Mixed Berry and Spinach Smoothie and Cats

This morning Dan and both saw our respective weight go up a little for the third day in a row. This is no doubt due to a little too much trail mix and fat from the quinotto. Instead of letting a bad trend start we are cutting back a little today and tomorrow if necessary. We decided to start the morning with a smoothie instead of oatmeal. Of course we still had our favorite veggie and fruit juice with beet before the smoothie. Here is the smoothie I made this morning:

Mixed Berry and Spinach Smoothie
Serves 2

Ingredients:

3 cups frozen mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries and Marion berries)
2 cups baby spinach, well packed
1 dash powdered ginger (for its anti-inflammatory properties)
1 dash cinnamon (for its ability to help the body process the fruit sugar)
2 tablespoons freshly ground flaxseed (for the omega 3 fatty acids)
2 cups water
stevia, to taste (if necessary)

Directions:

Toss everything in you blender and process until smooth.  Serve in a well chilled glass.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 190.62
Calories From Fat (22%) - 42.76

Total Fat - 4.94g
Saturated Fat - 0.48g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 37.04mg
Potassium - 339.37mg
Total Carbohydrates - 36.8g
Fiber - 8.97g
Sugar - 21.8g
Protein - 4.48g

Comment:

This is a flavorful and light breakfast. If you are looking for something a little lighter after a day of over indulging this is a light option. If we had not had a fresh juice with kale this morning before the smoothie I would have added a kale leaf or two to this smoothie for more nutrition.

Each serving of this smoothie contains approximately 2,900IU of vitamin A, 30mg of vitamin C, 50mg of calcium, 1.5mg of iron, 70mcg of folate, 185mcg of vitamin K, 40mg of phosphorus, and 40mg of magnesium. Not stupendous nutritional stats but not a doughnut or bagel either. ;-)

Gratuitous Cat Photos:

Last night the boys were particularly cute. But then again I am the cat mommy so I may be a bit biased. As usual Masi was not in the mood to have picture taken. Here he is refusing to look at the camera.

This one is of our youngest boy Nicco (aka Binky) raising one side of his lip. He does this a lot. We call it the Elvis lip. Last night was the first time I actually got a picture of Binky making the Elvis lip. He is funny boy.

I know I am biased but I think they have so much personality. Yes I am a extremely doting cat mommy. ;-)

Unrelated note:

Can you make juice in the Vitamix is a question I get asked a lot. My quick answer is yes and no. Yes you can do it, and no I don’t recommend it. The juice you get from the Vitamix is thick and not overall pleasant from a textural perspective. However the Vitamix does make great smoothies. This is how I like to use it. By including frozen fruit with the vegetables you get an intentionally thick drink that is very pleasant and still includes the fiber from the vegetables. It is more filling than juice from the juicer which must be due to the fiber. I like to have both machines (the Vitamix and juicer) but if you have room for only one on your counter I would stick with a high speed blender like the Vitamix.

I know that many of the “experts” say that you shouldn’t get on the scale every day but we do. Not weighing yourself everyday is probably a good idea if you are battling an eating disorder but I find it very reassuring to know what is happening. It has also been a good tool to see the impact of: eating out, or consuming foods higher in sodium, and the weight increases that occur due to female hormones. We have been using our Wii Fit scale function daily for almost two years. It is great to use since it shows you not only your weight but BMI. It also gives you a graph of your weight and BMI, by week, two weeks, month, three months and year. If you are numbers junkie like me it is a useful too. Please keep in mind I tend to be a nutrition micromanager so this approach won’t work for everyone. ;-)

Today is yet another gray and raining day at our place. The skies are dark and it looks as though it is going to pour any minute. It has been raining off and on since we got up this morning. Today is definitely the sort of day where a nap sounds more appealing than anything else. I am going to take advantage of the weather to do a little cooking and maybe some reading. I know my hubby loves it when I spend extra time in the kitchen.

For the time being I am going to sign off and do something productive before I change my mind and take that nap. ;-) I will talk to you all again soon.