Sunday, September 9, 2012

Arugula Baby


My smoothie, made with the last bit of arugula from my CSA:
1 cup frozen watermelon
1 cup baby arugula
¾ cup plain soymilk
¼ avocado
pinch cinnamon
pinch spirulina
pinch maca
½ frozen banana
5 frozen raspberries
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 dash Xagave

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Goodie Bags


Last Friday was a day I look forward to each year, because it was equipment pick-up time for FSU cross country season! I am so spoiled to receive a huge bag full of great clothes and shoes from Nike. Of course, what is better than the free gear is the actual races that will ensue. Right now, that's a work in progress, as I was set back a little by my stress fracture, but I am on track to make it happen this season. My last fall racing in the garnet and gold!
This morning was a great morning because I got to go pick up my first CSA bag from Orchard Pond Organics! If you are unfamiliar, CSA stands for community supported agriculture. Yep, I signed up to receive a bag of fresh produce from the Tallahassee farm every other week for this semester. Such a treat for a veggie! I felt like a kid on Christmas. It was so exciting for me to get a bag with my name on it and filled of a variety of vegetables. I can already tell that this is going to be a great learning experience about the local produce of North Florida. For example, today I have already tried my first muscadine grapes. They are so interesting. They are large grapes. With thick skins. The center is gooey, containing seeds. But my favorite part is chomping on the crunchy skin, which is sour tasting. These probably are not a fruit that will find their way into a smoothie, but will be eaten plain for now. I also got okra, mini eggplants, baby arugula, sweet potato greens (never had these), and sweet basil (Hello pesto!) in my bag today. Pretty great deal, this CSA thing is! And I also couldn’t help myself and got a gigantic watermelon from the market as well. That might indeed find its way into a smoothie or two this week.

I created this smoothie yesterday. It was not planned, but turned out to be one of my favorites.
1 cup coconut water
1 bag rooibos tea (or your favorite tea)
1 frozen banana
1 scoop Vega One, vanilla chai flavor (or use any protein powder)
3 ice cubes
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds (completely optional)
First, (I did this the night before) boil the coconut water and steep the tea bag for several minutes. Store this in the fridge, until chilled. Then, combine the tea with everything else in the blender to make the smoothie. It takes a little advance preparation, but it’s worth it, and great for recovery from a workout. The coconut water provides extra hydration, the rooibos contains antioxidants, the protein refuels muscle, the banana restores glucose (and is my favorite ingredient for creaminess), chia seeds are an endurance powerhouse, and if added, the pumpkin seeds will provide a boost of iron and other minerals.

Look out for a cinnamon-arugula smoothie and some sweet basil pesto coming later this week!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Happy Back to School!


This past week has been busy, returning to Tallahassee, moving into a new apartment, and getting stuff in order for school to start next week. I am excited for my last first day of school. College went by so fast, I almost wish that I could go back and be a freshman again, but then, I am so relieved that I don’t have to. I have new teammates to get to know and I have a new roommate this year (who is also my teammate). And guess what! She loves smoothies too. So today, I am posting a recipe created by her.

1/3 cup tart cherry juice
1 banana
2/3 cup soy milk or almond milk
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp pure maple syrup or agave
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 scoop Vega Energizing Smoothie (vanilla almondilla)
1/2 tbsp chia seeds

