My Morning Through Snack Daily Food Routine (shed those lbs & still eat well)!

Well, it’s official.  I’ve finally decided that to make my goal weight by mid-June I am officially going to have to kind of… err… sort of… uugghh… maybe diet a bit!  Yuck!  That tasted bad evening writing down that hateful “d” word.  I made it 6 months while staying on target or even getting ahead of my chart and have hit the longest of plateaus over the past 3 months.  If I plan on “making it” to the finish line I have to actually cut back a bit.  I’ve also just revamped my workout.  In previous posts I had mentioned the glory of Jillian Michael’s Shred It Level 1.  Well, now it’s Level 2 in addition to her 6 Weeks to 6 Pack Abs (if you want to die a painful workout death… do this. It’s killer! But amazing), and I am taking hour long Latin dance classes every Friday. I feel the combo should get me to where I need to be in the short bit of time I seem to have left.  Sigh, sigh, and sigh again… however, I feel great!  So, that’s the silver lining, and the hope for total “svelte-ness” is my dangling carrot.  In my mind it’s super model status, however, reality strikes in the form of a possible thinner thigh, arm, and a true dream of 50% of Jillian Michael’s abs.  We dream big here my friends.  I mean BIG.  I do indeed, dare to dream.  

I start every morning with my G’s Oatmeal Smoothie recipe. My little man (Greyson) LOVES them, as do my husband and myself. Berries mixed with oatmeal, coconut milk, and yes, spinach! Don’t let this scare you!  The spinach is masked by the coconut and the sweet fruit.  An incredibly healthy and satisfying start to your day.  Not to mention, I make it the night before so the oats have been fully soaked, it will be cold without having to add ice, and let’s face it, one less step to slow down your morning.  Sold!  Next, I arrive at work and have a small snack of almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and a clementine.  I love all of them and they keep my belly content until a later snack or early lunch. I swallow this down with a cup of chrysanthemum tea with a dash of cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and an ever-so-small squeeze of agave. This is incredibly refreshing and easy to drink. After this, I return to the caffeine with a Jasmine Green Tea (I have a black coffee as soon as I arrive at work).  For a small lunch or hefty snack, I have a whole wheat slice of bakery bread loaded with all kinds of delicious seeds, and I smother it in my homemade Classic Hummus after smashing some avocado on the bread (sometimes with a tomato or some cheese as well-all depends on how crazy I feel that day!).  If I want to make this more of a lunch, I will have a heftier slice of my bread and it’s toppings plus I’ll tack on a salad or soup, like my Pesto Mushroom Salad or my Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup.  I’m not trying to pack the calories in but I definitely want to feel satisfied and really enjoy my food. What’s eating if we don’t love it?!  My goal is to fuel my body with the “best” and enjoy it in the making. Simple, happy, delicious. Join me in my not-so-new morning mantra!