My Favorite Smoothie

I love having smoothies for breakfast especially right after a workout and here is my all time favorite recipe. This is Dr. Oz "Quick Magical Breakfast Blaster." I feel energetic, full, and I don't crave for sweets as much during the day. Here are the ingredients.




milk, frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries, banana, flax seed oil, psyllium husk






Pour 12-14 oz of nonfat milk into blender (banana optional) or you can substitute milk with ice cold water.






1 scoop of protein. I love the "EAS" brand because it has more grams of protein in one scoop and it's tastier. It comes in 3 different flavors, vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry. It comes in a big package in Sam's Club. Or you can use 1 scoop of "Nature's Plus Spiru-Tein" which is a soy protein.





1/2 tablespoon of Flax oil that's loaded with Omega-3 essential fatty acids - "critical nutrients that support healthy cardiovascular, circulatory and immune system function."









1 heaping teaspoon of Psyllium seed husks which you can purchase at Trader Joe's or any Health Nutrition store. Psyllium husks contain a lot of fiber and can be used to supplement the lack of fiber in low carb diets." Psyllium also helps to reduce appetite while it does not over stimulate the nervous system. Another benefit of psyllium husks includes overall intestinal health".








1 cup of frozen blueberries. Blueberries has the highest antioxidant capacity of all fruits. It boosts up your immune system and prevents infection. (You can also add a few frozen strawberries for more flavor, though blueberries alone is still tasty!)



My son the picky eater loves it, he says it's better than Jamba Juice! Be sure to add honey, it makes it a little more sweeter. Here's the recipe again: Enjoy!


The Quick Magical Breakfast Blaster
2 servings, 136 calories per serving

• 1 scoop of Protein Power or Soy protein (like Nature's Plus Spiru-Tein)
• 1/2 Tbsp. flaxseed oil
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• A few frozen strawberries (optional)
  
• 1/2 large ripe banana (optional)
  
• 1/2 Tbsp. apple juice concentrate or honey
• 1 heaping tsp. Psyillium seed husks
• 12-14 oz of skim milk or ice cold water
  

Peel banana; break into chunks. Put all ingredients in a blender. Add 12 ounces of water and ice or skim milk , as well as powdered vitamins. Cover, blend until fairly smooth.


Food for Thought: "I must have a drink of breakfast."
W.C. Fields
( I have a feeling when W.C. Fields said that quote, he wasn't talking about smoothies! )

A request from the past

I haven't seen or talked to my father for over ten years. My parents were divorced when I was only two years old and I haven't seen much of him over the years. I always felt the relationship was one sided...my side. Each visit drained me emotionally because I knew that his kids with his current wife came first and I could tell that my visits were awkward for him. When I was fifteen years old, I couldn't live at home with my mother and her husband and asked to live with him. He said No. It really does a number on your psyche when both your parents choose their spouses over you. I went and lived in foster homes, but despite their rejection, I still wanted a relationship with them.

After a lot of soul searching, I realized that I needed to let my father go. If he wanted a relationship with me, he would pick up where I left off. He didn't and that was over ten years ago. It was hard letting go and the decision wasn't easy because though I hoped my father would call or visit me, I knew it would never happen.

And then I get a call from a sister. She told me that our father has kept track of my family. He knows where I live and what my family has been up to. He's kept up with news of my son's football and other sports. And that he wants a relationship. As my sister told me this over the phone, I was in shock. The news was unexpected and I hurriedly got off the phone and started sobbing.

I thought I would feel nothing. I've worked hard to feel numb and not care. I believed that I achieved that until that damn phone call! Why the hell does he want a relationship now? I have developed a thick skin when it comes to my parents and now my father wants be a part of my life?! Why doesn't he call me, instead of being a chicken sh*** and having my sister call????

I have gone through years of therapy to get over my parent's rejection and part of my binging that had me at over 200 lbs was because of them. I ate over their rejection and now that I feel like I have my life back in order...my father wants back in. His kids want a relationship too.

I can't go back there now. I have less than one year with my son before he goes to college and I want his last year at home to be uneventful. I cannot afford to risk having my heart broken again. It's taken a long time to get rid of old tapes and I want to move forward. One day I'll call my father and see if he still wants a relationship, but it's not going to be anytime soon.




Food for Thought: "Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad"
(I dedicate this quote to my father in law. He was my dad & I miss him.)

Now I really like going to the gym

I have always loved working out. And yet, working out at the gym and getting to the gym are two different things. I can come up with a hundred excuses why I can't go to the gym. Ninety-nine of those excuses are lame, except for one. I hated my work out clothes. Here is what my work out wardrobe looked like:

The basketball shorts were comfortable except the shorts kept riding up in the front especially when I would be on the treadmill walking or running. I often had to stop because it felt uncomfortable and not to mention looks funny. And they made my butt look bigger!


















The tank top was comfortable and felt cool, but I hated exposing my upper arms. The only time I felt self-conscious about my arms was when I was working out in the weight room and there are mirrors every where. All I could see were my upper arms which I didn't like looking at, but the mirrors are right there!




















The velour pants were comfortable and flattering, but they're not meant to work out in! The pants become it's own heat furnace. It's too hot to work out in them and not practical. Velour pants tend be very long in the bottom so it's easy to trip over them, especially when your jogging uphill on the treadmill!



















My husband finally got tired of me complaining about my work out clothes and suggested that I should go out and buy new ones. I hate spending money on clothes that I'm going to sweat in, but he insisted that it would probably improve my attitude towards going to the gym. So, where do you shop if you don't want to spend too much money? Walmart!

I bought 2 pairs of black Danskin tights for only $7 each! They met all my requirements for a perfect workout outfit: It was comfortable, it's black & interchangeable. I didn't have to constantly adjust it. It felt slimming and held EVERYTHING in and I also looked great in it!





















I bought 3 pairs of t-shirts that were roomy, covered my upper arms, felt comfortable, and looked great with the black tights. I bought a grey, white, & black t-shirts, all the same design. And they were only $3 each! I would have bought more, but I didn't like the other colors.














A whole new work out wardrobe for less than $28! I know you probably shouldn't care about what you wear at the gym and I know I may sound vain. I mean when you come right down to it, who cares how you look at the gym? Unfortunately, I do! I have found that a simple thing like feeling good in what I wear to the gym has made a world of difference and I have gone to the gym almost every day this week. I actually look forward going to the gym because now I like how I look in my work out duds and that's a good thing.

Bottom line....whatever works to motivate yourself to work out and be healthy.


Food for Thought: "We are shaped and fashioned by what we love."

Still here, Still breathing

It's been over 3 weeks since my son started school and I thought my schedule would become less hectic. Wrong! I haven't had much time to post or read any of your blogs. And unfortunately I haven't made the effort to track my food. I felt so good with my weight loss and losing the inches I got cocky and stopped tracking. And when you stop tracking, you start to lose awareness of what you eat.

Surprisingly, I haven't gained any weight. I believe it's because I've still been able to work out at the gym, though I have only been going 3 days a week. But, when I'm in the gym I make it count and work out for almost 2 hours each time. Basically, I've been working out to eat which isn't a good thing.

Today I'm starting fresh. I'm going back to my simple plan of living a healthier lifestyle.

1. Tracking my food intake
2. Drinking lots of water
3. Exercising daily - except Sundays
4. Not eating past 7pm - No more munching in front of the TV!
5. Portion Control

A simple plan that I know I can stay on. I have only 25 more pounds to go & I'm at goal weight! I know I can do it! I'm meeting with some old friends in two weeks and I want to feel good when I see them. Today is a new day to start fresh!



Food for Thought: "Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way".
Al Franken