Thursday, August 16, 2012

You get what you pray for


I’m supposed to be healing. A day has not gone by this month that I have not prayed for my shin to make a speedy recovery. But Jesus. He is truly amazing. Because not only is my shin starting to feel better, but that giant case of Pride I ailed from is healing too, through a heavy dose of humility. Tonight I heard one of the more powerful messages I’ve ever gotten as a Christian and I was convicted right there on the spot. Convicted of asking God for more “stuff”. Of believing that I was worthy and deserving of that stuff because I am a “good” person who works hard and prays and is kind to others. “Stuff” including but not limited to the American dream, a charming man to marry, a chance to compete at the Olympics, medals in cross country, enough money to live comfortably, a lake house, a healthy life. The truth is, if I got what I deserved, I wouldn’t be here, I’d be in Hell. The Gospel is not about receiving anything except Grace. It’s about us NOT GETTING what we ACTUALLY deserve for our sins. And this message is not always clearly communicated to the masses. It wasn’t to me until tonight. Because of the mix-up in this message, God is set up for ridicule by non-Christians. And what I learned tonight was that WE are responsible for that. The main reason why people are able to attack our religion is because we do not communicate the significance of what we believe in a way that glorifies God more than it glorifies ourselves. Here is the example that I immediately thought of (although there are many others): professional athletes in post-competition interviews who claim they owe their victory to God. Having just recently watched the Olympics, you probably know what I’m talking about. Dude lines up on the starting line with others. He probably prays as he prepares himself. Maybe he makes the sign of the cross on his chest just before he places his feet in the starting blocks. As he crosses the finish line in first, he throws his arm up at the sky. When he gets asked about his race in an interview. He immediately says something along on the lines of “I owe everything to God” or “I’m just so thankful to God to allow me to be here”. Now hear me out, this is not intended to attack these guys who praise the Lord after they have won a race. While I respect the athletes who make their belief in God public, I just think that there may be more tactful ways to do so. Matthew 7:6 says “Do not cast your pearls before swine.” Admittedly before tonight, I had never heard this verse singled out of the Bible. But it happens in sports all the time. Here we are throwing the Lord’s name around, out of context, and opening him up to ridicule (which you can find on any track and field message board on the internet). It does not honor His power and victory as much as it reveals our pride. It is a common mistake we make as Christians to be quick to speak about God’s glory without first explaining the why: the basic reason that He is magnificent, that we are sinners and thus deserve death. The deed that Jesus did was waaaaaay greater than any Olympic race. But we manage muddle that message in our attempt to glorify Him with OUR pride. Honestly, He does not care who wins a foot race. Nor did he help any one athlete win or lose. And unfortunately, we get so wrapped up sometimes, that we can accidently make it sound this way. Now I’m not saying that God shouldn’t be glorified in everything we do, including sports. He most certainly should. It’s just that now I have realized that pride can be a hindrance to that. And I am hugely guilty. Convicted. Today, I spent 2 hours (and more commonly, I spend 3-4 hours per day) on stuff devoted to building my fitness for running. Partly, because I enjoy exercise, but mainly in hopes that I will reach a certain level of achievement in a sport that will feed my own pride. But how many minutes did I devote to Jesus today, uninterrupted by my pride and asking him for things? Truthfully, not as many. I have trouble coming up with words to describe my shame in this. The worst part is that tomorrow I will probably wake up and do most of the same things over again that I did today. But what I hope is that when I get out of bed and my feet land on the ground and I can walk and breathe and speak, I will praise God for that rather than asking him for more. And that next time I have the opportunity to share the Gospel, that I can get the point across completely on His power alone and without any sense of my own pride. I am supposed to be healing. And while I continue to beg God for it, once again, he comes to my rescue, providing more than I could possibly ever merit, healing my soul.

1 frozen banana
1/4 cup frozen blueberries (we only had this much left, otherwise I would have used 1/2 cup)
2 cups baby spinach
1/4 of an avocado
handful of ice
1 scoop Vega vanilla chai
1 tbsp Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa
1 cup water (didn’t have any almond or soy milk left either)

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Episcopaddling


If given the opportunity to purchase a lotto ticket, you should do it. If given the opportunity to go canoeing with 40 Episcopalians, do it. And if given the opportunity to jump off a rope swing into a river, even if you are not wearing a swim suit, do it! That is all.

Yesterday I had a great adventure at Elk River with church friends. I started with this smoothie. I actually had it planned for a few days, ever since my mom brought home pears from the store. Once I finally made it and tried it, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t done it sooner, because it was sooo good! This one's definitely going to be repeated. Try it out!

1 pear, roughly chopped
1 frozen banana
1 handful ice cubes
1 scoop Vega One, Vanilla Chai flavor*
1 spoonful spirulina
1 spoonful minced ginger
1 cup soy milk

*Note on my smoothie recipes: Ever want to try out one of my posted “recipes”, but are missing one or a few of the ingredients? Make it anyway! With most of them, you can leave a few things out, or substitute something else in, and it won’t matter. For example, in this one, any protein powder could be used instead of the Vega One powder, or perhaps just a handful of oats, pinch of cinnamon, and a bit of honey. The spirulina could be omitted entirely, or replaced with a handful of spinach. Also, I don't exactly measure anything, just kind of throw it in, so weather you want to measure or just eyeball things is up to you.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Foodie Pen Pals

