Melon Refresher Smoothie !

Cantaloupe Smoothie !!!

I know, sounds kinda weird, right? Well, let me assure you, if you are a melon lover of any kind, you will lo-o-ove this smoothie. It’s sweet but oh-so-light, cooling and very refreshing. I sucked down half my glass without even realizing it, that’s how wonderful it is. This can be made with any kind of melon, too. I happened to have a perfectly ripe cantaloupe on hand, but it would be awesome with honeydew, or even watermelon! Especially watermelon, actually. Mmm, watermelon… And with only five—count ‘em, FIVE!—ingredients on the list, you can be sure this is going to be a staple in my summer eats rotation.

Melon Refresher Smoothie

Half a cantaloupe, seeded and cubed (~3 cups)
1 cup Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almond milk Original (unsweetened is the best to cut down on sugar)                                                                                                                               1 Scoop of Vanilla Protein Powder                                                                                                  1 cup ice

Drizzle of honey (add more or less to taste) Optional 

Regular blender instructions: Put ingredients in blender in order listed, blend on high for 30 seconds, or until smooth.

4 AWESOME PROTEIN SMOOTHIES !

Getting tired of the normal bland protein shakes made with water? Well if you want to try something fun and new, try out these new recipes. All you need is a blender and the ingredients for the smoothie that you want to make. These all take under 5 minutes and taste magical!

***Optional Ingredients:

Liquid Egg Whites - 1/4 cup 

Ice Cubes - 3-4 per drink 

Ground Flax Seed 

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Banana Split

1 Cup of milk

1 medium sized banana

¼ cup instant oatmeal (uncooked)

1 scoop of chocolate whey protein

1 tbsp of peanut butter

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Strawberry Banana Fusion

1 Cup of plain Greek yogurt

1 scoop of vanilla whey protein

½ cup of fresh strawberries

½ medium sized banana

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Caribbean Sensation

1 cup of fresh mango

1 cup of fresh pineapples

I/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup of coconut milk

2 Scoops of vanilla whey protein

Tropical Blast

1 Cup of water

1 cup of apples (diced & peeled)

½ cup of orange sherbet

½ cup of pineapples

1 scoop of vanilla whey protein

"Peace Love and Fitness" 

Spinach and Apple Salad

Spinach and Apple Salad

Servings: 4

Ingredients

For the salad dressing:

1/4 cup minced sweet onion

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons white vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Pinch paprika

3 tablespoons sugar, divided

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

For the buttered almonds:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup sliced almonds (I like mine with the skin on, but feel free to use your favorite variety)

For the salad:

One 10-ounce bag of pre-washed, ready-to-use spinach leaves

2 medium apples (variety of your choice), cored, quartered, and thinly sliced

Cheese (variety of your choice), optional

Healthy Chicken Salad (with APPLES!!)

Healthy Chicken Salad with Apples! 

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound (2 small whole breasts) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped chives
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped tarragon
• 1 Granny Smith apple
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 cup finely diced fennel
• 1/2 cup finely diced celery
• 2 cups red seedless grapes, cut in half
• 6 slices pumpernickel bread
• 1 bunch watercress, tough stems removed
• Olive-oil cooking spray

Directions

1. Combine salt and pepper in a bowl. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with some of the salt mixture; place in saute pan. Reduce heat to medium; cover. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12 minutes (flip halfway through cooking time). Remove from pan; set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine yogurt, mustard, chives, tarragon, and remaining salt mixture. Core the apple, and cut into 1/4-inch dice. Place in a medium bowl with lemon juice, and toss to combine. Add fennel, celery, and grapes. Cut reserved chicken into 1/2-inch pieces. Add to salad with yogurt dressing; stir to combine. Serve on pumpernickel bread, open-faced, with watercress.

Yummy Apple Dip !

 Yummy Apple Dip  (because Wings aren’t the only thing you can dip!)

Try this great dip at your next party ! 

Ingredients:

1 bar of light cream cheese, slightly softened

1 packed cup of brown sugar

A little bit of vanilla (I always eye ball it, but it’s probably around a teaspoon)

Optional – 1 tsp. caramel extract

Mix ingredients together using an electric mixer until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving.

That’s it. Seriously. And it’s SO good!

Try it for your next party !!

'Peace, Love and Fitness'

Green Dragon Energy Drink !

Green Dragon Energy Smoothie!

Drink this 4-5 times weekly, and watch the pounds come off !

Ingredients:

two handfuls of baby spinach

·        1 apple, 1 banana, 1 cup of yogurt, 5 strawberries, 1/2 orange.

Blend well and enjoy!   This will give you tons of energy!

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a blender on high and enjoy!

Makes one 16-ounce drink.

"Juiced" - 'Vibrant Skin' Blend

The Vibrant Skin Juice Recipe! 



Ingredients :

12 Carrots 
Handful of Kale
2 Cups of Cranberry
2 Golden Apples

Blend all in juicer and enjoy !

