Nicely put....Enjoy the small things...They make life fun!:)

Nicely put....Enjoy the small things...They make life fun!:)

Possible that I'm first? Cool.

Yay for small things 'making your day.' This was the year I decided to do just one thing at a a time, and I have to say that the peace this approach has brought me is nothingn short of amazing.

"I can't do the dishes, I'm cooking." "I'm not going to look at the mail, I'm doing dishes." and so so forth... My little zen moments are helping me center again.

Thank you so much for this Laurie. I have a hard time with breakfast. I have been known to eat ramen noodles because that's all that sounds good to me at 7am (don't laugh...they sound good to me always).

But a smoothie I could easily do. I used to make them (not with all the nutrients you add, tho' I should have) but I kind of forgot about them. Blueberries are super good for you too. Thanks for reminding me, I'm going shopping soon!

Amy, I could eat Ramen for every meal, too!!

The smoothie thing has changed my mornings for the better. I tried a banana-peach smoothie yesterday and it was so good. I forgot how much I liked peaches! I never buy them fresh because they're so expensive, so I hadn't had a peach in... a long, long time.

The best part is that you can make them with any ingredients, I've even made them with apples instead of bananas and they taste great. The fiber powder stuff (the psyllium husks) guarantee that you get added fiber without having to taste it. And smoothies are so easy! All you have to do is wash out the blender. No cooking!

**But it's one thing to know and understand your habits and it's a whole nother thing to break away from them.**

Ain't that the truest truth I've ever seen.

When I went to the mother land (aka Puerto Rico) with my best friend Gladys, the very first morning her mother asked what I wanted for Breakfast. (This was a semi new concept for me.. I was too cool for breakfast). She said very politely, yet firmly (as only mothers can do) that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. (Between the lines she said "And you will be eating it!"). I've eaten breakfast every day ever since and my days have definately been better.

I make a very similar smoothie for breakfast. I peel and freeze bananas (they last for a long time), and I also buy in quantity when fruit is fresh and freeze it myself (lots less $$). I use yoghurt and add a scoop of frozen OJ and a little water. Yum!

Mmmm...love smoothies but never think about them for breakfast. This had me imagining myself making one very soon. Just the idea of it makes me happy in the now. Looks like I'm headed to Whole Foods this weekend.

So who would dare say a smoothie is just a smoothie, when it can be peace and contentment and fulfillment all rolled up into one?

I think of it as "Someday when." Someday when the kid is in school/the mortgage is paid off/the puppy is housebroken.

But you never know when life will blindside you and you'll find yourself longing for back when the kid was in school/we still had the house/the dog was a pup.

Happy is a matter of noticing. I'm happy now, while the sun is shining and the dog is wrecking the porch window screen scratching to get in.

YUM! Now add one handful of baby spinach. Believe me, you won't taste the spinach and will have had one servings of greens by breakfast!

Jessica, I have seen online where folks are making "green smoothies" with kale and all kinds of stuff, I may have to try one one of these days. I definitely do NOT eat enough (or any) greens. Unless m&ms count.

Damn, that looks good. I think I'm gonna go make a smoothie.
(I don't have psyllium, but I do have wheat bran flakes. . . )
Thanks!
p.s. I love that book. Drs. Oz and Roizen and Michael Pollan are my heroes.

Laurie:

I'm doing this exact thing right now! Breakfast really does make my day different. Right now, I'm loving Leaf Cuisine's Sinless Cinnamon Rolls and a cup of green tea. They are actually raw organic and vegan -- but taste like doughy cinnamon rolls. Amazing! Leaf Cuisine is on Ventura and Beverly Glen in a little shopping center but the "cinnamon rolls" are available at Whole Foods in the refrigerated raw prepared foods section.

I haven't made a smoothie for awhile, but when I do, I make them w/out milk or yogurt. I used to drink milk by the gallon when I was younger, but somehow somewhere I became lactose intolerant, and drinking it these days involves lots of pain and bathroom time...

Anyway, I digress. My smoothie recipe for the lactose intolerant is simple: half a banana, about 1/2 a cup of frozen strawberries and 1/2 a cup of orange juice. If you want it thicker, you freeze the banana first. Pure yumness!

I love the idea of smoothies, but here's my dilema. What about the coffee? Do you take two travel cups on your commute? Do you wait to drink coffee at work? Did you give up coffee? I bought all the smoothie stuff. But have yet to make one. Because I can't get past the idea of not having my hot coffee to sip during my crawl on the 405. And sipping hot coffee while alternating with a cold smoothie just seems weird. Maybe I'm just weird about this?

