Cooking and blending my way to healthy eating

During this time I am taking off from working full time I want to get back to healthy: physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and in any other way I can.
I have started eating better, drinking even more water than I was before and I am even cooking a bit. (I’ve also started back with my regular home yoga practice, regularly attending public yoga classes and getting some cardio in at my gym.)
Let’s get back to that cooking thing I mentioned above …
Even though I have two parents who are amazing cooks, I don’t like cooking. When I was a kid and my brother and I were old enough we were given the task to cook one night a week to help our mom, who was a single parent.
I absolutely hated it. I begged my mom for any other chore. So I had to vacuum the house. And to the day I still don’t mind vacuuming.
I have many goals in mind during my break. One of them is not to become a housewife–this is no offense to housewives, it is just not me.
One of my goals (besides tackling that atrocious unorganized pantry, cleaning up my e-mail inbox, teaching yoga classes, etc.) is to do a little experimenting with cooking. And because I have more time the cooking isn’t as painful. I can take the time to look up recipes, shop and make a nutritious meal for myself and sometimes The Husband who has been appreciating some of what I am making, too.
The Husband has enjoyed the few meals I have made and said one night, I think I like this unemployment thing. I told him to not get too crazy!
I am trying to go healthy and/or low calorie with my meals. (Just because something is low [or lower] calorie doesn’t mean it is healthy. But sometimes you just want mac and cheese, which tastes good!)
A good friend and GFG! reader suggested an idea for the blog: a Recipes tab. So today I debut the Recipes tab here at GFG!
This is an experiment and will likely get some tuneups along the way. I’m still figuring it out. So if you like something or have suggestions, please speak up.
As I transitioned into my new life I knew that a partial detox was necessary to help me kickstart the healthy lifestyle again. So last week during the week and this week as well I have been having a homemade green smoothie as my breakfast.  (Weekends I tend to have a sturdier breakfast–eggs, bacon and toast or out for brunch.)
The first recipe being debuted on the Recipes tab is a green kale smoothie. (How many times can I say Recipes tab? You have to take a drink of your green smoothie every time I do.) A friend recently mentioned her morning smoothie and everything she throws in the mix.  I don’t remember everything. But here’s what I came up with:
Homemade green kale smoothie

• ³⁄₄ to 1 cup of coconut water
  
• 1 apple (with skin)
  
• 1 banana (can be frozen)
  
• 1 cup of raw kale
  
• Ice (optional)
  
  

Throw the above ingredients into your high-powered blender. (I have a Ninja.) And drink. Without the ice this recipe makes about 18 ounces. I had thrown some bananas in the freezer one day as they were just about to go bad. I realized they would be great in the smoothie. It’s easier if you peel them and cut them into smaller pieces before freezing. Yup, I learned the hard way on that one.
Keep the skin on the apple, many more nutrients: one large apple with the peel supplies 116 calories, no fat and 5.4 grams of fiber … a large apple without the skin contains 104 calories and 2.8 grams of fiber, according to Livestrong.
Some of the recipes featured will be ones I have experimented with myself, others will be links to recipes I have tried, some will be a mixture of the two.
If any of my readers want to share a recipe (preferably healthy and/or low calorie), please send my way. I will give you credit and try it as well.
Happy cooking or should I say blending!