mixed berry protein smoothie

I've been making variations of this smoothie for quite some time, but I never really measured out ingredients or thought about how much protein it actually packs. Without counting the fruit, we're talking almost 15 grams of protein per serving! I was pretty impressed!

It's really delicious, and quite thick too. I prefer to use frozen fruit over fresh because it adds bulk and makes the smoothie super cold without having to add ice. Perfect for these hot January days. (Which P.S.- I am NOT happy about.)
Adding more fruit on the top is optional, but I use a few frozen berries to garnish and then I end up stirring them in. They slightly thaw as you're slurping this baby down, so once you reach them they are basically the perfect texture; still cold & slightly icy :))

I also like to sprinkle a bit of ground flaxseed on top, because, well, why not? It's a good source of omega 3's, packs some protein, and contains fiber. I'm obsessed with it! I add ground flaxseed to oatmeal, baked goods, smoothies, yogurt, granola, etc. For reference, I get the organic ground flaxseed by Bob's Red Mill :)

click on photo to enlarge

citrus & green tea detox smoothie

When I think of summer, so many thoughts come to mind;

refreshing drinks

picnics

being outdoors

lots of SPF (have to keep my skin healthy too!)

sundresses

big beach hats

light & nutritious foods

taking photos with friends

my birthday (July 30th for those who wonder ;))

It's the most a wonderful time of the year. the most wonderful time to me starts when fall turns into winter.

Even though I'm an October-November-December kinda gal, I've come to appreciate all that summer offers. I think it's all of the fresh, in-season produce available.

I also think it's the feeling of having motivation to stay in shape and be healthy. It's natural to want to feel good about yourself, especially during these months.

In my usual diet, I try to eat fresh berries at least every other day. They are full of antioxidants that scavenge the harmful free radicals in our bodies. 

These days, it seems that almost anything can be carcinogenic, so I always try to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables in order to make-up for that, so-to-speak.

As you may know, the color of fruits and vegetables can be an indicator of the kind of antioxidants found in them. For example, if you're looking for sources of beta-carotene (vitamin A), a good place to look would be orange fruits or vegetables, such as carrots.

The class of fruits or vegetables may also be an indicator.

Take citrus fruits, for example. They are full of vitamin C as well as ascorbic acid, which inhibits formation of cancer-causing compounds.

Foods that have the ability to "cleanse" your body, or liver, are known as detoxifying. I noticed that it is starting to be a growing trend in the food world, so I thought I'd give my usual berry smoothie (though very healthy) a break and try making a smoothie that embraces all of the benefits of citrus fruits.

Green tea is also a good source of antioxidants known as catechins.

citrus + green tea = happy me

citrus & green tea detox smoothie

 

The idea of a detox smoothie is to feel cleansed, so I've only

added a small amount of honey for sweetness. I prefer it this way, as it

feels more natural and healthful. The citrus flavor is mild, believe it or not,

but it is very refreshing & doing great things for your body!

yield: ~3 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

1 navel orange
1 grapefruit

the juice of half a lemon

1/2 cup of unsweetened green tea, chilled

1/2 cup of nonfat Greek yogurt

1/2 a frozen banana

1 cup of ice

1/2 tbsp honey

*optional garnishes:

more citrus segments to add in your finished smoothie

orange/grapefruit/lemon zest on top

(refer to last photo)

Steps:

Brew a cup of green tea, let it cool a bit, then put it in the fridge to get nice and cold.

Peel and segment the orange and grapefruit, and add to the blender with the lemon juice, green tea, Greek yogurt, honey, and frozen banana.

Blend until just combined.

Add the ice and blend until fully crushed.

Taste-test to see if it is sweet enough for you. If not, add some more honey or agave :)

*Note: This is not a "detox diet," nor do I know much about those. I do know that there are foods you can eat daily to gently detox your body, and citrus fruits are included. 

