Besties Battling the Bulge

**Drumroll!** Today is the final day of my personal Green Monster Challenge! Let’s get to today’s GM and then I’ll give you my wrap-up rap.

Vanilla Pineapple Green Monster

• 1c. pineapple, frozen
• about 1c raw baby spinach
• 1Tbs flax seed
• contents of one gelcap: Hawaiian Spirulina
• 1c vanilla rice milk

Place all ingredients in your Magic Bullet cup & blend away. This one is not as thick as some of the others, but it has a delicious vanilla flavor, thanks in part to the spirulina.

What is spirulina, you may ask? Answers.com’s experts explain it better than I ever could: Spirulina is “a traditional food source in parts of Africa and Mexico, spirulina is an exceptionally rich source of vitamins, minerals, and protein, and one of the few nonanimal sources of vitamin B₁₂. It is now being widely studied for its possible antiviral, anticancer, antibacterial, and antiparasitic properties, and has been used for such medical conditions as allergies, ulcers, anemia, heavy-metal poisoning, and radiation poisoning. It is also used in weight-loss programs.”

I take one spirulina gelcap supplement every day, at least (I use the Hawaiian Spirulina. It cane be purchased from any GNC store). My main reason is that it curbs my appetite. I find that when I take one, I just don’t get that gnawing hunger feeling that sometimes creeps up on you & will not allow you to ignore it. I love the stuff & I find that the one I take has a subtle vanilla flavor. How do I know? I wanted to know if it tasted fishy (cause the bottle smells that way when you open it. After all it is an aquatic product) so I dumped one in a glass of water and presto… blue-green vanilla water. Didn’t dissolve too well, but it’s great in smoothies. And now on to the run down for the GMC.

After 14 days of drinking Green Monster smoothies of all varieties I can give you the following summary:

1. My hair is now healthier and more able to withstand daily blow-drying & straightening
2. My nails are so strong! I have not broken one since I started drinking them (previously 2 or 3 a week, at least)
3. While I didn’t set out to drink them as meal replacers, often I didn’t feel the need to eat for 4 hours or so after finishing my GM
4. I started looking forward to them & it renewed some of my lost creativity in the kitchen
5. I have another reason to love my Magic Bullet, lol
6. My skin is clear & it is starting to even regain a new texture (similar to what I had in HS)
7. By taking this step to live as the thin woman I want to be, it has inspired me to take better care of myself in other ways too
8. I kind of felt like I was getting a little treat everyday: cold, creamy, almost milkshake-like, but loaded with nutrients & at least a full serving of fruit & veggies in every glass!
9. I got to use up some of the items in my pantry that had probably been there a little too long, though they were shelf-stable
10. I introduced so many new and existing friends to Green Monster & may have started a little nebulous GM Movement of my own 🙂
11. I realized that healthy doesn’t have to mean “tastes like cardboard” and that it can be fun & creative
12. My craving for sweets has dropped drastically. When I get a craving for something sweet now it’s a smoothie. Awesome!
13. My mood has been great for the most part (though whether that’s due to having a week off from work or the GMs I may not ever know.) And I haven’t been getting as aggrivated by stupidity on the road and in my life as I had been.
14. These GMs are one thing in my life that I am proud that I eat. Sometimes I hide what I eat or fib about it because I don’t want to admit, even to myself, that I eat poorly but these I can share with the world!
15. I’ve gone a long way toward developing a healthy habit. Each small habit that I can form or change is just one giant step closer to being the me I know I am beneath all the fluff.

So there you have it! 15 conclusions from my personal Green Monster Challenge. Want to do another 14 with me? 🙂

Since I ran out of milk yesterday, I had to try something really different today. And I must say, I am absolutely pleasantly surprised. I think I may use orange juice more frequently (if not all the time b/c of the sugar content).

Peachy Pineapple Green Monster

• 3/4c peaches
• 1/2c pineapple
• 1c raw baby spinach
• 1Tbs flax seed
• 6-8oz orange juice, no sugar added

Place all ingredients in Magic Bullet cup and blend away.

And here is an action shot in front of my computer as I blogged this 🙂 Not the best pic… the cell phone kind of bled out the colors a bit. This one comes out vibrantly green, citrusy and delicious!!

Today was a sad day in my home. I have exhausted my supply of shelf-stable soy and almond milk. Which means… I have to fork over some serious cash to replenish it. Cash I won’t have until October (since I got my last paycheck for summer school and we will work the entire month of September before we get paid). Sometimes I really dislike working for the public school system. But I was able to use the last of my soy milk in today’s Green Monster. Tomorrow I may have to resort to trying orange juice as my liquid. Hmm… I’ll let you know how that goes.

Red, White & Blue Green Monster

• 1/2c strawberries, frozen
• 1/2c blueberries, frozen
• 1c raw baby spinach
• 1Tbs flax seed
• 1c unsweetened soy milk

Place all ingredients in your Magic Bullet cup in this order & blend away. I enjoyed mine with a spoon since it turned out rather thick.

