Tag Archives: smoothie

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Shamrock Shake Smoothie

Breaking News!

We set a new record high yesterday!  We enjoyed degrees of 83.  Eighty-three!

My morning started at the gym for a session with my trainer.

gym calf exercise

Followed by breakfast.  My favorite egg scramble!

veggie egg scramble

Afternoon came and I needed this.

homemade iced coffee

Iced coffee on a hot day is always required.

And then it was time to head outside for a run!  And to say hi to my friends.

horses

Now is where I am going to vent.  And men, I love that you frequent my blog, but you may want to quit reading this particular post at this point.

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You have been warned.

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I couldn’t run.  Again!  Every time I tried, I had the urge to pee.  TMI?  I don’t know what my problem is.  Two days in a row now.  Grrrr.  This has never happened to me.  Running at this day and time is nothing new.  Instead of running, I just tried walk at a fast pace.  The entire time I was cursing myself and my stupid body that seems to have turned against me.  I racked my brain trying to figure out what was different about the past couple of runs.  I mean, I just ran on Monday afternoon!  The only thing that I can think of that would be different would be the iced coffee.  Could it be the coffee right before my run is not a good idea for me?  I’ll try it again tomorrow, minus the coffee, and let you know.

My hike was nice, except for the whole cursing my body parts part.  My pace was slowed a bit to take pictures.

15h

lake

You may have also noticed something about this hike.  I went alone!  For the first time EVER, I went in the woods alone.  This is huge!  I made sure to be very aware of my surroundings and no headphones.  I felt pretty good going because the trail was so busy the day before and yesterday was even warmer.  I knew there was likely to be lots of other people around and there was.  I also let me friend know where and when I was going and when to expect to hear back from me.

lake

It was pretty awesome to be out there actually.  I cannot wait for the trees to bloom!  Being outside just makes everything feel better.

I also found what I think is the largest dog print I have ever seen.  I hope it’s a dog!

giant dog print

Isn’t that thing huge?!  It’s not like I have small feet.  I’m a size 10 and that print is about 2/3 the size of my foot.  I cannot wait to meet this dog on the trail!  As long as he is with his owner.  And friendly.  And not taller than me.

I needed my shamrock shake smoothie as a consolation prize after that craptastic run/walk.

shamrock shake

A good-sized handful of fresh spinach, one frozen banana, six ice cubes, one cup of coconut milk, and one package of Weight Watchers Mint Cookies & Cream Smoothie Mix.

Perfection in a cup!

shamrock shake

What was the best part of your Friday?

What is your favorite smoothie recipe?

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Sunday Search Term Soup

I’ve been watching the terms people have used and ended up on my site.  Some I understand.  They make sense.  Others?  No idea, but they make me laugh!  I thought it might be fun to share them with you every Sunday for the prior week.  A stockpile of search terms, if you will.  Here are my favorite from this last week.

  • Car cleaning for spring break.  Sounds like a great idea.  Please clean mine, too!
  • Mavi gokyuzu.  I have now idea what that means.  Should I be happy?  Should I be offended?  Someone please tell me how to feel about this one!
  • Commpression socks make my calfs sore.  Sore “calfs?”  Interesting.  Time for “commpression,” for sure!
  • Whine shoes.  Where do I even start with this one?!  Why are you whining about your shoes?  Do you not like them?  No return policy?  I don’t understand!  Shoes usually make me happy.
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Today was the final day of the 7-Day Green Smooth Challenge.  Today’s smoothie was a total flop.  So bad, I didn’t even drink it.  I forgot to take a picture of the ingredients before putting them in the blender.

  • container Fage cherry pomegranate Greek yogurt
  • handful spinach
  • 1 cup vanilla coconut milk
  • 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 frozen kiwi
  • 1/2 frozen orange

Not good.  Not good at all. Do not, I repeat, do not make this.  Ever.  =(

What was your last cooking disaster?

