Protein Power

I recently found out that I am a bit low on protein. Why? I don't know. But, in an effort to up my protein intake at breakfast, I created this smoothie. So yummy, and is now one of my go to smoothies.


Protein Power


1/2 Banana (I still prefer room temp, for a creamier base)
1/2 cup non fat, plain greek yogurt
2 T honey or maple syrup
3 T almond butter, (or peanut butter if you like the stuff, yuck!)
2 T hemp hearts
1 T Chia seeds
1 - 2 T cocoa powder
About 1 Cup of almond milk (or any milk of your choice)
Blend and enjoy.


If you want a colder drink, you can use frozen bananas, or 4-5 ice cubes and blend. You could also add a shot of espresso.

Restart

Okay, okay...I have fallen off my SOTD! Never mind the fact that I posted in January and not again this year! So yes, I am going to restart, but first an update.
My New Year's Challenge was completed! I was Vegan for 2 months and I felt great during that time.  The first 2 weeks my body was detoxing (won't get into those details)! After those 2 weeks, I noticed my digestive system was happier than before. Most evenings I end up feeling pretty icky, bloated and a bit nauseous, With this challenge, that icky feeling was gone and I felt good in the evenings. Also, after those first 2 weeks I had lost 6 lbs! Unfortunately, after my system regulated itself, I gained those lbs back :( In addition, I cut out all added refined sugar and most of my caffeine intake.
  At the start of my challenge I went and had my cholesterol checked, I was surprise at the results (higher than anticipated for my "bad" and my "good" was low). At the end of my challenge I tested again, another surprise! My overall cholesterol went UP??? Wait, what? However my triglycerides went down, my bad cholesterol went down and my good cholesterol went up. Nothing was a significant change, but still. I had a friend that told me when she went vegan for 6 weeks her cholesterol dropped 100 pts. I wasn't really expecting that, but some kind of drop was more what I was hoping for!!


 I have had people tell me "you need longer to see any change". Um, two months of vegan should produce some kind of change! I also have had it said that it could be due to a lack of Vitamin D that would throw this off. Um, ND in the winter time, ok, I could believe that! Also, I know our body produces its own cholesterol, could I be just odd person that overproduces all by themselves? Anyway, those were my results.

For anyone who wonders...no I didn't stick with it, for a number of reasons. The first one being, although my husband supported my challenge, he did not join me in it. Therefore, I was cooking a meal for myself and a meal for the family every meal. That was more than I wished to continue.


Right now, I am ready to start another challenge, maybe not full plant-based diet, but mostly a plant-based diet.  My husband is willing to join me in this challenge now. We will be moving toward that and see how we like it (I have some meat in the freezer that I don't want to waste my money on that we will need to use up).

For today, restarting the SOTD challenge.
Strawberry Pineapple - how have I NOT made this combo yet???
1/2 banana
1 cup (ish) hulled fresh strawberries
1/2 cup fresh pineapple
2 T hemp hearts (these are my go too protein item!)
4 T raw oatmeal
almond milk to blend (maybe 1 cup)
touch of vanilla
Yum.

Start of the New Year, Challenges (NOT Resolutions!)

My husband and I were sitting down yesterday and discussing how the world was to end in 2000. Here we are in 2014 and going strong!  Amazing how time flies!  With the entrance to 2014, (I actually was up at midnight this year, previous years saw me in bed by 10! Ha, life with kids) I have created a variety of challenges for myself. The general purpose would be for the betterment of my body, mind and spirit.
Challenge 1: For January I am challenging myself to a Vegan (ish) diet. I need to clean up my eating habits and would like try mostly vegan for a month and see how it goes. I, however, am allowing myself room for error, this is a BIG switch to accomplish in a month.

Challenge 2: Hit the gym. At least 3 times a week with other exercise at home everyday. Before Dec hit, I had accomplished a 60 day streak of exercise everyday (a FB group I am part of). I fell off that with the holidays and my husband working INSANE hours a work with the holiday rush. Ultimately, I would like to see some weight loss and body tone happen as well.