This summer I participated in a fun activity amongst foodies and bloggers called Foodie Pen Pals. Basically, it’s just a bunch of foodies exchanging boxes of goodies with each other. Both bloggers and blog-readers all across the country take part. The program is run by Lindsay at the The Lean Green Bean, and takes place once a month. Lindsay pairs everyone who signs up with someone to mail a package of unique food products to and somebody else to receive one from. On the 5th of the month, you get the name of the person who you are responsible for packing a box for. Everyone who is participating has until the 15th of the month to contact their pen pal for information and mail a package to them. It’s so much fun because first of all, you get mail (who doesn’t love getting a package?), and secondly, you get to meet other foodies, and thirdly, you get to try new things to eat! It costs a little money (about $15 worth of items plus shipping), but you can choose to participate just one month if you wish. I will not be able to keep doing it this fall due to a stricter budget. But it was well worth the it participating this summer!

Usually, anyone who blogs, reveals what they received in a post on the last day of the month. I was not able to do that this month because my box was delayed in arrival. But it finally came while I was out of town this weekend, and when I got home yesterday evening, it was waiting for me! I deliberately unpacked all my stuff from the trip and did all my “chores” for the day before I opened my special surprise.

My foodie pen pal this month was Melyssa. And she did a wonderful job! I got so many great things! And I’ve never had any of them before. Here is a picture of the contents:


Bon Appétit herbes de provence, Rising Moon Organics garlic & merlot pasta sauce, Dr. McDougall’s microwavable black bean & lime soup and Szechuan noodles, Just Great Stuff superberry acai bar, Enjoy Life Boom Choco Boom dark chocolate bar, and an assortment of tea.

I already ate the chocolate bar… along with my chocolate banana breakfast smoothie this morning. You can never have too much chocolate I believe.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Charleston (one day and one day only!)


I arrived in Charleston on Sunday evening. My old teammate and friend from high school, Amy, put me up for 2 nights in her new apartment. On Monday morning, I left her place with a backpack and my GPS, ready for a day of exploring. This was the first time I was really on my own in a city for vacation. It was kind of exciting! First thing I did was drive to the visitor center of Charleston. I parked my car there and picked up a map. Then I set out on a walking tour of Charleston. I saw some historic houses, churches, the waterfront. I walked down the 2 streets with the most shopping. There were so many stores! I mostly just looked, but went inside a few. Now, I always have said that one day I would splurge and spend money on Lululemon running clothes. I’ve window shopped many times, not finding any one item that I loved enough to pay the steep price for. Monday was the day I finally did it. I found some shorts that I loved. In fact, it was a tough decision narrowing down the ones I liked, but I selected one pair and got them. I was slightly nervous as I checked out, paranoid that my bank card would be rejected or something. But a few minutes later, I was walking out of the store with one of their special Lululemon tote bags that you get with a purchase. It was a day of small thrills like that. I finished walking the streets, not going in many other places because I spent all my money already. I did walk in one bakery just to enjoy the cupcake aroma for a moment and then left. I had walked pretty far by lunchtime, so I returned to my car and took to my next destination: the beach.
I arrived in Folly Beach to find it pretty busy. It was hard to find parking. I ended up paying more than I wanted to for that. I went to a café and had a pretty tasty sandwich, dining by myself is kind of fun sometimes. The rest of the afternoon I spent lying on the beach. I read a book, soaked up some rays, and swam around a bit.
That evening I met my friend Huck for dinner. He took me to a place in Charleston that I really liked called the Black Bean Co. If you ever find yourself in the city, check it out for some great wraps. At this point I was pretty tired. That was a long day for me, but I covered the area pretty well in 12 hours. This morning I headed back to Decatur. Just 10 days til I return to Tallahassee! And I’m really excited to get back to my friends there and start school again.

