The only thing about Lily sleeping was that it got my morning schedule off-track. I was supposed to meet a friend for a play date at 9:00 and I didn't set the alarm because I am always up at that time. Needless to say, the play date didn't happen and it kind of derailed my hopes for a peacefully social morning. The kids and I had a hard time getting going and the next thing I knew it was 11:00, we hadn't left the house, the 3-year-old was defiant and bouncing off the walls and the baby was fussing.
We had to get out of the house or we were all going to go insane! Despite temperatures in the 30's, I bundled up the kids and loaded them in the car for a trip to the park. I went for a 30 minute run around the playground pushing the baby in the stroller while Will played and felt so much more positive when I was done, positive enough to figure out my pampering action for the day.
My friend Stephanie (http://nuttybrown.net/) frequently talks about how green smoothies help her to feel healthy and energetic. A week or two ago she brought me some recipes for two of her favorite smoothies. Green smoothies are filled with healthy greens and fruits that are packed with vitamins that charge up the body and make it feel just delicious. After a morning where we were just a little 'off' and frazzled, feeling delicious sounded downright alluring.
The kids and I headed over to Food Lion to get ingredients for the cilantro shake: grapefruit, lime, pineapple, cucumber and a big bunch of cilantro, along with some raw honey, cinnamon and a pinch of salt.
I peeled the cucumber, grapefruit and lime; cut up the pineapple and stuck all that yuminess in the blender for a whirl. It ended up looking like this when it was done:
Once I got the kids both down for their naps I took my 15 minutes to slowly sip that goodness down. I paid attention to how my body felt and found it recharged me better than a shot of any form of caffeine. Highly recommend!
Ok Anne, how did it taste? I am not a huge fan of cilantro so I am not sure I could drink it in a smoothie. I could def. do the rest though. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering too. I like all of the ingredients separately (well not so keen on cucumbers sometimes). I think I could either love this, or think it's totally not for me. I should try it just to see :-)
ReplyDeleteJamie and Amber, I happen to love cilantro. I could eat it by the handful all by itself and I've actually done that before. I also happen to like things such as cilantro salsa and a neat cilantro pesto I came up with a while back. You can definitely taste the cilantro in this smoothie and that is part of why I love it. It tastes sweet and fresh with just a little bite to it.
ReplyDeleteIf you're not a cilantro fan, you might try the other green smoothie recipe that Steph gave me. In that one, she combines banana, strawberries, two cups of water and a head of romaine lettuce. That one has a milder flavor -- kind of like strawberry banana yogurt. But, it includes all the nutrition of a head of lettuce. Yummy!