Tag Archives: green smoothie

September Challenge – Day 21

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I’m starting to see results. I’m so glad I decided to give myself some grace and just keep going. Sometimes I get discouraged after two weeks and just quit. Even though I haven’t been working as hard I’m still trying. I know I will have some challenges this week. My daughter’s birthday is this week. She wants to go out for hamburgers and frozen yogurt. Plus I am making Princess Leia and Chewbacca cupcakes for her Star Wars party. I will really have to watch my sugar intake. Well, I know I can start every day on the right foot.

Mexi-Mocha Smoothie

  • 1 cup cold coffee
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 scoop collagen powder
  • 1 tablespoon cacao nibs
  • 1 tablespoon cacao powder
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1 banana
  • 1/2 cup mango
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Blend it up and enjoy!

If MyFitnessPal is correct that whole smoothie is just under 300 calories. The whole thing! That is quite a lot of smoothie. I’m full.

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September Challenge – Day 8

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Feeling stronger! I love when working out feels good! Like “I can do this” instead of “this hurts, I don’t like it”. I did the whole T-Tapp workout in one session. And now I’m having my mango green smoothie. I love this smoothie. It’s so easy and my daughter will drink it. Of course then I don’t have a smoothie for tomorrow, but mothers make sacrifices.

Coconut Mango Smoothie

  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
  • 4 pitted dates
  • 1 tablespoon flaxseed*(optional)
  • 2 scoops collagen powder or protein powder, unflavored
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1 cup mango
  • 1 banana

Makes 2 servings, unless you share.

*I’ll use different seeds if I’m seed cycling. Flax, sesame, pumpkin, or sunflower all work. 1 tablespoon for the little seeds and 2-3 for the larger seeds like the pumpkin.

I feel good! Please, let this last!

September Challenge – Day 1

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Well, this might be harder than I thought. It took me two hours to do one hour of T-Tapp. My calves and hamstrings apparently haven’t been used for 3 months. I drank my green smoothie at 9 am and by 11:30 was starving. I had egg drop soup for lunch and am making Pioneer Woman’s Drip Beef (minus the butter) for dinner. My children will be having hoagie rolls while my husband and I have our meat with roasted vegetables. 

My main concern will be sugar. I have mentioned my sugar addiction before and I am still fighting it. So far I have had one Keebler grasshopper cookie. ONE cookie! And all I can think about is dessert. I’m trying to find “healthy” sweets on Pinterest. I have a better sweets board. I need a deep breath and an affirmation. “I am sweet enough” (breathe) “I am sweet enough”.  Ok, better. So, how about I figure out what kind of smoothie I want tomorrow.

Chocolate Covered Almond Smoothie

2 servings

  • 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (I like coconut almond)
  • 1 cup water
  • 4 pitted dates
  • 1/4 cup whole raw almonds
  • 2 tablespoons coconut butter (or 1/4 cup shredded coconut)
  • 2 scoops collagen powder (or protein powder)
  • 1/4 cup roasted cacao nibs*
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 1 cup mango, frozen
  • 1 banana, frozen

Blend ingredients through cacao nibs, add spinach and blend. Then add in frozen fruit, blend until smooth.

*Or use 4 tablespoons of cocoa or cacao powder. Or carob.

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Before adding the spinach

 

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Green Smoothie ready to enjoy

That sounds like an Almond Joy with spinach added. Perfect!

Smoothie for breakfast.  Leftover shredded meat and roasted veggies for lunch and…and um, dinner. I’m thinking baked halibut fingers. Plan for tomorrow: done! Just add in some T-Tapp and I’m set. I might still have to find a “better” sweet thing to make. 

Re-boot camp

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It is hard to eat healthy and exercise ALL the time. Sometimes I want chocolate cake more than I want to fit in my new little black dress. However, I don’t want to go through the hassle of returning my new LBD, so T-Tapp re-boot camp it is!

