Saturday's Smoothie (Green)

I used spinach in my green for today's smoothie. This stuff was really tasty! I used a mostly water as my liquid with a little of this cultured coconut milk for probiotics. Strawberries and banana are a great for a duo natural sweetener. :)

I think one of my favorite healthy smoothie thick-ner (is that a word?) is chia seeds. When put in liquid they expand and soak up 

On the way to meet our health-food coop this morning, I passed this. Ahh!!!!!!!!!!!!! {A million times over}. How did I miss hearing about this local race?! I would have been there sweating up a storm with everybody else and it would have been SO much fun . . . Next time! The next one I know about is all the way in November. {sigh} But, definitely planning to do the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day! Something to look forward to :) What upcoming races are you excited about?

For lunch, I made a salad and served it with a Bubbie's fermented pickle and a side of multi-grain sea salt chips. 

I recently found this amazing version of "Climb Every Mountain" from a contestant that performed a couple years back in Holland's Idol show. The first part's good (the song), but skip the end where they start speaking in Dutch - unless you know Dutch, of course :P  

And, just to make you smile - I tried to find a clip of "I Have Confidence", but I couldn't find a video clip :( Obviously, The Sound of Music is something that's been on my mind lately :-) In my opinion, some of the lyrics to this particular song are somewhat are misleading in that we can't trust our hearts to lead us on right path (Jer 17:9), but we can 100% trust God's Word. I love the enthusiasm and passion portrayed in this song, though! You can go here to listen to it :) 

Tomorrow is the last day of the 7-Day Green Smoothie Challenge! How's it going? What has been the hardest part?, What has been best? I'm lovin' doing this with all of y'all!!! 

Sprouts, Spinach & Carrots . . . GSC Day 5 of 7 and an EngeryBit Winner

I put sprouts, spinach and a huge carrot in my green smoothie today. :)

Topped that off with vegan protein powder (I supplement because I don't eat a lot of meat), chia seeds, frozen fruit, and water for liquid; plus 1-2 cups of ice since I was after that super creamy consistency. Delish! 

I shared the recipe with my sister and we both loved it! Green smoothies are fantastic because you can be so flexible with them - whatever fresh goodness you have in your fridge or freezer typically makes a great additive. :-) 

I went running for my workout this morning. I'm working on varying my speed versus just running at the same speed for the entire run. It's fun, but I have to give it credit - it's harder. :P It can definitely tell that I get more for my time when I do this, though, so it's absolutely worth it!

Lunch was wholesome and filling. Using up leftovers from last night :)

{The less you cook your veggies the more nutrients they retain :) }

Speaking of last night's dinner, we ended up making a stir-fry (amazing!) instead of the burrito bowls because we didn't have enough salsa and you have to have salsa with just about anything Mexican style. Right? It was okay, though because this veggie medley topped with a serving of beef was perfect. :)

As promised, we have a winner for the EnergyBit giveaway! I will be e-mailing you (the winner) shortly to get your address to pass your address along to the EnergyBit company and they will send you your free sample!

The afternoon was super busy, and a lot of fun!!! It's now almost 9pm and I haven't had anything to eat since lunch so I'm STARVED! Going to eat, a lot. now. :P Hoping to be able to curl up on the couch sometime this weekend with a comfy blanket & popcorn to watch The Sound of Music (love this movie!) with my sisters. I have no doubt there will be some ranting and raving over Julie Andrew's vocal abilities. :) Incredible. What are your plans for the weekend?

Halfway Through: It's Day 4!

Hi, everyone! We're 1/2 way through the 7-Day Green Smoothie Challenge now!!! This week is whizzing past - wow!

I wanted to share this link with you - Green Thickies. This girl is amazing and the story of how God healed her from several devastating health issues through green smoothies is simply amazing. She sent me her link and I wanted to share it with you. :) Check it out, if you're interested!

I made this for dessert last night. It was a mimic of yesterday's peach protein smoothie. I gave my dad a taste and he was a good sport. It's interesting how I think some things are SO sweet and yet when I give someone else a taste - well . . . :P I'll just be honest - some love it and some don't! I think it's partially psychological? The green color really seems to be something to get over, but it's possible!  

The thing to remember when you're starting a new healthy habit is start small. Not interested in drinking a whole green smoothie? Try making one at a family meal and giving out small servings. You can drink 1 or 2 ounces, right? Of course you can! It's the little things that make up the big differences. You might just discover that this is an easy, tasty way to incorporate more servings of greens into your diet. 

Here are a few 7-Day Green Smoothie Challenger recipe links below - they look so delicious! Thanks for sharing guys! 

