have you had a green monster today???

stumbled upon a green monster while visiting one of my fave sites, skinnytaste.com

it has quickly replaced my breakfast and is now my "go-to" every morning. yes, it is a green smoothie with the primary ingredient being spinach and well, looks and sounds pretty gross! however, green is my fave color and i LOVE spinach, so i thought i would give it a try - as i had all the ingredients on hand.

it was AWESOME - all i tasted was banana and peanut butter - nothing wrong with that. not to mention all the fiber, vitamins and minerals you are getting!! what are you waiting for - give it a try...it is filling and so good for you - provides lots of energy too!!!

green monster (add to blender in the following order - a must to mix evenly)

6-8oz skim milk (i use 8)

1TB ground flax seed

2TB PB2 (love, love, love this stuff)

2 heaping handfuls of baby spinach

4-6oz plain non-fat greek yogurt (depends how much i have left in the container...lol )

1 sliced banana

MIX and enjoy!!!!

would love to hear what you think about it - whether you already had your green monster for the day or just tried it for the first time. there are so many other healthy add-ons to the green monster...cannot wait to try them all, but for now - sticking with the original.

FINALLY, I am back!!!

been meaning to get back to this blog - but time just flies when you are having so much fun!!!

anyhoo - for those that know, i am just shy of 8 months post op from having a spinal fusion to my L5S1 disc. at 6 months post op, my surgeon gave me the "green" light to resume my normal exercise routine, with caution, of course. the last thing we want to do is upset everything i have work so hard on during recovery.

so, here i am, with a lovely 20-25 pounds to lose both from baby jack weight and pre/post surgery. also on a serious budget, so have to find ways to lose weight without spending a lot. since WW online increased their monthly fee (~$20 per month), they are OUT and now sparkspeople online is IN...since they are FREE. i must admit, i did not think i would like it since i am so used to WW, but i really like it a lot and may i say, even better than WW!!! you can track your food, fitness, goals, etc...

next - cannot afford a gym - so my gym is my basement and living room. i have a treadmill, so i spent a mere $2.99 for the couch to 5K app on my phone and do that three times a week. i made the large investment of $75 for a six-week bootycamp class. best $75 i have spent...seriously kicks my azzzzzz and i am jump starting my weight loss while building some serious lean muscle...in the long run, still saving bunches with only spending on this class.

to help with my evil habits - i gave up all sweets for lent. in january, i committed to 100 days of no fast food!

i have learned to never use the scale as a guide, just a tool...how do you feel and how do your clothes fit??? i have more energy these days and my clothes are fitting better!!! my goal is to be back in gear by the end of may...or close to it for my son's second birthday.

i have an entire closet of fabulous clothes that i want to get back into and end my days of being a shlumpadinka!!!

stay tuned - another goal is to keep this blog up once a week - with lots of tips and tricks i am learning.