This time of year I love smoothies. If you follow on Instagram (@berryhappybodies) then you’ve seen some smoothie pictures from Charissa’s July Smoothie Challenge.
Smoothies are an easy way to use up those green leafy veggies you have in your fridge on days you don’t feel like a salad. You can see the recipe for a Coconut Date Green Monster Smoothie over at Running with Tongs where I am guest posting today.
Coconut Date Green Monster Smoothie
Sometimes after a long holiday weekend (especially with a birthday), you just need to cleanse. I have tried a variety of cleanses in the past: master cleanses, juice cleanses, only fruit and veggie cleanses. For me, I find I always overeat right before and after. I think because of the deprivation? These days I find just eating a little cleaner, and more nutrient dense, with a little more freedom, for a few days does the trick. I feel lighter, and more energized.
Here is my “go to” energizer Superfood Smoothie. Drink this everyday for a week, and see how you feel 
. I put in some optional ingredients so you can mix it up a bit.
Remember to enter the giveaway!
Superfood Smoothie
3/4 cup of blueberries
1/2 cup of spinach
1 frozen banana (or 1/2 cup of pineapple)
1 cup of almond milk (or coconut)
1 scoop of protein powder
1 Tbsp Peanut Butter (or Almond Butter)
1 Tbsp Chia seeds
1 Tbsp Greek yogurt (optional)
Stevia to taste (optional)
6-8 icecubes
Place in a blender and mix it up!
(Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by NutritionFix. I have received a small compensation from this company to write this post. However, the opinions, review and recipe are my own.)
We went for a great run yesterday morning under overcast skies.
In order to refuel after the morning run, I made creamy, filling PB&J in a Mason Jar. Yum… I have a new post workout addiction.
Thanks to Nutritionfix for supplying the Isopure Vanilla Protein.
Check out their site. The order came fast and was packaged securely with bubble wrap. The site has a ton of nutrition supplements to keep yourself fueled. It reminds me of the days when I worked in a nutrition store in my late teens. It has a bunch of great gym recovery fuel. Plus, resistive tubing for workouts at home!
The protein has a creamy vanilla taste, with zero grams of sugar and a ton of nutrients like iron and essential vitamins. One thing I would change is the artificial sweetener. I prefer the extra carbs from a natural sweetener. Vegans also be advised this has whey protein.
Back to the smoothie, which is heaven for your recovering muscles. Protein and nutrients from the Isopure for repair, and a little carbs from the fruit to help the travel and give you a boost of energy. I wrote about the importance of having recovery fuel following a workout here.
PB & J smoothie
1 frozen banana
1 Tbsp peanut butter
3/4 cup frozen berries
1 scoop Isopure Protein powder
1 Tbsp Trader Joe’s Strawberry Kefir
3/4 cup Almond milk
Throw all ingredients in a blender and mix.
PS- My post on morning and home workouts was featured on Daily Healthy Living Buzz’s Top 9!
Silence. Stillness. Serenity.
That’s how I feel after a yoga practice. Ok, adding another resolution. Try to recapture this feeling more frequently through out the day.
All I know is I have moved past the madness of reinstalling my whole computer. This explains the M.I.A in posts. My computer is now Feng Shui’ed, and moving quite quickly thank you very much.
Not to worry Karma will come back around for those Virus writers…… Thank goodness for support from iyogi.
Anywho, moving along. So this little recipe find from Eating Bird Food hits the sweet spot craving (can you say cinnamon oatmeal cookie) , or is the perfect recovery fuel following yoga (or any other workout). I just copied this recipe right from her site.
Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie (Copied From Eating Bird Food)
Ingredients
Preparation
**You can make this smoothie with half of a banana and less almond milk but it’s even better with one full frozen banana and 1 cup of almond milk
Yoga is…
Practicing Stillness of the body,
Practicing Stillness of the mind.
I always knew “No stopping with One” was a temporary name, but I hadn’t been inspired by a new one until this morning. My friend and I had a Sunday morning brainstorming walk. Talk about multi tasking to it’s finest. Relaxed with a good friend, burned some calories, and finally came up with a new name- “Berry Happy Bodies”. I guess it goes to show you- two brains are better than one at times . Special thanks to my friend for her inspiration!!!
Why berries? In certain groups blueberries, specifically, are known as a super food. They provide anitoxidants, phytoflavinoids, and not to mention vitamin C for muscle recovery. You will also get energy from the carbs and and natural fruit sugars, all while being low in calories. Try them frozen in a drink- I’ve got a good one I will post soon.
So how can you use this amazing food for your body? In a workout recovery snack. Why should you have a snack following a workout? Allrighty then, here comes the Body Tip. If you performed a cardio workout you burned carbs and depending on the intensity you broke down muscle. If you strength trained you still tapped into your glycogen storage, but more importantly you broke down muscle. If you do not refuel your body immediately or within 60 minutes, you will risk being super fatigued and sore, not to mention your body will have nothing to help it recover so you can receive the benefits of your hard work. Whatever you eat will go to your muscles to help with repair and your glycogen stores (perfect for you runners). Note of caution: do not go crazy here, 100-200 calories of a complex carb and protein depending on the intensity of your workout, will work perfectly. Again, you don’t want to ruin your hard work so now’s not the time to splurge on a cupcake or huge burrito because you worked out. K, enough said.
Here is an example of the perfect recovery snack. It is a great ratio of protein and carbs. Protein from yogurt, and a powdered rice protein. carbs from berries, banana, and granola. In this pic the serving size is on the bigger side, but I was actually using it for a post workout lunch.
Berry Bowl
1 cup of blueberries
1 banana
1/2 cup non fat plain yogurt
scoop of Protein Powder
1 tbsp wheat germ
1/2 cup almond milk
1 tsp stevia (optional)
5-6 ice cubes
Put all ingredients in a blender and make some noise. After blended pour into bowl and sprinkle with granola and dried or raw fruit. Enjoy!