"Peace, Love and Fitness" 

Flat Belly Smoothie ! Pineapple Kale Blueberry Smoothie

While this WON'T take the place of crunches at the gym....try sipping on this deliciously sweet smoothie packed with ingredients that fight belly fat and reduce bloating — all for under 300 calories.

he Greek yogurt in the recipe provides a good amount of calcium and protein, both of which can aid in weight loss. The smoothie also contains several ingredients — like blueberries — which have been shown to help diminish belly fat.   If that's not enough, you also get the sweetness of pineapple, which contains an enzyme that helps ease digestion and banish bloat. You won't be able to taste the kale, which is full of fiber to prevent constipation, as well as calorie-free water to help clean you out.

INGREDIENTS

3 ounces vanilla Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon almond butter
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1 cup kale
3/4 cup water

Ice Cubes and Vanilla Protein Powder are optional !  

DIRECTIONS

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.
2. Enjoy immediately.

Makes one serving.

"Peace, Love and Fitness" 

Amond Strawberry Banana Yogurt Power Smoothie

 Almond Strawberry Banana Yogurt Smoothie

A 16-ounce glass contains about 300 calories so it makes a tasty treat to enjoy for breakfast or a pre- or post-workout snack. To learn how to make this simple recipe and see the rest of the nutritional information below.  If you want to cut out sugar then substitute Almond Milk in place of regular milk ! 

Ingredients

6 large strawberries - frozen will work also
1 sliced banana
1 cup blueberries
6 ounces plain Greek yogurt
1 cup skim milk or Almond Breeze unsweetened Vanilla                                                                          1/4 cup Liquid Egg Whites (optional)                                                                                                         1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (optional) 1/4 cup almonds

Directions

1. Cut the tops off of five of the strawberries / 6 - 8 frozen berries 
2. Place the strawberries, banana, blueberries, yogurt, milk, almonds and remaining items in a blender or food processor. 
3. Blend until smooth and creamy. Garnish with a strawberry.

This easy snack contains:

	Calories	Sat. Fat (g)	Fiber (g)	Sugars (g)	Protein (g)
3 strawberries	12	0	.7	1.7	.2
1/2 banana	53	.1	1.5	7.2	.6
1/2 cup blueberries	41	0	1.7	7.2	.5
3 oz. plain Greek Yogurt	50	0	0	3.5	9
1/2 cup skim milk	45	.2	0	6.2	4.4
1/8 cup almonds	107	.7	2.2	.9	4
Total 16-oz. Smoothie	308	1	6.1	26.7	18.7

Cranberry Cleanse Smoothie !

CRANBERRY CLEANSE DRINK 

thIS IS A GREAT DRINK IF YOU WANT TO FLUSH OUT TOXINS FROM your liver, intestines, and kidney.

lEMON AND CRANBERRY JUICES BOTH DO WONDERS FOR YOUR BODY!   

INGREDIENTS

4 ounces cranberry juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, preferably raw and unpasteurized
Juice of ½ lemon
4 to 12 ounces of water, optional                                                                                                            Ice Cubes (optional) 

DIRECTIONS

Combine cranberry juice, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar, and drink. Chase with a glass of water. Alternatively, you may combine the water with the juices as well.

I would only recommend this one once a month or less - if you are eating healthy to begin with and adding lemon to your water every day, then you shouldn't really need this one too much ! 

Enjoy ! 

"Peace, Love and Fitness" 

Tropical Smoothie With Coconut Water

Tropical Fruit Smoothie with Coconut Water! 

Now this is a wonderful smoothie that makes you feel like summer is in the glass! Pineapple is a great antioxidant and mango has great digestive properties! Coconut water is easy to find nowadays and lasts a long time in the fridge!   This is a great post -workout drink! 

Under 350 calories – makes two servings (180 calories each) 

Ingredients:

8 oz Coconut Water (Zico brand)

1/2 cup frozen Pineapple (you can use fresh as well) 

1/2 cup frozen mango

1/2 cup fresh Papaya (optional) 

1 fresh Banana

1 tbsp of ground flaxseed

2 tblsp of Greek Yogurt 0% MF 

1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (optional) 

1/4 c of Liquid Egg Whites (optional) 

Blend all ingredients  (start with liquid first) in a blender and enjoy!

"Peace, Love, Fitness" 

Green Cold and Flu Fighter Smoothie !

Green Flu-Fighter Juice
Serves 1 (makes about one cup)

2 cups spinach
1 large kale leaf
1 medium carrot
1 medium celery stalk
1/2 medium cucumber
1/2 medium apple, such as Gala or Fuji
1 (1/2-inch) piece fresh ginger root

Push all ingredients through juicer. Stir well and serve right away.

Kale, Pineapple, and Almond Milk Smoothie

This is a great healthy smoothie to kick start your morning!  Don't be afraid of the kale, you hardly notice it's there!  If you wish, you can substitute Spinach.

