Lets Go Shopping!

What all do you buy to make your smoothies? How much do you buy? Gosh fruit is expensive how do you afford all you buy? Those are some of the questions y'all ask when it comes to my smoothies. 

Well I'm a huge bargain shopper! It's sad really... I sometimes will visit different store to stock up because of the deals. 

Store I shop at in Knoxville, TN

• Walmart

• Kroger

• Food City

• Costco

• Aldi 

I took my first trip to Aldi yesterday and racked up. I've heard that place is hit it miss when it comes to fruit so I decided to stop in since I already near there. PetSmart was the first stop of my journey! Dog food and little green bones. Gotta feed the fur babies too! 

I brought a cooler with me because I was on a mission yesterday. It's almost like a game! I love to get great deals and stretch that dolla! 

Aldi- put a quarter in the buggy and off you go! I always forget you have to bring your own bags... Thank goodness I had our lovey funeral home bags we give families... (Typical cotton grocery store bag) So I rocked my mortuary bags while buying fruit. 

Aldi is weird... I had one place to stop and that was the produce. I rolled past the dairy and noticed Greek yogurt for $.85 and they had blueberry and strawberry! Score!! 4 of each saving me $.15 cents compared to normal stores! 

Aldi produce section purchases

•Watermelon- $2.99

• Cantaloupe- $.99

• Bananas- $.44 a lb. (they were green) :)

• 3 cartons of blueberries- $1.50 each

• 2 cartons of strawberries- $.99 each

• 5 pack of kiwis- $1.00

• 2 cartons of blackberries- $.99 each

• 5 Peaches- $1.00

I pretty much racked up!! And I got lucky by going on a day when everything was stocked and fresh. 

Next stop... Kroger! I love visiting the newer one in Knoxville!! It's like fruit heaven! They even sell furniture there. Yesterday happened to be the 1 year anniversary since opening and it was packed! When I walked in they were giving away cake and prizes and it was very overwhelming. Passed by the cake really fast and grabbed a mini buggy knowing I would t need that much there. 

Kroger Purchases

• 5 navel oranges

•4 limes

•Justins Maple Almond Butter

• Carving Boards Chicken- 2 for $6 

• Spinach- they had there bags of spinach for BOGO! 2 for $5 

I love Kroger! Gosh I could spend all day in there! They have a great organic/ healthy section too!! My favorite Luna Bars are $1 each there and I stocked up last week. 

Sorry for the long shopping details but if I'm reading this and I need help shopping for my smoothies I would like a lot of details... If it gets boring just skip over it all. ;)

A good shopping list to make for a good smoothie prep is what you all really want to hear... So here we go! Lets break it down so you can go to the store and make your dollar stretch and make a lot of smoothie bags to freeze. 

•The List•

• 3 Granny Smith Apples

• 2 Cartons of Strawberries

• 4 oranges

• 3 limes

• 2 pears

• 1 bag of frozen raspberries

• 6 bananas

• 1 bag of frozen blueberries or 2 cartons of fresh blueberries

• 1 bag of Green Grapes

• 2 bags of spinach or 1 large box of spinach

• 1 pineapple

• 4-6 peaches

• 1-2 mangos

* For the oranges and limes remember I squeeze them making juice for my ice cube trays. That many will probably make 2-3 trays depending on how much juice you get. (Margarita Smoothie) 

All that yummy goodness will make you at least 20 baggies for prepping. Depending on how much you put in each bag depends on how many bags you can make. Want to make your strawberries go farther?? Cut them up!! 

Get your shopping on and prep away y'all! :) 

        Going to freeze these bad boy!!! 

Smoothie Goes Tropical

Girlfriend loves anything tropical... That's why we're getting married in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands! Tropical paradise!!! Saying "I Do" on a private beach seems right out of a movie to me but its going to be my wedding!!! :) So excited! 

Today's smoothie was a reminder that we are getting close to our 5 month count down until the wedding. July 3rd... EEEK! 5 months!! What happen to 6 months? Was I so into this squat challenge I squatted my way through June? Yes!!! And my ass and legs are thanking me. 

It's also a pretty big deal when my BFF/ neighbor drinks a smoothie... Her husband mentioned wanting to try one so of course I made extra and brought them a cup before church. She said it was very tasty and her hubby even liked it too. 

Neighborhood Smoothie Queen right here!!!! 

Y'all enjoy! 

