Quick Vitamin C Power Punch

With sickness abound, Vitamin C is a must. Here's a quick recipe for one I whooped up in my Magic Bullet.

 

Ingredients:

-5 oz of Organic Girl Super Greens

-1 sliced orange

-a splash of water

-1 packet of Lipospheric C

Place the greens in first, with the orange slices where they will be closest to the blades. Add a dash of water for easier blending. Gradually add the rest of the greens. Finally add the Liposheric C. 

These ingredients are all packed with Vitamin C and will leave you feeling happy and vibrant! 

RANDOM KOMBUCHA OBSESSING NBD

It's literally 2:39 AM right now and all I can think about is this delicious drink I had tonght. It's a different brand of Kombucha that I normally buy, so it has different flavors. I tried WILD ROOT tonight. 

OMG SO DELISH IT'S A MUST TRY EVERYONE!! 

I don't even like root beer but this tastes like root beer but like a better version of root beer it's like awesome. 

I think it might give you energy too because I drank this like three hours ago and I can't sleep omg 

I'll update other flavors asap!! Because I know you all are just dying to know.

Be Well Smoothie: A Remedy for Body and Spirit

Ah, Autumn... The season of reflection and change. The months of September and October act as a transition from yesterday's Summer into tomorrow's Winter. The days gets shorter, and the darkness creeps into the light. It is during this transitional season that night and day become equally prominent in our lives. 

Writer Gary Thorp once said: "Sometimes there is no remedy for our situation than to begin from a point of absolute darkness. Turning off a television set and extinguishing a lantern have certain similarities; they are both abrupt and transition making, and can leave us in a different world. In darkness, we are always on our own." 

When we let go from our futile securities, we then find ourselves completely in the dark. It is then when we have nothing to rely on but ourselves. As we watch the leaves of seasons past flutter to the ground, we are reminded that nature's cycles are mirrored in our own lives. Autumn is a time for letting go and cleansing things that have been a burden. For this reason, I realize now is the time--the season, rather--for a transition from damaging habits to healthy practices.

Starting today, I will be posting a series of updates about my new "Transitional" period. I'll try my best to update at least once a week!

Today, I want to focus on transitioning from physically ill to mentally healthy. While Fall is doubtlessly beautiful and fruits delicious seasonal treats, it can also be a high time for unwanted illnesses. The past few days, for me, have been spent completely indoors, with a box of tissues and cozy blanket nearby at all times. There is not much else besides a comfy bed and a good book that will make sick days enjoyable, but the Blonde Smoothie has found something else to add to the quintessential Sick Day list.

Instead of a normal cup of Joe, my aching throat was asking for something a little more soothing this morning. Suggested by my lovely mother, I opted for a cup of warm water with lemon instead. Though sounding incredibly simple, I was amazed by the power one sip of this drink contained. My throat felt immediately soothed, a citrus fuzz tingling down with each sip. Lemon water has long been known as a healthy, beneficial drink, but I had always thought it too plain to be something worth trying. I was wrong. Experts suggest drinking a cup of warm lemon water everyday to promote a more energized and cleansed lifestyle. Even Lauren Conrad is on the amazingly cool lemon water bandwagon. This drink is not just for sick days, but for everyday. I suggest all (2 of) my readers to try it!

Lemon water holds many health benefits, including soothing a sore throat in despair.

Up next on today's list of remedies was, naturally, my Be Well Smoothie. I kind of just made this up on the spot, but it ended up being actually kind of delicious...

Ingredients:

-1 peeled orange

-1 sliced apple

-1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

-5 oz spinach

-1 banana

-1 tbsp maca powder

-1 cup frozen blueberries

Make sure you get the orange and apple towards the bottom of the blender so their juice will act as the smoothie's liquid base.

Place the ingredients in the blender in the order listed above. By having the water-dense fruits placed closest to the blades, you eliminate the need for an added liquid base (no water, almond milk, etc). If your blender is not powerful enough to tackle all these ingredients at once, I suggest blending the orange first, on its own, and gradually adding handfuls of spinach until you've added it all. Then, continue with the remaining ingredients. 

I named this smoothie "Be Well" because of the awesome, bug-fighting nutrients packed inside. Each ingredient was chosen based off its relevance to fighting illnesses. 

Oranges are packed with Vitamin C, which will strengthen your immune system and reduce the length of your sick days. 

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but in all actuality, there may be some truth in the saying. Apples acts as both a natural antihistamine and an anti inflammatory. Antihistamines are used to relieve allergy symptoms, which is why you might be prone to popping a couple Benadryl tablets around this time of year. 

Apple Cider Vinegar is known for its many health benefits, so I honestly just kind of randomly threw it in the mix. However, it is a cleanser, which will not hurt when your body is being attacked from forces within.  

Adding spinach was a given. Along with its countless other health benefits, this nutrient dense plant is acts as an anti-inflammatory. It is the perfect food to fuel an weak body. 

Bananas are just awesome, so I always include them in my smoothies. Not just because of the creamy texture they add to a blend, but their powerful depression-fighting nutrients. Bananas contain high levels of tryptophan, which converts into serotonin--the chemical in your brain that makes you feel like this. So bananas are an obvious choice to someone who might feel down in the dumps because of their current health status!