I read Extra Petite blog occasionally for fashion ideas.  I am fashionally challenged. I’m a mom, I live in Idaho, I don’t work outside of my home. I would like to be fashionable, but I don’t have much inspiration. Anyway, I finally decided to buy a good LBD and bought one from Ann Taylor. I usually buy my clothes from Old Navy or Land’s End, on sale, on clearance, I want a whole ton of clothes for $100, so buying a dress that was on sale for $100 was a big deal for me. (Yes, I am thrifty cheap) I knew I had been slacking off on my diet and exercise regime, but I didn’t want to buy a bigger dress, I bought the size I should be. I was able to zip it up and everything, but walking was a little difficult and the back was all lumpy above my (slightly inflated) bootie.  My husband thought I looked hot. I really shouldn’t ask him for fashion advice. I don’t need to loose 20 pounds or anything I just need a little adjustment. I think it was good that the dress didn’t fit. I can lie to myself about gaining a few pounds, I can find clothes that still fit me in my closet, but new clothes don’t lie. And plus expensive clothes are usually bigger than cheap clothes. Whatever, if I can’t fit myself into this dress in two weeks I’ll return it.

Spring break is in three weeks, my family and I are going to relax at a couple of our favorite hot springs. Idaho is full of hot springs. I think I’ll write something just about hot springs next time. Anyway, in three weeks I will be in a swim suit, in public, so I think that is a good incentive for my re-boot camp.

T-Tapp is my go-to exercise program. It isn’t glamorous, or sporty, or popular, but it works for me. My sister gets bored doing the same exercises over and over, but I like that I can memorize the moves. I also like that the workout is in a flowing sequence that I can do in 15-20 minutes. For my re-boot camp I am going back to the instructional videos. Slowing down and focusing on form will help my mind and body reset. I could just go back to my 20 minute daily work out, drink green smoothies and keep track of my calories on myfitnesspal.com, but I think I need a new beginning. I’m ready for Spring. Well, I’m ready to get ready for Spring!

Today’s Plan:

T-Tapp instructional video #2
Strawberry Lemonade Smoothie
Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
Vegetable Minestrone Soup
8 glasses of water
Early to bed

 

Strawberry Lemonade Green Smoothie

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup water
2 tablespoons raisins
4 tablespoons hemp protein powder
2 cups baby spinach
2 cups frozen strawberries
juice of 1 lemon
2 small bananas

Blend ingredients through spinach, when the spinach is blended add rest of ingredients and blend until smooth. I divided this into three servings at about 200 calories per serving (according to myfitnesspal.com).

No Thank You, I’m Having a Smoothie…

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…Because my pants don’t fit. Because what I really want is pumpkin pie. Because I haven’t eaten anything green for five days. Because I haven’t really felt hungry since before Thanksgiving. Oh, the shame!
With the weather turning colder I thought I might want a break from smoothies, but…without a healthy green smoothie to start my day I kinda fall apart (nutrition wise). Here is a smoothie adapted from Green Thickies. Just like most recipes, I don’t have all the stuff that goes into her smoothie, so I do what I can. Usually I eat pears, if I can wrestle them from my husband or oldest kid, but I have been buying pears with a purpose lately. Yeah! I had a ripe pear that no one knew about and into the smoothie it went. If your pears are small you might want to add two.

 

Pear and Apple Smoothie

1 cup non-dairy milk
1 cup apple cider (cold pressed, not clear apple juice or the alcoholic kind, unless you roll that way)
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup dates
1/4 cup hemp protein powder
2 cups spinach or other baby greens
1 apple, cored
1 pear, cored
1 banana
1 pinch pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg
splash of vanilla

Blend milk, cider, oats and dates. Then blend in protein powder and greens. Add fruit, spices and vanilla, blend until smooth.

I find I have to do T-Tapp right before I drink my smoothie so I don’t get too cold.

Does this have FRUIT in it?

