Graduation Weekend & A Smoothie Recipe

Per usual, I was a shell of a human being when I returned to Boston last night after a weekend home to celebrate my little sister's high school graduation. I accepted a long time ago that my weekends in western MA typically leave me drained, so I'm in constant go-go-go mode until I start to unwind on the drive back.

It was a great weekend with family and friends and, as predicted, I did tear up on multiple occasions thinking about how this little peanut managed to grow up and graduate from high school already. I am so proud to be her big sister.

I could have done without the rain that graced us with it's presence this weekend, but thankfully Sunday was not as bad as expected weather-wise - just a little cold for Memorial Day. We still enjoyed spending time outside celebrating Em's accomplishments with guests, complete with a campfire, s'mores and a favorite family tradition - wiffle ball.

 
I was able to unpack last night after the drive back and relax for the evening, complete with live tweeting through the awesome premiere of the train wreck we know and love - the Bachelorette. I know, I know. Not everyone jumps on board. But honestly, after you get over the staged drama, absurd outfits and ridiculous conversations, I swear it's entertaining.

This morning I jump-started my short week with 6am Spin class. I'm really starting to enjoy morning Spin - it has the benefits of getting a workout done and over with early on in your day, boosting your energy and metabolism and since you have someone telling you what to do, it's harder to slack off. Since my focus for the next several weeks is on building strength and cross-training to try and end this lack-of-running-streak, I'm hoping Spin a couple of days a week will help.

I've been on a smoothie kick lately. For awhile I never respected smoothies, simply because the ones I tried or made mainly consisted of fruit and juice. Tastes yummy, but for someone who's hungry all the time it really didn't do much in the keep-me-from-eating-my-arm-before-noon department. 

Recently I've been more adventurous with my smoothie ingredients and found some experimental recipes I've liked. This morning was a chocolate strawberry concoction that I thought tasted pretty delightful. Feel free to give it a try - tweak as you'd like, and let me know if you have any other recipes you swear by!

Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie
1/2 C steel cut oats
1/2 C plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
3-4 large strawberries
3-4 ice cubes
3/4 tsp cocoa powder (chocolate protein powder if you have it)
Handful fresh spinach
1/2 C water
Add a drizzle of honey if you want it a bit sweeter

Pulse in your blender and enjoy!