••Prepped baggy••

• 3 whole strawberries

• 1 handful of spinach

• 5-6 pear chunks

• half a banana 

• 5-6 green grapes

• 2 fresh squeezed orange/ lime juice cubes 

• half of the carton of Tropical Greek yogurt (see picture for brand) 

• 10 oz of water

I prefer to add my Greek yogurt and juice cubes last. Remember I don't like my smoothies chunky or thick so I blend for a while to thin it out. 

Hope this smoothies takes you a tropical paradise too! 

Cheers!

The pudge

             (Not THE dress) 

The biggest problem area I have on my body. Always has been and I'm getting rid of it! Goodbye pudge see you ummmm never again!

It doesn't matter how skinny I am or how much I've lost in the past I've always had a pudge. In my cheerleading uniform there was even a damn pudge and I was in the 120-130 range. It's just a part of my body I've grown up with.

 I want a flat stomach... To be able to sit down and not have a belly or pudge to worry about. Bend over without a fat roll blocking me from painting my dern toe nails. When had trouble painting my toe nails that was when I got really upset about how far I'd let myself go... Struggling to paint my own toe nails was impossible bending over like I used to... I had to put my foot to the side. The damn belly was in the way and it grossed me out. More embarrassed than anything. 

The pudge has been all sizes! From little pudge to pregnant belly looking. I swear at my largest I looked pregnant and everyone thought I was... Yeah not cool! If you know anything about me being pregnant is the last thing that I want to happen. I'm an egg donor for a reason... I just don't want kids of my own. 

I've been asked how far along I am, when am I due and even the dreaded belly rub asking what I'm having! Holy sheeeet people!!! I'm not pregnant! It's a "food baby" or "beer belly" or just a gut! But when someone touches your stomach hoping there is a baby in there, it is very embarrassing once they find out its just all fat. 

I will have a flat stomach... Will it be perfect? No, but I'm ok with that... It's progress. From letting myself go so much I had wonderful stretch marks come up too. On my stomach.... What did I do to myself? I let go and stopped caring is what happened. It's sad and annoying. 

I'm on the road to no more belly rubs, no asking of I'm pregnant and no more side saddle toe nail painting!! 

Goodbye pudge!! 

Margarita Smoothie

The title says it all... MARGARITA!!! I have made one every day this week now since making the first one. It's the amazing taste that keeps me coming back. 

Y'all remember the ice cube trays? Well, turns out fresh squeezed lime and orange juice mixed together and frozen taste like margarita mix! Holy hell what have I discovered? It's amazing and delish!

Get an ice cube tray ready to make margarita cubes! I bought mine at the Dollar Tree. It came with 2 for $1 which means I bought two sets. :)

In a bowl squeeze 1 lime and 3 oranges. If you prefer to add another lime it will be super sour so be prepared. The lime and orange juice mixture really is perfect for summer time too. 3 oranges and 1 lime made enough juice for one ice cube tray. You could calm it down with adding water but I already add a lot of water to my smoothies so I went with the fresh squeezed juices. So yummy!

Pop the tray in the freezer and go on like normal. When you're ready for your smoothie just pop 1-3 ice juice cubes in the mix and get ready for flavor explosion! 

• Margarita Smoothie•

• 3 ice juice cubes

• 4 whole strawberries

• 1/2 cup of blueberries 

• 1/2 cup of raspberries

• 1/2 a peach with skin

• Handful of spinach

• 5-6 green grapes

• 8-16 oz of water

• Blueberry Greek yogurt- 2 spoonfuls 

Blend blend blend! Add the ice juice cubes last if possible. The flavor is yummy and so fresh.

This is probably my second favorite smoothie I've made now!

Enjoy!!!

Squat Challenge

Today marks day 25 of the squat challenge. Whew! 220 today! That's a lot of squats. I have noticed a difference also! Pretty stoked! :) But damn 220 is a lot to do after a rest day. But thank goodness for rest day! 

The first question everyone keeps asking.... "Do you do them all at once?" HELL NO! Haha! Y'all remember I'm not in shape at all right? This is a whole new thing for me... Getting fit and working out. I break them up throughout the day. Usually I'm sets of 10 when I go to the restroom. Which is a lot of visits since I'm drinking a lot of water. (I'm also wearing heels too!) When I'm home I do sets of 20 or 30. I'm usually trying get them over with because there are so many it seems like a chore! Haha! I really like doing them but damn once you get above 150 and realize you have a lot more waiting it seems like a million squats. Day 25... Seemed impossible 25 days ago... I kept thinking.. Holy crap.. How in the hell am I going to do 250 squats?