 

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I love the idea of fancying up a sliced lemon by using a channel knife. A very good friend of mine recently
gifted me a Wolfgang Puck Garnishing Set, and the channel knife was included. You can also make
swirls out of the zest! Can't wait to put it to more use!

grapefruit is delicious!! I don't regularly buy it, but I think I will start to :)

I added an orange segment and some orange zest on top for a garnish as well for added flavor. You could do this with any of the citrus, or even all of them. It saddens me when my smoothie is all gone, but it excites me when I find an orange segment at the bottom :)

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Did you know you can reuse tea bags for other purposes?

I didn't know that until a few months ago, but I was elated when I read that! There was a point in time where I was going through green tea bags quicker than I can recall quotes from FRIENDS episodes.

THAT is saying something.

Me being my earth-friendly, reduce-reuse-recycle self, couldn't resist at the idea of saving my tea bags!

So, I started collected them and saving them in a container in the fridge. Until I stopped drinking insane amounts of tea (I miss those days...), and then forgot about the container, which led to me eventually throwing them all away a month or so later... (so much for that idea.)

But as I start to incorporate tea, especially green, back into my diet, albeit cold tea, I really want to try to reuse the tea bags this time.

Here are some ways you can re-use them if you're interested:

In your garden

you can add the tea bag to your compost bin, directly into the soil (the bag will decompose), or even water the soil with water that has been just barely infused with the tea (water turns color slightly)

Beauty Regimen

 {tackle those dark & puffy under-eye circles}

green tea contains caffeine & EGCG, which both work as an anti-inflammatory to reduce the fluid build-up under your eyes. Be sure to chill your green tea bags first!

*this article discusses some more benefits of using caffeine for skin care

{bathing}

brew a tea bath & let cool to sooth sunburned or even razor-burned skin. I don't see why

you couldn't take a tea bath just for the sake of it being good for your skin in general :)

*this article discusses more (and awesome!) ways to incorporate tea bags

into your beauty regimen

DIY projects

 apparently the dye in green tea can stain furniture to give it an antique look! that is definitely something I would try.

Source: http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/reuses-tea-bags.htm

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What do you love most about summer? And have you ever re-used tea bags before?

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blueberry basil smoothie

According to the weather app on my phone, it was 90 degrees in Gainesville yesterday. I stepped out of the house to go to class wearing jeans and a shirt, and I instantly knew it was a mistake. On hot days, I always find myself craving smoothies. I felt a little daring, and I also wanted to use up the blueberries I had. The result? A Blueberry Basil Smoothie. It sounds like an usual/wrong combination, but oh was it so right!! I will be making these all the time from now on. The hint of basil adds a whole new meaning to the word refreshing!

Yield: 1 serving (~ 2 cups)

Ingredients:

• ~1 cup of fresh blueberries (this doesn't have to be exact)
• 1/2 cup of plain, fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup of vanilla almond milk
• 1 tbsp of ground flax
• 2 tbsp of wheat germ
• 1 frozen banana, cut into slices
• a few fresh basil leaves (to your taste)

Directions:

1. Rinse blueberries

2. Add almond milk, blueberries, frozen banana slices, ground flax, wheat germ, Greek yogurt, and basil into blending cup. (or blender)

3. Blend together well.

super simple & delicious!

I decided to eat mine with a spoon instead of drink it. So good!!

(The lighting in this particular spot makes the smoothie look really blueish-purple. I like it!)

After I photographed all of that food yesterday, Little Jack wanted some attention too!

Shadows were getting the best of him! Lol

P.S.- Happy 8th Birthday to my little brother Nicholas!!

"go green" smoothie

This pretty much goes without saying, but.... TGIF!! What a long week this has been, and what a long day, too. Just a few recaps: orgo chem lab quiz, the start of SC&OO (woohoo!), life-cycle nutrition exam, online eating disorders module assignment, and to top it off- an orgo chem lab practical. Can't even begin to explain how happy I am all that is over, but not happy about basically doing it all over again next week. Am I boring you yet? Yeah, I'm doing that to myself too.

