Never Say Never!

I have some new food friends lately, courtesy of my long-term friends at Learning Strategies. It’s been a bit of an adventure. One that I’m oddly in the right emotional place for just now, which is kind of amazing, given all the other new stuff popping up like volunteer pine trees in the garden.

Week 1…no problem. Drink lots of water and keep eating what you’ve been eating. Really! Write it all down and notice your inner dialogue–what you’re saying to yourself as you’re making choices.

Week 2…OMG!!! Green Goo for breakfast! Technically, a green smoothie. I have to admit, I freaked out just a bit. You see, I’ve met one of these things before! There was a quick mention of it in the Mermaid post from last week. “Don’t ask about the smoothies!” It was ghastly. However, being very much one for learning new things, I had learned something from that other experience that turned out to be really useful now. 

Celery.

I have textural issues with lots of foods. Celery, run through a Vita-Mix is a big one. A really big one! And there I was, facing the recipe for the Green Goo, complete with celery. But, first, the need to notice my inner dialogue. (It’s possible that you may have similar voices in your head!)

No way! Can’t do it! Not going to happen!

But I’m feeling optimistic about this. All the change process stuff really works for me. 

Still not going to happen. Really, really not!

What about SARK’s Joyful Solutions process? She said we don’t need anybody else to practice with and it’s a good way to start!

Hmmmmm….

[Time out for a big mug of hot water and lemon and thinking this through.]

I’m ok with the other stuff that goes in there. At least I’m willing to try.

A good start. 

Maybe if I leave the celery out and just eat it while I’m drinking the Green Goo…

Sounds like a plan!

So, there I was with half the produce department from the farmers’ market. If you’re curious, here’s my version:

1 c. cold filtered water in the bottom of the Vita-Mix.

2 hands full of organic baby spinach.

about 1/2 an organic cucumber, skin on, chopped into medium chunks.

1 organic Granny Smith Apple, with skin, preferably cold, cored, and chopped a bit. 

1 ripe avocado, skin and pit removed, and spooned into chunks.

1 c. ice.

Place all ingredients in the Vita-Mix in the order listed, water first and ending with ice.

Set on variable at #1. Increase speed to #10, then switch to High speed.

Blend until almost mixed. Turn off. Taste.

Add the juice of 1/2 a lemon if desired. (I desire!)

Continue blending until smooth.

Serve, in a very large glass or quart Mason jar, preferably with a “smoothie straw” which helps with the texture thing. (I ordered mine from Amazon.)

Drink about a quart full, before you eat anything but fruit in the morning, crunching along with about 3 stalks of organic celery. There will probably be some leftovers which you can sip throughout the day or use to make salad dressing or other creative things. (The what to eat when part probably takes a coach who’s lived through this before.)

I actually managed to do this every day for a week. I got used to it. (And I’m feeling better!) Then I left for California, where it wasn’t really accessible

My first morning home, I washed all the ingredients, loaded them in the Vita-Mix and pushed all the buttons. Got out a hot pink smoothie straw and settled into my chair to read email and consume a truckload of vitamins and phyto-nutrients and other miraculous good-for-me things, all in the glass of Green Goo.

You’ll never believe what happened! I loved it! I had actually missed it! It just felt right, somehow.

It was kind of a miracle. A minor one at least. In about 2 weeks time, with a fair amount of inner dialogue and a bit of experimenting, I moved from something I sincerely hoped I’d never face again to something I actually look forward to.

Thus far, my experience with my new food friends strongly suggests that there are more changes ahead, though we’re doing it one week at a time and living with the suspense. It actually helps in learning to change!

Not exactly the kind of Independence we’re celebrating this weekend but, still, a kind of liberation that’s actually quite useful!