Thanks for all your New Orleans ideas and suggestions! I LOVE getting the inside scoop – where to go, when, secret lines, etc. Fab. Keep your ideas coming! :D

Breakfast was soo refreshing today. Yesterday, one of my must-read blogs, Vitamin-G, featured a smoothie recipe that sounded so healthy and energizing, I knew I had to give it a try. Plus, I already had all the ingredients on hand – sweet!

Blueberry Banana Smoothie:

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In the mix:

  • 2 servings Nasyoa silken tofu
  • 1 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1 banana
  • 1/2 Tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond breeze
  • 1/2 Tablespoon agave nectar

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Omg, if you would have asked me a year ago if I would have eaten 5 out of the 7 ingredients above, I would have given you googly eyes… Anyways – blend, blend, blend!

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Blueberry Banana Smoothie!

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I stashed this in the freezer last night and let it “thaw” in my car while I was working out this morning.

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By the time I was showered and ready, so was my smoothie. (Not showered… just ready!)

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Oooo, it was a good one! Thick, creamy and perfectly sweet. Mmm-mmm good and sure to keep me fueled until lunch time with so much staying power from the whey protein powder, tofu and chia seeds. Repeater!

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Lunch is some faaabulous, leftover Jambalaya and Cornbread.

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I just love the texture and big flavors in this dish. Dy-no-mite!

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A modest amount of cornbread. You can’t really tell, but this half moon is about 1 inch thick and ohhh, 4 inches long. Man, I love this stuff!

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So, this challenge I alluded to last night and in my post title? Well, every year for the period between Ash Wednesday (today) and Easter – Lent – I usually I give up the GOODS: sweets. If you know me even a little bit, you’d know that this is pure torture but obviously, worth it. This year I decided to go a little different route, though. Instead of giving something up, I’m issuing a challenge to myself:

40 Day Movement Challenge

The time of Lent is actually 46 days on the calendar, but we’ll call it 40 for ease. Highlights:

  • Move for it least 20 minutes a day
  • Can include weight lifting, workout DVDs or any form of cardio (walking, running, elliptical, classes)
  • Doesn’t have to be all in one sitting (10 minutes free weights in the a.m., 10 minutes jump roping at night)

I respond really well to challenges and I feel like these next 40 days are going to be just that – a real challenge. By Day 20, I might be highly annoyed with myself for going on this journey, but I want to do it for Lent, and for myself. I’ll be creating a tab at the top of my site later today called “40 Days” to track my movement!

Care to join me? I’m extending the 40 Day challenge to each and every one of you! If you have a blog, create a “40 Days” page tracking your movement and link back to my page (I’ll give you the link tonight.) Let me know the URL of your page and I’ll add it to mine! If you don’t have a blog, create a chart to hang on your refrigerator, or somewhere highly visible so you won’t forget. We’ll be in it together. To success! :D

I kicked Day 1 of the challenge off with a kick-butt a.m. workout! I did the following circuit, 3 times in a row:

  • 15 jumping jacks
  • 30 push ups
  • 30 dips
  • 50 squats
  • 40 crunches

Followed by 3 miles on the treadmill. Day 1: DONE! That circuit is killer, by the way! My legs and arms are JELL-O! :D

Alright buddies – I’m off to start my day. Have a GREAT one and let me know what you think about the 40 Day Movement Challenge!

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If you participate in Lent, are you giving anything up this year?

Have you ever given anything up cold turkey? How’d it go?