Hydrating Green Smoothie Recipe

I woke up a little dehydrated this morning and I'm sure the alcohol from last night is the culprit. I didn't wake up with a hangover (I know my limits and don't like to overdo it), but I still wanted to feel vibrant again.

Spinach smoothies are my go-to health drink lately. I make variations of them with different flavors of greek yogurt, fruits, protein powder, and even kale. I usually throw ice and water to get the consistency that I want, but it can get a little boring. I've heard that coconut water is very hydrating, and believe me, I've tried to down it before. But I don't like it! Not by itself at least. However, it was on sale at Target yesterday so I decided to bite the bullet and try again, but to add to my smoothies! Let me just say, that was the way to do it!

Here's the recipe I made this morning--it's one of the best I've had.

Hydrating Green Smoothie
3/4 cup coconut water (35)
1 banana (110)
2 handfuls of fresh spinach (10)
1 container pomegranate greek yogurt (140)
1 tbsp ground flaxseed (30)
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder (60)
2 tsp cocoa powder (5)
4-5 ice cubes
4-6 oz water

Layer each in a blender and blend to preferred consistency (more ice will give a slush smoothie, more water will be thinner). It makes about 30-32 oz of smoothie--all for 390 calories! Split it in 2 and it comes to 195 calories a serving. It's so filling too. Drink up!

Testing Wheat Free Eating

Tomorrow marks one full week that I've eaten no wheat. Without too much detail, I was getting inflammation and felt fatigued all the time. I got the idea to try not eating wheat from someone at work. She tried it and said that while it helped her energy levels, it seemed too complicated to maintain.

Well, I somewhat agree. I already don't eat meat, so without wheat, I felt I had to replace a huge staple in my diet. I've gotten so creative this week with my food planning!

In the last week I've made homemade veggie sushi (surprisingly easier than I thought), brown rice and tofu stir fry, refried beans with spinach and avocado, and kidney bean red velvet brownies. I've always wanted to cook more, and now I had a reason to do it. The only downside? I feel hungry every couple hours so I feel I'm constantly eating. I keep my calories in check to about the same amount but still.

We'll see how long I keep this up...