Thank god for Jeremy Kyle. If it wasn't for that show, I might never get up off my bum. Every morning I am rudely awoken at least three hours before I'm ready, and immediately the routine starts. I do it on auto-pilot: Change nappy, let cats out, prepare porridge, give fresh water, prepare fruit for the porridge, make my much needed tea, feed/observe my little one eating breakfast, remove porridge from floor, reheat cold tea, give cats dinner and water, make toast, make husbands lunch, unlock door for husband so he can fly out and not miss bus, wave off "daddy", eat cold toast and luke warm tea collapsed in front of tv, watch my little rascal and occasionally shout NO and get up when she eats the cat biscuits. Finally get up off bum with a jolt at 9.25am when the dreaded Jeremy Kyle theme tune comes on!
(See above, I use banana and sweet fruits to conceal the kale and spinach!)
I started thinking to myself this situation was not good; I know I'm not alone being a tired, overworked mum with no motivation, but this lethargy was getting a bit much! A few of my closest friends swear by eating healthy and "your body is temple" style mantra, but seriously, I don't have time for all that. This is where the smoothies come in. My friends promised me that by drinking a (gruesome) green smoothie everyday, I would feel energised.
So out I went and bought a Nutri Ninja; the salesman said it was more powerful and cheaper than the famous Nutribullet, but in essence they do the same thing - they churn up fruit and veg making it into a nice smoothie. At £60 I thought it seemed like a good deal. I got all excited and bought a kilo of kale, along with about 15 limes, spinach, pineapple, cucumber, ginger, celery and more. I should point out that I am making smoothies, not juices. Smoothies keep all the fibre whereas juicing squishes out all the pulp so I guess less fattening? Any nutritionists or 'people in the know' out there please do comment or tweet us with more info in this.
This was a few weeks back and I did wonder to myself if it would be a fad, and more to the point a faff making it every day but it's actually just part of the routine now, with the extra benefit that not only is my body getting a load extra vitamins and nutritious wonderfulness, but I do honestly feel more alive too. I still watch Lorraine in the mornings but now I'm not (as) slumped on the sofa ;)
The only downside is that my husband also gets me to make him one to take with him to work, he's heard they keep colds at bay - and he's caught quite a few this last year from our snotty nosed little monster.
In fact, even my little girl enjoys the smoothies!* She only ever has milk and water, so I think she finds it quite a novelty. Fine by me, I'm just glad she's eating spinach etc every day.
To make life even easier, try www.5adayboxdirect.com - they deliver high quality fruit, veg and salad direct to your door — you'll be surprised at just how much you can consume when you blend it up!
* Note, I do not let her drink a whole huge glass full, probably around 4oz max. Otherwise I would be liable to get awful nappies with a sore bum to soothe...
