Day 20 (D10W2)

Wooo! Level 2 completed! I can't believe I actually finished an entire level in 10 days! After my big Christmas fail, I was certain I wouldn't be able to get through Level 2 in ten days (or even finish the program for that matter)! I actually really enjoyed Level 2.  I found that unlike Level 1, the exercises in Level 2 kept me challenged right up until my last day, sure the exercises got easier as the days went on, but I still got my heart up and was able to increase the difficulty of each exercise as they got easier.

I'm happy to say that I've stayed on track this last week and it's crazy how making just one simple change in your life can influence the rest of the decisions you make.  When I first started this blog, my plan was to just power through the exercises and not really focus on my eating habits (I think I'm one of the pickiest eaters in the world).  Looking back, I realize I was just scared to fail and wanted to have my bad eating habits to blame if this program didn't actually change anything.  I'm so happy that I decided early on that my eating patterns had to change if I wanted to see any real change in my attitude and lifestyle.  Pinterest is actually a great tool when it comes to finding healthy meal plans and snack alternatives (as long as you are able to resist the tempting desserts that pop up alongside the smoothie recipes!).  One of the best "smoothie" recipes I've found is for a Mean Green smoothie.  I HATE vegetables so I was looking for a way to incorporate 2-3 servings of veggies into a smoothie.  I must admit, the first time I tried this recipe, I had to choke it down but after playing around with some of the ingredients I actually found a mix that I find really tasty.  I make sure I chop up a banana the night before and freeze it (they banana chunks act like ice cubes and chill the smoothie).  I also add about a teaspoon of natural honey and 1/4 cup of almond milk to sweeten the smoothie and give it a bit of a nutty taste.  Play around with ingredients you like because it is definitely a trial and error kind of recipe!

Mean Green Smoothie:
- 2 cups of water
- 1 head of lettuce (I used Romaine)
- 1/2 head of spinach
- Juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 2-3 sticks of celery (I only used 1-2 because I wasn't a fan of the texture/flavour)
- 1 banana
- 1 pear
- 1 apple

Blend the water, lettuce and spinach until smooth (took about 4 FULL minutes in my Magic Bullet) and then add the rest of the ingredient and blend.

Try it out and enjoy!
Jordana