Tag Archives: smoothie

Peanut Butter Protein Smoothie

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You guys. I cannot stop making this smoothie. How often do you have to crave/want/need something in your life to be considered an addict? Because I think I may be reaching the point of addiction here. 

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It’s peanut buttery without the added fat and calories, but packed–PACKED!–with protein thanks to this stuff.DSC06722

I first got Protein Plus Peanut Flour from iHerb about a year ago, but (stupidly) didn’t think to put it in a smoothie. I don’t know why, because it makes a mean peanut butter muffin, so the leap to putting it in, well, everything.

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What’s awesome about the Protein Plus is that just 2 tablespoons pack an additional 8g of protein into my smoothie with only 55 calories and 2g of fat. I’d rather get my healthy fats from olive oil or avocado than peanut butter, so this is a great alternative for me. 

Peanut Butter Protein Smoothie

Serves 1-2

1 scoop vanilla protein powder
2 T. Protein Plus Peanut Flour
1/2-3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or whatever milk you like)
1 big handful of spinach
1 frozen banana 
2 handfuls of ice
pinch of salt
splash of vanilla extract
pinch of xantham gum (optional, for thickening)

Add first 4 ingredients to blender and blend until spinach is completely broken down. Add banana and blend. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. It will be extra thick, especially if you use the xantham gum, so I pour mine into a bowl and eat it with a spoon.

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Kashi GoLean Crunch on top–optional.

The Protein Plus is a little pricey–$5.79 for 1 lb.–but if you’re only using 2 tablespoons at a time, it lasts a long time. iHerb.com has the best pricing that I’ve found, and you can use this code for a little discount: AWO351 ($5 off your first iHerb order and $10 off if your order is $40 or more).

I tend to get into food ruts where I eat the exact same thing for days–or weeks–on end. I used to be so good about cooking new things all the time, but lately, I’m all about this smoothie, mixed cereal bowls, and my favorite vegan taco salad. Lame, I know. 


Anxiety Girl Strikes Again!

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Once again, I have succumbed to peer pressure in blogland and jumped on another bandwagon.

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Against my better judgement, I went ahead and put chia seeds in my smoothie.

I’ve got to tell you–I was nervous. Apprehensive. Anxious.

Fearful.

Hesitant.

Worried.

Tense.

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You see, I’m not a fan of seedy things: Motels. Affairs. Bars. Jam.

Yeah, I don’t like seeds in my shiz. I don’t want seeds in my jelly, rye bread, or yogurt, thankyouverymuch. Pomegranates? That’s like, a whole fruit of seeds. I cannot handle such a thing. Pomegranate martini? Yes. Pomegranate seed? No.

But I’m getting off track.

Pomegranate martini

I’ve been reading for years about chia seeds and how good they are for you with their Omega 3s and blah blah blah. But I am into things that are good for me, and I did start putting spinach in my smoothies at the recommendation of blogland, so why not jump on the chia seed bandwagon, too, right?

Well, the seed thing, for starters. There’s nothing I hate more than crunching on a seed in something that’s supposed to be smooth and soft. Blech. Gross.

Still, I had heard about how chia seeds could turn soft and gel-like when mixed with water or other liquids, thereby making them more gooey and less seedy. So maybe I could stand them? Maybe they wouldn’t be quite as offensive as I’d made them out to be?

But then, there’s the commitment issue. I mean, chia seeds aren’t necessarily cheap. They’re not super pricey, either, but if I’m going to spend $10 on a grocery item, I want to love it. I mean really love it. Like slather it over everything and cover my body in it love it.

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But I’m getting off track. Again.

A few weeks ago, the super nice and friendly Anthony at Swanson Health got in touch to see if I’d like to try a few of their products.

Duh.

Free chia seeds? No risk? No nervousness or anxiety or fretting?

Deal.

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From the Swanson website:

Chia seeds really are a nutrient-dense super-food, and if it’s Salvia hispanica it’s just that–chia! We’ll make no outrageous claims about our Chia seeds, except to say that just one tablespoon of these tiny little white seeds delivers a daily dose of fiber, protein, calcium, essential fatty acids and more.

That all sounds pretty fantastic to me. So I did the damn thing and threw them into my usual green monster–vanilla protein powder, unsweetened almond milk, a frozen banana, a big handful of spinach, some ice, and a healthy pinch of xantham gum for thickening.

The verdict?

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No crunching or weirdness at all! They literally melted right into the smoothie and made it extra thick.

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Plus (and this could totally just be in my head), I felt like this smoothie kept me fuller than usual. Those chia seeds have some staying power!

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While I’m not ready to sprinkle them on my PB-covered english muffins, I’ll definitely keep adding them to my smoothies–and I’m totally trying them in “egg” form in something baked, so you can go ahead and get yourselves ready for that!

