{Work It Out} Delicious Green Smoothie Recipe & Motivational Reads
As the New Year festivities have come and gone, I know many have made resolutions to eat better, workout more, live better, etc, etc, etc. It would be utterly impossible for me to follow through with my health and fitness goals if I allowed myself to get bored. For that reason, I regularly browse fitness blogs and YouTube channels for inspiration. Here are a few I love and turn to time and time again for that extra push when I need it.
The Fitnessista – This site is full of amazing, quick, low/no-equipment workouts that you can bust out almost anywhere so there are (almost) no excuses for missing a workout. Gina, also, includes tasty recipes quite often and glimpses of her cute little girl, Liv.
Zuzka Light – Zuzana’s YouTube channel provides quick, high-intensity style workouts that use little to no equipment. Again, these workouts are perfect if you are on-the-go because the longest ones top out at around 20 minutes. Please note, Zuzana is oftentimes a bit scantily clad….take that piece of advice any way you wish.
Honey We’re Healthy – I’ve been following Megan’s blog, Honey We’re Home, for quite some time and was extremely excited when she decided to start a blog that focuses more on health & fitness. Megan posts healthy recipes, reviews of workout plans (currently Jamie Eason’s Live Fit), and much more.
During the month of January, I silently challenged myself to making sure I had one green smoothie a day. I didn’t have one each day, but I can say I had one approximately 20 out of 31 days. That’s a great accomplishment, if I do say so myself, considering I haven’t been able to commit to upping my fruit & veggie intake since the cold weather rolled in.
For this green smoothie recipe, I pretty much throw a bunch of stuff into my blender without measuring, let it whirl for about 2-3 minutes and call it good. (NOTE: Tips added below for those without high-power blenders.)
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup of Milk (I prefer almond or coconut milk.) – more milk may be needed to achieve your desired consistency.
1 Banana (preferably frozen)
1 Scoop of Protein Powder
1-2 Tbsp of Flax meal
1-2 Tbsp of Chia seeds
1-2 Tbsp of Peanut Butter (not pictured) – Almond butter works well here, too.
1 Tbsp unsweetened Cocoa Powder (not pictured)
1 Cup of frozen berries (I prefer blueberries since they do not overpower the awesome chocolate-peanut butter flavor combo, but I didn’t have any on hand.)
2 Cups of Baby Spinach (I promise you will not taste the spinach at all. Kale is also really good here.)
Pour into a pretty glass & enjoy!
NOTE: For those without high-power blenders, try the following:
Add the spinach & milk first and blend for about 2 minutes, allowing a fine chop of the spinach. Add the frozen fruit to the blender and process on high speed for another 2 minutes. Add all your other ingredients and let her rip. This method & sequence allows all the ingredients to get chopped up really fine and won’t clog up your machine (and I’m speaking from experience because I’ve clogged up my fair share of blenders). You may need to add a little more liquid at this point to get the smoothie to your desired consistency.
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