Lex, you can't take any food or drinks on transportation in Los Angeles, so I have my smoothie at home and then when I get to work I drink the freebie coffee in the office. On the days when I drive, I have a smoothie at home and do a coffee run at 7-11 before getting on the 101.

I find that the reverse is true, too: having distant happy things to look forward to is great, but if I don't have a little happy in my daily life, it doesn't help to say "yes, but in two months I'll be on that trip" or "cheer up, Christmas is coming and you'll see family again". There has to be a little brightness in daily life, too.

Great post, Laurie. I think I'll print it out and tape it to my bathroom mirror where it will remind me that life is now, not someday.

Oh, and I'll try the smoothie too! Love blueberries!

Yummy! I make smoothies, but I haven't made them for breakfast. I like your version.

My daughter puts just a bit of fresh mint in hers--it doesn't really taste minty, but it somehow enhances all the other flavors. You might like to try it!

And, about the small things ... you know, I'm only just figuring this out, and I'm a fair bit older than you are! You're obviously (a) smarter than most people and (b) more willing to believe you can still learn things, or that your previous notions might be wrong.

Mmmmmmm sounds delish!!
I'm glad you're living for the now. That's all we can do.

My Mom and I have a smoothie for breakfast everyday and when we don't make time for it, we feel crappy later. We forget that our bodies to scream for nutrition and we just have to listen for a minute to find that out.
My smoothie recipe can be found here:
http://www.xanga.com/ElainaHarper25/642203408/habits-not-the-kind-at-a-convent.html

Laurie! I am so challenged by my stupid self-imposed limitations! Drink a smoothie at home? What a concept! Get up, blend, drink while getting ready, and take coffee to go like always! So simple!

I just fell in love with you all over again. You know. In that blog-love kind of way. I won't stalk you or anything. :)

CAP, I so enjoy it when you philosophize! Thanks for sharing and helping us remember the important things.

My default breakfast is similar, minus the blender (and also makes me very happy). I get a serving of nonfat, plain yogurt, sweeten it myself with a bit of honey, add frozen raspberries, carry it to work which lets the raspberries thaw a bit, and add some granola just before I eat it. Heaven. Sweetening my own yogurt has subtracted from the calorie count, plus plain yogurt is way more versatile to have around than the pre-sweetened stuff. Only problem is now when I have the pre-sweetened, it tastes too sweet to me!

I had to give up caffiene for health reasons and have come to find great joy in a cup of peppermint tea and crossword puzzle every morning.

Also, about the movie being already in progress, I so need to remember that! Thanks!

Lex, that's my issue with the breakfast smoothie. I got a baby blender just for the purpose of making smoothies in the morning, but it was too weird drinking them with coffee. Plus, I have a 10 minute walk just to get to my car, and people give me odd looks when I'm dashing across the road juggling two cups of liquid.

Maybe it would work better as a mid-morning meal, after I've gotten a few cups of coffee in my system already. Usually I skip breakfast, so I could easily wait until 10 or 11 to have it.

Lex, I get up freakishly early (I write in the a.m. usually) so the one downside of my extra-early morning smoothie is that I'm usually ready for lunch by 10:30 a.m. So now I have to bring a snack to eat so my workmates don't laugh at me for eating lunch at 10:30 in the morning...

I can't seem to convince my brain that a smoothie can be a meal and not just a drink that you have along with a meal.

i can't do bananas, i'm allergic. i wonder if i could just double up on the frozen fruit?

Did you know that you can add a handful of baby spinach to your smoothie and not taste it a bit? Then you get veggies too. It looks not-so-pretty but still tastes great.

You can try putting a carrot in there too; that is also a non-tasting addition. But I'd stay away from bok choy. [shudder] I only made that mistake once.

Minnie, I tend to run out of bananas a lot (and I tried freezing them but my blender did not like that at all) so sometimes I make it with just different kinds of fruit, or peel an apple and add that in instead of banana.

I'm going to try the handful of spinach thing. Good idea!

Laurie, I forgot to add that once I started drinking smoothies for breakfast, I stumbled upon what is maybe the most sublime fruit combo (apart from blueberries & banana) : frozen strawberries and a fresh bartlett pear. The pear somehow makes the strawberry flavor really pop.

I love your blender! I need a new one...maybe if I get something attractive, I'd convince myself that a smoothie could be a meal....hmmmmm.

