Hey guys! We have some FUN family stuff going on this week (I’ll tell you guys ALL about it next week!), so I don’t have a ton of time. I’ll keep this post brief-ish.
I have to say I’ve been feelin’ like an old lady lately; I’m about to have a very big birthday in a couple weeks. Eeeeeek.
The other day I felt even older when my kindergartener asked me how old the baby was. I told him, “17 months.” He then asked me how many months old he was…he is 70 months old. He THEN asked me how many months old I was!
Well, I am almost 480 months old!! Four hundred and eighty!!! What in the world???!!!$#*@??? My son was very impressed.
When I turned 30, it was the first time in my life that I didn’t feel young. I didn’t particularly feel old, but I just didn’t feel like a youngin’ anymore. Now that I’m turning the BIG 4 0, I’m kind of freaking out. I seriously cannot believe I will be FORTY!!!! What in the heck folks???!! That sounds so old to me and yet, I still feel 18. Aging is a strange thing. Most of the people I know who have gone before, tell me they’ve enjoyed their 40s more than their 30s. I hope that’s the case.
I’m trying to enjoy every stage of life. I also want to stay as healthy and active as I can so my body will keep up with me!!! I’m always so impressed when I see fit and healthy older people. I have so much respect and admiration for them!
I also saw this quote on Facebook the other day that touched my heart!
I love Richard Gere’s perspective. Awesome.
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Well, I’ve been slackin’ a bit in the exercise department lately. It’s interesting; when I take the time to plan out my exercise for the week and make myself “a plan,” I do well. When I don’t have a set plan, schedule or goal….I suck. Simple as that. Soooo, I’m in the process of figuring out what in the heck I want to do!
I was super tempted to sign up for this amazing challenge that Jamie Eason is involved in.
It looks so awesome and so motivating! I LOOOOOVE stuff like this!!!! Auuugh! But, then I reminded myself that I’m trying to SIMPLIFY my life and make my life a little less stressful. There is a time and place for everything and right now it’s not the time or place for me to take on a huge challenge. Sniff, sniff.
BUT, if any of YOU guys want to do it….DO IT! I think you can sign up until Monday, January 25th. It’s all FREE too! Here’s a link if you’re interested. Auuuughh! I want to sign up so bad…..but I won’t. I feel like I have the angel and devil sitting on my shoulders. It’s tough.
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I’ve been eating really well during the week; watching my portions, getting in lots of healthy protein, lots of veggies, tons of good stuff….and then the weekend hits! It’s a whole ‘nother story; let’s just say I plead the fifth. Ha.
Soooo, I need to do some shaping up ‘round here! Once again, when I make myself a plan and identify some goals, I thrive. When I just shoot from the hip and aimlessly try to eat well, I suffer. Simple as that.
I have been making myself lots of Green Smoothies and Healthy Soups in my Vitamix lately though. I love it! I was talking to my little sissy on the phone last week and she told me that she makes a giant smoothie full of tons of veggies. It sounded so awesome to me, so I headed over to Costco and loaded up…
I’ve decided that I don’t love drinking my food, but it really does make healthy eating so simple! I love that I can chuck a bunch of good stuff into my blender and drink it right up! I sometimes get tired of salads and I would never be able to EAT the volume of things I put into my smoothies/protein drinks. Soooo, I love that my blender makes healthy eating sooooo much simpler and easier. I’m hooked.
I thought I’d share my favorite smoothie and soup that I’ve been eating a lot lately.
I’ve been loving this Blueberry Yogurt Green Smoothie.
It so yuuuuummmmy! I’ve been having it for breakfast or as a mid-morning snack.
Blueberry Yogurt Green Smoothie
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or liquid of your choice)
- 1 cup water (or liquid of your choice)
- ½ cup frozen blueberries
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- A pinch of stevia (if you’re using stevia packets, I’d use one or two)
- A splash of vanilla extract
- 2 giant handfuls of greens (spinach, kale, chard, etc.)
- Ice (add more if you like it thick, less if you like it thin)
I just put everything into my blender, except for the ice, and mix it up! Then I add the ice and mix it again.
I’ve even added a little bit of cucumber a couple of times and it’s great! Yum.
Oh, and I bought some Orgain vanilla protein powder and it’s wonderful!
I got it on Amazon; the ingredients are stellar and the price is decent. I bought the chocolate version at Costco a couple months ago. I loved it so much, that I decided to buy the vanilla one online. Love it.
I’ve also been looooving this veggie soup!