Monday, August 6, 2012

A Weekend at the Lake


My family and I went on vacation this weekend (a mini vacation since we could not afford extra time off work and school). We rented a cabin in the woods near Lake Rabun, in Georgia. We learned about Lake Rabun from an issue of Southern Living magazine. Probably the only time we have vacationed at a location recommended in a magazine! And it was pretty cool. We made it into an inexpensive trip, but some most of the homes on the lake were gorgeous places with boathouses as large as our regular house. Upon arriving Friday afternoon, we drove around checking the area out, went to a country store with every kind of jam imaginable, and dined at the Lake Rabun Hotel without reservations where Mathew made friends with a cat. Our place, dubbed Black Bear Cabin was small, but charming, with everything we needed (i.e. a tv to watch the Olympics). It had a river in the backyard and deck with rocking chairs. Only one small problem: It was raining as I fell asleep Friday night and raining when I woke up Saturday morning.
Our plans for Saturday morning were zip-lining at a place called Sunburst Stables (yep, they had horses too but I stayed away from them). We showed up despite the rain, and let me tell you, it was a ton of fun anyway! Even though, we were outside for 2 hours, we didn’t even end up too wet. It was our first time at this activity, but the place gave us a great experience, and we even had enough courage to flip upside down on the last few lines. Perhaps my favorite part was the beginning though. They staff loaded us into a war craft vehicle that was previously used for German troups and drove us out to the woods. The road got rough, really rough. I mean really, really bumpy. We were flying all over the place. There were 11 of us total in the back, and 2 guides in the trailer of it. At first, I couldn’t believe the crazy obstacle course we were roving on, but it turned out to be a blast!
I would highly recommend zip-lining to anyone. It’s an adventurous activity that you don’t have to have a ton of guts to do. It’s a great way to enjoy the outdoors, even for someone with a slight injury like mine. I’m not going to be running for at least 3 more weeks, but I still got to go gliding though the woods.
It continued to rain, so we did not rent a boat and go out on the lake like we hoped. But we were happy to hang out at the cabin watching tv and baking brownies. When the rain finally did subside, we went to a funny little place called Goats on the Roof. It was just what it sounds like: goats hanging out on a roof. And visitors get to send food and watch the goats from below. We took pictures and bought some fudge. It was an amusing place that killed a little time.
Sunday morning, we toured Tallulah Falls a bit. Tallulah is a historical gorge that had some pretty nice views (and lots of stairs). The second half of my day, I spent driving to Charleston for an extra day of vacation there, while my family returned to Decatur.
It turns out that the cabin kitchen was pretty well stocked, so a blender was available to me. I didn’t count on that though, so I did not plan to make smoothies while there. I did throw one together Sunday morning with a banana, some blueberries, ginger and coconut water.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Let's Tri This Again


Today I was something that I don’t often call myself: a spectator. The triathlon I signed up for a few months ago became out of the question last week after injuring myself, so this morning I found myself on the sidelines with my brother as my parents competed. Kind of backwards, I know!
2 weeks ago I was excited. I was starting to put in some higher volume training. I was feeling like I’d set a pr come this race.
Then, my birthday came and I found myself unable to do my favorite activity. My shin bothered me and since it didn’t clear up in a few days I got a bone scan to check things out. In the meantime I was swimming and biking to keep up. Until, I managed to pull some muscle in my hip. As I struggled to walk for a few days, it became apparent that I would not be able to take any part of the triathlon other than watching.
I spent several days inside in a sour mood. I tried to talk myself into a good attitude but it wasn’t working. Today I figured out why. I sometimes take myself too seriously. I was putting way too much pressure on myself and it took me watching 600 other people having fun to figure it out. I made this cross country season an all or nothing thing, sitting out last year and taking nothing in hopes that this year I would get it all (a dream season that is). I wanted to have my cake and eat it too. Determined to catch up to the rest of the NCAA all in one summer, I started training like crazy. 50, 60, 70 miles. Too much asphalt. Crash!
I didn’t pace myself. I made a rookie mistake in my fifth year of college running. That fact is what horrified me the most. I don’t have the results of the bone scan back yet to know whether it’s a fracture or not. Either way, once I get back to training, I’ll have to take it slower. I can't force things to happen. There are no short cuts in this sport. I may not run as fast as I anticipated this fall. But I’ll take that over not running at all.

Even though I did not race today, I made a mocha frappe worthy of getting me going at 5 am:
1 frozen banana
1 scoop Choc-a-lot Vega Energizing Smoothie
1 packet Starbucks Via instant coffee
1 tsp maca
¾ cup almond milk
8 ice cubes

Friday, July 13, 2012

What does a smoothie girl do on her birthday??
Make a birthday cake smoothie?
Nah, that's been done.
How about a smoothie with all her favorite things?
Bingo!
It just so happened that we had most of my favorites in the house, so I combined them all for one celebratory breakfast concoction.
Here's the line-up:
  • 1/2 cup watermelon
  • 1/4 of an avocado
  • 2 thick slices of cucumber
  • 1 spoonful chocolate flax oil
  • 1 spoonful chocolate peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 1 spoonful Hershey's dark cocoa
  • a dash of cinnamon
  • 1/2 of a banana
  • 3 strawberries
  • 2 pitted medjool dates
  • 2 shelled walnuts
  • 2 spoonfuls old fashioned oats
  • 1 spoonful wheat germ
  • 3 almond milk ice cubes
Into the blender everything went.
 
