Hideous and Delicious

I’ve somehow managed to make the ugliest, yummiest drink that I have ever tasted.  I was set to blend up a green monster this morning.  I ended up making more of a brown monster than anything green.  It probably won’t be made again on St. Patrick’s Day, but I might have to drink it daily between now and then.  I think a certain Chocolate-Covered girl would be proud! Behold..

 Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Brown Monster:

• 3 oz. frozen chopped spinach
• 3 oz. frozen strawberries
• 1 Tbsp cocoa (or my new favorite.. shown below!)
• pinch of xanthan gum
• pinch of guar gum
• 1/2 serving protein powder (I used Syntrax Strawberry Mousse)
• Stevia and lots of water to desired consistency and sweetness

It made a giant blender bottle + 1 full glass of smoothie all for a grand total of 103 calories, 0 g fat, 14 g carbs and 15 g protein!  That one full glass had my tummy bursting. 

I used a new find

I LOVE this stuff, despite the fact that it turns a pretty green drink brown.  I have been a dark chocolate fiend for years and this satisfies my cravings.  Forget the milk chocolate.  I need dark, delicious decadence!

I have plans this afternoon to whip up a recipe, with a few minor adaptations.  Stay tuned!

volume eating and new dietary rules

I have a problem..

(source)

I’d actually refer to it as an addiction.  Hello, my name is Heidi and I am addicted to nighttime snackage.

It’s a habit – every night at 9:30, I pop a HUGE (seriously.. we’re talking multiple quarts) bowl of air-popped popcorn.  I top it with a dash of nooch and some salt and for at least an hour, I eat.  I’m not quite sure why I am so obsessed with having my bowl o’ corn every night.  Could it be ..

A: The crunch?  B: The saltiness?  C: The fact that I can eat for an hour straight and not feel guilty?  I’m gonna go with D: All of the above.

I am a volume eater.  I LOVE to feel like I am getting a lot of food accompanied by as few calories as possible.  Anyone else in that boat with me?  For that reason, I switched up my breakfast today.  Every morning, I had been eating a bowl of oats with 4 egg whites, half an apple and cinnamon alongside a 1/4 C plain greek yogurt sprinkled with granola.  Every morning.  I consume about 325 calories every morning with this meal.  Religiously.

Today’s breakfast looked like this:

Egg whites + spinach & broccoli; 1/2 FlatOut with Chocolate PB2; Red pear + cinnamon

215 calories and incredibly filling!  I was excited to not only change things up, but to get more bang for my caloric buck. Check out that variety and the addition of greens.  Apparently, I never knew what amazing green things I was missing..

Frozen spinach + Dole Antioxidant Berry Medley + Ground Flax

So why the self-assessment on eating methods?  Not sure if you have heard the news, but the dietary guidelines have once again been amended.

I’m partial to the 2 major tenants related to calorie consumption seeing as they support my reasoning for eating more nutrient-dense foods (can you even fathom how much fiber is in a big bowl o’ corn?!) and, as someone recovering from an E.D., I often need to be told that balance is key and that a little piece of dark chocolate once in a while won’t kill me.  Anyhoo, here’s what USDA now has to say:

1. Balance calories over time to reach and maintain a healthy weight –   I LOVE this idea, especially because I go way over my calorie budgets some days.  Who cares if I hit 1,800 calories yesterday.  I’ll balance it out with a lower calorie day today and try not to stress about it (which, I admit, is really difficult sometimes). 
2. Get most daily calories from nutrient-rich foods – Spinach and broccoli for breakfast?  Berry smoothies for lunch?  I definitely ate more fruit than vegetables in the past, but I like incorporating those veggies into a sweet treat.  Did I mention I have a huge sweet tooth, thanks to my Italian roots?

Those Buonocore’s.. well, it used to be coffee and coffee cakes daily!  Hey, I’m all for a good coffee cake in moderation.  I’m just glad Uncle Sam agrees!

On a side note, if you love healthy eats, swing by Friends for Weight Loss and enter the giveaway for an awesome cookbook!

My heart belongs to the green..

This green

How I do love just staring at him.  Tom Brady who?!  I am pretty darn excited about staring at him on February 6th too!  Yay Packers!!

But that’s not the “green” I am really in love with.  It’s this one –

That would be my first ever Green Monster!  Angela very recently celebrated her 2nd anniversary and I decided to celebrate right along side by “attempting” to make one.  As a fan of spinach in both raw and cooked forms, and an expert on the taste of spinach, I was definitely not convinced that a shake containing so much spinach could mask that flavor.

I stand corrected.

Heidi’s Original Green Monster

2 servings lite silken tofu (192 grams of Nasoya)

3 C fresh spinach

1 small carrot (about 35 g)

1 small Fuji apple (about 90 g)

1/2 C water

1 dropper of liquid stevia

Throw it all in a blender.  Turn it on high and let ‘er rip.  This part required patience as it took a few minutes to come together.

Holy greenness was this AMAZING?!  I liked the little bit of richness and extra protein from the tofu. It stuck with me all afternoon too.  Yes, it looks quite icky, but all I tasted was the sweet tart apple and carrot combo.  The Green Monster is here to stay!  In fact, I picked up half of Trader Joe’s spinach supply today.  True story.

I had an awesome cardio, chest and back workout today so I do believe I need some recovery nutrition .  Forgive me for being brief, but I crave some green.  Since it likely won’t be in the form of Aaron Rodgers, a Monster will just have to do!