By Rebecca Hill
The best portion of a good man's life -- his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.
~William Wordsworth
Some foods, such as chocolate-covered strawberries, say, "I love you." Some foods say, "I'm sorry for your loss" -- like the casseroles church members brought over after my dad's death. Some foods, like pepperoni pizza and chicken wings, say, "It's the weekend, the game's on and let's throw caution to the wind." Some foods, like chicken soup, say, "I hope you feel better." And some food says, "It's a new day, let's start fresh and make sure you're healthy and strong." That food would be my husband's strawberry smoothies, which I've secretly named "Forgiveness Smoothies."
I struggle with my weight. I have a wicked sweet tooth that rivals any celebrity's addiction ever splashed across the tabloids. If eating sweets were a crime, they'd definitely put me in jail and throw away the key. There'd be no need for a jury, judge or trial because everyone would already know I was guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt. I'm sure I'd never get paroled because no one (except my husband and my Weight Watcher's leaders, Amy and Gwyndolyn) would ever believe there was any chance of me changing my ways.
Sometimes I have my addiction under control. Other times it has control of me. But whether I'm acting reasonable and sane or coming home with chocolate smeared on my lips and French fries in my hair, my husband's Forgiveness Smoothies can always refocus my attention, help me move past my poor choices, and remind me of the person I want to be.
I want to be a person who loves herself and fills her body with wholesome nutrients like strawberries, yogurt, apple juice, protein powder and honey. I want to be a person who drinks one nice tall glass of smoothie and calls that a meal. I want to marvel at "how deliciously sweet strawberries are" rather than upping the sugar-shock value with more and more candy, looking for peace at the bottom of a one-pound bag of chocolate covered peanuts.
Sometimes I am the person I want to be! But sometimes I'm not... sometimes, I sit in my car and eat three candy bars and a piece of cake or a dozen cupcakes for no reason at all. When I sit in my car bingeing, I get a temporary high, but almost immediately I feel nauseated and disgusted with my destructive behavior. On these nights, I crawl into bed feeling like a slug and wonder if I will ever change.
This is where my husband's Forgiveness Smoothies come into play. My husband is naturally thin and he monitors what he eats without even really trying. He has a treat every now and then, but he never has five treats in one day. He's always looking for food that is both delicious and nutritious and he cares about my health enormously, so it's natural for him to say "Hey, do you want me to make smoothies for breakfast?" I always say "Yes!" because I feel like a champion when I'm drinking one of these smoothies. "Look at me," I think. "I'm doing what thin people do. I'm having a nice, healthy smoothie for breakfast. For this moment in time, I'm keeping pace with fitness gurus like Bob Greene, Richard Simmons, Kiana Tom and Arnold Schwarzenegger. I love it! I feel like a terminator!"
Drinking these smoothies restores me physically, mentally and emotionally. I feel like I'm being given a fresh start. Even if the day before was a disaster in terms of my food choices, I know at least for today -- at least for this one meal -- I am being good to my body and I am eating in a reasonable, sane, nutritious way.
Now, don't get me wrong -- I don't think there's anything "bad" about having a decadent meal every now and then or splurging on a sinful dessert occasionally. I'm not talking about conscious, calculated decisions made because I really want Aunt Sally's macaroni and cheese or Mama's homemade lasagna. No one needs to be forgiven for eating things like that. But if, like me, you lose control sometimes, then you might be in need of a Forgiveness Smoothie too, so here's my husband's recipe. Bottoms up -- it's a new day -- a fresh start. This is indeed the breakfast of champions!
Forgiveness Smoothie
Two smoothies:
1 banana
1 cup apple juice
1 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
1 scoop protein powder
2 cups frozen strawberries*
2 teaspoons honey
If you are only making one smoothie, just divide the entire recipe in half.
*When you use frozen fruit (instead of fresh fruit) there's no need to put ice in the blender -- it's a handy trick that has worked well for me because the smoothies are cold without being watered down by ice cubes.
