Confessional

I did it.  I cheated.

I have been toying with the idea of having one 'cheat' meal every two weeks.  I felt like if  allowed myself something to look forward to, then I could stay committed to the plan because I knew I only needed to get to day 'X' in order to have something that I was craving.

I went to the local grocery store today with two things on my mind - I needed another pineapple and maybe I'd grab a pizza.  I had promised myself that I would only get a cheese pizza so that way I could throw some of my own vegetables on top when I got home. I was there with friends and one asked me if I really wanted to buy that pizza.  I surprised myself when I answered no.  And I meant it.

Once I got home and started cleaning around the house, I was struck with a craving for pasta. This one wasn't the same as me thinking about the pizza.  The pizza I think was more me wondering if I needed to allow myself that treat.  The pasta craving, though?  Completely different.  I can't really describe why it happened and how it was different than wanting the pizza, but I felt like I needed a bowl of pasta NOW.

So, I promised myself that I would have just half a cup of macaroni, a blended tomato for sauce, and some shredded cheese and that would be that.  I stuck to the serving size but I can 100%, without an ounce of hesitation say that it wasn't worth it. It tasted like glue to me. I only ate half of what was in my bowl before I'd convinced myself that if I wasn't enjoying it the way I thought I would, why finish eating it?  Within 5 minutes of eating the pasta, I had really painful pains in my stomach.  I have been eating carrot and celery sticks and fruit in the last two weeks outside of the smoothies, so I know it wasn't just because I hadn't had solid food.  The pain lasted about 10 solid minutes.  I had to get up and find something to do around the house to keep my mind off of it.  They did ease off and I feel okay again now.

Holy cow, is that ever a wake-up call!?  I don't feel any of the satisfaction that I thought I would and I can feel the pasta just sitting like a lump in my stomach.  I don't like this feeling.  I have gotten used to the feeling of lightness after finishing my meals of raw, plant-based food.  I can't believe that I used to do this to myself all the time.  Sometimes more than once a day.

They say it takes 21 days of doing something until it becomes a habit.  I think these green smoothies have gotten into my system a lot more quickly than that. I've been trying to counter the pasta by drinking an extra large (with extra spinach) smoothie.  Lesson learned.

The New Favourite

I made myself a new green smoothie yesterday for dinner and it's easily now my favourite that I've tried so far.

It tasted like Jamaica to me, which is helpful since my upcoming trip to Jamaica is what really motivated me to hop on this green smoothie wagon in the first place.

This will be one that I keep coming back to again and again.  It was so yummy.

Tropical Green
2c spinach
1/4 fresh pineapple, cut into chunks
1 banana
1/2 avocado
1 1/2c of mango chunks

Blend the spinach with about 2 c of water then add the rest of the ingredients and blend on high for about 20 seconds.

On another note, I have found that sticking to the green smoothies has made me more paranoid about my teeth.  While we're eating healthy foods, I'm worried that the amount of citrus or sugar from fruit could cause damage so I'm brushing way more often than I did before starting.