Super Smoothie

For quite some time I have been very hesitant to jump on the smoothie bandwagon, for several reasons. The most important one being that I just couldn't wrap my food-loving brain around the fact that a bunch of fruit and yogurt would fill me up first thing in the morning. I'm really more of a cereal/PB on an English muffin/CARBS kinda breakfast gal, and getting my blender out every morning just did not sound appealing.

But now I'm whistling a different tune. With three small kids, I will basically do/try anything not illegal that promises to give me more energy. Energy is one of those things that always feels in short supply around here, and I keep reading and seeing over and over again these overly-energetic annoying people raving about how much energy a good smoothie can give you. And it turns out, they're right.

So for the last week, I have come up with a concoction that has knocked me off my feet with how much better it has made me feel. It's a Pinterest meets Dr. Oz meets my own personal experience smoothie, and for now it has replaced my old go-to's for breakfast. And as promised, it keeps me full for just as long, if not longer than good ole carbs.

So here's the recipe. And the great thing about smoothies is that you can basically tweak/add/subtract things to it and it generally comes out the same.

1/2 C. frozen peaches

1/2 C. frozen mangos

1 banana

handful of spinach leaves

Appr. 1 C. of greek yogurt (I think you're supposed to do plain, but I opt for honey or a flavored kind)

1 packet of Emergen-C

*2 tsp. of Oat Straw Extract (I got mine at Akin's) 

A splash of OJ or your fave juice

1 tsp. (or 2) of chia seeds (I found this super seed blend with flax, chia, and brown rice today that I'm going to start trying but have been using just plain chia seeds)

*I saw this on Dr. Oz as supposed energy booster, and it definitely does.

Today marks my fourth morning trying this blend, and I can honestly say that today was the first day I noticed coffee being an afterthought. I think I may try adding in different frozen/fresh fruits to change up the flavor every now and then. A friend also suggested trying to add a scoop of protein powder to make it even more filling. The skies the limit, ya'll! 

So if you're one of those super healthy people that has been enjoying these concoction for many years, please disregard my ignorance. And to those of you who have been hesitant to replace food with a drink, it's really not a bad trade. Promise.

Happy slurping! 

xoxo

Valentine's Day 2014

 What a difference a year makes!

{2-14-13}

{2-14-14}

The swing is definitely getting smaller. 

Like the previous Valentine's Days since we've had kids, we kept it pretty low key around here on the day of love. The non-frigid temps we've had the past several days were enough of a gift, so Kyle and I grilled some steaks and hung out by the fire outside with a glass of wine, while the kids enjoyed a heart-shaped pizza. 

Kyle hit a home run with the flowers this year 

after I dropped several hundred hints as to where I wanted flowers from. 

And a rose for each of his little ladies (they gushed about them all day).

I figure I have about 4-5 more Valentine's Days where I can get away with this pose. Irresistible.

Just call him Burkey Pablo. 

This is why I have so few pictures of him lately. He.never.stops.

Festive pizza and sparkling cider for the little ladies 

(that was spilled all over the table after one "cheers")

It felt great to be out on the ole swing set again. 

Like I say every February in Oklahoma, hurry up spring! 

xoxo