Now, this obviously turns out a purple color, but the ingredients came out to be rather patriotic. Lol. It was not as sweet as I would have liked. Next time I think I will add a shot of skinny vanilla latte coffee creamer. Just the right amount of sweet, without all the sugar and fat of adding cream and vanilla simple syrup.

Today I’m back to GMs for breakfast. I miss drinking them in the mornings… when I go back to work in a couple of weeks, I’m going to have to start getting up earlier just so I can drink mine before work. They give me energy and keep me full for a good while. So today I was craving chocolate and figured out a way to add all the great chocolate flavor without any of the sugary guilt.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Green Monster

• 7-10 frozen strawberries (should work out to about a cup depending on size)
• 1c raw baby spinach
• 1 Tbs flax seed
• 1 tsp dark cocoa powder (use up to 2 Tbs if you don’t use chocolate milk)
• 1c chocolate soy milk

Place all ingredients in Magic Bullet cup and blend away.

This drink winds up being really thick. I had to use a spoon instead of a straw but I loved it! It was like ice cream 🙂 If you want it to be thinner, just use more soy milk.

Today I received a huge compliment!! My team for the Back To School Challenge is picking up my Green Monster Challenge for this week. Yay! I can’t wait to share this journey with all my BTS-mates… You’d be surprised how quickly you start to feel a difference. Soon they will become your craving. Shocking, I know. Lol.

So now, on to the recipe of the day! This one originated on the website behind the mayhem (www.greenmonstermovement.com– Reader recipes section) and then I tweaked it for my purposes 🙂

ORIGINAL:

• 2 cups of organic spinach
  1 cup of almond milk (sweetened)
  1 tablespoon of organic flax seeds (for texture)
  1/2 medium organic banana
  1 organic kiwi fruit
  1 organic small mango, diced

TWEAKED:

• 1/2c frozen mango
  1/2 banana, frozen
  1 fresh kiwi (or use golden kiwi for a sweet, sweet twist!)
  1.5c raw baby spinach
  1Tbs fax seed
  1c vanilla soy milk, unsweetened

Pop it all in your Magic Bullet cup in this order. Blend away & there you go!

For some reason, I like my Green Monster a little slushy so I like to use frozen fruit. No need for ice that way (which is good since my ice maker has been broken for years, lol) and you still get the pleasure of “chewing” your food. I’m one of those wierd people who chew milkshakes even if they are smooth as silk, so I enjoy working for my smoothies. If you don’t enjoy that texture, you can always just use fresh fruit and have a more juice-like drink.

  Warning- PMS hormones have begun to take over my body and I am no longer thinking or behaving like a rational person

Ok, now that we have that out of the way I’ll take you on a little detour before returning to our regularly-plotted course toward Green Monster goodness. Where are we going, you ask? I am taking you on a tour of a new social-phobe’s mind.

I have always been an extrovert (hence the acting, singing, performing kinda thing) and I have never needed to be the center of attention, but I didn’t mind if I was. I loved being in crowds, loved hanging out with friends and doing all the fun stuff one is supposed to do in their late teens/ early to mid-20s. Post-relationship I have been a completely different person. Mind you, when the ex and I were together we didn’t go out much. He was an introvert and hated any kind of gathering that wasn’t his sister (which did get a little creepy. Not going to lie) and us. So I got out of the habit.

As a newly single woman, I hit the ground running. I contacted all of the friends he wouldn’t let me speak to, made new friends, got back into theatre and performing, went to parties, etc. I loved it & was doing great! Then for some reason the anxiety bug hit me hard. I began to think that they didn’t really want to be around me, I wasn’t good enough/ didn’t have anything to offer, blah blah blah. So I pulled back.

I also have this strange aversion to the phone (I blame it on years in over-the-phone tech support, some in a supervisory position where I was constantly belittled, harrassed, insulted or challenged. I handled myself very well all things considered back then but when I stopped the anxiety set in). When the phone rings, my stomach starts doing flips and I begin to think of every way that this imminent phone conversation could go horribly wrong. To most people this phone problem may seem bizarre. I know it’s bizarre, but that doesn’t help. When forced to call someone, a social phobe will experience some or all of these thoughts:

• I’m bothering or interrupting someone
• I’m not saying the right things
• I sound stupid
• If there’s a pause in the conversation it will be my fault
• After the call, analyzing how I was perceived
• Thinking of things I should or shouldn’t have said

Now I’m working on overcoming this fear of inadequacy and putting myself back out there. This will be especially important when I start a new job in the fall. I’m worried because I find myself getting anxious over dumb crap other than the phone now too. Ok, I’ll give a for-instance: I made amazing cupcakes for our end of summer school potluck & when I dropped them off and had to explain what they were, I got clammy-shaking-hands-cracking-voice-averted-eyes-itis. I was going to get attention, the good kind, and I was freaking out. Why? It should be a good thing. I mean, let’s face it, I dolled up those cupcakes and they were freakin’ cute. I wanted praise. So why did I shirk when I got it? Confused.