 I'm proud to say I haven't skipped a day or slacked off once. I've wanted to yes... But I haven't. The old Meg would have but she's gone. I'm accountable for my actions and have people joining me on this journey. 

For everyone who has started the squat challenge with me keep it up!! Don't skip a day or slack off. Also don't over do it!!! I promise you'll be fine if you stick with the original challenge! Most of you all starting the squat challenge really haven't been very active lately or super fit and not in shape. Newbies like me!! :) 

Hello Summer Time

June 21st was the official first day of summer. It has felt like summer time with the hot days for months. I just hate hot days! Blah! We all know being chubby and the heat don't mix. ;) Another thing that doesn't mix... Leather seats and skin! 

Summer time brings fresh yummy fruit! And much cheaper! I racked up this weekend too! Peaches, strawberries, blueberries, mangos, kiwis, Granny Smith apples, watermelon, pineapple, and oranges! Tons of stuff! Of course a lot of spinach too! 

This mornings smoothies was yummy! Very summer time fresh and perfect for the super humid morning. I like adding Greek yogurt too because it give the creamy smooth taste. I always add water... I had to explain to my grandpa that I add a lot of water... Sometimes a whole bottle of water. (16 oz) Depending on the size of the smoothie too. I also popped in one of the orange juice ice cubes. (Fresh squeezed orange juice frozen in ice cube trays) 

This smoothie is really good! The orange juice cube gives an extra summertime kick! 

•Summer Time Smoothie•

• 4 frozen strawberries

• handful of blueberries

• half a peach

•handful of spinach

• handful of raspberries

• handful of green grapes

• blueberry Greek yogurt- heaping spoonful 

• About 8 oz of water

• 1 orange juice cube

You know what else to do... BLEND!!! Remember I blend mine for a long time because I do not like my smoothies thick and chunky!  

Top with chai seeds and enjoy!! 

Stepping outside of the box..

I would like to start off by saying I HATE bananas!! I will only eat a banana if its still greenish... But once you see a spot on the peel I'm done with it! I've always been teased about my banana flavor issues. Anything with that flavor is nasty in my mind. Banana flavored candy, popsicles, banana nut bread ect... Won't touch it! So when I decided to start adding them to my smoothies I was really nervous. 

I started with a chocolate based smoothie hoping that the banana flavor wouldn't come through as strong. Didn't taste it! So why not try adding them to my fruity smoothies? 

During my weekly prep I bought a few bananas and chopped them up to be pre packed and frozen. So I packed them into just a few baggies... Baby steps. 

This mornings smoothie bag had them in it! I was scared and even thought about exchanging the baggy for another one. I didn't though. I stuck with my first choice and went with it! 

It's pretty damn good! Haha! Look at me... Picky Pants Meg stepping out trying things I would NEVER try before. 

It's just something about the strong flavor from them I'm not fond of really.

So yes, I will keep adding bananas to my smoothie prep and you should try things you normally wouldn't! What will it hurt? Did I die from the evil banana taste?? Nope! Thought I'd gag at least but it was delish!!! I really  encourage you to try this smoothie! 

Enjoy!!

•Banana Say Whaaaa Smoothie•

• 4 whole strawberries

• 1 handful of spinach

• 2 chunks of pineapple

• Half a banana chopped in slices

• Spoonful of chai seeds

• Strawberry Greek yogurt- 1 large heaping spoonful! (The more the creamer) 

• 1/2 cup of blueberries

• H2O- I used more than a half a bottle since the Greek yogurt made it super thick. 

Blend blend blend!!! I had a little more than I expected and and had to transfer it to the larger attachment- the Magic Bullet Blender attachment that was an extra bonus when I bought mine. :)

CHEERS!!!  

         

         See how much water I added!!

Please and Thank You!

I would like to start off by yelling really loud... THANKS Y'ALL!!!!! ;) Thank you for keeping me motivated and please keep the support coming! I've received emails, texts, fb messages ect... All from people that encourage me to keep up the hard work! Wow! I'm not even going to lie... I get the warm fuzzies inside!! People saying that because of little ole me they're changing their life style too... Buying the Magic Bullet...Starting the smoothies... Squatting!! #Squatsquad No pressure to keep up the hard work... Lol! Because of the encouragement I look forward to each day of this journey I'm taking and super pumped to have a little MeggyThree3 army along with me! Makes me tear up a little! :) 

I have always needed an accountability partner... Someone to keep me on track and make sure I didn't slip away when things got tough. Not someone to boss me around either or make me feel bad about my decisions. Someone to encourage me to keep going!

