Smooth Breakfast

I think it’s safe to say it’s spring here in Dallas. This might be a little premature…but I’m going to throw it out there anyway! The past few days have been so beautiful, almost hot! It’s already at 74 today (almost a little warm for a 9 mile run….they say to dress like it’s 20 degrees warmer so I’ll be dressin’ for 94 degrees, yikes!).

I thought this was perfect smoothie weather so that’s what I blended for breakfast this morning (along with scalding hot coffee of course).

I tried to make another green smoothie and sort of succeeded. It turned out a nice, camo green. Not the vibrant color I was looking for but it’ll do (that’ll do pig, that’ll do- not only from Babe but another classic film, Zombieland).

I blended up the regulars: spinach, frozen banana, chocolate soy milk, some oats, Amazing Grass Chocolate SuperFood, (no peanut butter!), and water.

Sort of swampy/dirty looking…so appetizing.

Even though it didn’t look that great, it tasted pretty good. I also had a couple hard boiled eggs. I attempted a new way to boil eggs this morning: add vinegar to the water. Apparently, that’s supposed to help with removing the shell. It didn’t work.

I haven’t given up on hard boiled eggs yet! Next time I’ll try Matt’s method! It was still a good breakfast…maybe not as much protein as I would have liked (since I peeled off half the egg white).

In other news, I was browsing through my books last night and rediscovered a “diet” book I bought by Jackie Warner called This Is Why You’re Fat.

First of all, every time I look at this title, the song “this is why I’m hot” get’s stuck in my head. Secondly, I’m not on a diet nor have I ever been. For some reason I’m drawn to “diet”/exercise books. I think I like reading their guidelines to healthy living and I also like the recipes they come with-always healthy!

This book not only has the recipes but also exercises (obviously, she’s a trainer). I like Jackie for some reason (more than Jillian. That’s right I choose Jackie!) so I was interested to read about her thoughts on healthy eating.

I like the way the book starts out (even with the brutal title). It starts by suggesting foods you should add instead of take away. That’s probably a good approach to any new diet change. Instead of thinking of all the foods you shouldn’t or can’t eat, maybe think of the foods you should or can eat. It’s more of a positive approach.

She suggests the obvious add-ins like more vegetables, fruits, more protein (lean), more vitamins. We all know we should eat more of those things, but it’s good to reiterate that. She also suggests starting your day off with water and lemon. I know there are people out there who already do this, but it’s something I’d like to get in the habit of doing. Before coffee or food, just drink a big glass of water (with or without lemon). I prefer really lemony water but I also have acid reflux so I’m not sure that’s a great idea :).

She has a whole list of supplements she encourages. I’m always skeptical about supplements (about any pill, powder, etc.) because it’s hard to know if they’re just a scam. I’m pretty sure half the stuff in GNC is a scam…but that doesn’t mean all of it is. For example, omega-3 fatty acids. It’s pretty well known at this point that they’re beneficial for your heart, blocking inflammation and pain, and good for the joints (it’s well known-but the research still says may do all these things..). She recommends omega-3’s as well as Vitamin C (we all know and love), and regular multi-vitamins. I don’t take any right now. I’ve heard arguments for taking multi vitamins as well as arguments against them. Obviously, I think it depends on your diet.

Another supplement she recommends is creatine. This was interesting to me because growing up, I knew guys who used creatine in their protein shakes. I never heard good things about creatine, i.e. hard on the kidneys, makes your face break out, etc. It looks like today, most of those issues don’t ring true (there are always exceptions though). Do any of you out there supplement with creatine? How has your experience been?

The rest of the book has standard information in it. The lists of good, clean foods versus the “dirty” ones. I think these are all self explanatory. Most of us know what’s good for us and what isn’t. There’s also a couple charts pointing out how many calories are in everyday items most people eat. One of those is for alcohol.

So basically if you want the lowest calorie drink, have a shot of tequila! 🙂 I thought it was interesting champagne came in second. It’s good to see though if you have a glass of wine every night (or two) how many extra calories you’re consuming.

Her book starts with a 2 week jump start diet (which is just adding in foods and eliminating the bad…), then you’re off! You’re instructed to eat 5 meals a day-3 regular and 2 snacks, and you get 2 cheat meals on the weekends. It’s not too bad or strict.

I’m just trying to work on the snacking. Less snacking, more water. I don’t intend on going on a diet, but reading a book like this definitely motivates me to keep the foods I eat clean and wholesome.

The last part of the book is the exercise portion.

I love her creative titles throughout the book :).

There are some good workout ideas in here, but I prefer my Women’s Health book of exercises.

Overall, it’s not a bad diet book. I’m sure I’ll look at it from time to time for some inspiration and recipe ideas. Next, I’ll have to try one of her DVD’s. I’ve actually heard really good things about those!

Hope you all have a great Monday. I’m off to run 9 miles!