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Mother Nature, The Tease

Saturday was ME day.  The original plan was to go to work.  And then I slept in and went for a run instead, thinking I would just go in later.  Then I realized going to work sounded like the last thing I wanted to do yesterday.  You have to understand, one of my offices, the one I was going to work in yesterday, is more like a bunker.  The only windows are across the front of the building.  And my office?  It’s in the far back corner.  Sometimes I need sunlight in my life!  And after spending long hours in there on Friday, I wasn’t ready to repeat it again on Saturday.  I might go in today.  We’ll see…

My run was great!  It was lightly raining, but spring was all around in full bloom.

I love how these bushes create a tunnel.  I will have to share a photo of them later in the summer when all their leaves have appeared.

After my run, I took a shower and wanted to go for a walk downtown to run a few errands.

I went to our farm/garden/home/pet store to get cat food, the post office and Pita Pit to pick-up lunch.  Love their veggie pita!  Guy behind the counter had the funniest shirt on.  The front was the usual Pita Pit logo, but on the back it said “Rolling Fatties in Town, OR!”  So funny!  Our town is very liberal.  Very accepting of everyone and all lifestyles.  Very different from the conservative, Midwest culture I grew up in.

The shirt made me think of this song about Oregon.  If you have ever been to Oregon, you will immediately recognize how true this song is!

 

Back to my walk.  The rain continued for most of the it, but would occasionally break and show off a bit of blue sky.  Enough to hope the rain was going to stop.  It did not.  Mother Nature can be such a tease!

Ugh.  Look at those gas prices.  $4.19 a gallon!  I can only imagine they are going to continue to climb through the summer.  I am seriously considering getting a $50 monthly bus pass to get to work and just parking my car.  Or maybe even selling it.  Many people here don’t own a car.  So many people walk or bike as their main mode of transportation.  I totally would if I worked here in town.  But I work 3 towns over in the “big city.”  I would have to ride the bus.  Something to think about anyway.

Yesterday was day 6 in the 7-Day Green Smoothie Challenge.  I worked on my pina colada recipe, hoping to improve it.  I think I succeeded!

  • 5 oz. frozen pineapple
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 handful spinach
  • 1 cup vanilla coconut milk
  • 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
  • container Fage Mango Guanabana Greek yogurt (not pictured)

This recipe is a keeper!

What do you usually order at Pita Pit?  I always get the veggie wheat pita with grilled onion, spinach, avocado, black beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumbers, black olives, pickles, feta cheese and tzatziki.  Yum!

What are the gas prices in your area?

Could you reasonably live without a car?

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Where Did My Day Go?

Today was a busy work day.  Nothing exciting to share.  Just a lot of in-office paperwork.  My least favorite kind!

(source)

I like to be out and about, working with the public.  Lucky for me, I get to do a lot of that!  Just not today.  Boo hoo.

(source)

But I did want to share my smoothie of the day with you.  Today was day 5 of the 7-Day Green Smoothie Challenge.  I wanted this smoothie to taste like a strawberry shake.  High ambitions!

  • handful spinach
  • 8 good-sized frozen strawberries
  • container Fage Strawberry Goji Greek Yogurt
  • 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 cup vanilla coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon honey

Originally, I make it without the honey, but I decided I need a bit more sweetness.  Overall, I didn’t really care for this one.  I’m not sure what it was.  It was creamy enough.  Who knows.

But one thing I did like about it…

The colors!  Look how pretty it is!  It reminds me of peppermint ice cream.  One of my favorite ice cream flavors!

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

How would you rather work each day…  in an office with the same people or in a new location with the public each day?

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Misty Morning Trail Run

I tried out my new trail running shoes today!  It was a good day to try them, too.  It had been raining all night and it was misting on us the entire time.  The trail was soft and muddy with puddles.  We ran some crazy hills and steps, climbing fairly high before looping back down.  I only tried over a rock once and almost lost my footing twice looking to see how close the runner behind me was.  I also managed to leap over several logs down over the trail without tripping.  Who is this girl?!

Pretty great way to start my day!  I was worried that the new shoes might feel really stiff comparing to my regular running shoes, but I didn’t notice this to be a problem.  So far, so good!