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After the In-N-Out diet my sweet husband stated that he wanted to go on the green smoothie diet with me. Which means that I have to make him a smoothie when I make myself a smoothie. He won’t drink the same smoothies I drink because…they have fruit in them! I think he might be confusing smoothies with milkshakes. This morning he was a bit concerned because I didn’t add cocoa and peanut butter to his smoothie, so it was green! He looked at me and asked “Does this have fruit in it?” No my love, I make your smoothies out of ice cream and candy bars, but don’t worry you will still lose weight because you are a man. Before his smoothie this morning he ate a Payday bar and after his smoothie he had an apple strudel. And he will still lose weight. I’m feeling a little catty this morning. I will drink my Spirulina Smoothie, (I used lime juice instead of lemon and added a mango, super yummy!) have a large glass of water, take deep breaths and smile. Ah, that feels better. Good thing my bad moods don’t last long and as long as I share them on my blog no one else has to be in a bad mood either! Thank you one random person who reads this! You just helped save my marriage. So, here is the only green smoothie my husband will drink. It might work for kids too!

The Anti-Green Smoothie

1 cup dairy-free milk
1/4 cup oats
1/2 cup raisins or dates
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 cups spinach
1 or 2 bananas
3 tablespoons cocoa, or to taste (or cover up the green)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup ice

Blend in the order given. Make sure to blend the spinach before you add the next ingredients or it won’t fit in the blender.  Sometimes I add 2 tablespoons of coconut butter and leave out the cocoa or it would be good to sub the peanut butter with coconut butter and still add the cocoa.
Don’t tell my husband this has a milk beverage or a banana in it because then he won’t drink them anymore.

 

The In-N-Out Diet

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Last week my family got home from a three-week road trip. We drove over to Portland and then all the way down to San Diego. We went camping on the Oregon Coast, to Disneyland, the San Diego Zoo and Coronado Beach. Then for some reason (we now regret) we took our small children to Las Vegas. We also stopped at In-N-Out Burger every day. I had no idea if I could eat In-N-Out and was pleased to find (after I ate the first burger) that the buns are dairy-free and if you say something they will make your burger anyway you want. I just told them I had a dairy allergy and my burger was cooked alone and came on its own tray with ketchup and mustard. I heard conflicting information about the dairy ingredients of the special sauce and since I don’t really care for mayo or mayonnaise based sauces I just went with ketchup and mustard. I should have said something about the fries because my husband’s ‘animal style’ seemed to ooze onto the other fries. Anyway, great to know In-N-Out is allergy friendly! The only bad thing is the number of times we ate there in two weeks. I didn’t count and I am too ashamed to even try.

I have found that if you eat fast food and don’t exercise you will gain weight. It’s a revelation! Who knew? We are settled in now, the laundry is done and the green smoothie/T-Tapp diet and exercise program starts today!

I did my T-Tapp this morning and drank a Sweet Grapefruit Thickie. I’m on my way! Here’s the recipe so I don’t forget that I liked this one:

Sweet Grapefruit Thickie

1 cup dairy-free milk
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup dates
1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
2 cups baby spinach
1 grapefruit, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate or 2 oranges peeled and chopped
1 small mango peeled and chopped
1 banana
1 cup ice

Blend in order given.

I usually don’t use ice in my smoothies, but there isn’t much to have frozen in this recipe so I added ice.

Spirulina Smoothie

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The Loch Ness Monster Green Thickie from greenthickies.com is one of my favorite smoothies. I thought it would be horrible, I mean reading the ingredients did not make me want to try it. However, I had some spirulina powder that I needed to ingest somehow and this was a recipe from a trusted blogger. Now I find myself craving this smoothie. This morning I was craving one, but I like use fresh spinach and this thickie doesn’t call for extra greens. Luckily I was out of spinach. Perfect! Now, I would have never come up with this recipe on my own. Even though I have all these ingredients in my pantry I would not think of putting them all in a smoothie, but somehow it works.

