Whew!! I have been wanting/trying to write a post since this time last week!!! I literally had a new post open in front of me for the later half of last week!!
Work has been super busy because my boss is off on vacation. She taught me about 5 months worth of stuff (that I should have been shown before!) in about 1.5 days!! And then I have had a big (tedious) project to work on since then!! Breaks have been few and far between.
Then at home I have been keeping up with various projects around the house, regular cleaning and reading (saw Harry Potter on the weekend, so I read the book before we went and I am now re-reading the last one).
I also had a couple of health related issues in the beginning of this week…nothing to worry about, just something I want to discuss with my doctor…I don’t want it to persist though because I can’t call in sick to work once a month (well I could, I am entitled if I need it, but I don’t WANT to have to)
Throughout the hectic times though, I have been taking a little “me” time. I have ALWAYS put on my New Years Resolutions or Goals or whatever, that I wanted to start getting up earlier…it’s good and all, but I find I can’t just DO it. I need to have something that MAKES me get up early, you know?? Otherwise I would just lay in bed until I need to get up! So starting last week, I started getting up at 5:30 am and taking the dog for a walk. It’s not a HUGE walk (about 45 mins to 1 hour) and it isn’t always fast paced (I usually base it on the music I am listening to at the time). But it helps him get out some energy first thing (he is a husky/lab crossed with a kangaroo - so we think, and he is about 90 lbs of energy just bursting at the seams!). And it is SUPER nice for me to have that time to relax with my thoughts, get some fresh air, WAKE UP!! and then be home in time to have a shower, get ready (and actually have time to do my hair and makeup nicely!) and eat a proper breakfast!
This morning I was READY at 7 am!! Like ready to go out the door if I wanted to! So I made my breakfast and sat down with the last Harry Potter book…I read over 100 pages and almost finished the books…most mornings I was holding my toast in my mouth while I balance my bags and lock the door…not cool! So it’s really refreshing to have that extra time – and really I FEEL better not going to work so bleary eyed and knowing that I took a little extra time for ME!!
Oh, and I THINK I might start trying smoothies for breakfast…I am NOT a huge smoothie fan…for me they HAVE to be smooth (NO FRUIT CHUNKS ALLOWED!!!) but I find I am not really hungry that early in the morning and if I AM going to eat my breakfast at work, I want it to be something that isn’t messy and doesn’t LOOK like I am eating breakfast…does that make sense??? SO can anyone tell me their favorite smoothie combos??? I MAY venture to the green monster (I am willing to try anything once!) but I am wondering what I need to put in smoothies!!! Is peanut butter key?? Or do some people just stick with protein powder?? You ladies are FULL of knowledge, so I figure I am asking JUST the right people!
10 Comments
July 22, 2009 at 7:53 pm
I like strawberry banana smoothies with a little PB. The banana is sweet enough that you don’t really need to add anything else for sweetness. I think I’m in the minority, but I like to stick to real food in my smoothies – yogurt, milk, fruit, nut butters…no protein powder. Still, if you try it and you like it I say give ‘er!
July 22, 2009 at 8:02 pm
Hmm wish I could help with the smoothies! But I’m just not a smoothy girl – I like chewing breakfast
July 22, 2009 at 8:05 pm
I can relate to this entire post, so warning: this may be a long comment!
First, I’m JUST like you. I HATE getting up early but it’s just SOOOOO nice to have time to relax in the mornings! So, I too, have been dragging my butt out of bed at 5:30 to go for a jog, do yoga or the 30-day shred. It’s amazing how much more energy I have throughout the day when I do that!
Second, I am re-reading the last Harry Potter right now, too! I HAD to after seeing the movie last week! I forgot how good/addicting that book is. I’m reading it every chance I get. I like to start my morning off with coffee and Harry Potter! Ha, another incentive to get up early!