There are several benefits of adding Maca to your Be Well smoothie. Maca, a root belonging to the radish family, is rich in vitamin B vitamins, C, and E. It also provides plenty of calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorous and amino acids. It doesn't end there, Maca's awesome health benefits will have you mixing this powder into everything you eat. 

Blueberries are very rich in anti oxidants like Anthocyanin, vitamin C, B complex, vitamin E, vitamin A, copper, selenium, zinc, iron, among other nutrients. These nutrients boost up your immune system so that you will be less likely to catch another cold, fever, or any type of viral and bacterial communicable diseases.

So, Autumn... The season of reflection and change. While the light in our lives inevitably fades to darkness, we must find time to balance the power between the two. Nature finds a balance between the light and the dark. May we be inspired to do the same. Toxicity will always swarm throughout our lives, but the beauty in existing is being able to find health and happiness despite our dark conditions. 

My transition this week was finding happiness in a situation where even getting out of bed seemed despairing. If you are struggling with feeling under the weather, I urge you to seek for the light. Treat yourself to healthy habits and pleasant thoughts. Your body will be soon to catch up (-:

A Week Back Home Leaves Me Depressed and Chunky

It's officially been a week since I have been home in Oklahoma. I have physically said my goodbyes to the glistening blue of the Aegean sea, and the wistful whites of the Santorini walls. Mentally, however, I am still frolicking through the decks of the Silver Sea cruise ship wearing little more than my bikini and worry-free smile.
But, life. Life, doggonit! My week back home has been horrible. I have been suffering severe post-vacation depression, which, for me, involves eating everything in sight, whether it's food or not. Also, I have had family in town, staying at my family's house, during almost everyday since our return. Though their company has been helpful for my spirits, it has been detrimental for my waistline. Already pushing it from the daily doses of croissants and gelato from Greece, with the loving help of daily (breakfast, lunches and) dinners out, I'm now pushing towards a size four... Which reminds me, I have yet to have my fourth slice of coffee cake today.

NO, MOLLY. NO MORE COFFEE CAKE FOR YOU.

But, Molly, I love coffee cake! And I'm already chubby, why not just embrace it?

BECAUSE, you dietary idiot!! COFFEE CAKE IS FULL OF SUGAR AND SATURATED FAT. Do you WANT to die an early death?

No ): I guess not. But I am sure as heck not in the mood for any darn smoothies.

I have been jet lagged, and tired, nauseous, and cranky for a week straight. Now, you might even add insanity to the list, as I have finally begun having arguments with myself on a public blogsite.

I have decided that since I have let myself get so far off tract, to the point where I don't even enjoy green smoothies any more (gasp!), I need to begin a total New Me Makeover project. With a new school year about to begin, and summer coming to a close, I feel this is a perfect time for change. I am not planning to start now, but once all my family has gone home, and I am able to find time for myself, I will begin my healthy lifestyle makeover.

Naturally, I will blog my progress. My makeover will involve not only healthy eating, but healthy thinking and healthy activities.

As much as I love spending my last precious weeks of summer lounging around in my pajamas all day and feeling sorry for myself, enough is enough. It is time for a change back to my healthy lifestyle, and I am honestly feeling excited.

NEW ME Begin Date: Monday, 18 August 2014

Can't wait! ..but until then, coffee cake, anyone? (;

Nutritious AND Delicious ICE CREAM (!!)

SAY WHAT?! Yes. That is correct. I have perfected a delicious ice cream recipe that is made of all natural, whole ingredients. Everyone who has tried this recipe has said it's amazing and challenges even conventional ice cream.  This peanut butter flavor is all I've tried, but as I figure out other flavors I will post them on here. This recipe is quick, easy, and just overall awesome, so you just have to make it. 

Ingredients:

-6 to 8 frozen bananas

-2 tablespoons of honey

-2 tablespoons of peanut, almond butter, or PB2 butter, already mixed 

Place all the items in your blender. We use a VitaMix at my house which has a specific setting for making ice cream. So, yeah, anyway, I just put it on that setting and voila! 

This recipe serves about two... Or in my case, one. 

 

Greenest Green Smoothie Recipe

The best way to start off a good morning is by treating your body to some killer fuel. This green smoothie recipe will revitalize your body and rejuvenate your energy. You will feel full, but light. It is the perfect meal to start the rest of your day.

My Greenest Green Smoothie recipe: 

-5 to 7 ounces of greens (I like to use kale, spinach, or mixed "Super Greens" by Organic Girl brand) 

-1/2 cup of almond milk

-1 banana

-about six or seven strawberries

-1 sliced miniature orange or 1/2 of a sliced regular sized orange 

-tablespoon of Chia seeds

-2 tablespoons of TriOmega SuperFood blend by Green Smoothie Girl

http://greensmoothiegirl.com/product/greensmoothiegirl-products/greensmoothiegirl-triomega-superfood/

First, I blend my greens in with my almond milk, gradually adding more greens. By blending the greens first and by themselves, I've found it creates a smooth base for the rest if the smoothie.  

After all of my greens are blended, I simply add the rest of the ingredients in. 

This recipe will make about two servings, so you can enjoy it throughout the day, not just for breakfast. 

Take a sip and see what you think! If you're not used to the strong taste of the leaves, try adding a couple drops of all natural stevia sweetener. I find this gives if a very pleasant taste. 

These smoothies are my life! They containing so many disease-fighting nutrients! This power drink is bound to
keep your body wanting more and more (even if your taste buds refuse). (: