Healthy Delicious: A Smoothie and A Salad
It's no surprise that I love food, cooking, and baking. I try to document it all in my instagram stories and highlights. And while we strive to eat healthy meals the majority of the time, we'll have our homemade pizza on Fridays, and cook something more hearty on the weekends. And yes, a glass of red wine with our dinner meals. My mantra has always been everything in moderation. I won't deprive my body of eating those hearty meals, but I certainly don't do it everyday. . . definitely every once in a while, and probably more often during the holiday season. And that's okay. But as they say, you are what you eat, so I do try to eat healthy the majority of the time. I've learned that when I overindulge, the next day you'll probably see me intermittent fasting {until 12 or 1pm} and eating more greens later in the day as my body will crave healthy foods.
Everything in moderation.
Intermittent Fasting
I'm not a breakfast person. Brunch on the weekends, yes. I just don't get hungry early in the morning so I probably do this on most weekdays anyway, but I do have my cup of coffee when I first wake up. I stop eating the day before around 7:30 or 8pm, and won't eat food until 12pm the next day. Around 7am I pour myself a cup, I savor it slowly, then will change out of my pajamas and into my workout clothes. I've been doing a 45-minute spinning class each day on the Peloton switching from intervals and arms to cardio. I'm loving it! I'm feeling and sleeping better too.
After my workout, I shower and get ready for the day. I then make my post-workout smoothie.
You are what you eat.
Post-Workout Green Smoothie
- 1/4 cup frozen pineapple
- 1/4 cup blueberries
- 1/4 cup papaya, optional {only when I have it at home}
- 1 tablespoon fresh, grated ginger
- 1 big bunch spinach/kale
- 1 - 2 cups almond milk
- 2 scoops of Trader Joe's Pea Protein Vanilla Powder {vegan and gluten-free}
- 1 tablespoon The Beauty Chef Collagen Beauty Boost
Why I use some of the ingredients above?
I love pineapple. It was my only craving during my first pregnancy and now I understand why. Also, probably the reason I only gained 25 pounds my entire pregnancy. Pineapple has so many health benefits. It's loaded with nutrients, Vitamin C, antioxidants, helps ease digestion, suppresses inflammation, and helps speed recovery after strenuous exercise. So I buy big bags of frozen pineapple to keep at the ready.
Ginger adds a little kick, a little spice, and it also helps reduce muscle pain and soreness, among having so many other benefits. So it's a great addition to my post-workout smoothie.
Papaya is one of my favorite fruits, and when I have it I add it to my smoothies. Papaya is rich in fiber, Vitamin C and antioxidants. It's low in sugar and also very low in calories.
The Beauty Chef Collagen Beauty Boost is "an organic, bio-fermented probiotic concentrate designed to support the skin’s production of collagen and promote a radiant, plump-looking complexion." The potent formula is also rich in antioxidants to help combat cellular damage and support healthy skin, hair, and nail growth. It also contains more than six billion naturally occurring prebiotics and probiotics per 15 milliliter serving to balance the digestive tract and boost skin vitality. And did I mention it tastes so good?!
That is if I don't skip lunch, I'll make myself a salad. I could use more discipline in this department as I often tend to skip lunch and go straight to dinner. But when I do make myself a lunch it probably looks like this. Some sort of salad. If I have arugula, I'll add some hummus, red onion, chickpeas, and avocado and drizzle balsamic vinegar, a squeeze of lemon, and olive oil. Lately though, this is what I'm eating. If I'm feeling extra motivated, I'll make one of these homemade salad dressings. If I'm craving carbs, I'll go for avocado toast and a fried egg.
Brussels Sprouts and Kale Salad
- 2 - 3 cups Trade Joe's Cruciferous Crunch
- 1/4 - 1/3 cup chickpeas
- half of avocado
- deli turkey slices
- half lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
My favorite salad mix as of late is Trader Joe's Cruciferous Crunch which is a mix of kale, brussels sprouts, broccoli, green cabbage, and red cabbage. I start by massaging the salad mix with the olive oil, and then I let it sit for about five minutes so that it wilts a bit and gets softer. I then add the chickpeas, avocado, and turkey slices. I top with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a squeeze of lemon. Season with salt to taste.