A Smoothie to Make Me Feel Better

I just ordered a bunch 3 new vitamins on Amazon... I really need to get focused and try to lose the 10-15 lbs that I've gained. I've finally come to grips that it may be hormonal charged, especially after catching the Dr. Oz show the day I was home ... uggg ... so I ordered some Holy Basil, CLA and I3C ... lets see how it goes ...

Only problem with all this is that I need to take these 2 times a day ... and I have a hard time remembering to take anything!

Let me make it clear, I understand that my hormones are not 100% the blame ... I've increased my fat intake while "lowering" my grain/carb intake but have NOT done too much more as far as exercising has gone ... me and another girlfriend are trying to do a 2 1/2 mile walk two times a week and I throw in some other stuff in between ... I've finally convinced Hubby to hook up the DVR in the Florida Room so I can get back to working out again in the morning since I'm waking up early with the time change.

I'm actually pretty excited about the Holy Basil as it's also an anti-inflammatory and stress reducer ... all in one! Woohoo!

So then I come across this cool little recipe for smoothies ... and even though I don't use protein powder, I may just give in and use some greek yogurt if I feel I need the extra protein. In the meantime, I plan to skip it all together!

1/2 banana (frozen for the most part as I always have them in the freezer)
1/2 cup of frozen berries (whatever is in the freezer, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
1 scoop protein powder (I've been leaving this out)
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup cashews (I use unsalted as that's what I picked up at Costco a while ago)
1 cup of coconut water (12 pack bought at Costco a while ago)
*UPDATED 12/17/13 - I've started adding 3 tbs of Hemp Seeds to this last week ... just because I have them in the fridge and heck, they are supposed to be an excellent source of lots of things*

This is the almond milk that I use ... a little pricey at $3.99

but it's the best tasting one I've tried so far

Toss all in the blender (VITAMIX!) and let it rip til smooth.

This one was made with 4 frozen strawberries

for the 1/2 cup of frozen berries

I've done this the past three mornings as a replacement of the usual eggs and bacon in the morning and want to continue for a week or so and see how I feel ... even though I am full on that FAT is good for your body, I think maybe I need to add more variety ... hence the nuts and almond milk. AND I've read that coconut water is an anti-inflammatory also ... anything to help me through this little flare I'm having lately ... AND it does seem to keep me fully fairly full til lunchtime, which was my number one concern.