Smoothie of the Day (and 30-Day Shred and more savings) - August 23, 2010

Sunflower seed butter smoothie

Today's smoothie had a little extra protein oomph because I'm back to doing the 30-Day Shred. The smoothie of the day is a half a frozen banana, some cow milk, some flax seeds, some fresh strawberries, a scoop of sunflower seed butter (Trader Joe's brand), and some ice. It was sweet and yummy.

Ah, the Shred. Everyone I know is doing it (or at least it seems that way) and I'm on board with an exercise program that only takes about 30 minutes out of my short mornings. But as I mentioned in a previous post, I also have a bad knee and took a break. My knee feels better, so I started back up this morning, at least in a modified way. I'll see what I can do about sticking to it this time around.

Last night we went back to Publix and for the first time in a long time, if not ever, I saved more than I spent. I got four more boxes of Barilla whole wheat pasta, two more bags of New England Coffee, and a free jug of Arm & Hammer Power Gel thanks to a coupon my friend Jen (of Saving Cents in the City) scored me at the BlogHer convention (she actually got me three coupons, because she's fabulous, but I wanted to try it before I got three jugs). Those plus a coupon for cat treats and a Publix coupon for organic milk added up to big savings, even when we threw in other stuff like yogurt and cheese. I saved over $25 and spent less than $25.

Today I'm off to...how do I describe Your Dekalb Farmers Market (YDFM)?...the farmers market, the local giant health food store, the grocery store with every vegetable under the sun, the amazing store near me. I'm going to get chia seeds and coconut oil and kale and...a lot of yummy stuff. They don't take coupons, but their prices are amazing, and they have fresh bread made with organic flour and they grind their own coffee and and and...yeah. Love it.

Happy Monday!

PS I've also been making milkshakes in the Vitamix. Yeah, totally great for the diet, but I'm using low-fat Publix brand vanilla ice cream, a bit of 2% cow milk, and a frozen Vitatop. Yes, really. It's sooo good and it's lower calories/higher fiber than a milkshake from a restaurant, so that's something, right?