Tag Archives: smoothie

8 FOOD TO EAT EVERY DAY

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put together a list of 
8 Foods You Should Eat EVERY DAY…
BLUE BERRIES
BLACK BEANS
TOMATOES
WALNUTS
CARROTS
SPINACH
YOGURT
OATS

This is a great list to check off everyday!  For the most part I eat SLOW-CARB, but I add in 1 smoothie a day that gives me these other foods for a balanced diet.  

theSMOOTHIE
1/4 cup carrot juice
lots of spinach!
frozen berries
greek yogurt
local honey
a little kale
1/2 banana
flax seeds
oatmeal
water

For more smoothie options, take a look at the
 SMOOTHIE SHOPPING LIST

Get your black beans and tomatoes in
and eat walnuts for a snack!

EAT FOR YOUR HEALTH PEOPLE!!!

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

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HOMADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
The fastest, easiest thing I make… and SO good!
 
theINGREDIENTS
2 boxes of organic, free range chicken broth
red, orange, and/or yellow bell peppers
pkg of egg noodles
3 chicken breasts
baby carrots
celery
onion
1.  Heat broth to a boil and then add chicken.  I use frozen and drop it right in.  I love that I don’t have to touch the uncooked chicken 🙂

2.  Boil chicken about 15 minutes, and then add in diced bell peppers, celery, onion and carrots.  Cook 10 minutes.  Take out the cooked chicken and cut it up.   Add it back to the soup.

3.  Add egg noodles and cook according to the package.  I always add water.  I don’t ever measure… just want to make sure there is enough liquid to cook the noodles.  At this point, make it as soupy as you’d like by adding more water or broth.
And done!
Try this recipe for you, your family, or friends who get sick.  It’s LOADED with goodness!  And also make it when you are short on time and need something cozy for dinner.  For my friends who are sick, here are a few tips that can boost your immune system and help you kick the cold…
* SLEEP – at least 8 hours at night, and take a nap!  (That’s hard for me… HATE naps.)
* Nasal rinse at least 2 times a day.  This helps SO much.  This will help avoid sinus infection and other unwanted sick drama.  I always use purified water.
* Take a probiotic daily – BUY NOW
* Take a high quality multivitamin daily – BUY NOW
* Take omega 3 fatty acids daily – BUY NOW
* Drink Throat Coat Tea and Breathe Easy Tea as needed
* Eat foods that will power your body and will promote recovery – nutrient rich food!
* Keep a healthy hand sanitizer with you and your mini humans at all times!
               BUY NOW from ♥ OF EDEN ♥
HandSoapPOSTER2.jpgor make it yourself!…

Fitness Vacation Recap 2: MONDAY/TUESDAY

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MONDAY & TUESDAY:  Each group I bring to this retreat will be different, and I learned very quickly that this particular group was not a 
“morning person”!  LOL 
For those of you who never saw the sunrise, here it is!   

theWORKOUT

Kay was up early with me, 
so we took advantage of that beautiful time of day.  
I did Kay’s a.m. session downstairs in the basement.  Most mornings we were out on the patio working out, but this particular morning it was a bit chilly so we stayed inside, opened up the doors, and enjoyed the view and ambiance of the ocean.

After the session we headed up-stairs for breakfast.  
Kay was eating a post-workout meal, 
while the others 
– just getting out of bed – 

After breakfast I took the rest of the group out to the 
beach for a morning pilates session.

This is me LOVING teaching pilates!  
THE BEST GYM EVER!!!

forLUNCH
We had the option of mixing a 
Protein Meal-Replacement Smoothie
or
Chicken Salad Lettuce Wrap with Hummus & Avocado
(I think everyone chose this!)

theVACATION
For those of you wondering… YES!  This is a vacation!  
FIRST::  It’s SO awesome to be able to PAUSE all of life’s responsibilities and focus on nothing but 
HEALTHY EATING & EXERCISE!  
Here it becomes enjoyable… Its the perfect environment to focus and learn!  If we can find a way to enjoy these important responsibilities, we will be able to make them a lifestyle! 

SECOND::  From lunch until about 4:00 is all about YOU time.  It was a time to enjoy the beach, 
hang out by the pool, or explore 
HISTORIC ST. AUGUSTINE!  
There is so much to do and see in this unique place. 
 Check this out for more info on St. Augustine.

the SUNSET ROOF-TOP SESSION

Ok, so besides the beach, THIS is my favorite place to workout!  
Just imagine all the FUN we had!  LOL
forDINNER
Grilled Chicken and Fish
 Roasted Potatoes
Lemon Quinoa Cilantro Chickpea Salad

We roasted potatoes, onion, and garlic together
and added fresh rosemary from my friend’s garden.  
the EVENING
  • enjoy the stars on the ROOF TOP DECK
  • play Xbox 360 or pingpong
  • watch TV or put on a movie
  • play cards or board games
  • go to the beach for night-time shell hunting  🙂
We were serious SHELL HUNTERS.
We went out about 11:30 pm because it was 
LOW LOW TIDE!  
We were treasure hunting 🙂

Chis is standing in a place that was completely under water during high-tide.  