Challenge 3: Devotions everyday. Fill that connections that helps me in my spiritual life.

Challenge4: Get back into the habit of SOTD. Better fuel for my body in the morning. So today's smoothie was a bit of extra work. I juiced some things before I made my smoothie.

Juice
5 Carrots
1 orange
large handful of baby kale and spinach
1/2 Grapefruit
I ran these through my Champion Juicer THEN...
I made my smoothie
1/2 Banana
2 T goji berries
2 T hemp hearts
1 T flax seed
Blend in my Vitamix and drink it up.

Pretty good. Very green tasting!

New Ingredient!

I love when I find a new ingredient to add to my routine. It gives me a challenge and makes an old stand by smoothie a bit more interesting. Today's smoothie is an old favorite, Banana Split. Just classic. And good!

Banana Split Smoothie for One

1/2 Banana

4 whole strawberries

6 large chunks of pineapple

1 T cocoa powder

1 - 1.5 cups almond milk

1/2 T bee pollen

2 T Hemp hearts

1 T Spirulina

 

Except I added a new ingredient, Spirulina.  I linked more info, but the general run down is that it is a blue green algae. It is has multiple vitamins, including a natural source of iron (I run low on iron but I HATE taking a supplement, this is a good alternative)! It boosts the immune system and is high in protein, yep protein!
I found a powdered form at our local health food store. I am finding it makes a great add in to my smoothies! I can't detect a taste (although it does make the color of the smoothie a bit interesting)!

Persimmon Smoothie

I have been on a bit of a quest to create some new smoothies. I have a wide variety, I just wanted to get some creative juices (ha ha) into my routine.  SO the other day when I saw persimmons in the store I got a bit excited. This is not a fruit I am familiar with at all! I did a bit of research to find out about them. High in antioxidants and Vit A, C and K, also high in fiber. They can also be high in tannin acid, which can have some adverse effects if consumed in a high quantity. I had 1 persimmon in my smoothie today, we will see what the effects are!

Persimmon Smoothie
1/2 banana
1 persimmon, peeled and sectioned
1 cup almond milk
1 T flax seed

I kept it pretty simple today, I wanted to get the taste of the new fruit. It was ok, for my taste buds. Not WOW! but ok. I have 2 more persimmons to work with, maybe with some other fruit.

Thankfulness

Good gracious! It has been a LONG time since I have posted! I will blame it on a few things. 1) Summer makes me busy . Lots of time outdoors either for play or work in the garden so I don't sit at the computer as much. 2) Because of the garden, I was blessed with a lot of good food to save for winter. Freezing and canning took up a lot of time for me. However, I love the look of my freezer full of corn, beans, carrots, peas and broccoli all from my garden. My tomatoes this year, wowzer! I have many jars of salsa, pasta sauce, crushed tomatoes and this year I even made my own ketchup and pizza sauce. I love providing such good food for my family! Of course, I already have plans for next years garden and how I am going to expand! 3) This summer was REALLY bad for fruit flies in my house! Therefore, I didn't have a lot of smoothies because the flies really like bananas, and I couldn't leave bananas sit on the counter. Bananas don't do well in the fridge and I know you can freeze them, but I don't like frozen bananas in my smoothies. And excuse number 4) My husband got me a Champion Juicer for my birthday! I have been playing with juicing now as well! Fresh juice can also replace a meal, but I prefer a smoothie for breakfast! I will post some recipes about juice too!

Ok. To the good stuff! November, a month of thankfulness. So many people post a daily thankful item. Love to see it all. I like the quote "Thanks Giving is good, but Thanks Living is better" Matthew Henry. A month of thankfulness is a good reminder, but thankful living every day, something to strive for! Anyway, to honor thankfulness I have been working on my:

 

 Thanksgiving Smoothie!

