Green Smoothies with Aloe Juice, Weird Fruit Things and Christmas Trees

We have finally unpacked everything that we were planning on unpacking at our new place and are slowly getting acclimated. One side of the garage is packed to the ceiling with the other stuff that we aren't going to unpack, but there's plenty of space for one of the cars on the other side of the garage. That's "Little Red's" spot when we bring him down after Christmas.

I have found a new hair place, new nail place, two new vets for Phantom (one is a cancer specialist), new places to shop, etc. There's an overabundance of grocery stores and pharmacies in the area in all directions around us. Take your pick. We also found a farmer's market that is very, very close. The produce is AMAZING! My green smoothies have never tasted better.

While at the farmer's market we discovered this Aloe juice drink. It comes in different fruity flavors that are all good, but I really like the pineapple flavor the best. We have been adding this to the green smoothies. The Murph takes his produce and protein powder to work and makes his smoothie for lunch sometimes.

I really love this New Zealand whey protein powder made from grass fed cows. I feel healthier just reading the label!

We decided to try these for the first time. They are like grapefruits, only sweeter and were very good, but I have no idea what they are called. Pommelo or something... maybe.... ??

Yes, Pomelo. (I had to google it) They are the grandparents of the grapefruit. (that's what google said)

I still add cilantro and kale and a few different fruits, usually a banana and pear or strawberries. I add the cilantro because it helps remove toxins, such as mercury, from the body and I had high levels when I tested two or three years ago. I haven't retested yet to see if the mercury levels have gone down, but hopefully they have.

 It doesn't hurt continuing to eat the cilantro and I still have one silver filling left in my tooth so until I get it out, I will assume I am still getting mercury leaching out of it. I can't wait to have NO silver fillings left in my mouth. I had no idea the dangers of them when I had them put in.

Finding a local dentist is another thing on my list!

The cats have settled in somewhat. Phantom is okay wherever we are. Ed is pretty cool and laid back too.

 Cadence - not so much! He disappears up under the box springs during nap time and we don't see him for awhile. He feels safer there.

I put two Christmas trees up over Thanksgiving weekend. These are the only two trees I moved down here. All the others were given to charity. I really miss my big, gynormous tree, but it was too heavy to move and was over 10 years old anyway. Time to buy another big tree when we purchase our own house down here. After this move, I'm all for getting rid of everything rather than moving it. Packing, moving it, then unpacking it....

Next time I think I'll just get rid of everything, move with nothing and start over with all new stuff!

Yeah!

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!

The State Of Things

Cadence totally ignoring me.

This past week I have been a little off, a little "hormonal" I think.  At first I blamed it on the 20 mile run I did on Saturday.  It was tough.  And slow.  And tough!  Maybe it was because I didn't have any caffeine or maybe I didn't eat enough Gu.  Who knows.  It was a struggle.  First water stop and I'm asking if we are at the 8 mile mark yet.  Nope, only three.  Can't be!  Uggg!

Then today I'm suppose to meet the Running Nazi, uhhhhhhh, I mean L, to run 5 miles at 5:30 am.  I wake up with a huge headache so I try to text her that I'm not running.  I can't get my phone to text right.  Or maybe it's my fingers.  My head gets worse.  The cats think it's time for breakfast since I'm up.  They start their pleading and meowing.  I ignored them and go back to bed.

Phantom in one of those rare moments when he's not in time out.

That's the way this week has been.  The cats have been driving me nuts!  They want snacks ALL the time!  And they didn't even run 20 miles!  Today when I get home from working out, Cadence follows me around the kitchen meowing.  Demanding little thing!  I'm trying to find something for lunch.  I'm starving.  He's already been fed.  I scrape up baked beans and peanut butter crackers for lunch.  That's all I could find.  No bagels, no chicken salad, no balance bars, no soup.  We REALLY need to go to the grocery store but that's tomorrow!

Cat Cocaine

As I'm walking out of the kitchen with my bowl of baked beans, totally ignoring the little cry baby, he runs up behind me and bites the crap out of my leg.  How dare I not give him some party mix!  I am NOT allowed to leave the kitchen without giving him a snack.  But now there's no way I'm rewarding that kind of behavior by giving him a snack.  No way.

Then I'm feeling all hormonal and craving sugar, salt, something that's bad for me.  All we have are butter mints left over from the wedding.  I'm shoving them in my mouth when The Murph walks in and discovers my desperation.  He warns me about what happens when I eat too much mint.  It isn't good!  Unfortunately, it was all I had at the time and I was desperate!

Yesterday, I tried to get back on my green smoothie kick, but there's no kale and very little cilantro and what's left is kind of rotten and mostly stems.  Also, the protein powder is Berry flavored!  I like vanilla.  The universe is conspiring against me.  I can't deal in such a delicate hormonal state!

Our herbs are a pretty pitiful sight too!  No more basil or mint for the smoothies.

The pool is doing much better now that all the yellow algae has died, but look at all the leaves.  The pool will be covered in a few days.  Summer's over.

Phantom doesn't care about the state of the pool.  He just wants to get outside and chase the chipmunks.   He's already forgotten about the "flea" infestation problem he had most of the summer because I let him outside.

Not again little buddy!  I learned my lesson!

My wedding dresses are still draped over the door to the Murph's office/man cave.  Yesterday, he asked me what I planned to do with them.  By leaving them on his door I'm seriously threatening his man card.  I suppose I should get them cleaned at some point.  Maybe even preserve the long one.

Things got much better this afternoon.  We went down to the Social Security Office and officially changed my name to my new married one.  On the way we stopped by the drugstore to replenish our vitamins and while there I replenished my sugar stash.  Animal crackers and some candy pumpkins.

 I'm so happy now!  New name official, lots of sugary snacks, I think I will survive this hormonal state (unless one of the cats bites me again).

And I noticed today that we don't even need fake cobwebs on our house for Halloween decorations.  We have REAL ones all over the place!  Is that great or what??

Last but not least, I worked out twice today, am on my second glass of wine and The Murph is cooking dinner.  Can't get any better than that!

Life is great!