Love the smoothie concept...made some for my two boys for an after school snack yesterday. It was hard for the 2 y.o. to suck through his sippy cup, tho, so I'll have to dilute his next time. You mentioned how you love toast. My 9 y.o. sings a song from his music class at school, so I found a live original performance of it on youtube. Look for it by searching Heywood Banks-Toast --it's a hoot! love you Laurie from AK.

Ooh, sounds yummy!
If you want to shake it up a bit, may I recommend one of my favorite smoothie recipes? It's basically lemon yogurt, frozen strawberries, and a couple tablespoons of frozen oj concentrate. It's very tropical and refreshing!

Laurie,
Did you slice the bananas in thin slices prior to freezing?...We learned the hard way that our blender did not like the larger chunks.....But once we sliced them thinner, it worked great.:)
Amy:)

If you're open to a bit of an adventure, you can "grow" your own kefir. There are places on the internet where you can buy a live culture (looks almost like a brain a bit smaller than a golf ball), and you can make your own on your counter at home. It'll last indefinitely as long as you keep it fed (with milk) regularly. It grows, too, so you can split part off and share with a friend.

Good girl! And amen on the philosophy. Enjoy life now, we may not be here "later".

Laurie - do you know Haywood Bank's Toast Song? It always makes me smile.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=g41tUinKGZ8

I just started the 'green lemonade' smoothies this week which is what you may be referring to. It's 1/2 head of romaine, approx. 5 leaves of kale, a lemon, a little ginger, and either white grape juice or a couple of apples to sweeten (I also added a tsp of honey). I must have had a lot of toxins in me so if you think that's the case with you I have a word of advice: drink this AFTER work when no one else is around. It had some not so nice consequences for the first two days. The third day was fine.

Your blender is so cute! What brand is it? I don't have a blender so I'm in the market for one.

I love smoothies too and rely on an old recipe I came up with years ago when doing the "Zone" diet. I still make it when I have a craving!

1 C. skim milk (or more if you need to thin out the slurry)
1 banana (ripe!)
1/4 c. frozen strawberries
1/4 c. milk based protein powder (vegetable based makes the smoothie taste funny IMO)
4oz of firm SILKEN tofu cut in chunks
1/4 cup All Bran cereal.

Toss all in a blender and whip it up! Of course, like your recipe, you can mix and match different fruits.. I just personally like the strawberry banana blend.

I love protein powder.. I add it to lots of things.. like oatmeal!

*Love you Whole Foods protein powder!* I'll have to try adding the psyllium and flax oil. Thanks.

I like Oprah's smoothie... a banana, frozen strawberries, and chocolate soy milk.

My favorite smoothie is very similar- with yogurt, blueberries, protein powder, etc but the ingredients that put it over the top for more health and deliciousness-- pomegranate juice and cinnamon.

This combo seems very rich and decadant and is super good for you.

Oh, I will have to make this! Are all the ingredients expensive??

I just had the worst smoothie today, because Philadelphia sucks and doesn't understand healthy food. Thanks for the reminder that I can just make my own instead. :) Also, toast is maybe my favorite food ever. I even have the toast episode of Good Eats permanently saved on my Tivo.

I buy the chocolate soy protein powder and usually just prepare with water and ice - wouldn't the addition of a banana be grand? I heard a infomercial when I was waiting for my car to pass it's annual inspection and on it (the infomercial) the person was saying flax seed has properties that are cancer destroying - I want to look it up, cause if that is true I would definitely buy it and add it to my daily diet.

I have been drinking jamacan me crazy flavored coffee - OMG - every sip is heaven!

you'll be happy to know that proper kefir has about 2.5% alcohol. Whee!

That smoothie looks delicious, and I really like the idea of the ice cream! ;-)

I think that we're psychically connected, at least this week anyway, and not because of the smoothies, but because you referred back to your "making a house a home" post (and process), which has REALLY been on my mind this week. I've finally gotten to the point where I'm ready to do the same here at my tiny-yet-cluttered hovel, and went so far as to take a class on Tuesday called "Learning to Let Go of Your Stuff", taught by a professional organizer. And I'm going to hire her to help me take my house by storm, one room at a time, over the next few months. You really inspired me during your decluttering phase, and since moving is not an option for me right now, nor is burning down the house and everything in it (just to be rid of the mess), I have to face this mess I've made head on, and make my house livable again.

Thanks for the inspiring kick in the pants. And maybe when I've got room on my kitchen counter for a blender, I'll try that smoothie, too! :-)

Why don't I make smoothies? They always appear so delicious and easy.

You've inspired me!

