Going Green

As I mentioned in some of my previous posts, I had to be on a liquid diet for a week because of jaw issues.

There were a couple of things I learned from a liquid diet (that I shared on Facebook):

1. Smoothies with spinach are actually delicious. You really don't taste the spinach. They just look nasty.

2. Taco Bell's Pintos and Cheese tastes amazing with their nacho cheese mixed in (maybe not the healthiest option but I was majorly craving nachos).

3. Freezing a smoothie over night is not wise - it takes forever to thaw. It also gets a bit freezer burnt and tastes and smells nasty (or maybe it's just the peanut butter with the spinach that was grossing me out...or maybe I was just getting sick of smoothies!).

So, going back to number one...I'm going to share with you how I made my daily smoothies while I was on my liquid diet via iPhone pics.

 (First, I put a little bit of ice in my blender. You don't need a lot because of all the other ingredients. You could even skip it if you want)

 (I then add my fruit. I bought this mix at Target and love it! The fruit looks fresh and is the perfect size for a smoothie)

 (I don't put a lot of fruit in. You don't need to. Even a little bit adds a lot of flavor)

 (I then add some rainbow sherbet. I made some without the sherbet, and put in some low fat yogurt and peanut butter instead. Both are good, but I'm partial to the taste the sherbet adds. I only put in about 3-4 small scoops)

 (I then add some lemonade. I just made some lemonade from frozen concentrate. You can see in the picture about how full I poured it)

 (I then add the spinach. I bought this organic baby spinach from the supermarket. I know it says it is triple washed, but I still rinsed it off. I put about three large handfuls of spinach in the smoothie. As you can see in the picture, it pretty much fills up the blender at this point. I pushed the spinach down a little before I started the blender so it would mix faster)

(And, here is the finished product. It looks gross but it's so yummy! You wouldn't even know there was spinach in there if not for the color. The amount I put in equaled two smoothies, so I would pour one into a glass to enjoy for lunch, and pour the rest into a freezer safe cup to save for dinner)

As I mentioned in point number three above, I don't recommend freezing them overnight. I only did that with one that I made with the peanut butter and yogurt, but it was not appetizing and it took a very long time to thaw. I had it in the fridge for over six hours and it was still solid. Only a couple of hours in between meals worked the best for me.

A friend of mine told me she puts carrots and broccoli in her smoothies. I haven't tried it, but I've heard you can't really taste them very much either. I'm looking forward to trying some different combos to include vegetables into my smoothies.

How about you? Have you gone green with your smoothies? I'd love to hear some of your tips on including vegetables in your sweet foods.

Purposeful

I've had a lot on my heart lately that I've been wanting to blog about, but today I am going to blog about something that I just came across.

I love Gussy and her cute blog. Not only are her products adorable, but I love her heart and how honest she has been in these past few months about her fears and her desires.

She wrote a blog today called {are you being [adjective] enough?}. She talks about a word she's been trying to use in her life to keep her moving toward her goals and the things God has called her to. And, she asked her readers what word they would pick.

My word would have to be Purposeful.

At the beginning of this year, I noticed how I'd lost some of my desires to pursue different things in my life. I realized that I needed to make some changes, but I didn't totally know how to do it.

As time has gone on, I've realized some of the areas I've needed to be more purposeful in. The first of those is in my relationships with other people. I know there are certain relationships that I had been neglecting, others that I hadn't pursued very much (even though I knew God was calling me to), and still others that maybe I needed to step away from for awhile. Being purposeful in my relationships in the past couple of months has been so freeing. I definitely feel like I've made some strides in the right direction, but I know I still need to make more.

I also know that I need to be a better me (eating a little healthier and exercising). I haven't been doing so well in the exercise department, but this liquid diet I've been on this past week has definitely helped me to eat a little better, as well as to not overeat. I love all kinds of food and would much rather eat something salty and unhealthy than eat a bunch of broccoli, but I know the broccoli is so much better for me. Adding spinach to my smoothies this week has been one of my steps in the right direction. I hope to keep making those steps even after I can eat normal food again.

 (This verse has also been popping up a lot. When that happens, I know to take note and hold onto it, because God is definitely trying to teach me something through it)

I'm also trying to be more purposeful in my prayers, in spending time in the Word, and in listening to God's voice. I've been challenged in all of these areas quite a bit this year. The importance of prayer was emphasized a lot at the retreat I went on and has been something I've been working on more since then. The #SheReadsTruth movement that Gussy and some other bloggers started on Twitter has motivated me to really dive into the Word on a regular basis. And, listening to God's voice has been big on my heart from the time I started my Bible study reading Priscilla Shirer's book, Discerning the Voice of God. I just know that in order for the above goals to be accomplished, I first have to be pursuing my God.

