Health Kick Kickstart and a smoothie recipe

Some of you who know me well, know that I tend to get into a little health kick this time of year.  The weather turns nice, I clean off my grill and hit the produce section.... big time.  Ok, it's not a little health kick.  It's a huge swift kick in the rear end.  It has nothing to do with bathing suit season.  I could care less what I look like in a bathing suit.  It's the I'm-sick-of-feeling-like-crap syndrome that I'm desperate to get out of.  I noticed lately that my face is all broken out (thank you Proactiv!), my stomach is bloated, my hair looks dry and brittle, I'm dead tired and very unmotivated, my arthritis and carpal tunnel has kicked in and I just get sick of being around myself.  So today, I hit the produce section at the grocery store.  I spent darn near $150 on produce, Stevia, sea salt, chicken breasts, and almond milk and whatever else ended up in my cart.  This is what my fridge ended up looking like: 

For dinner, we had grilled pork chops, green beans and a salad.  I'm so proud of this salad.  I got it at Aldi's and it was really good.  Both my girls (4 and 8) ate this salad.

Of course, I had to doctor mine up a bit.  I like hearty salads.

So, a couple of years ago, I visited a wellness doctor because I had tried all avenues of weight loss, and yes, including wasting my money on diet pills, and nothing was working.  I had severe hormonal issues due to my second pregnancy and even when my baby was 2, my hormones just wouldn't calm down.  Dr. Maureen Passifume with Advanced Wellness Center did a muscle test on me and found out that not only were my hormones completely out of whack, my liver and kidneys needed some (a lot) help, too.  She helped me get back on track through my diet.  I learned so much from her and those changes were very easy.  Following her simple diet guidelines, I started sleeping better, my hormones started behaving themselves and I lost 20 pounds.  My reaction: "Wow, you were right.  This does work.  You weren't just trying to scam me..."

It has been a long time since I've seen Dr. Maureen and when I found out she was having a girls' night on nutrition, I went with a friend.  She has partnered up with Amy Marzluff, a holistic health coach and Amy made a couple of recipes for us to try.  These women are amazing and they're amazing because not only do they NOT pressure you into buying their services and products but they just want people to be healthy.  So I'm going to share a recipe you will be SHOCKED how good it tastes.  It was easy to make and even my kids drank the smoothie.

Banana Mango Smoothie

1/2 c. water
2 c. frozen mango
2 frozen bananas (I only used 1 since I'm not a huge banana flavor fan)
3 big leaves of kale (no stem)
1 lemon (use the whole lemon or just squeeze the juice)

Blend well together.

Have you ever tried kale?  It's the thick leafy stuff you usually see on a veggie tray or garnish tray.  That, my friends, is NOT a garnish.  It's actually the healthiest green for you.  So instead of wasting that leafy green "stuff", blend it up in a smoothie.  You will not taste it, you'll boost your immune system, prevent cancer, lower cholesterol and the list of zillion benefits goes on.  It's also super cheap, too!

VERY IMPORTANT!  Do NOT let your kids (or your husband) see you make this smoothie.  Their gag reflects will kick in before the straw touches their mouth.  I told my kids it was a shamrock shake (you know, ice cream) and they liked it.  If you have to, disguise it in a colored cup, or add some ice to make it thicker like an actual milkshake.  Let me know how you like it. I'd love to hear from you!