Did you ever have a chia pet?

I did not. But my child of the 80s self really wishes I had.

Where do you stand on chia seeds? Yay or nay?

Gotta tell ya–I think I’m a fan!

Disclaimer: Swanson Health let me try their White Chia Seeds free of charge, but all opinions here are from yours truly! Come on–you know me well enough to know that I wouldn’t say I liked something if I didn’t, right? Right.

The Awful Truth

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I’ve been hiding something.  Over the last few days, all of my problems are due to the fact, due to the awful awful truth . . .

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that I left my running mojo in Virginia.

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Since I got to Michigan on Saturday, I have run exactly 3 times, and every single run has been terrible.  I can’t breathe.  My body won’t move.  The runner’s high eludes me every time.  And I just feel like crap. 

The strangest part about it is that I still want to run.  Each time I lace up my shoes, I hope for a better run than the last—that my lungs will open up, that my limbs will move freely, that my runner’s high will kick in.  So far?  No dice. 

Even though Virginia is hot and humid, the humidity there doesn’t hold a candle to the thickness we’ve got going on in the air here in Michigan.  Honestly, I’ve felt more like I was swimming than running lately, and I am not all that into swimming.  I think my body just needs to acclimate to training here—but it had better happen fast!  I need to enjoy my workouts! 

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The change in schedule is definitely a factor, too.  I’m not drinking as much water as I was when I was working, and I no longer have a set workout time.  I can run in the morning, the afternoon, the evening—whenever it fits in to my day—but there’s no regularity to it.  The plan is to be gentle with myself and try to ease into my running here, rather than going balls to the wall, so to speak.  Not easy for my type A craziness, but I’m going to attempt it!

In general, my energy level has been pretty low over the past few days as well.  I think it’s just the “coming down” phase from several hectic months of teaching.  I realized last night that I’ve only been sleeping 6-7 hours a night for many many months.  No wonder people keep calling me “ma’am!”

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In order to recharge, here are a few summer goals:

  • Let myself rest.
    • I have a hard time just hanging out.  I always feel like I need to be doing something or I go a little nuts.  I’m going to try to just veg out this summer—pool time, naps, America’s Next Top Model marathons.  Bring it.

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  • Drink more water.
    • I am great at drinking water when I’m working, but I tend to forget when I’m not on a regular schedule and then I get cranky.  And I can’t figure out why I’m cranky.  Duh.  This should also help a lot with running.

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  • Get 8 hours of sleep each night.
    • Probably the hardest thing for me on this list.  I love to sleep.  Love love love.  But no matter how tired I am, I have a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep, especially without taking anything.  I am pretty “anti-pill” in that I’d prefer to tough out a headache or have some protein to try to get rid of it before eating something.  Same goes for sleeping meds.  I don’t want to be dependent on them, but lately I can’t fall asleep without them.  I guess we’ll see.

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  • Read more books.
    • I am a reader, but for most of the school year, I spend my evenings reading “kid books”—those that I buy for my classroom library and preview so I can tell my students about them.  This summer, I am going to read all the books I’m interested in! 

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This is my all time favorite book—I read it every summer.  Anyone else read it?  Highly recommend that you do!

  • Don’t sweat the small stuff.
    • I am a worrier.  Things stress me out.  I have a lot to think about these days, and I do promise I’ll tell you all about it soon, but I’m trying not to worry too too much.  I don’t really know how to go about not worrying, but I’m going to attempt it. 

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Also noteworthy, I made a gigantic smoothie this morning.

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This bowl is roughly the size of my head. 

In the mix:

1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder

1 T. cocoa powder

1 T. peanut butter

1/4 cup coconut milk

1 frozen banana

5 strawberries

2 handfuls of ice

Being at my parents’ house, I got to use their fancy blender, which blends the pants off of my blender at home.  Must invest in a better blender.  There’s really no comparison.

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I like my smoothies really thick and creamy.  Much trial and error has led me to limit the amount of liquid I add (usually 1/4 cup or less) and to add in ice and blend its brains out.  The ice adds volume, but you really have to blend it up or it’s too icy.  Does that make any sort of sense? 

OK, I need a nap.  Or an ANTM marathon.  Unfortunately, I will be back in the dentist’s chair this afternoon getting some of my teeth fixed.  Glad to hear so many of you have stupid teeth, too! 

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And in case you were wondering, my fake tooth is my left front tooth.  It’s a custom made dental implant that had to be special ordered from Denmark of all places and took nearly 6 months to install (there are several steps to this process).  To the tune of $4K.  Wish I were kidding.  I’m leaving this thing to someone in my will.

How do you get your workout mojo back?

What’s the most you’ve paid for dental work?