Jumpstart January With Smoothies and Soups

I'm joining in with Jumpstart January in an effort to include more vegetables in my diet and ensure that I have healthy choices available for breakfast and lunch which are the main times I am tempted just to grab whatever is available and not make good choices.  I'll be drinking smoothies for breakfast and enjoying soup for lunch.  My smoothies will have only one portion of fruit in them with vegetables and some protein included.  I am deliberately limiting the fruit in my smoothies as it is naturally high in sugar and I don't want a sugar laden drink to start the day.  

Jumpstart Jauary for me means:

A freshly made smoothie for breakfast

Soup for lunch, with lots of vegetables included

Drinking more water and less coffee 

Wholegrain or vegetable based snacks
Normal meal with my family in the evening

Having a low fat and low sugar pudding, probably fruit and greek/natural yoghurt

A square or two of dark chocolate if I need a treat

I want to have a healthier diet and avoid calorie counting.  I hope to lose some weight but my goal is to improve my diet and have more energy not to shrink overnight by following a very restricted diet.  I'm breastfeeding so need to ensure I maintain a good milk supply, therefore I need to maintain a certain level of calorie intake.  I consulted my GP and Health Visitor before I decided to embark on Jumpstart January.  

My smoothies will include vegetables such as carrots, beetroot, celery, kale/spinach, avocado, chard, and cucumber along with spices such as ginger, vanilla and cinnamon - not all at once though!  Soups are easy to make in advance, frugal, perfect for packing vegetables into, freeze well, and are usually low in calories if you don't add cream, pasta, or serve cheese toasts to accompany it.

I'll be using my powerful Froothie Optimum 9400 Blender which is great for making smoothies and blending soups or making quick soups from scratch.  I've also used it to make nut butters, great for adding some protein to smoothies. 

There are quite of few bloggers taking part:

Tinned Tomatoes
Fuss Free Flavours
Ren Behan
Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
Maison Cupcake
Veggie Desserts
Franglais Kitchen
Smarter Fitter
London Unattached (focusing mainly on soups rather than smoothies)

Please consult a doctor before embarking on any change in diet or restricting calories or food groups.  Consulting a nutritionist or dietician is also recommended should you be compiling diet meal plans.

 You can keep up with Jumpstart Jauary by following our blogs and the #Jumpstart15 hashtag on twitter.

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