2.20.15 TGIF
Congrats! It’s Friday! aka. the longest day of MY week. On fridays I work a full 8-5 at the office then race to the bar and work until midnight. (PS- I am not complaining, because I gave that up for Lent ! Just painting a picture.) But there is a silver lining, because inevitably Saturday always follows. All day on Friday I know that when my head hits my pillow around 1 am that I do not have to set an alarm and can sleep as long as my little heart desires - 100% guilt-free. (Typically this results in about 45 minutes more than any other work day, but I treasure those extra glittery 45 minutes, because time is precious). However, the only thing that gets me up and out of bed on these grueling Fridays is the refreshing thought of a large vat of dunkin’s hazelnut coffee and an even larger to-go smoothie.
Last night I was lucky enough to be invited to a delicious Italian dinner with Casey and our ex-roomie, but forever fairy-god-uncle, Dean. Every few weeks Dean makes sure to invite us to our absolute favorite restaurant in town (&quite possibly the world) Giannfranco’s Trattoria - Italian Restaurant! If you are local to SB or Carp - check this place out, it is a hidden gem! At these dinners Dean forces us to order a bottle of Italian vino, appetizers, salads, main courses and dessert (he really has to twist our arm for this HAH). Gentlemen Reading: take notes, this is how you treat a lady ;) ! Casey and I both chose the short ribs entree last night, which is a decedent dish that literally falls of the bone and right into your mouth-watering pie-hole. I followed this Thursday night dish with a sweet little chocolate cake with a cherry filling treat- because life is TOO short, eat dessert. So as you can imagine I went to bed last night feeling like a complete tub of lard - a very happy & full tub of lard. When my alarm struck the un-magical time to wake up for work, I was still feeling absolutely engorged and bloated (still as happy as a fat clam though) - How in the absolute-heck was I supposed to get through a 16 hour day with a set of food baby twins?! currently kicking at the womb.
Take a LOOK at this meal - excuse the poor photo - my iphone 6 comes in today!
At dinner the night prior, Dean (the vegan) was raving about his new morning ritual of a mug of warm water and freshly squeezed lemon. He proclaimed it aids in digestion and I should drink one before my morning coffee. Luckily, I had been able to catch the tail-end of the farmer’s market on the way to our fancy-pants dinner and so happened to snag a few lemons, tangerines, grapefruits, and 2 jumbo-HGH-pumping-sexy-juicy avocados all for $6.
I began my morning by listening to Dean and trying this “warm lemon water” creation and it really woke me up and was so refreshing. There is something ever-so lovely about the smell of fresh picked citrus. I immediately followed the lemon water with my hazelnut bean while getting ready in my bathrobe. It was a grand way to start a crazy day, but I need something more, some subsistence. With 10 minutes before work I began throwing together one of mine & Casey’s all-time favorite smoothies!
Time to get Blended:
What you need: Stack these yummies right into your blender as listed.
1 Cup of Frozen mango pieces (fresh would be better but Hey - I’m a busy chick)
1 Frozen Banana (I buy a bunch every week - eat about 1 fresh nanner. Then peel, bag, & freeze the rest for smoothies, already frozen fruit means no ice needed- which mean no more WATERY smoothies! )
2 Whitney sized handfuls of Kale ( I would compare a whitney hand to medium sized handful but I am not scientist)
1 Whitney sized handful of spinach that was on its way out. waste not want not.
1 Tablespoon of flax seed meal
1 Cup of Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (30 calories)
¼ of a lemon squeezed violently over all other ingredients in the blender. Then toss the left over lemon in your garbage or compost if you are that good!
Now grind up these goodies until you have a silky smooth GREEN smoothie. Do not forget the squeezed lemon - that is the secret ingredient in this oh-so delish meal replacement. If your smoothie is too thick add a little bit of H2O and re-blend.
With this smoothie in hand and a good attitude to boot you can&will make it through any Friday! Saturday is only a day away - TGIF. You have made it through your week - play a little Beyonce’s Flawless @ full volume and dance in an itsy circle to reward yourself, because YOU ROCK! :)
HOMEWORK: think about what you are giving up for the Lent (I am in no way religious but I think the concept of challenging yourself for 40 days is great and what a cliche time to try it out). Instead of giving cupcakes or booze try giving up a negative trait you find sneaking into your day-to-day life. ie. hating your body, complaining about work, or gossiping.
smooches to you all!