Healthy Goodness that Tastes Delicious?...I'm Sold.

I am about ready to kick my scale out of my bathroom and then toss it off my deck.  It's being very very bad to me.  Either that or I am eating way more calories than I think I am.  I might have to take a break for a few days from weighing in for my own sanity...what's left of it anyway!  :)

You might have noticed from my water post, but lately I've been thinking about the basics of weight loss:

• Drink plenty of water
• Get out and be active
• Watch your food intake

In addition to making sure I get plenty of H20 everyday, I am now starting to make sure that the food I intake is actually good for me.  While taco bell (real beef or not) is delicious and calls my name, it really isn't doing me much good for providing me fuel for a run.  One area that I am really lacking in is getting enough fruits and vegetables.  Rather than partaking of these tasty and healthy food items, I've been eating foods that are high in calories and low in nutrition.  No wonder I feel like I can't get enough food some days--I may have enough calories, but definitely not enough nutrients.  My body needs/wants more of those!

So--new game plan.  Back in the day when I was being super healthy, I used to make these morning smoothies that are delicious and really good for you.  They have tons of fruit in them and the sweetness of the fruit cleverly disguises the taste of the kale and/or spinach.  That's right...kale and spinach in a fruity smoothie.  If you're like me at all, you don't eat kale or spinach because you think it is nasty.  But I looooove this smoothie, so I can't help but share:

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1 c water

5 leaves of kale (you can add more)

1 spoonful of OJ frozen concentrate (or apple juice)

3 frozen strawberries

20 frozen blueberries

4 frozen chunks of pineapple

1 frozen banana

4 slices of frozen peach

½ avocado

Combine water, kale, and OJ concentrate and blend until Kale is completely ground up.  Add frozen fruits to the kale mixture and blend and blend and blend until smooth.  After blending frozen ingredients, add avocado and blend until creamy.

Enjoy.  Approximately 450 calories if you drink the whole thing.

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I know you're wondering about the kale thing, but trust me--try it and you won't even notice it's there.  The only thing about the kale is that it makes the smoothie a really weird color (which is why I did not post a picture of it!).  It's not very pretty, but totally delicious.  It also is a great way to get several servings of fruit in the morning (which is the best time to have carbs like this!).  The avocado adds some fat which keeps you full for the rest of the morning, plus you get the nice omega-3s.  

Try it and report back to me.  You will need a quality blender to get the frozen fruit smooth.  I have a Blendtec and it works quite nicely.  I shared this drink with a coworker today and he was instantly sold and asked for the recipe on the spot.  I'm going on a 3.5 mile run tonight and am hopeful that eating more fruits and veggies like this will give me more energy so I can improve my pace and stamina while I train for my upcoming races.  I'm running a 5k this weekend and a half marathon next month--it's game time!

How do you incorporate more fruits/veggies into your diet?