 

1/2 cup pureed sweet potato

1/2 cup pureed pumpkin

1/2 cup fresh cranberries

1 cup orange juice (or more if needed)

2 T hemp hearts

1 T flax seeds

3 T raw oatmeal

2 T maple syrup

Dash of cinnamon

Dash of pumpkin pie spice

Cranberries are full of antioxidants, fiber, vitamin C and only 45 calories for 1/2 cup serving! Enjoy and be blessed!

Not so green smoothie?

Does a smoothie have to be the color green to consider itself a green smoothie?  Today I have a yummy smoothie that isn't the color green. More brownish red. I think the raspberries have more pigment and over power the green of the greens I put in. And I must say, I put a LARGE handful of the greens. Beet greens today, which also have reddish stems so maybe that is why the color is not green. I CAN taste the beet greens in the smoothie so I know I put enough in there. Did I mention I LOVE going to my garden to get the beet greens! As in, pick, rinse, blend! Nothing fresher and uncertified organic! By the way, it is very yummy!

 

1/2 banana

1/2 cup frozen raspberries

LARGE handful beet greens

1T honey

1T ground flaxseed

1 cup almond milk

 

Blend and enjoy!

Cilantro Lime

So far so good! Green smoothie everyday!  Todays smoothie is a little off the wall, even for me!  I saw the idea on the 30dayGS blog, but I changed it a little due to missing ingredients and only wanting one portion. 

1 banana

large handful fresh spinach

1/2 cup (ish) fresh cilantro

1 peeled lime

3 inch section of cucumber

1/2 tsp ground ginger (the recipe called for fresh but I didn't have any and none in the freezer cubes)

1/2 cup water

5 ice cubes

blend and hmmm? If you don't like cilantro don't do this one! I think I would add a T of honey if I was to do this one again. Little girl didn't like it:) It is very green! Hint of bitter. Overall, not the best, but I will drink it. Definitely not one to offer the hubs:)

Red, White and Beet

In honor of Independence Day I was going to make a red, white and blue (and green!) smoothie! don't have blueberries (oops). I changed directions, raided my garden for greens and came up with this. Happy 4th of July, remember why we celebrate!

Red: 1 cup frozen strawberries

         1/4 cup frozen raspberries

 

White: 1/2 banana

            1/2 cup greek yogurt

 

Beet: large handful of beat greens from the garden!

Water to make it blend-able.

I can taste a slight beet flavor today, but since I don't mind that, yum!

Green Smoothie Day 2

I LOVE this time of year. The garden is starting to produce and I can start throwing some of the goodness into my smoothie.
Todays was super yummy and definitely a summer drink.

1/2 banana

1/4 cup coconut milk (from a can)

handful of kale

1 cup diced watermelon

1 sprig of mint leaves

handful frozen strawberries

Blend. Looks funky, kinda brownish green, but tastes yummy!

Challenge

Finally! A healthy challenge that I think I can accomplish with minimal effort! A friend of mine tuned me into the 30 day Green Smoothie challenge! I signed up, and therefore will have 30 days of green in my future. It starts today, July 1, and I signed up today. Therefore I didn't get the recipe for today, but I made my own. My daughter is currently sitting beside me and sucking my smoothie down, little does she know how good it is for her! Then again, she isn't 2 yet! Still, providing great nutrition for her.

 

1/2 banana

large handful Kale

1/2 c greek yogurt

12 segments frozen mandarin oranges

 3/4 c frozen strawberries

1 c water

1 T ground flaxseed

1 T wheat germ

1 T honey

Blend! Yes, I can taste the kale it this one, Kale has a stronger flavor than spinach. It isn't bad and I am starting the month of right. By the way, HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Another Green Smoothie

That wonderful time of year is coming. The time of year when I can wake up, go to my garden, grab some ingredients to throw in my blender.  Fresh is best. And it doesn't get much fresher! Yum. Not much is ready in the garden, it has been a S L O W spring.  But...I have enough spinach to start the harvest for my smoothies! Of course I am not organic certified, but I don't use pesticides in my garden.