Today was Day 4 of the 7-Day Green Smoothie Challenge.  Blueberries sounded good after my run so I mixed my smoothie around them.

Ingredients included:

  • 5 oz. frozen blueberries
  • 1 container Fage Blueberry Acai Greek Yogurt
  • 1/2 frozen banana (obviously not the banana shown)
  • 1 cup vanilla coconut milk
  • 1 handful spinach
  • 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

This smoothie was great!  Creamy and tasty.  Much better than yesterday’s smoothie attempt!  I think I am getting better at this.  I’ve already planned out tomorrow’s smoothie.  #7daygreensmoothiechallenge

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Omelet, Shoes & Socks. But Not Together.

Do you ever have a day where you crave something all.day.long?  Today my every thought returned to one thing.  My spinach omelet.

Omelet.

Omelet!

OMELET!

So as soon as I got home from work, I started making it.  You are welcome in advance for the phenomenal photography skills about to be displayed.

I always start by grilling the chopped onion, usually just one slice of a sweet onion.  And then I add a handful of spinach, loosely chopped.

And then these two farm fresh beauties!

Once the veggies are grilled, I add the eggs.

And my favorite part!  The cheese!  This time I used feta.  I wait until the eggs are almost done before adding about two tablespoons of cheese.  I like the cheese to be warm but not completely melted.  (Please don’t be jealous of my manicure remains.)

Dinner is served.  So worth the wait!

And then I found a surprise on my porch.  A brown box.  Whatever could it be?…

My new Vasque trailing running shoes!  I ordered them online last week and they are finally here.  Just in time for my group run tomorrow.  We are heading to the park for a trail run.  Yeah!   I also ordered a pair of Merrell Windrush socks to try.  And for whatever reason (Happy Hump Day?) the company sent me a free Quaker Yogurt Granola Bar.  Yes, please and thank you!

In other news, today was day three of the 7-Day Green Smoothie Challenge.

Today’s combo was:

  • handful of spinach
  • 1 cup vanilla coconut milk
  • 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
  • 5 oz. pineapple
  • 6 large ice cubes

The color of today’s smoothie was brighter and lighter than Day 1 & Day 2 smoothies.  I had really high hopes for this one.  I love pina colada flavored anything and thought this would taste similar.  But it didn’t live up to my expectations.  Not sure how to describe it but it wasn’t… sweet enough.  It was too… light (airy), icy, maybe.  Kind of blah.  I want to play with the recipe more and get a better result.  #7daygreensmoothiechallenge

And these are just because I wanted to share the pretty, fresh flowers currently gracing my dining room table.

What are you craving lately?

What was the last piece of workout gear you bought?

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I Look Like a Runner?

Today I received the best compliment ever!

Another runner in my group ran right behind me the entire time.  I heard her mention something about me having a nice stride to our coach late in the run but wasn’t sure exactly what she said.  I tried not to think about it because I am a bit self-conscious about how I look when I run.

(source)

Because I really feel like I look like that often when I run.  That’s one of the reasons I like running in the morning vs. afternoon.  Fewer people around to see me running.

When we get back to our gym (our start/finish), the runner approaches me and tells me that I have a great even stride, my run looked “effortless” and it was like she “was watching a movie about running.”

Um?…

What?…

Who?…

Me?!

Effortless?  I don’t think so.  My runs feel anything but effortless.  I’m beginning to think she must have been blinded by the rain we ran in or sweat or something…

But isn’t it amazing how a few kind words from a relative stranger (this group has only ran together 5 or 6 times now and I have never really talked to her before) can make us feel so good.  And with those few kind words, she became my new favorite person in the world!

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Today is Day 2 of the 7 Day Green Smoothie Challenge.  My plan was to do some grocery shopping before today’s smoothie.  That didn’t happen, because I was starving after my run this morning.  I wanted a smoothie now!!  And given that I was starving, my brain refused to think of anything original to mix and since I loved yesterday’s smoothie, I went with the same recipe today.

And maybe because I was starving, but I think today’s smoothie tasted even better.  It really hit the spot!

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What’s the nicest compliment you have ever received?