Laurie, you've come so far from Cheetos and wine! :-D And your smoothies sound so yummy! I know it means cooking, but my favorite breakfast is oatmeal, with walnuts, ground-up flax seeds, chopped-up dried apricots, a dash of tumeric (to keep Alzheimer's at bay), and some Oat Milk (all organic, of course). Am so hooked on it, if for some reason I don't get it for breakfast, I will sometimes have it for dinner. You're right ... it's the little things that make life worth living. :-)

It really is the small stuff. It can be the small stuff that breaks us, too, so the secret is to pay such close attention to the great small stuff that there isn't any room in our heads to even notice the bad small stuff.

Hey does anyone know how to make a good smoothie without bananas?

I find the ones I attempt without bananas don't have the right body.

Don't think me bananas, but I can't stand the things.

rb -- have you tried using frozen fruit? I find it adds heft to the smoothie. Instead of bananas, you could try pears or apples or -- and this might need some testing -- what about a smooth squash or gourd thing? Some kinds of squash have the same texture as bananas, almost, and very little taste. I would maybe do a run-thru first LOL.

You do NOT need bananas for a smoothie -- try using a frozen yogurt instead of kefir or milk, and you can up the protein powder for heft, too.

That is the best thing about smoothies, they are so darn flexible!!!

A little natural peanut butter with chocolate soy milk and bannas is VERY good too. I have a special place in my very limited cabinet space for my protien powder and other smoothie ingredients--right above the blender. I'm not a coffee drinker so I usually drink my smoothie on the way to work.

Ooh flax! and oooh fiber! I love fiber. One time at Target I bought Fiber One Cereal, All Bran cereal, and Fiber One granola bars. I must have had at least 120 grams of fiber in my plastic bag as I walked out, enough to cause a colon blockage, me thinks, if eaten all at once. I don't overdo it, but I do love eating my fiber. I try to eat 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds everyday. I'm jealous of your plethora of blueberries; someday I will get there too, either via a pay raise, increased hours, a different job, or a combination thereof.

To Lisa who is lactose intolerant--
Have you tried Lactaid milk? My ex-husband, who is about as lactose-intolerant as it is possible to get, can drink it, and I used to make a sort of pseudo-ice cream with it. Also, Trader Joe sells Milk Digestant/Lactase tablets which actually work. Good luck with that, I know how limiting it can be.

A green smoothie with just bananas and spinach with a little water is SO yummy - I was surprised! And it's great for me, because I have low iron. 4 bananas, about a cup of raw spinach, and a cup of water. I had completely forgotten about smoothies, and I used to have that one a lot! Mmmm... blueberries...

Thanks for the reminder! (How could I forget something like smoothies? lol)

Delurking to say: we are guaranteed the rights to life, liberty and the "pursuit" of happiness. But when you get right down to it, being content is way more satisfying than all that pursuing stuff is, in both the short and long runs.

Little stuff like fruit smoothies and cats that spend their days drafting manifestos are what keep us grounded and content. For me, it is dogs who are continually planning ways to make me notice them: barking in my left ear at 3:00 am for potty time is a good one!

My "people" like their smoothies with blackberries, strawberries, peaches and banana. I sneak up on them and put some grated carrot in occasionally. What they don't know, won't hurt them, and I've never been caught slipping in the beta carotine!

Hail the smoothie!

Oh no! I'm going to have to reveal my complete ineptness in the kitchen, but I have to ask...

"About 1/3 to 3/4 cup Kefir"

Does it really really not matter how much you put in? I'll probably use milk since we have it on hand, but it seems like a big difference between 1/3 and 3/4.

I think having a dearth of cooking skills makes me one of those very exact recipe kind of people. I get nervous when the recipe doesn't say a particular temp or time too. It's sad I know. But I think I could make this!

http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail

This made me think of you and your smoothies!

Wow - you've come a long way from eating cheetos off your chest! All this healthy eating must be doing you heaps of good :-)
(and I can't pick on the wholefoods thang - most of my shopping is done there and at the local farmer's market)

I'm curious...are the smoothies good with wine (or other alcoholic beverages)? You know, in the evening, on a weekend when you're sitting in front of the Tivo catching up on your tv shows??

Not enough to get drunk, but possibly as a bit of added flavor.

That sounds really good. The protein, flax, and fiber are really good ideas. I will have to remember this. I haven't had a smoothie in a long time and it sounds great.
I am so in love with Lifeway Blueberry Kefir. I can't get enough of it. Straight out of the bottle. Yum!

