WIAW: Think Green

My first edition of What I Ate Wednesday! 

Since cutting back on sugar after the new year, I have found myself drawn to a certain color food...everything I eat these days is green!  A whole days worth of eats last week deserves to be documented simply for the color of the food.  I am amazed I didn't turn green! 

Breakfast:

Green Monster Smoothies have become my favorite breakfast or lunchtime meal.  A typical green monster consists of:

1/2 cup Almond Milk
2-3 cups loosely packed spinach
1 banana
1 scoop RAW protein powder
1 cup ice

Blend all ingredients together until smooth.

I think the unseasonably warm temps have kept my smoothie obsession going well through the winter.

Lunch:

This is my go-to quick lunch.  What can I say...I love the color green!  In this bowl:

2 cups loosely packed spinach
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup cooked broccoli
1 cup cooked peas
2 cloves garlic

Combine all ingredients into blender then pour into bowl.  Heat in microwave until warmed through, top with vegan cheese and sour cream.  Mmmm!

We'll call this a Green Monster Soup!

Dinner:

Dinner was also vibrantly green and made in the blender.  This is the pasta sauce that we mixed with spaghetti and spinach for round three green meal of the day!  I followed Angela's recipe for Creamy Avocado Pasta, only doubled it for leftovers.  I was brilliantly surprised and delighted with the fun, fresh and light flavors of this dish.  In it:

2 avocados
1/2 cup fresh basil (I used basil in a tube, just a few tablespoons)
juice from one lemon
1 tablespoon Italian seasonings
a small amount of olive oil

Cream together and stir into pasta of choice.

While that is just one day of eats...I have actually been making these meals and eating leftovers all week.  I would say 85% of meals include a heaping dose of spinach and other green goodies!

How am I feeling since cutting out sugar?  100% better.  I can't say I definitively have more energy or have lost weight (not the goals), but I feel better about my decisions.  I have self-discipline back, and am enjoying my food for what it is.  Not just shoveling cookies and desserts into my mouth without considering where it came from and if I was over-doing it.

Certainly I have had teeny hiccups in my no-sugar plan.  Yesterday while volunteering I stole a bite of a cookie.  Just one bite.  I have also been eating these mints we have around the house that are full of sugar.  Usually just one a day.  I also have a dark chocolate bar in the fridge and I stole a bite out of it a couple days ago.  But haven't gone back for more.  Overall, I would call it a success!  I think the real challenge will come when Forbes and I leave for Florida this weekend!