1/2 banana

handful of FRESH spinach

handful of frozen pineapple

handful of frozen mango

1 T wheat germ

1T ground flax seed

1 T raw honey

1/2 c silken tofu

1 c almond milk

 

Blend and enjoy the creamy greenie!

Raspberry Mango

The 40 day challenge was over on April 30. I didn't lose a single pound. Oh well, I stayed motivated and I did lose an inch around my rib cage. Still going to stay motivated and try and hit the gym at least 3 times a week. AND start a new challenge. Exercise everyday! Must do something exercise related everyday. Pretty self explanatory! So day 1 was yesterday and I hit the gym for my cardio day and abs. Today I will get back to the gym (soon as hubs gets home) and it is leg workout day. 

SOTD: Raspberry Mango

1/2 banana

1/2 c raspberries

1/2 c mango

1/2 avocado

1 T wheat germ

1T ground flax seed

2 T hemp seed

1 T goji berries

1t barley grass powder

Should give me the energy for the gym. One thing I love about adding an avocado to a smoothie, is how creamy it makes a smoothie! Plus, I have my little smoothie girl sucking it down beside me, makes for a great start to a day!

Raspberry Kefir

After the flu, I am making sure I get the kefir into my smoothie to get the good probiotics back into my system.  This smoothie is very yummy. Not as full of "extra ingredients" as some of my smoothies. 

1/2 banana
1/2 c Greek Yogurt
1/4 c kefir
1/2 c frozen raspberries
1 T goji berries
1-2 T raw honey
1 T coconut manna (I can taste it!)

Blend and enjoy.  The coconut manna gives it a bit of a "gritty" texture, but I don't mind that. I add the honey because I find my taste buds and don't like the harsh acidity of the raspberries, but the honey could be optional. Perfect smoothie to make green by adding a handful of spinach.
Again, I have my little girl doing a smoothie taste test, she declaired it "Yum"!

Almost BRAT

I had the flu this weekend. AGAIN. 4th, yes 4th, time this winter! It is getting old. I haven't been sick like this in a L O N G time. Granted, each time I have been sick, a child has been sick as well. At least I know where I am getting it from! Of course, the child recovers faster than the parent does. I am starting to NEEd to eat but I still don't feel like eating. Smootie of the day is basic, bland and hopefully will sit well on my tummy. Hence the BRAT.
1/2 banana
1 c frozen peaches
1 cup almond milk
3 T raw oatmeal.
Blend. That is it.

Leftover Smoothie

With a family of 5, I rarely have enough leftovers to make a complete meal. Last night we had haystacks for supper, that meant a bit of cucumber, a bit of avocado and a bit of everything else left over. The cucumber and avocado made it into the smoothie this morning. I also had a bit of mango left over in the freezer. 
My other recent find for my smoothie is a salad mixture that has baby spinach, baby chard and baby kale in it. It is also organic, a plus! 

 

1/2 banana

maybe 1/4 cup mango

1/2 cup raspberries

1/2 c kefir

1/2 c Greek honey yogurt

large handful of the salad blend

1/4 c chopped cucumber

1/4 of an avocado

almond milk to blend

My husband would probably say this one tastes too green. Plus he doesn't like avocado, if he knew it was in there, he would dislike the smoothie.  I like that the avocado adds a creaminess to the smoothie that you don't get without it.  For some reason I didn't add any grains today. Not sure why. Anyway, to my taste buds, this is a good one. It should give me the boost for my workout today!

Sweet, like Cantalope Juice.

LOVING my smoothie this morn! So yum. Today is grocery day, I will make sure to buy the ingredients for this!

1/2 Banana

1/2 C cubed cantaloupe

1/2 C fresh strawberries
1/2 c honey greek yogurt

1/2 C kefir

1 T wheat germ

1T ground flax seed

Blend and enjoy. In the summer, if it ever gets here, (mid April and we have 3 day winter storm watch!) I would add a cucumber. Would be so refreshing! 