Okay, I love "this movie is already in progress". Hope you don't mind if I steal it!

Frank and I bought the "You on a Diet" book - one of many fine and entertaining products we have purchased because you recommended them! After much effort, we have a rotating menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner that we follow that's working well for us - and we have smoothies on Tuesdays and Thursdays - we usually just go with 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup yogurt, 2 scoops of protein powder and 1 bag of frozen raspberries - yours sounds really advanced!!!!

Re the haunting from the previous post - my sister the Pagan (Wicca has too many rules and she compares being a Druid to people who are really good at performing Shakespeare, which she isn't) recommends putting shoes at the end of your bed with one shoe pointing towards the bed and the other one pointing away from the bed. This is supposed to discourage any spooks.

See, this same thing happened to me (maybe it's an LA ghost?) a few years ago and when I tried the shoe thing, it worked. I also bought a sage "smudge" stick from the guy with the dreadlocks at the Santa Monica market and let the smoke purify the whole apartment periodically, but I think it was the shoe thing that worked

Yeah....I'm kinda strange.

I made this last night for dinner, after reading your post! :) I went to Whole Foods and got all the ingredients, and then went home and made it. It was very tasty! I had some, erm, gastrointestinal distress this morning, possibly from the psyllium husks (I only added a teaspoon to start), but everything seems fine now. It was a great light dinner. Thanks very much for the suggestion. My husband and I have been food chemical-free for 3 weeks now and we are always looking for new, un-boring ways to keep going on this diet plan.

It is the small things in life. Going for a walk. Last night I went with my boyfriend for a walk in the little park near my house. It's no big deal, just a little park. And we were walking through the trail in the woods and I stopped dead cold and looked up at this tree that was covered in fuzzy moss and the leaves are starting to come out and it was just starting to drizzle with a gray cloud behind it -- truly it was gorgeous. And I stopped and said, gawd, that's beautiful. Look how beautiful that is! And I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and smiled smiled smiled. My friend just looked at me and shook his head and said, that's why I care about you so much. The small things. You are so happy about the small things.

But really? It's the small things that make life. The beauty of that tree is what I took away from my entire 24 hours yesterday. It only took 1 minute of that 24 hours and I could have walked right past it. Most days I probably would have. But it's the same concept as you being so happy over a smoothie.

The small teeny things make life happy.

Thanks for a great post.

You inspired me to make a smoothie this morning. Strawberry-orange. Yum!

One time the Gammy of a friend of mine gave me some things that she said had been "saved for good" by several generations - including a 100% silk nightgown. She gave it to me only after I *promised* to wear it until it wore out - and I DID! The concept of living in/for the future? SO 1880! I'm 65 now (doing Squee dance) and savor and relish and love ALL the little stuff - a yummy Taco Bell thing, a fat kitty in my lap, watching a favorite 3-kleenix movie....knitting toques (yeah, I know, I said it). The big stuff takes care of itself. And smoothies? Yeah, I can do that....but uhm...it's going to have to wait a while. All that "frozen" and "chilled" stuff? Not yet, thanks; this First Day of Spring we're getting 5-8" of snow. Just so we don't forget how, you know. :-)

Have you seen "I Can Make You Thin" on TLC? They talk about eating your food slowly and enjoying every bite of it. Sounds like you Have that step down! I've started doing that this week and it really makes you want the good stuff to enjoy rather than the stuff thats bad for you.

Have you noticed your skin feeling nicer after starting the flax oil? I started adding it sporadically to my daughter's food and it helped get rid of the excema bumps on her upper arms. I started taking a capsule daily and my skin is much nicer than it used to be.

Enjoy your life makeover! We all need to start looking at what makes us happier and healthier! Maybe you will push more people to do that, too!

Are we sharing smoothie recipes? I got one:

1 grapefruit
1 c water
2 c raw spinach
1 T ground flax
2 c frozen strawberries
1 scoop vanilla protein powder

I know, ew ick, spinach, where'd that come from? But if you work up to it, you don't taste it.

Smoothies for me sound like dessert or lunch, but not breakfast. But I don't normally eat until after I get done at the gym. At that point I am no longer near any place with a blender (even an immersion style one). Maybe for breakfast for the weekends.

I like my smoothies with a side of toast, bacon and hash browns.

Laurie, has your bed moved again lately? That's the story I want to hear more about! Have you gotten any more "ghostly" signs?

Do tell!!

OK, now I'm hungry. I have the day off and am loading up the kiddies and going to Whole Paycheck (the equivalent of a holy temple here in Berkeley) to get the goods.

