Holidays come with richness in everything! But mostly, my body just feels sluggish from the abundance of dinners, deserts and even stocking stuffer treats sitting in our pantry (let’s face it, they’re devious and delicious), but too much is just too much!

I find that although I love the holidays, I tend to enjoy being able to get back into my routine, especially the routine of regular eating.

I don’t have a lot of time in the morning (as many of you, I’m sure) and it’s not always easy to get ready between taking care of a young toddler, a husband and a dog, and still managing to make myself look a little less like a tornado survivor. Clearly time is not on my side. BUT, I have found something that makes things easy in the mornings and the best part – it actually gives me energy to tackle the day.

My secret… green smoothies. Yes, they may sound gross and may have an odd green hue to them, but they are delicious and have given me a quick breakfast and boost in my energy levels.

The easy thing about this recipe is if I’m out of fresh fruit for the day, I always keep a back-up stash in the freezer. I wanted to share with you my favourite morning bite… I mean gulp.

- 1/2 a banana (yes, I even freeze those – just make sure you take them out of the peel before you freeze yours…unless you like a little peel in your morning smoothie )

- About a cup of mixed berries

- Flax seeds (about a tablespoon)

- A handful of Spinach and/or Kale

- Water (enough to cover the berries)

Throw everything into a blender and mix until you have a liquid smoothie.

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To shake things up every once in a while, I’ve thrown in one or a few of these extra ingredients:

- 1/2 an avocado (you’d be surprised how smooth and creamy it makes your morning drink)

- Frozen peaches (a couple of wedges)

- A bit of honey (if you’re trying to fight off a sweet tooth that morning)

- A drop of orange juice

- If you’re out of spinach or kale, you can throw in any sort of green (I’ve done dandelion, mixed greens, and yes, even lettuce (though the lettuce is very watery)

The beauty of these smoothies is that nearly anything can work. They’re fast, easy, and definitely help get me going!

Have you tried your own recipe?

To ski or not to ski…

If you’re like me, you find any excuse to stay out of the cold. Frankly, if I could have it my way, I’d be spending the winter months somewhere where the sand is white, the water clear blue, and the temperature never falls below the 20 degrees Celsius mark.

But, living in Canada, we are ‘gifted’ with many lengthy months of well below freezing temperatures, white fluff to shovel off our driveways and ice to scrape off our cars.

So, a few years ago, I was introduced to skiing. At first thinking, why on earth anyone would want to launch themselves off a mountain, on two thin wooden blades, in sub –zero temperatures, no less? But, I caught the bug and have since been even looking forward to that first snowfall.

This year however, I found myself questioning my devotion to this (fairly) new found love. On one ski adventure the weather turned so cold that despite the ten layers and toe warmers, I still couldn’t keep warm. In fact, I could barely move in my gear – because I was wearing so many layers with my mobility curtailed.

You see, I’m not one of those skiers who have the high-end gear which, while serving all the needs of a good skier – mobility/warmth, also requires quite a financial investment.

So there I was, frozen

Literally, I couldn’t feel my toes; I was immobile & ready to quit. And then, I remembered – this is the one thing that I look forward to during the winter months: the feeling of the leg burn as I’m flying down the hill, the snow bursting behind me as I plough through other skiers, the feeling of weightlessness as I take some air over a small bump, exploring breath-taking views.

While you may be faced with every opportunity for an excuse to quit doing what you know you enjoy (weather, inconvenience, time commitment, finances or whatever other excuse suits you), focus on why it is that you love it… and get back into it!

So come on, grab an extra sweater, and let’s hit the hills…

Emilia is a Behind the Blog investigator.
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