That Mint Smoothie Recipe

Philip loves mint-chocolate anything.

Hence, I got some dark chocolate chips (yes, they are clean! yay!), and some peppermint extract, so he could make this smoothie recipe, which I got from Rabbit Food for My Bunny Teeth.

Thin Mint Protein Smoothie
Serves 1

1 cup frozen spinach (or 2 cups fresh)
1 cup almond milk
2 scoops chocolate protein powder
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/8 tsp peppermint extract
Toppings:
1 Tbsp walnuts
1 Tbsp 70% dark chocolate chips
Combine the almond milk, spinach, protein powder, rolled oats, and peppermint extract in a high powered blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a glass and top with walnuts and chocolate chips and enjoy with a spoon!
Note: If your blender has a hard time blending certain things, start by blending the milk and frozen spinach first and then add in the oats, followed by protein powder and peppermint extract.

I don't know if I'd consider protein powder clean, but I've got to pick my battles with Phil. At least he's doing this thing with me!

Clean Grocery Shopping

After enjoying my last "dirty" meal, I made a grocery list, found out which grocery store had the biggest organic selection, and headed there!

I tried to stay on the outer aisles of the store, and felt a little weird putting SO many fruits and veggies in my buggy. I was sure someone was going to think I was a hippie treehugging vegan. (Not that all vegans are treehugging hippies. But I was sure they would think I was. There was THAT much produce in my cart. ((... speaking of carts, do only southerners call their grocery carts buggies? Maybe I should just say cart from now on..)))

Here's the produce I got:

• Lemons (for tea)
• Oranges
• Apples
• Celery (I found a clean peanut butter! More on that later...)
• Bananas
• Potatoes
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Apples
• Carrots
• Grapes
• Romaine Lettuce (much more nutritious than iceberg- apparently iceberg is just blah when it comes to nutrition)
• Onions
• Spinach
• Tomatoes
• Bell Peppers (I bought all the pretty colored ones; red, yellow, orange, green. I have no clue what the difference is. I guess I'm going to find out...)
• Mangos (or is it Mangoes???)
• Kiwis
• Avocados
• Watermelon
  I told you I looked like a hippie.

I also bought some frozen veggies. And nuts. (Are those considered produce?? Uh....)

• Pecans
• Almonds
• Peanuts
• Spinach
• Corn
• Green Beans

And then the dairy and egg aisle...

• Fat Free Greek Yogurt (It sounds awful to me... but not if I add blueberries!! :)  )
• Eggs (going to eat minimal yolks- mostly egg whites)
• Almond Milk (For a mint chocolate chip protein shake recipe Philip found... Will share.)

I am avoiding beef and pork, and trying to stick to leaner meats like chicken, fish, and turkey. If you've never tried ground turkey, you should. Your husband and kids won't notice unless you tell them. (I speak from experience. :D ) So I just bought some Jennie-O Ground Turkey. I've got tons of chicken and tilapia at home.

So, you know how you're supposed to stay out of the middle aisles of the store? There are a FEW okay things. Just make sure when you go down those middle aisles, that you focus on what you are getting. (Whose idea was it to put cookies on the same aisle as the oatmeal?!) Here's the clean things from the middle aisle:

• Salsa (I figured Philip could dump this on anything he thought was too bland. Salt is evil.)
• Corn Tortillas (I promised him we could have some. I didn't find some that I was sure were clean, but the ingredient list was minimal and didn't have partially hydrogenated anything. All of the "healthy" and "whole grain" and "natural" labeled ones were FULL of partially hydrogenated oils! I was SHOCKED!)
• Unsweeted Applesauce
• Whole-grain pasta
• Green Tea
• 100% pure and natural maple syrup (okay to use occasionally. Just don't use a lot.) 
• Steel-cut oatmeal
  
• Peanut Butter (The ingredients list just said: Peanuts. SCORE! So proud of myself.)
  
• Long Grain Brown Rice (Philip LOVES Rice. Double score.)
  
  My apologies for the upside-down picture. I'm too lazy to turn it around.
  
  I will admit it. I was SUPER nervous to go to the checkout. I kept formulating plans on how I was going to put things back without embarrassing myself if I went over my grocery budget. Is it just me, or wouldn't you think this would cost at least $275+? I mean, when I think organic, natural, clean foods, I think exPENsive!
  
  $158.09. That was my total. Woot!!! Go me.
  
  Any questions or comments on what is or isn't ok to buy? Post them below and I'll answer! :)

Time for a Change: Clean Eating

Well, last I updated, I announced that I was having another baby. Here is the sweet fella:

During my pregnancy, I gained 33 lbs. I quickly lost 23 with WeightWatchers PointsPlus Program, and have been struggling with the last 10. I love weight watchers; don't get me wrong. It's a great starting point to teach people how to make better choices about what they eat, and it encourages healthier eating. 

But I'm ready to be even healthier. On WeightWatchers, I was still eating a lot of processed foods, full of trans fats, preservatives, and lots of things added in that just aren't natural. So, via Pinterest, I discovered the method of eating Clean. I did a bit of internet research, and although there are some variations, these are the main points I'll be following with the clean eating diet:

• Shop on the outer aisles of the grocery store. i.e., fruits, veggies, fresh meat, milk, eggs, plain yogurt, etc.
• Read the ingredients on everything you buy. (I thought this part would be super hard, but when deciding if I want to buy something I look for a short ingredient list ((4-5 ingredients)) that does not include partially hydrogenated anything ((partially hydrogenated = trans fats)) and that does not include lots of oils and butters.
• Try to only eat things that are as close to their natural form as possible- i.e., minimally processed.
• Drink water or tea.
  
  Did I mention I conned talked my husband into doing this with me? (We enjoyed a farewell to processed food meal tonight: Sonic. Y-U-M.)
  
  So, in an effort to hold ourselves accountable, and so that we will stick to this thing, I'm posting our before pictures.
  
  Don't judge me. 

Philip (my husband) told me to slouch and look unhappy. Apparently, that's how you're supposed to take "before" photos.

And here is Philip. Don't judge him either. (I also had to con talk him into allowing me to share his pictures.)

Our goals are to pay more attention to what we put into our bodies (with me especially, since I'm nursing), get healthier, and lose weight. 

Wish us luck!