This guy had a bad night.
Soon after we saw him, I found a few shark teeth! 
OOOOOOOOOOOO
I’ll post pictures of them in a later post when I show off 
ALL of my BEACH BLING I found.

The next post I will let you in on our 
SKATEBOARD workouts 
and 
SKIM-SURFING!  


PRE & POST WORKOUT NUTRITION

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 We work hard during our workout sessions, but this is only the beginning of the process in reaching our goals.  Our body works around the clock – especially while we sleep – building and repairing muscle after a workout.  I want to make sure we take FULL advantage of our workouts by feeding our body appropriate pre- and post workout foods!  Eating smart before and after the workout can give the body what it needs to burn fat, gain muscle and recover to its full potential!  
 
PRE-WORKOUT FOODS…
You want to grab a snack 30-60 minutes before your workout to provide your body with energy it needs to push through and sustain your workout.  
Here are some of my favorite pre-workout snacks from a list that Greatist.com published:
 
  • Dressed Up Oats  Load up on carbohydrates for a longer workout with ½ cup cooked steel-cut oats topped with 1 tablespoon dried fruit and 1 tablespoon shaved almonds.
  • Yoberries A-Go-Go For the perfect blend of carbs and protein, try 1 cup non-fat vanilla bean Greek yogurt — which often packs more protein and probiotics than regular plain yogurt — with ½ cup fresh blueberries.
  • PB Apple  For a quick carb fuel-up, slice 1 medium apple and serve with 2 tablespoons all-natural peanut or almond butter.
  • Fruit and Cottage  Top ½ cup cottage cheese — a low calorie and higher protein option — with ½ cup fresh pineapple, berries, or melon. 
  • Pre-Workout Drink  Muscle Fuel – because sometime it need to be THAT easy!
POST-WORKOUT FOODS
 After a hard workout, our muscles are hungry and we NEED to feed them right to keep our metabolism rocking.  Eat within 1 hour of your workout.  
These are post-workout snacks that I eat and love:
  • Chocolate Almond Shake 1 scoop of chocolate whey protein –  Muscle Gain Protein  – 1/2 a banana, 1 TBSP almond butter, and 1 cup of almond milk
  • Ants On A Log Spread a heap of natural peanut/almond butter over celery and top with raisins. 
  • Black Bean Omelet Four eggs whites, 1 ounce low-fat cheese, and ¼ cup canned black beans — then spice it up with a savory salsa.
  • Green Monster Smoothie Blend 4 cups spinach, ½ cup vanilla bean yogurt, 1 cup almond milk, 1 banana, and 1 tablespoon peanut butter with ice — Claudine Morgan via Iowa Girl Eats.
  • Cottage Cheese Crunch One cup fat-free cottage cheese, 1 teaspoon honey, ½ cup whole-grain cereal, and a dash of cinnamon does a body good.
  • Pita and Hummus One 7-inch pita with two spoonfuls of  hummus adds a little pep back to your step with quick digesting carbs.
  • Egg Scramble Veg out after a hard training session with 2-3 whole eggs scrambled with a handful of chopped onion, spinach, and bell peppers.
  • Protein Bar  Sometimes you need something to grab and go!
  • Post-Workout Recovery Drink –
  1. Helps minimize muscle soreness after strenuous activity
  2. Supplies essential components for muscle repair to optimize muscle recovery
  3. Helps maintain and restore energy supplies during and after physical activity
  4. Contains branched-chain amino acids to support muscle recovery, growth and endurance.
 
If you have any Pre-or Post-Workout Snacks that you eat… PLEASE SHARE in the comments! 

SPINACH, BANANA, OJ – OH MY!

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CHOCOLATE or SPINACH tonight?
I’m so happy right now!

I was NEEDING something sweet.  I set out looking around the house for chocolate.  I might have hidden away for myself for just the right moment.  I usually have chocolate stashed.  

No such luck.
Then I opened the fridge and had a stare down with a large container of organic spinach I bought today at the store. NOT the same as chocolate, but I decided to use those leafy greens and turn them into a sweet treat.
DEE-LISH!!! — I’m serious
1 cup orange juice (or just water)
1/2 banana
a little honey
 a lot of spinach

Put it all in the blender
and BLEND.

This satisfied my sweet tooth, filled me up and awarded me with good amounts of
vitamin K, vitamin A, magnesium, folate, manganese, iron calcium, vitamin C,
vitamin B2, potassium, and vitamin B6!

Oh, and I also got some
protein, phosphorus, Vitamin E, zinc, dietary fiber, selenium, niacin, omega-3 fatty acids, and copper!
These are my goodies from the spinach alone!  If you don’t believe that this spinach smoothie could taste good, I have proof:  Withholding ALL information about the ingredients I used, I had my husband take a sip.
He said, “Sure, I could drink this.  It is good.”
My son responded, “YUMMMM Mom, that is good!”

There you have it.
Go fill your belly with a nutritionally packed sweet treat and share what you did!