POWER smoothie

We've been drinking green smoothies for quite a while now. I've played around with different supplements and fruits and veggies to include. Lately I've laid off the protein and super-food mixes; my standard has been mixing various fruits with spinach, greek yogurt, and chia seeds.

Since we're both rock climbers, we frequently have joint pain. I struggle the most with my elbows and wrists. We try to take supplements like fish oil and glucosamine to help repair our joints and ligaments, but I really hate swallowing those big pills.

Today when Nate suggested we take our glucosamine, I was dragging my feet. I told him that I wished it didn't come in pill form, it would be so much better as a liquid or a powder that could be added to smoothies or other food. And then I thought, well, why can't I make some?!

I got out my mortar and pestle and finely ground a few pills.

I whipped up a few afternoon snack smoothies using a plum, cantaloupe, and fresh blackberries, along with my usual additions. I blended them and did a taste test, then added a cautious 1/4 teaspoon of ground glucosamine. Blended again, tasted again. I couldn't detect a hint of difference! I added another 1/4 teaspoon and blended again. Still perfect! I was afraid to add anymore at this point, because I didn't want to risk ruining that great blackberry-cantaloupe flavor. Nate agreed the powder was unnoticeable. Once I started drinking it I got afraid it may have all settled at the bottom and I'd get an icky, grainy, last slurp. But happily, I never noticed it at all - it seemed to be dissolved in the drink.

I was so impressed with the results that I decided to grind up another bunch of pills and keep the powder on hand to add to our smoothies. You want to make sure you grind them very fine or you might bite into a little chunk, and I doubt that would taste very good. I'm going to try increasing the amount of powder in the smoothies until it's detectable. A half teaspoon isn't a whole recommended dosage, but it has to be better than nothing. And it keeps me from having to swallow those giant pills!

Small Victory

Just got this update from Fitbit!

This officially means I get to buy new bathroom hand towels, because that's the deal I made with myself. We've been drying our hands on old beach towels for several weeks now and I decided that would be good motivation to lose 5 pounds.

By the way, can we just get a visual of what 5 pounds really looks like?

Now that's some disgusting stuff right there. I find it hard to believe that much nastiness has been eliminated from my body, but the super smart scale tells me it's true. So guess we can't argue with that.

Nate beat me to this goal but now I've finally reached it too. I've got a few more to go but at least I get new towels now! Off to the shops I go!

Food for Thought

My mantra

Think you can't afford a healthy lifestyle? Think again.

yikes!

We'll be fit..in a bit!

For the last three weeks or so the hubby and I have had a new health obsession: our FitBit!

To put it simply: it's a pedometer. But really, it's so much more than that. It not only counts your steps, it counts flights of stairs climbed, estimates the calories you're burning, and greets you with cute messages like "You rock!". Did I mention it also measures your sleep efficiency?

If you really want to invest in your health, the whole setup includes a digital, bluetooth-enabled scale. 

The scale not only weighs you, but estimates your body fat percentage and BMI, and THEN uploads that information to your profile on the fitbit website! It makes it so easy to set goals and track your progress.

My favorite parts of the whole system are the food and activity logs on the website. Fitbit will tell you how many calories you should be eating each day based on your current weight, goal weight, height, and the program intensity you choose. To make sure you stay on track, you keep records of everything you eat and any physical activities you do. This has been so motivating to me in a variety of ways. First, having to own up to every morsel of food I put in my mouth has pushed me to eat simpler, healthier meals. And isn't that what I should be doing anyway?! I mean, typing "greek yogurt", "zucchini", and "salmon", is waaay easier than typing (and looking up nutrition info for) "Five Guys Cheeseburger with Cajun Fries." And surprise! those foods are infinitely healthier options. 

Second, every time you tell fitbit about some physical activity you took part in, it rewards you with BONUS calories you can consume that day! And hello, that's what your body is already doing, fitbit is just visualizing the process for you! So now I make it a goal to add extra little activities into my day- say, walking to the mailbox (hello extra 35 calories), mid-day crunches, or ping-pong after dinner with the hubby (I'm well on my way to earning dessert!). We've found the activity tracker to be pretty motivating to do bigger activities as well, such as running, swimming, and rock climbing.

As if that's not enough, the fitbit also tracks your sleep. You move it from your waistband to a soft wrist strap and you press a button to tell it it's bedtime. You press it again when you wake up and it tracks your sleep efficiency. This hasn't done a whole lot for my fitness level, but it's an interesting bit of info to learn about yourself. :)

Here's a glance at my weekly summary:

You can also link your web profile to friends' and compete on daily steps, weight loss, etc. And you can even hide the numbers you'd rather not share. ;) 

So there you have it! That's our current GET FIT plan in a nutshell. We're really enjoying it and have lost 7 pounds between us. Woo-hoo!