Apple Pie Green Smoothie
Strawberry Banana Spinach Protein Smoothie
PB & Banana Greenshake

And, Liz from iHeartVeggies.com does a fantastic job eating healthy on a budget. Click here for her suggestions to cut costs! I really like the frozen spinach idea.

I had plenty of kale on hand this morning so I used that in my green smoothie. :)

I didn't follow a recipe - just a bit of this and that :) But here's what into the blender: 8oz water, kale, strawberries, 1 Tbsp chia seeds (soaked), scoop of vegan chocolate protein powder, ice. Delish!

I'm lovin' these last days of summer. The weather has been spectacular the last few days and the evenings are really nice.

Tomatoes sandwiches on high fiber bread are a favorite around here! A perfect lunch while the weather's still warm. :)

I had an inspiring piano lesson this afternoon. So thankful for my teacher! It's a gorgeous afternoon so I'm headed outside to spend some time soakin' up the sun. Need to stock up on some vitamin D for the winter months :P

Tomorrow is announcement time for an EnergyBit winner so if you haven't entered yet, there's still time! {Click here}

Vegetarian burrito bowls are on the menu tonight!!! What are your supper plans? Any green smoothies? :) 

What's A Green Smoothie? Day 3 of 7 - Peach Protein

The smoothie station this morning. :) 

Peach Protein Green Smoothie
1/2 banana
1 cup frozen peaches
kale, 2-3 large leaves
2 tbsp chocolate protein powder
3/4 cup nut/seed milk (I used unsweetened almond)
1 cup ice

{Adapted from Choosing Raw}

Blend all the ingredients together, waiting until last to add your ice. I thought this recipe was delicious! If you give it a shot, let me know what you think. :)



Isn't this kale gorgeous?!

The thing about green smoothies is even though most of all turned out similar in color each recipe has a it's own unique delicious taste and texture. That's what I love about healthy food - you can be so creative and it's fun to think about the different nutrients that you're blending up!

I have the best mom! Knowing that I was hosting a green smoothie challenge here on my blog, she came up with this for a green smoothie description:

Satisfying
Mouth-watering
Oh it's so good
Organic, when possible
Tasty
Health building
Incredible
Energy-giving

How fun is that?! Too much. :) Okay, guys - here's a link recommendation for ya. I got an e-mail from Keyona sharing her link from Skinny & Delicious saying this about green smoothies:

"I've been wanting to try a green smoothie forever but the thought of putting spinach or any other kind of green into a delicious smoothie sounded pretty gross to me. I know I've heard a million people say you can't taste it but it still freaked me out . . . I finally decided to try one since I'm doing the 7-Day Green Smoothie Challenge with Katherine. . . You really can't taste the spinach in this smoothie! This is a GREAT way to get in your extra greens and vitamins throughout the day. I really am a believer in the green smoothie now!" 

This makes me SO happy! Thank you, Keyona for sharing a glimpse of your journey with all of us!!! I love it when you guys send me recipes, links and e-mails sharing your personal experience - keep
'em coming!

For last's night supper I threw together this salad with chickpeas (for added protein), alfalfa sprouts, cucumber and a few slices of bell pepper. Served with a side of rice casserole. :)



Lunch was another veggie sandwich. Refreshing!



It's about mid-afternoon now and it felt like it was good time for a snack and a blog post :) I hope everyone is enjoying a fantastic, productive day! What are you eating today?

Day 2 of 7: Green Smoothie Challenge and Fudge Brownies

Ha! You're probably laughing at the title of this post because a green smoothie and a fudge brownie just don't see to go together - BUT really they do. At least in my opinion :P And, when you consider the ingredients of these succulent fudgey brownies, I think you'll agree with me. :)

It's Day 2! Hurray for all of the GSC participants! We made it to the 2nd day :P I've enjoyed seeing all the different bright and cheery, enthusiastic blog posts and how much fun everyone is having! Doing a healthy eating challenge with others certainly motivates me!

Tropical Flair Green Smoothie Recipe:
1 orange
1/2 banana (the riper the sweeter)
1 cup frozen strawberries
2-4 cups spinach
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup ice

Blend it all together and slurp it up!

{Recipe inspiration}

Although I've enjoyed a green smoothie almost everyday for nearly a year now, this challenge is still really good for me! I'm branching out with new recipes, and trying different ingredients that I hope will tempt even the most skeptic green smoothie drinker :)

I'm normally perfectly content with the same ole green smoothie recipe, day in, day out but I thought you would appreciate me attempting to make things a little more interesting :P

~

Since yesterday was my sister's birthday, I made these brownies for last night's dessert! Here's the link to the original recipe and then here's what I did. That seems to be the story of my life doesn't it? "Here's how you're supposed to do it and then here's what actually I did" . . . lol!

