It's Not Really Grass Clippings For Lunch

I'm trying to eat healthier these days and I'm still doing the green smoothie for lunch 3 or 4 days of the week.  I know it doesn't look very appetizing in that picture above, but I promise it is very refreshing and I have the recipe down now and it is actually very good.

Remember last year when I found out I had high levels of mercury and lead in my body (blog post Here ) and it was suggested that I use cilantro to help chelate it naturally out of my system.

Well, that's exactly what I've been doing and I already feel better.  No more "brain fog."  I haven't had my mercury levels tested lately because of the expense, but I am still adding plenty of cilantro to my green smoothies every week.

Ingredients for my favorite green smoothie are :  Kale, cilantro, banana, pear or apple, honey, flax seed, cinnamon, turmeric, protein powder, ginger or ginger root, almond milk, diet cranberry juice, herbs such as basil, mint, rosemary, honey, sometimes walnuts, fiber such as Benefiber (otherwise you'll be pooping like a rabbit after eating all that greenery).  Oh, and ice.  Add a couple of handfuls of ice.

I think I have covered just about all the food groups here.  I also add Diet Cranberry juice to the smoothie, but I thought I was out the day I took this picture.  The Murph pointed out that I had a back up bottle in the pantry.  I totally didn't see it and the smoothie wasn't as good.  I added too much almond milk to make up for the lack of cranberry juice and it just wasn't as good.  It only needs a splash of almond milk and about a cup (or less) of cranberry juice. I also add a splash of either lemon juice or lime juice.

I love to add fresh herbs if I have them.  Just a little, but it gives it a really good flavor and added antioxidants.

 I use to take a flaxseed pill every night, but now I add flaxseed to my smoothie.  I grind them up first in the coffee grinder before adding it to the blender.  A trick my husband taught me.

This is a very satisfying lunch and it keeps me from wanting to snack during the rest of the day.

Sort of.  But I have cookies stashed away if I need a snack.  Healthy cookies like Fig Newtons cause everybody knows that figs are good for you.  Right?

At the grocery store today, I was sure I needed a back up bottle of wine although the Murph said I already had a back up.  I said no, I opened the back up bottle last night.  He insisted that no, I had another back up in the pantry.  He was certain.  I said no.

To be on the safe side, I went ahead and got another bottle just in case.  Of course, when we got home, the Murph pointed out first thing that he was right and I had a back up bottle hidden in the back of the pantry.

Way in the very back, so how was I to know!

He was right about the cranberry juice and now he's right about the wine.

He loves being right!

Oh well, now I have a back up bottle of wine for my back up bottle of wine.

You can never be too prepared!

Sweet Tea - Gotta Have It

My fav sweet tea

Ken and I usually do our grocery shopping on Friday or Saturday, but I'm already out of sweet tea which I have to have, so we went to the store today after our walk.  Ken doesn't really appreciate sweet tea and thinks I shouldn't drink it.  He thinks I am too obsessed with it and it's almost like a drug that makes me way to hyper for him to handle.  Ha! Ha!   He doesn't even recognize his refrigerator and pantry since I moved in.  His diet was way healthier than mine.  His idea of flax seed is this....ground up and added to his morning smoothie....

Mine is this...  right after I've had a couple of handfuls of chips and always accompanied by a glass of sweet tea in the largest glass I can find...

I go from eating something salty such as pretzels, crackers and potato chips, right to something sweet, usually cookies.  This amuses him.  Salty, sweet, salty, sweet.  This process goes on for most of the day.  Ken always has a grocery list when he goes to the store and he use to tell me to "just add what I wanted/needed to the list."  This didn't work for me because I don't know what I want or need until I get to the store.  It's usually Cape Cod Chips, some sort of cookies, crackers, cheese, bananas, power bars, fitness water, etc.  I have my favorite brands and I usually stick with them.  Now he just lists my stuff under "Barbie's (insert my real name here) Crap".

My crap includes, but isn't limited to some of these items....

Whenever Ken starts up on me about the sweet tea drinking, I come back on him about his beer drinking.  Ken's "crap" always includes these items....brands vary, but never, ever include Budweiser, Miller and most of the other domestic beers.  He's kind of a beer snob....

It's been over a year now and I'm still a sweet tea drinking, cookie eating Southern Gal and he's still my "piss drunk Irishman". ( I heard that expression once and thought it was funny so I use it on Ken since he's Irish even if he's not usually piss drunk.)   I told him if he wants me to give up my sweet tea then he's going to have to give up his beer.  I think I can safely say I'll be drinking sweet tea for a long, long time.