Ok, back on track now. Tonight was a new recipe. Though it pretty much was just throwing in stuff I had on hand.

Peach Strawberry Green Monster

5 slices frozen peach (about 1/2 a peach, maybe a little more)
6 frozen strawberries (about 1/2 to 3/4c)
1 cup raw baby spinach
1 Tbs. flax seed
1.5c. vanilla rice milk, unsweetened

This one was interesting. I liked it, maybe not as much as my standard mixed berry GM, but if I fool around with it I think I can come up with something to rival it. Part of my wanted to throw in a little splash of orange juice and vodka and just skip the spinach all together (after the week/weekend I’ve had), but that wouldn’t fulfill my challenge requirements. Lol.

Today I ran completely behind. I woke up later than I wanted, had to run around & get stuff ready for a bridal shower I was going to, make the 2 hour trip up there, hang for a bit, make the 2 hour trek back & then and only then was I able to even think about my challenges.

The first challenge is for the Back To School Challenge Week 1 (50 crunches, 50 push-ups, 50 squats for 5 out of 7 days. I’m shooting for 7/7) and the second is my personal GM challenge.

I hammered out the squats, crunches & modified push-ups (cuz I’m a wimpy girl & can’t do real push-ups) and am just now getting around to my Green Monster. I wound up just throwing some frozen blueberries and strawberries in the Magic Bullet with a handful of spinach and rice milk. It was great but I feel like I copped out.

Tomorrow I will treat myself better & actually make up a new Green Monster recipe. At least that is my goal.

Peanut Butter Brownie Green Monster (Told you, splurge!)

1 frozen banana, cut into chunks
1/2 Tbs. No Pudge regular brownie mix (this stuff is awesome & I usually just eat it as batter. Never makes it to the micro or oven. Lol)
1/2 Tbs. peanut, almond or sunflower butter
1 Tbs. flax seed
1.5c. chocolate low-cal soy milk

1. Add to Magic Bullet cup in this order (or if using a traditional blender, reverse order so spinach and flax don’t go spinning around)
2. Add ice if you want a thicker smoothie
3. Best enjoyed with a spoon this time. No bendy straw required. 🙂

It is so delicious & requires just enough “chewing” to trick your brain. Oh my gosh, I am in heaven!I want something sweet today. Not a craving, just a desire. So instead of making something sinful, I’m going to incorporate it into my challenge 🙂 Not one I will make too terribly often (as it isn’t in the spirit of the uber-healthful but still light and mostly nutritious) but it’s a great treat in lieu of dessert. And I’m eating spinach & flax seed for dessert. Pretty good compromise, I think 😉

Ok, so yesterday was a total flop. I had stayed up way too late making extra goodies for our teacher potluck and today’s fun lunch for the kids (I work with autistic preschoolers- ages 4 & 5- and today was our last day of summer school! Yay!) and when I got home from work yesterday, it started to storm. Why does that ruin my day, you may say. I’ll tell you.

Ever since my childhood, when it rains, I sleep. I haven’t really found a way to control it. If I fight it, I function like a drunk. Lol. If I can’t hear the rain or thunder, I’m fine. The sight of it does nothing, but hearing it… I’m out for the count. So I got home from work Wed. and was a little tired, but I could keep going & make it to my normal bedtime. Then the thunder started. About 20 minutes later, I’m snuggled in my bed & fast asleep. And I didn’t hear the alarms that were meant to wake me up after an hour (it would have just been a nap had that happened), and I slept all the way through til time for work this morning. That’s a whopping 16 hours of sleep for those of you keeping track. Wow.

So needless to say, I didn’t eat last night, nor did I drink my Green Monster. So today I’ll be doubling up. Not quite the same, but I’m going to allow myself this one slip.

First GM of the day will be the same as days 3 & 4. I really like that one.

Second GM:

1/2 banana
1 peach
3 strawberries
1.5c raw baby spinach
1 Tbs. flax seed
1c rice milk, unsweetened

I think this one is going to be great & I’ll give you an update once I try it 🙂

**Update** I ran out of both rice & almond milk on Wednesday when making my coffee for work, so today I used cow’s milk in my first smoothie of the day. Mistake. I don’t know if everybody will feel this way, but it definitely brought out the taste of the spinach. I threw that one out (Yep, it was bad enough that I didn’t feel bad about wasting the spinach) and went to the store to buy rice milk. Wow. First time I had ever tasted the spinach in a GM. Really disconcerting. But I remade it with plain unsweetened rice milk and… Yum! Right back in the game

Today I actually felt great! I was sleepy, but that’s just me. I am always sleepy & can always sleep (as long as it’s during the day. At night, I come alive).

I didn’t do a different shake tonight. I just repeated last night’s incarnation. But my skin looked really great today & I am not sure but I think all those great EFAs in the flax are finally starting to do their stuff. I haven’t changed my skin routine otherwise. So first benefit 🙂