beet me senseless

Good morning! This is just a follow-up from last night's post. As promised, I forced myself to drink that obnoxiously disgusting citrus-beet smoothie this morning. I had a chaser to cleanse my mouth between drinks and I drank all but the last ounce of it. By that time, I was gagging and close to hurling so I dumped it. Never again. Tomorrow, we're back to the spinach, banana, strawberry and almond milk.

The beets beat me badly. They win - I will never endanger their species again. They are gross and vile and disgusting. ICK!!! I can still taste them almost 2 hours later.

I guess you can say I'm no longer willing to be so adventurous with my smoothies. I'm still shuddering from it.

In HIs Love,

~Melissa~

Un-beet-able

Hello friends! So by now you know that my hubster and I have embarked on a journey of raw foods blending. We just got our Ninja Professional 1100W blender this past week and we've made some easy blends in it so far - blueberries one night and blackberries the next. Today, however, we decided to be adventurous and try a citrus-beet smoothie from a raw foods website I found.

First, I peeled all the components and put them in the blender. I wore gloves because I didn't want beet-stained hands.

 See how it completely PULVERIZED them? In just one quick pulse!!

This is as it was blending. Everything rotates to get the smoothest blend possible It's pretty awesome to watch.

After it was all done, I poured it into two travel cups and did a taste test. OMIGOD IT'S DISGUSTING!!! I added agave, honey AND regular granulated sugar just to be able to stomach it. Let's just say I do not, will not ever like beets. Like, EVER!!!

I put them in the fridge because they are morning drinks and I don't have time to do all that peeling in the mornings.

Photo note: The disinfecting wipes were right there to quickly clean up any spots to hit the counter. Don't really want pink stains on the counter-top either. O.o

Hopefully the smoothies will be better cold in the morning. If not... watch out cause I'm forcing myself to drink it (even if the hubster won't).

I'm thinking I might just have to stick to my regular green smoothies and forget this adventurous junk! lol

Until next time...

In His Love,

~Melissa~

Ninja Fanatic!

I first discovered Ninja blending systems a couple years ago via an infomercial on early morning tv. It was AWESOME! It attacks fruits and vegetables like they are butter. They showed all these amazing recipes and health benefits (and some party drinks) that can be made faster and smoother with these different blenders. I probably watched their infomercials a couple thousand times over the past couple of years. Always wishing.... We just couldn't afford it yet.

Well, Christmas 2012, Santa was supposed to bring me the Mega Kitchen System but he hurt his shoulder and didn't work for several months so he tried to order it on the easy-pay plan. They don't accept debit cards and we don't have a credit card so it was never ordered but didn't tell us. So I was watching the mail every day in excited anticipation for a blender that wasn't coming. So frustrating. Then I checked the site's "Where's My Order" option and it had no record of my hubster's phone number or email. FUMING MAD!!! I thought he didn't order it. He called their support line and it took over 30 minutes for their very own rep to determine it was because he tried to use his bank card and they don't accept them for easy-pay.

I tried really hard not to let disappointment settle in, but it was difficult. This blender was the main ingredient to our life improvement goals this year. Our regular blender just can't handle the raw food blending that we are trying to start. It takes f o r e v e r to blend one smoothie. And they aren't very smooth.

After some serious discussions and research, we decided that we could start with a smaller set instead of the Mega System and then upgrade after he gets back to work. Then, I was blessed with a 20% off coupon for Bed, Bath and Beyond in my email inbox yesterday. I forwarded it to the hubster and GUESS WHO GOT HER NINJA YESTERDAY!!!!! :) We got the Ninja Professional 1100W with two travel cups. We'll get the Mega System in a few months. I'm quite happy with that decision.

I was so excited when I got home! Our first blend was silly and mostly for entertaining Tristan. It was just strawberry milk. Then, in the travel cup, I added some blueberries, plain yogurt, milk, honey and agave and blended for just a couple minutes. It was so smooth! And incredibly yummy! I put some in a cup for Tristan but it was too thick. So, we made him a bowl of baby oatmeal and stirred the smoothie into it. He loved it! He ate two bowls of it. Then he was a happy boy. He was laughing, playing, hugging and kissing. He climbed up into my lap and we were talking and he passed out. Mid-giggle. So sweet!

This morning, I blended blackberries, banana, honey, agave, Vi-Shake Mix, and milk for a yummy breakfast smoothie. In less than half the time of my regular blender. Fantastic! I would advise anyone who wants to start raw food blending to get a high speed blender. I especially recommend the Ninja because it is so affordable compared to some of the others.

Hope you all have a happy Friday and great weekend!

In His Love,

~Melissa~

Ch-ch-ch-CHIA!!

Happy Thursday morning to you! As part of my life improvement goals in 2013, I've been doing research on different health foods and their benefits.

I recently discovered chia seeds.

I did hours of research and reading prior to deciding that it sounded like the perfect additive to the raw food blending that my hubster and I are starting. So, I bought a bag at The Vitamin Shoppe on Tuesday after work and added 1 Tablespoon to my Vi-Shake on Wednesday morning. Can I just tell you that I was not starving at lunch time. In fact, I ate lunch late because I was still comfortable and not really hungry at all. Then, I added another Tablespoon to my soup when I finally did eat lunch and I was not starving on my date last night. Normally, when hubster takes me to Panda Express, I BINGE on the food and clear the plate. Last night - I got less than half of the food down before I was comfortably full. I only had a couple handfuls of popcorn during our movie and did not snack at all when we got home. Incredible!

Even better - I slept for 6 solid hours and did not wake up hungry. Amazing. I feel really good this morning. So, I added it to my Vi-Shake this morning and to my Chinese left-overs for today. I haven't touched the chocolate in our office candy dish or felt the need to snack at all today.

This chia stuff... just might be the real deal! I'll keep you posted on how things progress as I continue to use these wonderful little seeds. :)

Until next time...

In His Love,

~Melissa~

Happy New Year

Yeah, right. It's 8:30 pm and I haven't left my bedroom/bathroom once today. I woke up vomiting and other unpleasantness for some reason this morning. I've slept almost all day between trips to the toilet, have eaten nothing, and drank a few sips of hot tea - which I later threw up. I saw Tristan, Brianna, and Ciara each for a minute and Hubster is checking on me via text. He doesn't want my cooties. Today has sucked but I am thankful to be alive and surrounded by family. Even if they won't come anywhere near me right now. O.o

In His Love,

Melissa.