Part of this whole journey I’m on with my awesome fitness buddy Jenn is to replace my guilty pleasures with healthy ones. Because self-denial may be virtuous, but it’s not what’s going to get me healthy and keep me healthy in the long term. And by that, I do not mean that I am swapping my favorite foods for so-called “guilt free” versions of the same things. Because I’m really happy for you that the fat free, gluten free, sugar free, food free brownie shaped THING you just pinned to your Healthy Life board is only 99 calories per serving, but I’ll tell you what it ISN’T. It is NOT A BROWNIE. My taste buds are not stupid, and they know a brownie when they eat one. Brownies have sugar, fat, gluten and CHOCOLATE. Eating a cardboard cutout of a cookie does not make me feel like I do not want a cookie. It makes me feel like I want a dozen cookies, because I have been ROBBED. What I need are totally different foods to enjoy- healthy things that don’t just tick the “nutritious” box on my To Do List for the day, but actually make me smile when I eat them.
So, I’m trying things I used to not like (Yeah, turns out I’ve really been missing out on pistachios for the last several decades…) and seeking new things to try. Today, I have discovered Numi Organic Puerh Chocolate tea. Now, they had me at Chocolate, but it’s also called “Skinny Girl’s Tea.” I’m guessing “Strong Mama Who Can Totally Keep Up With Her Kids and Will Grind You Into a Fine Powder If You Mess With Them Tea” takes too long to say, so we’ll go with Skinny Girl. In other words, it’s meant as a healthy treat. I’m not always a tea lover, but this stuff has me hooked! (Try substituting it for the Chai in a South Beach Chai Smoothie. OH YES! I added 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder. Awesome.) Brewed with milk instead of water, unsweetened, it was a delicious pick me up.
In other news:
Me: Ian, put your jacket on, baby, it’s time to leave for school.
Ian: OH NO! MOMMY! I FORGOT TO WORK OUT!
Me: You’re going to have to do it later. It’s time to go.
Ian: No, Mommy. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.
Me: Yes, honey, it is important, but not everything that is important is urgent… Oh my gosh, your lunch is not packed.
Ian: Hooray! Now I have time to work out!
When I came back with his lunch, I found him doing the yoga video I had just finished. Probably better than I did it, and quite certainly cuter.
