Commitment Takes Planning

"Failing to plan is planning to fail."
Alan Lakein

A few days ago I shared how I was not adequately prepared for Day 1 of the Awesome Green Smoothie Challenge, but I came up with a plan B to get me through the day. The next three days were not work days, so no worries. On Monday, I realized if I want to keep up with the smoothies, I must prep the night before.

Since I blend my smoothies in 2 batches, I divide the produce between 2 perfectly-sized bowls. I realize some fruit may brown up a bit, but since it's all going into the blender, no worries! I blend the first batch and pour it into a mason jar, then I blend the next batch and pour the first batch back into the blender. (Just like blending 2 cans of paint to equalize the color.) In this way, if one bowl gets more or less of an ingredient, the final product will have everything evenly incorporated.

I'm starting to experiment a little with quantities and ingredients, as well as blending speeds. Today's smoothie was actually my favorite so far: 2 bananas, about 1 cup of pineapple, 2 cups of spinach, and about a cup of water. The texture was really smooth without the strawberry seeds.

Other planning involves the shopping. I'm trying to buy enough for only 2-3 days at a time so nothing goes to waste. Calculating the amount of whole fruits needed is easy; the leafy greens present a little more challenge. So far I've determined that the 5 oz clamshell of Earthbound Farm Organic Baby Spinach has about 4 cups (packed). For the recipes I started with, 1 box of spinach made 2 days' worth of smoothies.

I also need to at least think about my daily schedule to get my smoothies in. Breakfast is easy; but I have to try to project the remainder of my day to see if the other will be lunch or dinner. Lack of planning also affects my workouts; sometimes I work later than the gym is open. I think I'm going to have to sit down each week and look at my planner and actually schedule workouts to make sure they happen.

What are your planning tips to plan for your health?