The recipe is giant! It fills my blender up to the brim. It’s probably two servings, but I’ve been drinking (a.k.a. chugging) it all! Woot! I love how I can ingest so many veggies so easily. Love it.
Even though it’s technically a soup, I like to drink it in a cup with a straw, so I guess you could call it a Green Smoothie too. Whatever floats your boat.
Chock Full of Veggies Vitamix Soup
- 3 cups of chicken broth (or water with a bouillon cube)
- 1 cup broccoli; steamed
- 2 tablespoons onion; chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic; minced
- ½ bell pepper
- ½ zucchini
- ½ summer squash
- 1 carrot (or small handful of baby carrots)
- 1 celery stalk
- 2 handfuls spinach (or greens of choice)
Put all of the ingredients in the blender and mix it on high for 5 minutes and 35 seconds.
The Vitamix heats the soup, which I think is miraculous! It you don’t have a Vitamix or Blendtec, I’m sure you could mix up this soup in your regular blender and heat it up on the stove or even the microwave.
When I first made this, I chopped up a ton of extra veggies and then divided it up into freezer bags.
It’s made this soup so quick and easy! I obviously didn’t add the chicken broth to the bags and I also left the spinach out. I’m sure you could add the spinach, but I just keep my big bags of spinach in the freezer and just add some to the top of the blender when I make it.
If you think you’d use the bags of soup ingredients within the week, I’m sure you could just keep them in the fridge. I decided to put mine in the freezer though. When I make the soup with one of the bags from the freezer, I first thaw out the veggies in the microwave and I mix the soup in the Vitamix for a minute longer.
I also must say that the foam on the top of the soup that forms (you can see it in the picture) makes me want to hurl. I’ve since figured out how to keep the foam out of my glass; when I pour it into my glass, I just keep the lid on the blender a little bit as I pour and it holds the foam back. Awesome.
Well, I hope you guys enjoy these recipes! I’ve loved them, although I’m getting a tad sick of my veggie soup. I may change it up a bit this week.
I also thought I’d share some fun pics. Kev and two of my sons made an awesome igloo in our back yard last week. They worked on it for hours!!!! It turned out so cool. The picture on the left is the igloo in progress, the one on the right is the finished product!
Here we are taking a selfie from inside the igloo…
Kev and my 12 year old actually SLEPT in it one night. They had fun, but it sounded like a nightmare to me. Ha ha. I face-timed them from my nice warm bed and thought they were crazy. They loved it though and it certainly made for a fun memory.
I also thought I’d share this cute pic that melted my heart the other day.
My baby had been loving books lately! He brings a book to someone and then wants to sit on their lap so they can read it to him. My 12 year old read him a couple books the other day and I thought it was so sweet.
Well, that’s all I have to say for now! I guess I didn’t keep it very brief. Figures. Ha ha. I hope you all have a wonderful night!
I look forward to your posts each time; they are so much fun to read! Thanks for the fabulous recipes. I’m going to try them both!
Your family pics are so uplifting and sweet. The igloo is one of the coolest family fun projects I’ve ever seen. And your son reading to the baby… Awww
Thanks so much Deborah! You’re always such a sweetheart. <3
You look amazing for 480 months old! Lol.
I love, love that quote from Richard Gere. So very true. Not many people get the chance to grow old and pass away all too quickly.
I will check out that protein powder.
Ha ha!!! I loved that quote from Richard Gere; it really put things into perspective.
I love making soup in my Vitamix. Just because I can 🙂
I agree! The Vitamix is amazing and I’m loving all the things I can do with it!
The smoothie and soup sounds delicious. I want to start drinking more green juice this year. That is so cool that your hubby and sons made an igloo!
I’ve been enjoying the smoothies and soups so much! It’s such a simple way to get in a lot of nutrition. 😉
I have to say I’ve loved my 40s more than any other decade so far, and I’m in the far side of them. I’m more fit, more determined, less inclined to care about what other people think than at any other time.
That being said, I just accidentally ran the back of my hand against a textured surface, and scraped it all up. There’s nothing more sobering than realizing you have the thin skin on the back of your hands like an old lady. 🙁
Oh well.
I’m so happy to hear that! I’ve had so many people tell me that they’ve enjoyed their 40s so much. I’m not so happy about all the “old lady” stuff though. I’m seeing the wrinkles and age spots creep up and I’m not a fan. Boo. 🙁
Your posts are so vibrant! It is a joy to read them. Keep up the healthy lifestyle!!
That you SO much! I really appreciate your sweet comment. 🙂