clusters 
1/2 tsp.     Peanut Butter (I used Crazy Richards crunchy)
1/2 scoop Chocolate Muscle Milk Protein Powder
1 cup       Fat free milk

This cereal is yummy because it doesn't taste "healthy" it tastes like a peanut butter chocolate milk with crunchies in it. I thought it was a good transition meal because after eating large portions for a few days it can be difficult to immediately go to the opposite extreme and eat tiny ones. You will be left hungry and angry and wind up eating snacks.  So this cereal does the trick o
f giving you substance, a huge portion of protein to keep you full, AND tricks you into thinking you are eating dessert so you end up satisfied. 

So here's the breakdown of what I ate:

Kashi cereal- 170 cal, 11g protein

Peanut butter- 40 cal, 2.25 g protein (roughly)

Muscle milk- 75 cal, 8g protein

Fat free milk- 90 cal, 9 g protein 

Total:  375 cal, 30.25 g protein

This yummy breakfast should keep you satisfied for hours, increase your energy, and keep you on the right track to survive the holidays!

Breakfast Today

I posted a few weeks ago about the Basic Protein Shake. A quick breakfast staple that you can modify the flavors to each day to keep things interesting. Today's breakfast was a light modification to that recipe. Lately I have been rather obsessed with juicing fruits and vegetables. I can't say that I eat enough fruits or vegetables every day so this is my way of sneaking them in a meal. It's quick, easy, AND healthy. Now- before the noses start to curl and eyes start to roll in the back of your head- TRY IT!! I will never be someone who drinks celery juice and acts like it tastes like a brownie- however there are ways to adapt a juice to fit your tastes. What I make is more of a juice/shake hybrid..

Here are a few tips to get started...
1. Juicers are expensive so I opted for a blender. The only difference is that a blender will make a slightly thicker mixture but you can thin it out by adding more liquid. So just use what you have and keep it simple. If you want to spend the money on a pricey juicer- you go right ahead- I don't mind using the blender because it gets double duty for making yummy cocktails at other times :) I picked up the Farberware Rocket Blender from Walmart because it comes with a couple of travel cups that you actually blend your shake in so it's super easy to blend and go in one container.

2. ALWAYS mix fruits with vegetables when you are getting started- a juice containing just vegetables can taste like dirt..yes it does...However if you are just adding in some Spinach you don't need any fruit- it's a flavorless vegetable. Bananas are great at overpowering any flavor of vegetables. Its magic. So I will add either a banana, apples, blueberries, or pineapple.

3. Choose vegetables that are mild...Baby spinach leaves, cucumber, celery are good choices. Spinach is my FAVORITE because it has ZERO flavor in the drink but adds a ton of protein. It will make your juice green..it looks gross but tastes delicious so you don't have to worry about anyone stealing it out of the refrigerator.

4. Add flavorings....I like adding chocolate protein powder, peanut butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc

5. Add a liquid- skim or almond milk, apple cider, OJ, water- whatever you have on hand. If using juices keep it to a minimum so you aren't overloading on sugars because there are plenty in the fruits.

6. Last but not least- drink your shake the same day you make it! If you forget about it and try to drink it a day later you won't be pleased with what is coming out of the cup- vegetables like to become quite pungent over time!

This was today's creation

1 handful spinach leaves
1/2 cucumber sliced
1 handful carrots
1 scoop Chocolate Muscle Milk protein powder
pinch of cinnamon
1 cup almond milk
a splash of apple juice

Blend and Go!

Let me know what you think or suggestions for new recipes! I do have a fall favorite blended recipe that I will be posting about later in the month.

Last but not least I did get my cardio in yesterday! If you read yesterday's post on holding yourself accountable I talked about making goals known to others to keep you motivated- I said I would post by today if I finally worked out- so there it is..one goal completed! What were your goals this week?? Keep your goals short term so your success can be long term!