Hydration Shake

Here's what I want to do these days when I wake up in the morning:

Drink three cups of coffee. With real cream.
Then, have a mocha.
Forgo meals in favor of chocolate bars.
Worry, fret, hyperventilate. Over *everything*.

Here's what I actually do:

Eat porridge.
Smile at children.
Drink 10 glasses of water.
Drink one cup fake coffee (tea made from roasted barley).
Pack.

It's going pretty well. I hate the limbo feeling of being almost gone. But still here.

I paced off the UHaul in the living room... it's starting to get full.

For the children's sake, we are trying to say good-bye to all our friends. For me, "parting is such sweet sorrow" that I prefer to just disappear one day. Not very good for closure, but, well, what can I say. The children are really enjoying the playdates, though, and doing the normal thing and saying proper good-byes to people we care about is, um, obviously the healthier, more mature thing to do.

I'm so busy that it's easy not to give in to my stress cravings for caffeine and sugar. Instead, water and green shakes.

Here is my current favorite green shake. I've ousted the banana from mine, but add it in for the children. Too heavy and sugary for me, but they need it for the creamy texture. I find the less creamy the green shake, the thinner the consistency should be to keep it going down smoothly.

First I add a quart of fresh organic spinach to the blender. Yes, it's excessive; you might only want 2 cups. (I might substitute kale if need be.)

I peel my cucumber (it's not organic), then slice it into the blender. Peel and chop a lime. (If you have a regular blender, just use the lime juice. My Blendtec will pulverize the lime for me.) In it goes. If a honeydew were at hand, I'd add a few chunks.

Then I add water. This week coconut water (juice) was on Serious Sale, so I'm using that instead. Otherwise, I'd add a touch of stevia, honey, or agave. Also, add ice if your ingredients aren't well-chilled. Nothing as wretched as a warm shake in sweltering heat.

That's it.

Again, if it tastes too green to you, add a banana.

The cucumber is very refreshing on these 105 degree days, and keeping up my raw intake is keeping me energized as I plough, drag, and crawl through my to-do list as moving day approaches.


"I got the blues thinking of the future, so I left off and made some marmalade. It's amazing how it cheers one up to shred oranges and scrub the floor."
~D.H. Lawrence