Third, I have been doing the smoothie for breakfast thing for the last few weeks! LOVE IT. I usually make it BEFORE I do my workout and then it sits in the fridge for a bit. My most common combo is: 1/2 a banana, 1/2 cup milk, small yogurt (any flavour), handful of strawberries and/or blueberries, peanut butter or protein powder, 2-3 cups spinach and ice! YUM! I would say go with peanut butter OR protein powder, not both. I figure out what I want based on my workout for that day. If I worked out longer/harder I will usually go with the protein powder. The PB makes it taste soooo good though. I’ve also been adding a tbsp of oatmeal here and there lately.
Also, little tip, do NOT mix orange and spinach. Maybe some people can do it but I tried it this morning and it was DISGUSTING. I had to dump my smoothie down the sink. Usually you can’t even taste the spinach but the taste of the orange with the spinach was really yucky. It’s the first Green Monster I’ve made that I didn’t LOVE!!
July 22, 2009 at 8:07 pm
I haven’t tried smoothies yet either…mostly because I don’t own a blender…. (it’s on the list!)
Awesome that you’re getting out with Charlie every morning, and taking that IMPORTANT time to yourself!! Great to hear! The dog must SO look forward to his morning walks with his mommy!
Let me know if you try the smoothies….Right now I’m so addicted to actually EATING food in the mornings at work, I’m not sure how I’d take to DRINKING breakfast!
July 22, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Hi Jen! Nice to hear from you!
Wow waking up at 5h30, that’s brave! But I totally get it – it must be so nice to get some time to yourself and not rush in the morning! I have to ask though, at what time do you go to bed at night?
I love the green smoothies thing – you can put anything in your smoothie really, I change it up all the time, but I always include this: milk (either skim, soy or almond) a banana (for sweetness) and some form of ice (either ice cubes or what I like to do best is add frozen fruits like berries or mangoes…) The spinach is pretty much tasteless when you add it – so don’t be scared to add it
I never tried mine with pb though – not a fan of pb to begin with… I usually go with protein powder – or nothing at all!!
Can’t wait to see what combination you come up with and how you like it
Hope your work ‘de-crazyfies’ a bit and you get some small breaks again soon
July 22, 2009 at 11:59 pm
You’re seriously awesome for getting up that early in order to exercise!!!
Definitely try the smoothies with some added greens. I like berries + bananas + nut butter + spinach. You can get away with adding about 3 cups of spinach before you can even taste it.
July 23, 2009 at 12:23 am
I WISH WISH WISH I could get up at 5:30 and do that! I’ve always wanted to but feel like I’ve been hit by a Mack truck! Getting to bed early would be key for sure. That sure does sounds awesome Jen! And I’d say that IS a great walk!
I’ve blogged all the combos I’ve tried and they were all pretty good. Make sure your banana is frozen because that adds a lot to the creaminess. I love adding nut butter AND protein powder and I am good to go until lunch time!
Miss you!
July 23, 2009 at 4:28 pm
i put protein powder in my smoothie – it adds a bit of sweetness and staying power. pb makes your smoothie a bit creamier and keeps you feeling full for longer. truthfully though i’d rather eat real food than drink smoothies. for me – smoothies are a time-saving meal food.
i’m impressed that you get up at 5:30 am to walk for an hour! what time do you go to bed?
July 23, 2009 at 6:51 pm
When I do smoothies for breakfast, I typically do one banana, one cup of milk (almond or skim), 2 Tbsp of flax seed, and a couple of handfuls of spinach (which you cannot taste at all). Sometimes I’ll throw additional fruit in there depending on what my produce situation is. With my smoothie, I’ll also have one slice of PB toast or toast with an egg.
I like having something to eat but also like the coolness of a smoothie so I compromise and do a little of both!
July 30, 2009 at 4:18 am
I’m with Angie: the key to the perfect smoothie is the frozen ‘nana!
I like the green monsters, but I prefer them as a post workout snack. I find that I need to chew my breakfast or my body doesn’t register it. It’s crazy, I can go to boot camp, have a smoothie and not eat for 2.5 hours and am fine. If I have one for breakfast at 5:30, by 7 I’m starving!
H =)