Back on Track + a Green Mango Smoothie Recipe

     Things have been pretty hectic around my house over the past two weeks. I spent the early part of the first week with a sick little princess and the latter part of it being sick myself. The second week was spent buzzing around trying to prepare a surprise 30th birthday party for my husband. All this to say, my healthy goals have not yet been met...BUT they WILL be!

Why do I always forget to take pics until the last few minutes of an event?

     I had a lot of fun planning my man's birthday party. I love to cook for others and to entertain, though having a 6 year old and a 3 year old doesn't always allow for such things. I tried to find ideas for a man's 30th birthday but came up empty - notably, the first time I have been disappointed by Pinterest! I knew I wanted something manly and not juvenile so I decided on black as my base color. Next I decided on yellow as a secondary color because it is my husbands second favorite color - his favorite is red but I thought red and black would look too harsh. Then I decided I wanted some candies to put on the tables for people to munch on, so I picked up some boxes of lemon drops. This is when I had my light bulb moment - a 'We hope you don't sour with age' theme! I was already on the right track with the lemon drops and the yellow decorations, so I bought some cheap yellow school folders and cut out lemons to hang up and made a punch using lemonade, sprite, and white grape cherry juice - it was like a more grown up pink lemonade and was so yummy! I also made beef wellingtons, broccoli, toss salad, and hashbrown casserole per the Mr's request. Hubby doesn't like cake so I made brownies instead. The party has been deemed a success and I received the highest compliment from one of the guests who said I was like a human pinterest with all the ideas in my head, lol!
     Now that the birthday party is in the past, I'm getting back on track and getting my butt in gear this week! So, I am reestablishing my goal of healthy breakfasts this week. I even managed to get a little jump start on that by having a green smoothie this morning (recipe to follow). This afternoon I plan to make up a batch of steel cut oats and get it into mason jars with some chopped fruit so it's ready to pop in the microwave (as I am anti cold oatmeal) as soon as my feet hit the floor in the morning. 
     I am also doing a little 'fast' this week, though not in the traditional sense. I will be fasting from television this week (Monday-Friday evening). I realize that as a stay-at-home mom, it is easy to have lazy days, especially for me. While I am in full support of allowing yourself down time and a day off once in a while, it is easier for me to make those kind of days a habit, which certainly does not honor the Lord. I will allow myself to watch TV on Saturday, and Friday night we usually do a family movie night after supper. Beyond those times, I am looking to serve rather than be entertained. I don't want to look back at my life and think it was predominantly spent being entertained, humored, and the like. I want to look back and know that I served my family and my community to the best of the abilities that God has given me - that I did my best to be the type of servant that Jesus himself exemplified. Join me in striving to serve our families and communities better! I'd love to hear from you - post a comment stating one thing you are going to do this week to be a better servant.

Green Mango Smoothie:
1 large handful of baby spinach
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup frozen mango chunks
1 banana

First blend the spinach and milk together until the spinach is completely liquified. Next add the banana and mango and blend until smooth. Even my son enjoyed it!