The best portion of a good man's life -- his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.
~William Wordsworth
Some foods, such as chocolate-covered strawberries, say, "I love you." Some foods say, "I'm sorry for your loss" -- like the casseroles church members brought over after my dad's death. Some foods, like pepperoni pizza and chicken wings, say, "It's the weekend, the game's on and let's throw caution to the wind." Some foods, like chicken soup, say, "I hope you feel better." And some food says, "It's a new day, let's start fresh and make sure you're healthy and strong." That food would be my husband's strawberry smoothies, which I've secretly named "Forgiveness Smoothies."
I struggle with my weight. I have a wicked sweet tooth that rivals any celebrity's addiction ever splashed across the tabloids. If eating sweets were a crime, they'd definitely put me in jail and throw away the key. There'd be no need for a jury, judge or trial because everyone would already know I was guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt. I'm sure I'd never get paroled because no one (except my husband and my Weight Watcher's leaders, Amy and Gwyndolyn) would ever believe there was any chance of me changing my ways.
Sometimes I have my addiction under control. Other times it has control of me. But whether I'm acting reasonable and sane or coming home with chocolate smeared on my lips and French fries in my hair, my husband's Forgiveness Smoothies can always refocus my attention, help me move past my poor choices, and remind me of the person I want to be.
I want to be a person who loves herself and fills her body with wholesome nutrients like strawberries, yogurt, apple juice, protein powder and honey. I want to be a person who drinks one nice tall glass of smoothie and calls that a meal. I want to marvel at "how deliciously sweet strawberries are" rather than upping the sugar-shock value with more and more candy, looking for peace at the bottom of a one-pound bag of chocolate covered peanuts.
Sometimes I am the person I want to be! But sometimes I'm not... sometimes, I sit in my car and eat three candy bars and a piece of cake or a dozen cupcakes for no reason at all. When I sit in my car bingeing, I get a temporary high, but almost immediately I feel nauseated and disgusted with my destructive behavior. On these nights, I crawl into bed feeling like a slug and wonder if I will ever change.
This is where my husband's Forgiveness Smoothies come into play. My husband is naturally thin and he monitors what he eats without even really trying. He has a treat every now and then, but he never has five treats in one day. He's always looking for food that is both delicious and nutritious and he cares about my health enormously, so it's natural for him to say "Hey, do you want me to make smoothies for breakfast?" I always say "Yes!" because I feel like a champion when I'm drinking one of these smoothies. "Look at me," I think. "I'm doing what thin people do. I'm having a nice, healthy smoothie for breakfast. For this moment in time, I'm keeping pace with fitness gurus like Bob Greene, Richard Simmons, Kiana Tom and Arnold Schwarzenegger. I love it! I feel like a terminator!"
Drinking these smoothies restores me physically, mentally and emotionally. I feel like I'm being given a fresh start. Even if the day before was a disaster in terms of my food choices, I know at least for today -- at least for this one meal -- I am being good to my body and I am eating in a reasonable, sane, nutritious way.
Now, don't get me wrong -- I don't think there's anything "bad" about having a decadent meal every now and then or splurging on a sinful dessert occasionally. I'm not talking about conscious, calculated decisions made because I really want Aunt Sally's macaroni and cheese or Mama's homemade lasagna. No one needs to be forgiven for eating things like that. But if, like me, you lose control sometimes, then you might be in need of a Forgiveness Smoothie too, so here's my husband's recipe. Bottoms up -- it's a new day -- a fresh start. This is indeed the breakfast of champions!
Forgiveness Smoothie
Two smoothies:
1 banana
1 cup apple juice
1 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
1 scoop protein powder
2 cups frozen strawberries*
2 teaspoons honey
If you are only making one smoothie, just divide the entire recipe in half.
*When you use frozen fruit (instead of fresh fruit) there's no need to put ice in the blender -- it's a handy trick that has worked well for me because the smoothies are cold without being watered down by ice cubes.
http://www.chickensoup.com
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий