– by Sarah McMurray
This week I have been learning to slow down. In my recent efforts to make health a priority I cut out my second part time job to free up time to just be. I’m staying at a friend’s house on the river this week while she is away, watching the water and birds outside the window as I Google nutrition information on various kinds of produce.
The 21 Day Green Smoothie Detox began on Monday and I am going to the farmers market to stock up on fresh veggies and fruit for the week. I’m a little nervous as this is the first time I’ve gone green and my goal for this week, the first one on the detox, is to replace two meals a day with green smoothies.
I’m nervous that I will have cravings for sugary, creamy things as it is the week before my period as well, but I’m also brainstorming how I can beat the cravings with raw produce. The fruit should help with the sugary one, and I’m thinking about avocados and mangos for a creamier blend in my smoothies. I have always been an emotional eater and I’m looking at ways to deal with that during the detox.
Creamy coffee and sugar are my vices and I’m anticipating the rough few days I could have weaning myself off of caramel macchiatos, but recently I’m also learning that everything is a choice, and I can choose today to go into this detox as an adventure in new flavors and experiences.
My mind is planning attack methods for emotional eating as I walk by the river through the park in the sunshine. It’s a beautiful day. The geese are scavenging algae off the river and summer worshipers are floating on a colorful array of plastic floaties. This is summer, lazy and full of slower days and iced tea in the garden.
My mind comes to a halt as I get to the farmers market, already I can smell fresh fruit and see buckets of sunflowers greeting me. I’ve come to this market without a specific shopping list, deciding just to let my senses do the shopping, whatever produce smells and looks the best will be coming home with me for green smoothies.
I wander through the booths taking it all in, past stalls of berries, lavender, cheeses, soaps and artisan breads. I am enjoying lingering here over summer’s sweetness. The benefits I’ve been reading about of green smoothies and my desire for change are making me really enjoy this shopping process.
It feels more like an adventure than a duty of coming up with “what to eat for dinner.” The anticipation of more energy, radiant skin, nails and hair, fewer cravings for sugary and salty products, better digestion, losing stubborn pounds and an increased desire for health inspire my creativity for new recipes. I fill my reusable shopping bags with spinach, arugula, heirloom tomatoes, juicy peaches, a few mangos and avocados, antioxidant rich blueberries, basil, cilantro and mint. I’m excited to try a new blended concoction of my shopping ensemble.
Farmer’s Market Delight
Ingredients:
- 1 juicy peach
- ½ a mango
- 3 cups of spinach
- A few mint leaves
- 1 cup of water
I don’t think I am brave enough yet to blend up a totally green smoothie without the aid of a recipe, but with the 21 Day Detox happening now, I’ve got some green smoothie recipes to get started. I’m planning on kicking off the program with a long walk on my favorite river trail and dreaming up new recipes, but today I stick with a very fruity smoothie.
Happy hump day to you all!