Update + Eat to Live Diet + Peach Pie GREEN Smoothie

I haven't been on here in awhile. I'm going through what could be called a "quarter-life crisis." I just graduated with my Bachelor's degree and now I am trying to find my place in "normal" society. I didn't go to college to make 100k per year - I went to college to get an education; to become a more well-rounded individual. It's not the fact that I have to get a job (and have been looking fiercely for the past 3 weeks) that is bothering me - it's the fact that I feel like my life is now at a standstill. I love learning. I want few things more than to enroll in graduate school, but right now that is just not an option.

Aside from that, Anthony and I have been following the Eat to Live program for the past 5 days. We followed this program from January up until about April of last year and it turned out to be very successful for us - I lost 20 lbs and he lost 30 lbs. Neither of us are overweight now, we just have a few extra pounds we can afford to lose. While it is a great program (and you feel amazing while following it), it takes a great deal of discipline to follow. I'll have more on our progress later, but for now, here's what it entails:

UNLIMITED:

• all raw vegetables, including raw carrots (goal: 1 lb. daily)
• cooked green vegetables (goal 1 lb. daily)
• beans, legumes, bean sprouts, or tofu (minimum 1 cup daily in total of these)
• fresh fruit (at least 4 daily).
• eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomato and other non-starchy vegetables, cooked and raw (unlimited)

LIMITED:

• cooked starchy vegetables OR whole grains–Maximum 1 cup per day (butternut or acorn squash, corn, sweet potato, brown rice, cooked carrots, whole grain breads, whole grain cereals)
• raw nuts and seeds (1 oz. or 28.5 grams a day) or 2 ounces avocado
• ground flaxseed (1 tablespoon a day)
• soymilk, low-sugar preferred–Maximum 1 cup a day

OFF-LIMITS:

• dairy products
• animal products
• between meal snacks
• fruit juice, dried fruits
• salt, sugar

From the book Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss by Dr. Joel Fuhrman

Now, we do not follow this diet 100% the way Dr. Fuhrman wants us to. We use small amounts of salt, chia seeds instead of flax, maple syrup and agave as sweeteners in small amounts, and occasionally have a snack between meals. Everything else, we're pretty much spot-on.

This brings me to the smoothie I made this morning. I have a green smoothie every single morning. It just makes you feel great for the rest of your day and if you haven't tried one, you're missing out! I had an excess amount of peaches in the freezer so when life gives you peaches, make a....

Peach Pie Green Smoothie

1 cup vanilla soymilk (if you use a plant milk that does not contain vanilla, add 1/2 tsp of extract)

1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon cashew butter (I use cashew butter because its flavor is relatively neutral - you could use peanut butter in a pinch but the smoothie would be very peanut-ty.)

1 small frozen banana

1.5 cups frozen peaches

1 cup (packed) spinach

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 - 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave

1/2 - 1 cup cold water to reach desired consistency (this smoothie is very thick, but you can thin it out with even more water)

Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend until smooth!

Serves one very hungry person.

Hope everyone is having a great new year!

-KBF