1 1/2 sticks butter
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1 teaspoon organic molasses
2 cups honey crystals
2 tablespoons honey
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder (no aluminum)
I think I used about 1 1/3 cups of whole wheat flour but I pretty much just did it to consistency. :)
1/2 bag dark chocolate chips? something like that . . .

Okay, so in the directions they tell you to melt the butter in the microwave, but I'm desperately trying to move away from that free-radical creator so I used the stovetop instead. Although it takes a little bit longer, it works just as well and is much healthier. 

I served the brownies with Neapolitan ice cream. :)

Last night's supper was amazing. Kristen requested salmon and salad, and we obliged. :) I love wild fish!

I packed this little sandwich for lunch today. Sprouts, avocado, tomato and cucumber on a multi-grain thin. I threw an apple in a bag, along with one of Artisana's squeeze butter packets for a mid-afternoon snack. Delish!

I got up this morning, spent time in the Word and prayer (so refreshing!), worked out, practiced piano, grocery shopping, made a green smoothie (happy dance!) and then I was out the door for a fantastic start to the day at the office. It's amazing how the way you start your day can have such a positive impact on the rest of it!

As I was scanning the headlines this morning, I ran across this article (click here) with thoughts on organic food. My ears always perk up when I hear the media reporting their opinion on what we eat. What do you think about this article? Did anyone get in their green smoothie for the day? Feel free to share your recipe in a comment below or leave or link. :) 

Sunshine :) ~Katherine

PS: For all of you "greeners" - Go "like" and repin the Green Smoothie Challenge on PinInterest :)

Green Smoothie Challenge: Day 1 of 7

Alrighty, folks! Time to kick off the Fall 2012: 7-Day Green Smoothie Challenge with Day 1! I think it's gonna be an absolute blast and I'm excited to share some recipes throughout the week :) 

For my green smoothie today, I made this strawberry banana spinach protein smoothie, inspired by Janice. It turned out so sweet and delicious - it could have been a dessert! 

Here's the ingredient list: 

• 1 cup coconut almond milk (you can use any kind of milk or even water)
• half banana
• 1 handful organic fresh baby spinach 
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder ( I used a pea/hemp protein)
• ice

With a simple recipe like this one, green smoothies really are a quick & easy way to get in your greens! I love how this recipe calls for spinach because spinach leaves has contain lots of phyto-nutrients and are a great source of iron, but you can really use any green! 

Over the weekend I went to Barnes and Noble to browse the books and do some reading as well as a little computer work. It's a fantastic way to spend a couple of hours and I left feeling inspired and refreshed! The expedition was topped off with a stop by the Vitamin Shoppe on the way home with one of my best friends :) 

I want to say "Happy Birthday!" to my big sister today! Kristen - you are my role model, best friend, inspiration and confident. The hilarious moments, the desperate moments - it's all what sisters share and I'm SO thankful you're mine!!! 

Blessings, dear sister, for another year filled with realizing the dreams you've worked and prayed for! 

Just for fun, I thought I would compile a link list of other bloggers who are doing this 7-day green smoothie challenge with me. Here are a few to get you started, and I'll hopefully get the rest posted by the end of the week :) Enjoy!

Kathleen's Health Corner

Julianna Banana

Forward from the Heart

Skinny and Delicious

Go Feast Yourself

Ahh, sorry guys that's all I have time for right now! My sister and I are out to hit the Labor Day sales before the rush. I'll do my best to get your links up later :) Happy Labor Day, everyone!

Back to School Green Smoothie Challenge - Fall 2012

I've been excited about this for weeks! Now that September is finally here and the cool weather will hopefully be rolling in soon, I thought it would be fun to run another 7-Day Green Smoothie Challenge!

The challenge starts this Mon, Sept 3rd and last until next Mon, Sept 10th. Who's in?! 

To sign-up, leave a comment on this post saying that you're in (and leave your blog link, if you have one). Feel free to copy any of the photo collages on this post and paste them on your blog or social networking sites. :) 

Green smoothies are a fantastic way to get in your daily servings of greens in a tasty form. I'm planning to share some recipes along the way, so stay tuned :P

If you decide to do a post about this 7-Day Green Smoothie Challenge on your own blog - send me your post link at realfoodrunner@gmail.com so I can share it with everyone else :) It's going to be fun! {You can "LIKE" the FB page here, if you want :) }

Ooh, and if want to check out the last Green Smoothie Challenge we did, click this link!