"We acquire the strength we have overcome." -Emerson

I nearly cried when I looked at the scale yesterday...Tears of complete and utter joy! I finally got past my plateau. I've lost two more pounds which makes a grand total of 58 and I'm so glad to have gotten past that hump! This is a prime example of how changing things up can really have an impact on weight-loss. I feel that adding in the smoothies, adding in more protein, and cutting back on carbs has made this happen. Also, I was not as disciplined over the last couple of months as I had been. I finally got myself back in gear and I'm right back on track. Now, about those smoothies. A lot of people have asked for the recipes and I'm happy to oblige.
First, I'm going to give you a list of the specific products I use so that you can purchase them yourself in order to keep the calorie count consistent with what I've calculated.

-Stoneyfield Farm Plain Non-Fat Yogurt (should be 110 calories per serving)
-Great Value Creamy Peanut Butter (should be 180 calories per serving)
-Ghirardelli Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (should be 15 calories per serving)
-Silk Original Unsweetened Almond Milk (should be 30 calories per serving)
-EAS Lean 15 Protein Powder- chocolate and vanilla (should be 100 calories per serving)
-Hills Bros. Instant coffee Skinny Latte

You will also need:
-strawberries, bananas, blueberries
-canned pumpkin puree
-spinach (I know, that sounds scary, but I promise, when blended you can't taste it. Its a metabolism-boosting food so I like to add it to as many things as possible)
-cinnamon
-pumpkin pie spice
-vanilla extract
-sugar substitute (I useGreat Value,  the loose kind in the big bag)

Side Note: The protein powder is pretty expensive (about $20 per tub..), so if you'd like to save money on that, add about a 1/4 c of yogurt to a recipe that calls for powder. This will help fill the protein void when subtracting the powder.
Also, if the powder is what is supposed to give the shake its chocolate or vanilla flavor, substitute it with 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder or with a tsp of vanilla extract to help with the flavoring.

Reese's Shake (absolutely amazing..)-160 Calories

-1/2 c yogurt

-3/4 c milk

-1/2 tbsp peanut butter, not quite a full one though

-1 heaping tbsp cocoa

Strawberry-Blueberry Smoothie- 135 Calories

-1/2 c halved strawberries

-1/4 c bluberries

-3/4 c yogurt

-1/2 c milk

-1/2 c spinach

-sugar substitute to taste

(could also take out the strawberries, add 1/4 of a medium-sized banana and you have banana-blueberrry!)

Peanut Butter-Banana Smoothie- 165 Calories

-1/2 tbsp peanut butter

-1/2 banana, medium-sized, ripe

-1/2 c yogurt

-1/2 c milk

-sugar substitute to taste

 Pumpkin Pie Shake (my absolute favorite!)- 130 Calories

-1/2 c canned pumpkin puree

-1/2 c yogurt

-1/2 tsp cinnamon

-1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

-1/4 tsp vanilla extract

-1/2 c milk

-sugar substitute to taste

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Shake- 160 Calories

-1 c milk

-1 c halved strawberries

-1/2 c spinach

-1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder

-1/2 c yogurt

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1 tsp cocoa powder

-sugar substitute to taste

Chocolate-Mocha Shake- 115 Calories

-1 c milk

-1 scoop chocolate protein powder

-1 tbsp instant coffee

-1/2 c spinach

-sugar substitute to taste

Banana-Oat Smoothie- 260 Calories

-1/2 banana, medium-sized, ripe

-1/4 c instant oats

-1/2 c yogurt

-1 scoop chocolate protein powder

-1/4 tsp cinnamon

-sugar substitute to taste

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie- 140 Calories

-1/4 c halved strawberries

-2 tbsp yogurt

-1/2 banana, medium-sized, ripe

-1/2 c milk

-1/2 c spinach

-1/2 scoop protein powder (chocolate or vanilla)

-sugar substitute to taste

Frappe- 70 Calories

-1 c chilled coffee

-1/2 c milk

-1 scoop chocolate protein powder

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-sugar substitute to taste

With all of these recipes, you simply throw it all in the blender and turn it on high until everything is smooth! I now freeze mine and eat them like ice cream :) It gives me the feeling of eating something more substantial while leaving me feeling full but not bloated or weighed down. I've been having one for breakfast and another for my afternoon snack everyday for the past 2 1/2 weeks and obviously it has made a difference!

Mix and match some of them, change them up, drink them, freeze them, whatever you want! I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I have!

Remember, if you've hit a wall, don't get discouraged and don't give up. Just work harder to fix it! Add something to your workout, add something to your diet, just change it up. DO NOT,however, just eat less. Not eating enough is only going to send your body into survival mode and will begin to hoard fat. After that horrible process,  you will just be wasting away, weakening your organs and breaking down your muscles in the process. Please, don't harm yourself to get skinny. Its really not worth it....Do it right. Be persistent. You CAN do it. You WILL keep going. Say to yourself over and over :)