 That someone is you all! 

I'm stretching my arms out far giving everyone a huge hug!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! 

I have opened my journey to the public... So I can't let anyone down! The main person is ME!! I'm not letting myself down! 

I'm getting healthy and fit NOT SKINNY! 

So... Please keep the encouragement coming and Thank You for supporting me on this journey!

XOXO,

Meg

Strawberry Kiwi Smoothie!

This smoothie was yummy and creamy! I don't always add Greek yogurt and almond milk to my smoothies...I usually just add good ole H2O! But today called for some strawberry Greek yogurt.

This bag along with all the other ones I prepped was waiting to be picked out of the freezer this morning. I open the freezer door some mornings and feel a little overwhelmed by which bag to choose!! Silly I know but I have caught myself trading bags because I wasn't sure about the first bag I plucked from the freezer. They will all be used eventually but some stand out more to me than others! ;)

•Strawberry Kiwi Smoothie•

• 4 whole strawberries (I leave the little leaves on because it all blends and it's less trouble sometimes.)

• 1 kiwi (no fur)

• Handful of spinach

• 2 pineapple chunks

• Spoonful of chai seeds

• 1 large spoonful of strawberry Greek yogurt

• 1 cup of water or almond milk (I prefer water... But that's me) 

•Blend blend blend and bust out 10 squats while waiting!!!

As you can tell from the picture everything is in the large Magic Bullet cup. I ended up adding more water because I hate mine super think and chunky! Blah! 

           The lucky bag of the day!!

Instead of standing around waiting for your smoothie to finish up... Bust out some squats! You can do at least 20-30 while waiting! Get them in while you can! :) 

Coconut Oil!!

I love coconut oil. There are many different thing you can do with it too! I love using it as a hair mask. My hair feels amazing when I do a coconut oil treatment. I'm going to keep this simple and just give you the break down of how I do my hair mask. Follow directions carefully because its hard to get out of your hair. Get ready for healthy silky hair! 

•Directions•

•Brush out hair to get rid of tangles. 

(Long hair problems)

• Scoop a spoonful of coconut oil and place in the palm of your hand. Your body heat will make it melt. 

• Start at the roots and massage into the scalp. This also helps with hair growth. :) 

• Work throughout hair by rubbing it in all the way to the ends. I really focus on my ends... They're horrible! :( but this treatment help a lot!!

• Coat your hair until its soaked! You'll have it drip a little down your neck.. Just rub it in your skin! Really good for your skin!! And sun burns!! 

• I like to put a shower cap on when I do the treatment or I just clip all my hair on top of my head. 

• If you're in a hurry use a shower cap and put the blow dryer to it.. This will open up the hair follicle. Leave on for 30 minutes at least. 

• I like to leave mine on as long as possible... Like 3 hours one time! I was cleaning house and wanted healthy hair along with my clean house! ;) 

• Shampoo time!!! Pay attention!! Shampoo your hair twice!! I repeat... SHAMPOO YOUR HAIR TWICE!!! This is oil remember and your hair is thirsty and will soak it up! 

• I then use my regular conditioner and wash that out. 

• Try to let your hair air dry as much as possible. Of course air drying is better for your hair! But your hair will be so soft and fluffy! 

•Style hair like normal and enjoy your silky locks! 

**If your hair feels like you still have an oil coating shampoo again. Scrub yours scalp too.**

Spa Day Smoothie!!!

So fresh and so clean clean!!! That describes today's smoothie! I love watermelon! Looooove the stuff I seriously almost lived on it one summer! 

Seedless is the way to go too!                     

Or maybe I'm just lazy! :) 

••Spa Day Smoothie••

**Prepped baggy Includes**

• handful of spinach

• 4 cubes of cantaloupe 

• 6 cubes of watermelon

• 3 cucumber slices (no skin)

• 1 pineapple chunk (I ran out of pineapple so that 1 chunk must have snuck in the bag) lol :)

• teaspoon of chai seeds (pre ground)

• 8 ounces of water

• I set out my baggie first thing when I wake up... It's gives it some time to defrost. I love mine super cold though!

I add everything in the largest magic bullet cup I have and let it work it's magic!!!  I don't like mine chunky at all!!! Gag! So I pretty much blend until is juice!! 

I will say you cannot taste the spinach! I swear! I wouldn't drink it if you could! 

But... You can taste the cucumber!!! This is a very FRESH clean tasting smoothie! Like wish you were in a spa having a beauty day! 

Enjoy!!!!