The result.

 
So, did it taste good?
 
 
Does this answer your question?
 
 
My horoscope today says: Few work harder than you to make other people's lives better in rather obvious ways. Gifts and surprises will trickle in over the next four weeks. There's a financial boost in August. You'll commune with nature in September. A windfall happens in January. Taurus and Libra people adore you.

I hope this is true.



Thursday, July 12, 2012

I'm Running to Your Arms

As a Christian runner I struggle with what value my sport holds in my life. As my teammate Amanda Winslow likes to say "I'm not running for a win." Because here's the thing: I know that God doesn't care if I win a foot race or not. He has offered a prize that is much greater than an All-American or Olympic medal.

Today as I was running, I started reminiscing some great moments I've had in my still-short running career. I do this sometimes to make it through a boring or tiring run. I replayed the day I won the ACC Steeplechase Championship in my head. One of my favorite memories I keep is when Coach Harvey came sprinting across the field and lifted me off the ground in congratulations and we were both just elated.

I wish that will happen again. Please happen again. Please happen again. What if it never happens again?!

Then it struck me. It WILL happen again. Just not in the same place I imagine it. It will be when I get to heaven. Jesus will scoop me up with a greater joy and excitement than I have ever felt from winning a race. From this image my pace on the trail quickens. I will face the prize I've truly been training for my whole life. And it will have little to do with the miles and times I ran. To be sure, 1 Corinthians 9:24 is not about a 10k (although some people will twist it that way). It's about the race of a lifetime.

"Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." 1 Corinthians 9:25 begins the rest of the story.

What happens on the trails, how my training goes, or where I finish in my next race does not determine failure or success. I'll only fail if I don't live God's words. I'll only fail if I don't love. I'll only fail if I ignore God's plan for me.

After these images and thoughts play out, I look down at my watch. I've just clocked the fastest mile of my run...

Today's smoothie was something new to me:
2 figs, picked straight off my Dad's fig tree
1/4 cup cooked Jasmati rice
1/2 cup chocolate soymilk
ice cubes

Friday, July 6, 2012

Turn Around, Silly

Today on my run I was heading into some wind, and I, getting tired and frustrated, asked God, "Why does there have to be this stupid wind pushing against me?" He replied, "I actually have blessed you with the wind, just turn around silly!" So I did. That makes me wonder what other solutions are right under my nose...

Anyway, today's smoothie was green:
1 cup turnip greens
1/2 of a banana
1 stalk of celery
1 spoonful of maca
1 spoonful of ground flaxseed
a drop of almond extract
1/2 cup of almond milk

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Hello July

It sure is heating up around here! This morning's run was the sweatiest yet and afterward I spent $1.75 on a homemade ice bath. I've been lazy and spending most of the time inside the air-conditioned house, but I am looking forward to this month. This week, I'm adding more miles to my summer running routine. My family will be attending 2 weddings. Mom, Dad, and I are preparing for a small triathlon on the 21st. After that, I'm hoping to take a one-night camping trip with my brother to Birmingham, which will entail a challenging run in Oak Mountain State Park. Oh, and I turn 22 this month! Tonight, we are kicking off July with dinner on the grill: ribs, black bean burgers made by me, and corn on the cob. I'll be watching the last night of the Olympic Track Team Trials on TV. The Olympics could not have come at a better time. Just the inspiration I needed to fire me up for my last year running at FSU.

This morning's smoothie was one of my more simple ones:
1/2 an avocado
a handful of strawberries
a handful of raspberries
a scoop of Vega vanilla almondilla energizing smoothie
spoonful of maca
1/2 cup almond milk
Served in a frosty mug with a mint chocolate JD Bar :)