On a Kefir note- This batch is a much better experience! Like runny yogurt, not as prickly in my nose if I smell it (it is fermented after all), and a better taste.  I even made buttermilk pancakes with some of the leftovers the other day, the family didn't know (mwah, ha ha). Of course, the cooking process takes the benefit of the kefir away.

On an exercise note- met with a trainer 2 weeks ago. She helped me set up a program to help meet my goals.  I made it too the gym 3 times both weeks.  No weight loss yet, but my body is getting tighter and more toned.  The trainer is changing my program for the next 2 weeks. A bit more intense. We will see what happens now that I am into it.

Trying Kefir again

About a year ago I got some Kefir grains to try making on my own. The stuff you get at stores is super high is sugar.  That batch I did not like. Very sour, very curddled and not at all something I wanted to continue. The same friend, just gave me some new grains that are much better. Like watery yogurt, but smoother than the last batch. Trying it again to see how I feel about it.  Today was the first day I had a batch ready. 
* As a note about the pineapple core... I bought a whole pineapple and I always take the rind off and cut the column into quarters. The quarters have a firmer core to them that my kids find hard to chew. I use to gnaw on it myself and then throw it our. Thanks to my Vita Mix I now save the core, throw it in a smoothie and it grinds the core up to nothing!

Avacado Raspberry Kefir

1/2 banana

2 of  the pineapple core*

1/2 avacado

1/2 c frozen raspberries (it needs more raspberries next time)

1/4 c kefir

1 T ground flax seed

2 T hemp seed

1 T wheat germ

almond milk

The avacado makes it super creamy and thick. As noted it needs more raspberries.  Maybe 1 T of honey.

Green Hawaii!

Really!? I haven't posted one of my favorite smoothies. Oh my.  I will have a variation of this today, I think!

1/2 banana

1/2 cup Greek yogurt or 1/4c coconut cream (from a can)

1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks, or fresh

3T raw oatmeal

1 T wheat Germ

1 T ground flax seed

large handful of baby spinach

almond milk to make 2 cups blended drink

if you want it sweeter add 1 T honey

 

 
You can also make variations of this by adding orange juice or pineapple juice to replace the milk. Make it tropical and add other fruit for example,mango, papaya and kiwi would be delicious! I have even added broccoli in!

40 day challege!

Yep, me again, saying I am going to loose weight. This time I have incentive! To the tune of $140! Some of us got together and started a 40 day challenge to get fit for spring. By the way, it is the 2nd day of spring here in GF and we have had NO melting! A ton of snow is on the ground, and another storm is on the way. sigh. Anyway, gonna get fit for spring. Today is the first day of the challenge. We weigh in at our own homes (all about honesty with this group), and 40 days from today, April 30, we weigh in again. The person who has lost the most % of body weight wins the cash!
I have incentive to change my diet, workout more and get fit for summer. My weigh in was 135 lbs. My goal for summer weight is somewhere between 115-120 (I am only 5' tall so that isn't a crazy goal) we will see where I get in 40 days. PLUS, I want to tone up, and I know muscle weighs more than fat.

 

To start the challenge my SOTD is a Citrus Berry

1/2 banana

Fresh juice of a Temple Orange

handful of blueberries

handful of strawberries

1/2 c Greek yogurt

1 T flax seed (ground)

1 T wheat germ

1 T goji berries

I have plans to workout this morning. Hopefully this will have the energy boost that I need.

I also created a little sweet snack last night in my vita mixer!
I blended 2 cups raw almonds to make almond butter, did not work. The paste was kinda crumbly and wouldn't spread very well, so I re- purposed!  I took the almond butter out of the mixer. Blended 10 whole pitted dates to make a paste. Added 1 T honey. Added the almond paste back in and blended to make a new paste. You have to use the tamper with all these processes to make it work!  Took the new paste out of the blender and rolled them into little balls. Froze them for 30 min. Then rolled them in melted dark chocolate.
My hope is that they will be a sweet treat that is healthy and curbs the chocolate cravings. 

Wish me luck!