Will attempt this thing without bananas (ick) and see if thicker yogurt will do the trick.

much love xoxo

rb-- last night I was thinking about substitutes. I wonder if cantaloupe would work? It's juicier than banana, but still creamy. Have fun!!!

Laurie, fyi: baby spinach and baby bok choy have the least amount of flavor in a smoothie. I usually throw the greens in first for a few secs, then add frozen fruit and then the banana and some water to thin it out. I tend to overeat at dinner, so I drink my smoothie before I cook/while I cook dinner and that keeps me from over eating. Oh, and I'm up to three handfuls of baby spinach now, makes a really big smoothie. Enjoy!

Mmm, my favourite smoothie is peanut butter, chocolate milk, and banana. Their used to be a coffee shop that made it, called it a Chunky Monkey. It is so good, and peanut butter is really good for you too.

Thanks Laurie for the inspiring post. You speak for a lot of us I think. Love all the different smoothie ideas. For all of you banana haters......try freezing canned pineapple puree. It's wonderful in a smoothie and is thick like naners.

Hi Laurie, Thanks for thinking about it! Unfortunately I don't like cantaloupe either (bad throwing up experience as a child.) BUT! I went to WF today with the kiddos and bought every single thing you listed and had myself a very delicious $67 strawberry-pineapple smoothie! In fact, I had two, because my kids would not touch their portion.

I used regular yogurt rather than kefir and with the protein powder it definitely had enough body. I think using all frozen fruit helped too.

Hopefully the $67 investment will have me in smoothies for some time. I was getting very, very tired of my peanut butter-toast breakfast.

Have a great weekend!

"Petting the cats before bedtime when everyone piles on the bed at once." Sigh. That made me smile. That's contentedness! I love when Teddy Bear jumps on the bed soon after I get in it, then he makes biscuits on my pillow on two thirds of it while I sleep on the first third. :)

I like your breakfast philosophizing. And I like your breakfast. I used to drink a similar smoothie with protein powder, frozen berries, milk and banana. Mmmmm! I need to get back to that.

Oh, yes, my dear, it truly is the little things that count! Thanks again for the reminder because I need to practice it daily. I get too caught up in the rush.

was blog hopping from "it is what it is". great site. and we have 6 cats:) happy saturday!

i, too, love a smoothie in the morning. i used to eat whatever i'd make for mckid: waffles, butter, real maple syrup...but now i realize i must take care of myself better than i have in the past. i even blogged about it this past november.

http://mckaysblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/love-affair.html

i smiled when i saw your photo, grouping your smoothie stuff together for a blog portrait, as it looked so like mine.

my hint: trader joe's has great juices. i buy the antioxidant ones..blueberry, blackberry, etc. super fast when in a hurry. i'll try your hint of keeping the frozen blueberries on hand. yum.

we're all getting healthy, it seems. YAY for us!

now i am dying for a smoothie! YUM! i love to put a tablespoon of honey in mine sometimes if the fruit (sometimes peaches) arent ripe/sweet enough. i heart honey.

but i like to use my magic bullet blender to make individual servings, it comes with cups to use in it. less dishes! :D

I get our morning smoothie supplies at Costco for cheap cheap cheap: Bananas, vanilla soy milk and frozen strawberries. (Frozen Blueberries are also available, as are mixed berries). Add a splash of orange juice and you're good to go, baby!

Sounds delish and I can't wait to try it. I love breakfast - I think better when I have it, also it keeps my weight under control.

About the ghost - your cats would've sensed it if there was such a thing. I'll bet it was some kind of explosion or something like that. Hopefully it'll never happen again!

You sure do have a way with words. I appreciate it. I need to start living for today too. Thank you.

Let me echo the idea to add in spinach. I started doing that while pregnant to get more iron and honestly you can't taste a thing. I'm not a fan of many veggies and read about making "slime" smoothies as a way to get kids to eat more veggies - worked for me and I was 29 at the time!

Add a huge handful or two - about 1/3 to 1/2 a bag of fresh baby spinach to a smoothie and you've got a veggie in there, with all the fruit. It looks like pond scum but tastes great. You may need to add a bit more kefir to make it thin enough.