Green Monster Madness

I'm really enjoying my green smoothie breakfasts. I'm feeling completely satisfied, and I've noticed decreased cravings throughout the day, especially for sweets. I'm feeling more adventurous and may attempt to start adding in more veggies such as kale, cucumber, and beets. Let's not get carried away though. Here are three more green and delicious fruit-filled days.

Day 4

Recipe:
- 2 cups raw baby spinach
- 4 fresh strawberries, whole (greens on!)
- 2 whole guavas (soaked in water overnight to flush out canning sugar)
- generous splash POM pomegranate juice (1/4 cup?)
- 1/2 can coconut water
- 1 packet Amazing Grass Pomegranate Mango Infusion supplement

This one was so good! How can it not be with that ingredient list, right? Next time I will go a tad easier on the POM juice since that junk's not cheap, and its flavor is so strong that a little goes a long way. The guavas were brilliant, and I really liked today's supplement. As a side note, I didn't notice the strawberry greens at all. Bonus nutrients!

Day 5

Recipe:
- 1 1/2 cups raw baby spinach
- 1/2 can coconut water
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
- 1/2 banana
- 1 packet Spiru-tein Vanilla High Protein Energy Meal supplement

Day 5 was maybe the best day yet. I just loved the combination of the blueberries with the Vanilla Spirutein, and the banana helped to make it all creamy. Delicious!

After 5 days in a row of documenting my recipes, I've started winging it and throwing in whatever I have in the fridge. Here's a few of the new ingredients I've enjoyed though.

Accidental self-photo!

-Mango
-Honeydew - nice subtle flavor
-Apple (makes it so much more filling!)
-Hemp protein
-Almond butter - great nutty flavor
-Exotic fruit nectars (watch out for sugar content though)

I've also been experimenting with alternative blending methods. My Cuisinart immersion blender works great! I've even used it in hotel rooms while working on the road - soo quick and easy. Another exciting blender is the Magic Bullet. I used it at a friend's house and it was amazing!

Lately I've been making smoothies for afternoon snacks instead of breakfast, and even mini-smoothies as healthy desserts. I can't get enough of them!

My New Favorite Thing

 

This stuff is straight up deliciousness. I can't wait to try the other flavors. I may have to buy it in bulk.

Joining the Green Monster Movement

I've been intrigued by Oh She Glow's green smoothie addiction for a while now.  She claims her hair and nails have started growing faster and her skin has a beautiful glow.  Her "green monsters" have gained such a following that she gave them their own website, complete with a variety of reader-submitted original recipes.
I finally decided to try the famous green monsters for myself. Here are my first 3 attempts.

Day 1

Recipe:

-1 cup raw baby spinach

-1/4 cup bluebuerries

-1 kiwi, peeled

-8 oz vanilla yogurt

-1 tbs coconut cream
-Juice of 1/2 a lime


The first try turned out pretty good. The yogurt flavor really came through, so I've tried not to use it again. I'm working on keeping an assortment of fresh fruits and supplements available so I can mix it up each time.

The bad news is... I seem to be allergic to kiwi, which I never knew before. But the good news is I couldn't taste the spinach at all! I love spinach in salads, but have to be honest that I was a bit worried about including it in a smoothie - but it was delicious! (aside from the negative kiwi reaction..)

Day 2

I upped the spinach content and got some great green color today. Still couldn't taste it though! The energy supplement I added was pretty good. I may try dissolving it in milk before adding it to the smoothie next time, since it seemed a little bit grainy.

Recipe:

-2 cups raw baby spinach

-1/4 cup blueberries

-1/2 banana

-1/2 cup milk

-1/2 cup non-fat half & half

-1 tbs coconut cream

-1 packet Life Source Gold supplement

Day 3

Day three was the worst so far. I had a chocolate supplement pack and I read that people like adding pumpkin puree, and I thought they would go well together. I added the peanut butter and honey as an afterthought because it did not taste good. The color was an icky greenish-brown and it was soo thick. I don't think I liked the chocolate supplement, or it may have just been the combination with the pumpkin. Either way, this one was definitely not my favorite.


Recipe:
-2 cups raw baby spinach
-1/2 cup pumpkin puree
-1/2 banana
-3/4 cup light coconut milk
-1/2 tbs peanut butter
-honey to taste
-1 packet Amazing Meal Chocolate Infusion supplement

I'm going to keep documenting my green monster adventures. I can't say for sure yet whether I feel more energetic or if my hair and skin have improved, but either way, I'm enjoying them. They're a great, filling breakfast, absolutely PACKED with nutrients, and are a really nice change from typical breakfasts. Later, I may turn them into an afternoon snack to mix it up. You should try one!