Spirulina is one of those super foods that you buy just for the health benefits. I don’t think anyone ever said they loved the tasted of algae. When I was a little girl my grandpa took blue green algae. He didn’t put it in a smoothie or anything. As far as I know he just mixed with water and slugged it down. It was one of the highlights of trips to their funky house on the Oregon coast and one of the memories I cherish of him. He would pretend that the green slime turned him into a monster and then he would chase my sister and I around the house while we giggled and shrieked with excitement. He was such a great grandpa. I will gladly drink this smoothie in his honor.

Spirulina Smoothie

  • 2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup of raisins (or 4 pitted dates)
  • 1/4 cup of coconut
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup mango
  • 1 banana
  • juice 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon spirulina powder
  • 1 scoop collagen or protein powder (optional)
Blend the water, raisins, coconut and sunflower seeds until smooth. Add fruit, juice and spirulina powder and blend again. Makes two servings.
Drink it down and pretend it turns you into a swamp monster. Chase your kids/dog/cat/husband/roommate around the house.

Berry Protein Smoothie

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Most mornings I have a smoothie for breakfast. It’s pretty easy to rack up the calories, but a little more difficult to blend up protein. Obviously, whey is not an option. I have tried Sunwarrior protein powder, it is a little chalky and after I bought the chocolate flavor, I discovered I don’t care for things sweetened with stevia. I am saving up to buy the unflavored powder. This recipe uses hemp protein powder.

  • 2 cups Almond Breeze, Unsweetened
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1/4 cup Almonds
  • 1/4 cup Dates
  • 2 cups Spinach
  • 1/4 cup organic Hemp Protein
  • 2 cups Strawberries, frozen
  • 1 cup Blueberries, frozen
  • juice of one lime or 1/2 lemon

I always blend my oats, dates and almonds with the milk first. Then I add the other ingredients and blend again. This makes 2 servings.

I’ve been using MyFitnessPal to keep track of my protein and calcium intake. I should hide the calorie counter because I don’t think calories are created equal. I don’t want to make food choices based solely on calorie count. Anyway, I haven’t found a better way to add more protein to my diet.

So, is this why my hair is falling out?

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Eating vegan this summer was great for weight loss, energy and over health. I actually like salad now. When my aunt was visiting she asked how I was getting enough protein. Protein? I eat nuts, seeds and beans everyday. I was sure that was fine. But…On an (I thought) unrelated note my hair has been falling out. Now, I have thick hair and have always had little wads of hair in the drain after my showers. The last few months I have had handfuls of hair come out when I shampoo and more fall out when I comb and brush my hair. I wasn’t really worried, but now I can feel a difference in the circumference of my ponytail. My hair is thinning. There are many reasons for hair loss. Physical trauma is one. I haven’t been in a car crash or had any other trauma. Stress. Hmm, well having my husband gone all summer was a bit stressful. Aging is another reason for thinning hair. I refuse to age, so that can’t be it. Also, not getting enough protein can cause your body to shut down hair growth. Well, how much protein am I supposed to be consuming? Turns out a lot! Using several protein calculators and charts from several websites, I found that I should be taking in any where from 65-90 grams of protein daily. How many grams of protein in a 1/4 cup of almonds? 6 grams. 6? So my smoothie that I thought had me covered nutrition wise was lacking a bit. So, what do I do now? Yesterday I added hemp powder to my smoothie. It didn’t change the taste too much, but it did make it feel like I added sawdust. I needed a drink of water to wash my smoothie down. Today I added Sunwarrior brown rice protein powder and it was good. No bad taste, no gritty or sawdusty feeling and 16 grams of protein! 16! Plus the 6 grams from my almonds. 22 grams of protein for breakfast is not a bad way to start my day. Wait, this makes two smoothies so that’s only 11 grams of protein. Tomorrow I’ll make it with two scoops of protein powder and see how that goes.  This is harder than I thought it would be. I better find some more supper-foods. Quinoa, you’re on the list! Now I just have to figure out how to get the rest of the protein I need and hope that in 6-9 months my hair is back to healthy!