Also, I never thought of adding psyllium husks to my smoothie. Must make a WF run this afternoon!

heh...check out Heywood Banks' "Yeah Toast" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BILAFuSi-i0

Laurie, I made one of these today and OH MY GOSH it was so good! I made it in my magic bullet, which doesn't hold as much, so I made a smaller amount, and it was good. Really good. (I made one Sunday that didn't turn out so good, but I think I added too much fiber powder and then let it sit overnight. It was a disgusting pudding consistency, not a smoothie)

I just wanted to thank you for your posts on divorce. It's hard, it SUCKS, and I hate it. But I have realized just now- that it's happening whether I like it or not. And thank you for helping me feel a little less alone. Court is next Tuesday and I don't wanna go!!! I feel like a three year old.
Now, if I could just go crawl in a hole and die I might feel better!

Oh, I'm glad you put this recipe up, with the psyllium stuff. I bought some from WF but was terrified to use it because of the caution on the label that you might choke on it if you don't drink enough water. Yikes!!!!! I guess I don't need to be afraid if I use just the 1/2 tsp.

I followed your directions to the letter and enjoyed my smoothie for breakfast this morning. Yum! I am always afraid that a smoothie isn't going to get me through the morning without turning into a hungry bitch, but so far so good. Hey! It's almost lunch time--mission accomplished.

Thanks for the tips on the protein/psyllium/flaxseed oil. I've seen these things at the store, but had no idea how to use them. I got all my stuff at Trader Joes, which might be a little cheaper than Whole Foods.

Very cool idea. Two things: I recommend using a protein powder without soy, if possible. I KNOW they say, "Look at all the soy Asians eat and see how healthy they are." Well, in fact, they do not eat as much soy as we think. (You can research this.) We women do not need all this extra soy in our bodies; we don't realize how much of it we already consume in our foods ... it's literally in everything we eat now. Just a gentle suggestion, is all.

Secondly, when I first looked at the photo, I thought one of the containers said "hunk powder." And I thought, "Good for her." :)

Oh, and I also like adding nuts in my smoothies too, like walnuts or maybe pecans (since they're a bit softer than almonds), because they add protein and they're barely detectable once they're all ground up.

I think we were separated at birth. It is weird. I haven't had time to read your blog in several weeks, but today, for some odd reason, I just made time.
As I was reading this post, when I got to the next to the last paragraph, I had to stop cause I was gonna cry. I had just pretty much written the "enough" stuff in an email to my step-daughter complaining to her that I'm struggling to overcome this philosophy. It is destroying my life, that I am not living right now! I hate this perfectionistic thinking that I embrace like a life-raft. I have worked 40 pounds off of my frame in the last 10 months, but I'm not thin enough yet. I have two college degrees, but I am not smart enough yet. Whatever it is, I'm not "enough" yet. I guess just thank you for letting me know I'm not alone in my struggle to throw these shackles off, and to just keep plugging along and get out there and live life before it passes by. This is not the first blog post that you have directly plagiarized from my mind!!

When I was pregnant I lived for smoothies. My favs (before the protein powder, etc) were orange juice or cranberry juice with low-fat vanilla ice cream. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who uses smoothies to make life happier. :)

Great suggestion! I made one using banana and frozen mango--delicious, but VERY thick--think I'll add some water next time. Also like someone's suggestion to freeze banana slices...great way to have it just ripe enough all the time.

mesmerized by the blueberries and words.. oh how true, how true.

slow down. I need to remember that myself.

Sometimes it seems that the mantra is "keep moving". When it should be "enjoy the moment",

or "find the moment to enjoy everything".