I also want to be more purposeful in leading others closer to Christ and sharing His truths with them. This has changed and evolved a little since the beginning of the year, and is changing yet again, but it is still my desire to keep encouraging others to follow Christ more closely. Even though a couple of my Bible studies have ended for now, I am hoping to go through one or two Bible reading plans with some of those women over the summer so we can stay connected with each other and with God. It's a huge passion of mine to pour into women as much as I possibly can, in whatever ways I am able to.

May we all pursue our goals with passion and purpose.

Photo A Day in May

This was my first month participating in this challenge and it was a lot of fun! Instead of just taking a random picture every day, you have a prompt for what to photograph. I enjoyed that much more than just trying to find something interesting to take a picture of each day. 

(#25 is unusual because it was raining near the end of May! And, then if you notice #28, it was sunny with a high of 75. Crazy weather...)

Did you participate in the challenge? I'd love to see the pics you took.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Life Lately

These last couple of weeks have been busy...but that's just the nature of summertime.

My friend had her second daughter last week! I've gotten to cuddle with that little bundle twice already and I'm itchin' to hold her some more.

 

(Meet little Miss M!)

 

Another friend's daughter graduated preschool and I attended her graduation. It was cute to watch all of them sing their little songs and recite the scripture verses they memorized this week.

 

(The graduate on the left and her little sister on the right - T&T)

 

We went and saw Men in Black 3 this past weekend...and I loved it! Being a big Will Smith fan, and a fan of the original Men in Black (the second one was pretty lame, in my opinion), it just made the series for me. I really hope they make another one!

We also went to two graduation parties on Saturday for two very lovely ladies.

 

(Me and H at her party celebrating her 8th grade graduation)

 

Josh's oldest brother is moving for work (and taking two of my nieces with him!), so we had a going away party for them on Sunday. It was sad to think that we aren't going to see them as often, but I'm oh so thankful for Skype and FaceTime!

I also got to share in the birthdays of two young ladies this weekend...one at church on Sunday night and the other on Monday night.

(Happy 13th birthday to M!)

We also got a new to us couch yesterday! My parents gave us their old one, which is still in great shape and super comfy! I love it.

 

(It looks dirty, but it's just the way the material is. It changes as you move your hands across it)

 

And, in the midst of all of this crazyness, I started having major jaw pain...to the point where I really couldn't chew anything. I went to the dentist and she put me on a liquid diet for seven days! After that, I have to eat soft foods for another two weeks! So, life is going to be very different for me this month. I am already craving solid foods so bad. We went grocery shopping and I had such a hard time not drooling over all the things I can't eat. However, I am very glad I don't have to have any sort of surgery and that this is an easy (and relatively painless) fix. I bought a bunch of stuff to make "green" smoothies (I'm gonna try the whole spinach in a smoothie thing and see if you really can't taste it. I will let all of you know what I discover), some Superfood, yogurt, and mashed potato mixes. I'm a little excited about possibly losing some weight from all of this, but I'm also hoping that maybe this will motivate me to eat a little healthier in the future. And, of course I'm excited to be rid of these jaw issues!

How has your life been lately?

(You're the Bee's Knees may or may not return this week. I have some posts picked out to feature, but if I don't get it posted by Friday, it will hopefully be up sometime this weekend)

It's Time to Celebrate

We had a busy day on Saturday!

It started off with my oldest niece's 5th birthday party (I can't believe she's already 5!). They did a cowgirl themed party...and surprised her with pony rides! I loved seeing the huge smile on her face as she rode those ponies.

 

(My niece and her friends attacking my brother-in-law)

(Riding the pony for the first time!)

We also got to spend time with my other two nieces, who are getting so big! I can't believe how fast time flies...and yet, it seems like these two have always been a part of the family.

 

(Sophiamarie)

(Payton)

We then were privileged to witness our friends get hitched!

We've known the groom for a couple of years now and met his lovely bride almost a year ago. She was living in another town, so we are excited to get to know her better now that they will be living here!

(The guys praying for the groom before the ceremony)

(First kiss as husband and wife!)

(All my ladies from church!)

(Charlie's...Geeks? - credit for that has to go to Megh)

(Surrounded by beauties!)

(First dance!)

(Megh and I with the bride! - we were staring into the sun, thus the squinty eyes)

(They were very polite about the feeding of the cake)

How was your weekend?