Friday, June 29, 2012

I'm a writer


I always said that writing was my least favorite subject in school. I was much more interested in science and loathed essay assignments. Even with the GRE test I have coming up this summer, the part I am dreading the most is the writing portion (2 essays and only 30 minutes for each!). Yet, here I am writing a blog…
Wait, I’m a writer? You see, one thing I have slowly learned is that writing is essential to everything, as it is a prime form of communication (another dreaded topic of mine). College has taught me this. Albeit I have written far less papers as a science major than is required of a liberal arts student, I now realize that even scientific information has to be relayed somehow. Sure, charts and graphs can communicate a great deal, but writing is required to explain their significance to us.
What has hammered this idea home to me is a book that I am just finishing up reading called The China Study. This scientist, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, who I believe to be the most brilliant researcher in the field of nutrition, spent 30 years compiling the most compelling information about diet in relation to disease. The only reason I was able to learn all this information was because he, a person who certainly never set out to be a writer, authored a 400-page book! This book has not only opened my eyes to the tragedy of the Standard American Diet and how our government and healthcare system are failing to improve it (more on that at a later date), but it has in part, inspired me to take a new view on writing and even played a role in the beginning of my blog.
Today I found the hilliest part of my neighborhood and cruised around for about an hour, then cooled off with this:
½ of a banana
a handful of strawberries
a handful of raspberries
2 handfuls of kale
a scoop of Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer
a spoonful of maca
½ a cup of almond milk
a spoonful of raspberry-lemon Natural Vitality Calm
Red and green don’t make for the prettiest colored smoothie, but the tart berry flavor made up for that.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Commitment


The truth is, probably the main reason I put off starting a blog for so long was because I was afraid of the “C” word. It seemed like a tough commitment to continue to post regularly, and the last thing I wanted to do was to begin something and then “fail” at it. But I’ve thought about it a little further. It’s not like writing papers for school, where I have to do research before painstakingly forming sentences about a topic I am not excited about. This blog is supposed to encompass my life. I am committed to: training for track and cross country, getting a college degree, my family and friends, my relationship with Christ, living a healthy life. If I am blogging about all these things that I’m already committed to and constantly thinking about, then is blogging really a tough commitment? I don’t think so! Albeit, I won’t hold myself to any certain schedule. This shouldn’t be so hard after all.

Today’s smoothie that powered my 8-mile run:
¼ of a cucumber
½ of an avocado
a stalk of celery
a cup of watermelon
2 kiwis
2 handfuls of blueberries
¼ cup of almond milk
a scoop of Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer (natural flavor)

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Well, here goes nothing!


Finally, I am starting my own blog. It’s been a long time coming I feel. I’ve been a blog reader for some time now. I spend a lot of time perusing the blogosphere. I’ve got a list of favorites that I visit on a regular basis. I’ve been inspired by many friends and strangers alike. I’ve been told before that I should have my own blog. One day at practice, when I was talking about yet another thing I read about on someone’s blog, Coach Harvey asked “JD, when are you gonna start your own blog?” The truth is, I’ve been contemplating it for it a while. If I’m going to have a blog, I thought, what would I blog about? Running? Food? God? I felt like I needed to choose a main focus, and I had lots of ideas! But I would be so overwhelmed by the number of them that I would just end up not choosing anything. Today when I was running, though, the notion of my own blog was rolling around in my mind again. And that’s when I realized: Who says my blog has to have a theme? It’s MY blog and I can make the rules. After all, that’s how I make my smoothies. If you have ever been in the kitchen when I’m making a smoothie, you will have noticed that there are very few things that I wouldn’t consider putting in the blender. I like to say that they have everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink in them (anything that’s vegan, that is). My life is a lot like one of my smoothies. There is school, running, my passion for food, family, friends, and strangers, and a big God who has the secret recipe. I often find myself throwing in the ingredients one at a time, but then He presses the button on the blender, sometimes before I even got the lid screwed on. Mostly they turn out pretty good, sometimes not as good as I was hoping, and sometimes their sweetness has me licking the blender clean with my spatula.
So finally, I am starting my own blog. And it’s about anything I want it to be about, including the kitchen sink.
I begin most days with a smoothie. Here is today’s recipe:
½ of a banana
a handful of strawberries
2 handfuls of baby carrots
2 handfuls kale
a scoop of Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer (natural flavor)
a scoop of Vega Energizing Smoothie (vanilla almondilla)
a spoonful of maca powder
a spoonful of ground flaxseed
a spoonful of coconut oil
a spoonful of cinnamon
½ cup of coconut water

The following is a list of just a few of the blogs I have read. I thank these people for inspiration. Check them out! Amanda http://notrunning4awin.blogspot.com/, Laura http://today-is-extraordinary.tumblr.com/, Kate http://katherine-borowicz.blogspot.com/, Matt http://www.nomeatathlete.com/, Angela http://ohsheglows.com/, Gena http://www.choosingraw.com/, Kath http://www.katheats.com/