rumbles.murmurer!bowstrings bombastic.pharmacology!margins reassembles champagne automates card games poker [url=http://www.absolutecards.com/7-card-stud-no-limit.html] card games poker [/url] card games poker http://www.absolutecards.com/7-card-stud-no-limit.html http://www.absolutecards.com/7-card-stud-no-limit.html teens planetesimal?Wrigley pokeronline [url=http://www.absolutecards.com/freeroll-hold-em.html] pokeronline [/url] pokeronline http://www.absolutecards.com/freeroll-hold-em.html http://www.absolutecards.com/freeroll-hold-em.html Satanism Studebaker questing com party poker [url=http://www.absolutecards.com/las-vegas-texas-hold-em-championship-dvd.html] com party poker [/url] com party poker http://www.absolutecards.com/las-vegas-texas-hold-em-championship-dvd.html http://www.absolutecards.com/las-vegas-texas-hold-em-championship-dvd.html correctable locksmith online casino poker gambling no limit texas holdem games [url=http://www.absolutecards.com/no-limit-texas-holdem-games.html] online casino poker gambling no limit texas holdem games[/url] online casino poker gambling no limit texas holdem games http://www.absolutecards.com/no-limit-texas-holdem-games.html http://www.absolutecards.com/no-limit-texas-holdem-games.html baffling Whitney poker game rule [url=http://www.absolutecards.com/online-gambling-texas-holdem.html] poker game rule [/url] poker game rule http://www.absolutecards.com/online-gambling-texas-holdem.html http://www.absolutecards.com/online-gambling-texas-holdem.html outlying,brag online poker bonus texas holdem poker [url=http://www.absolutecards.com/online-poker-bonus.html] online poker bonus texas holdem poker [/url] online poker bonus texas holdem poker http://www.absolutecards.com/online-poker-bonus.html http://www.absolutecards.com/online-poker-bonus.html recirculated Aramco,abridgment display win now [url=http://www.absolutecards.com/online-poker-room-review.html] win now [/url] win now http://www.absolutecards.com/online-poker-room-review.html http://www.absolutecards.com/online-poker-room-review.html murmurer drawings.middle diving sear free poker game downloads [url=http://www.absolutecards.com/party-pocker.html] free poker game downloads [/url] free poker game downloads http://www.absolutecards.com/party-pocker.html http://www.absolutecards.com/party-pocker.html Hendrick Dirichlet rulings backplane poker casino [url=http://www.absolutecards.com/texas-holdem-poker-strategies-and-tips.html] poker casino [/url] poker casino http://www.absolutecards.com/texas-holdem-poker-strategies-and-tips.html http://www.absolutecards.com/texas-holdem-poker-strategies-and-tips.html Joplin baseman pokerroom com [url=http://www.absolutecards.com/texas-no-holdem.html] pokerroom com [/url] pokerroom com http://www.absolutecards.com/texas-no-holdem.html http://www.absolutecards.com/texas-no-holdem.html acute

blueprints bobbins?grad expertly saucers crawl springiest outlying transferring simmer, multispelaer slots [url=http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/gambling-online-sakert.html] multispelaer slots [/url] multispelaer slots http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/gambling-online-sakert.html http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/gambling-online-sakert.html Disney,estate leapt subjection fold kasino spel [url=http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/gratis-slot-maskin-spela.html] kasino spel [/url] kasino spel http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/gratis-slot-maskin-spela.html http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/gratis-slot-maskin-spela.html tappers!plenteous Gaul fluttered grattis slot spel grattis blackjack spel [url=http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/grattis-blackjack-spel.html] grattis slot spel grattis blackjack spel[/url] grattis slot spel grattis blackjack spel http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/grattis-blackjack-spel.html http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/grattis-blackjack-spel.html roars.penis Parmesan!knifes spela utomlands [url=http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/kort-poker.html] spela utomlands [/url] spela utomlands http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/kort-poker.html http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/kort-poker.html lures admirably gamble online [url=http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/mjukvara-poker.html] gamble online [/url] gamble online http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/mjukvara-poker.html http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/mjukvara-poker.html flags pornographic dean Anglia Mizar poker odds [url=http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/nerladdning-poker.html] poker odds [/url] poker odds http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/nerladdning-poker.html http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/nerladdning-poker.html Rwanda Krieger shielded riddles rags poker spel online [url=http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/online-poker-mjukvara.html] poker spel online [/url] poker spel online http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/online-poker-mjukvara.html http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/online-poker-mjukvara.html implied jitter:Magellanic fingertip glorying blackjack balrum kasino [url=http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/sakert-online-kasino-spel.html] blackjack balrum kasino [/url] blackjack balrum kasino http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/sakert-online-kasino-spel.html http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/sakert-online-kasino-spel.html statutoriness combings spela speletl poker gaming kasino [url=http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/spela-speletl-poker.html] spela speletl poker gaming kasino [/url] spela speletl poker gaming kasino http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/spela-speletl-poker.html http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/spela-speletl-poker.html quotient!analyses prohibitory click here [url=http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/texas-hold-em.html] click here [/url] click here http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/texas-hold-em.html http://www.yourcasinoswedish.com/texas-hold-em.html performer Jacobean.

Hey - your smoothie sounds fantastic and I remember when I once did this nearly every morning - for my kids. Novel idea - doing it for myself..and actually slowing down in the morning...wow..so..are you ready for this question? Do you think I can make it "head" like at least make it for a couple days worth? I'm having trouble figuring out how I'm going to , walk, make breakfast, do a bit of yoga, meditate, shower, dress and get to work by 8. But, I really am quite serious....have you tried that? (making ahead of course, not trying to do it all before breakfast)Lee