..But don't worry (or stop reading!!), I didn't plan on leaving you with just a post about my stressful week. Get excited because you're about to see something so yummy and so nutritious, that you're going to be glad you chose to read this instead of the rest of your Facebook news-feed. (I mean, if you're going to procrastinate, at least make it worth it!) haha ;)

I'm about to unveil to you what I call the "Go Green" Smoothie. There are so many different kinds of green smoothies all over the internet, but I have found that I really love this particular recipe. You can hardly taste the spinach, just peanut buttery banana goodness!

So the question is, what made me crave this refreshing drink today? I'll be happy to tell ya!

I couldn't drive to class today since my usual parking lot was closed for some event at the museum. This poses quite a problem because that is the only lot I can park in. Yep, you've read that correctly. Out of the whole UF campus, commuters that are undergrad are given one option: The park-n-ride lot. Long story short, I ended up parking at my friend's apartment complex, which is only about a 15 minute walk from my class. Honestly, I really don't mind walking (and almost prefer it), so it was a nice change of pace. The walk to class was breezy and enjoyable. The walk back, however, was hot and sticky, and all I could think about was something to quench my thirst. First thought: "Go Green" Smoothie. Ever since that moment today, I knew I'd be making that baby as soon as I got home. Well, after I tended to my garden, of course!

"Go Green" Smoothie

Yield: 1 serving (~2 cups)

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup of baby spinach
•  1/2 cup almond milk (I use vanilla. Can be sweetened or unsweetened)
• ~1 tbsp almond butter (or any nut butter you prefer)
• 1 tbsp of ground flaxseeds
• 2 tbsp of wheat germ
• 1 frozen ripe banana, sliced into chunks
• 1/2 cup of plain, fat-free Greek yogurt

 Directions:

1. Rinse baby spinach

2. In a blender, add almond milk, banana, ground flaxseeds, wheat germ, almond butter, baby spinach and Greek yogurt. Blend until it has a smoothie-like consistency.

Note: Instead of a regular blender, you can use the magic bullet or an immersion blender, also referred to as a hand blender. I use/only have an immersion blender. It's cheaper and it's so handy. Yes, pun intended.

Also, If using an immersion blender, I find it best to add the ingredients to your cup in the order that I've listed it in the directions. If the spinach is added first instead of (almost) last, the small blade has trouble reaching the leaves at the bottom. I haven't found this to be an issue with anything else I use the immersion blender for, though.

Oh one more thing: as a convenience, I slice my ripe bananas ahead of time and place them in a freezer bag. It saves time (and a dirty knife & cutting board.)

P.S.- I plan on adding to this recipe in the near future (maybe throwing in some different kinds of berries and whatnot.) I will be sure to keep you posted, though, as always!

 Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats that are essential to a healthy diet. They help to prevent heart disease, maintain our cell membrane's fluidity, and support a healthy immune system.

Did you know?

"The lower rate of heart disease among people in the Mediterranean region of the world is often attributed to their liberal use of olive oil, a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acids."

(I love referencing my old nutrition textbooks!)

Who would've thought that wheat germ would taste SO good. I'm not even kidding, I could eat it by the spoonful. It's full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and omega-3s! Essentially, it is an all-natural supplement. A tasty one, too ;)

 You can substitute any nut butter you'd like. This is homemade almond butter that I put in a mason jar, but I have also tried it with store-bought, chunky, peanut butter and it tasted yummy also!

 This is what the bottom half of the immersion blender looks like. The blade isn't very big, but it's pretty powerful! Love, love, love it. I use it all the time, especially for my butternut squash soup. (I'll get to that soon!)

 And there ya have it, folks! A delightful, nutritious, and refreshing smoothie.

Remember.... Go Green! ;P