Ingredients

·         1 cup unsweetened Vanilla almond milk

·         1 cup packed chopped kale

·         1/2 cup diced pineapple

·         1 banana

·         2 tblsp of Greek Yogurt 0%MF

·         1 Scoop of Vanilla Protein Powder (optional)

·         1/2 cup of Liquid Egg Whites

·         1-3 ice cubes

Directions

1.     Puree ingredients in a blender until smooth.

51 Fastest Fat Burners !

The 51 Fastest Fat Burners

1. Catch the running bug. You’ll continue to burn fat after your jog: People who run for at least four hours a week melt more calories than non-runners, even when they’re not running, a Yale University School of Medicine study reports. If you can't run, then learn how to "PowerWalk."
2. Crank it up early. Working out harder during the first half of your workout and taking it easier during the second burns up to 23 percent more fat than doing the opposite, according to a study from The College of New Jersey.
3 & 4. Go hard — and make it quick. Staying at 80 percent of your max heart rate for 40 minutes can amp your metabolism for 19 hours afterward, research published in Obesity notes. And doing a shorter workout at 75 percent of your max aerobic capacity will give you a greater metabolic boost than sweating longer at 50 percent, a Colorado State University reveals. RULE of Thumb for THR - 220 - your age ! 
5 to 7. Lift dumbbells … slowly. More muscle equals mega metabolism boost. Strength training can help you trim major fat, research reveals — and doing super-slow (versus normal speed) reps increases strength by 50 percent.  It's not a race - slow down and feel the muscles working. 
Plus, using dumbbells activates more muscle fibers than using machines 8. Speed up, slow down. Alternating bouts of high-intensity and low-intensity cardio has been shown to torch pounds.  

9. Put on weight (literally). Wearing a weighted vest (about 10 percent of your body weight) while walking can boost your calorie burn by 8 percent.                                                                                                               10. Download Rihanna, not Brahms. Listening to up-tempo songs actually makes you run faster and harder than listening to slower-paced music.                                                                                                             11. Let kettlebells ring. Not only does working out with kettlebells build muscle, but doing it for 20 minutes burns as many calories as running at a 6-minute-mile pace for the same amount of time.

12. Keep it up. As few as 80 minutes a week of aerobic or weight training helps keep you from regaining belly fat after losing weight, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
13. Add poles. Use Nordic poles while you walk, and you’ll burn 20 percent more calories, says research from The Cooper Institute in Dallas.
14 & 15. Lift first, nix the rest. Doing strength training before cardio can torch more fat than cardio alone. And if you do one move after another without pausing, “you’ll see more gains in strength and muscle mass,” says Dr. Pierre Manfroy, M.D., consultant for the book “100 Ways to Supercharge Your Metabolism.”
16. Add pounds. Lift heavier weights for fewer reps to make your workout more intense — and burn more fat — Manfroy says.
17. Try aromatherapy. Exercisers who inhaled strawberry and buttered-popcorn scents torched more calories than those who sniffed neutral odors, according to research from the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago.
18. Box yourself in !  If you want a real challenge, then take up Boxing ! It will transform your body in ways you can't imagine and torches calories.
19. Kick it. Playing soccer not only torches more fat and builds more muscle than jogging, but it feels less tiring, Danish research reveals.
20. Stay in shape. Fit people have more fat-burning metabolites in their blood than couch potatoes do, scientists say.

IN THE KITCHEN
22. Get more protein. Eating a protein-packed breakfast and lunch helps you burn more post-meal fat than if you eat lower-protein meals, 
23 & 24. Guzzle green tea — or coffee. Downing five 5-ounce cups of green tea a day boosts metabolism, says Lyssie Lakatos, R.D., author of “Fire Up Your Metabolism.” Two cups of coffee will also do the trick, one study shows.
25. Have an omelet. Eating two eggs for breakfast while dieting will help you trim more weight and body fat than if you ate the same amount of calories noshing on a bagel, scientists say. If you can stick to Egg Whites. 
26. Stay above 1,200 calories… ”The average person’s body goes into starvation mode if she eats fewer than 1,200 calories a day,” says Eric Berg, author of “The 7 Principles of Fat Burning.” “That’s stress, and stress creates more belly fat.”
27. … and cut calories gradually. If you diet, don’t trim more than 250 calories a day. Cutting calories too quickly slows your metabolism down, Dr. Manfroy says.
28 to 33. Munch on these. Almonds, cherries, yogurt, grapefruit, whole grains, and spicy foods have all been shown to torch fat.
34. Fuel up right. Eating a low-glycemic-index breakfast (such as muesli and peaches) will help you burn more fat during a subsequent workout than eating a high-glycemic-index meal (like waffles), researchers from the University of Nottingham reveal.
35. Think before you drink. Sipping as few as 90 calories’ worth of vodka can slow your metabolism by 73 percent, one study shows.
36. Graze. Women who go without eating for long periods are more likely to have higher body-fat percentages than women who nosh more regularly, one study notes. Remember, 6 -7 small meals per day ! 
37. Dine like a Greek. Eating a diet rich in monounsaturated fat (think olive oil, avocados) can help trim both weight and fat, research published in the British Journal of Nutrition shows.
38. Stop gorging. Your body can only handle so much food at a time, so stick to 600 calories or less per meal to maximize fat-burning, says Leslie Cooper, co-author of “Flip the Switch: Proven Strategies to Fuel Your Metabolism and Burn Fat 24 Hours a Day.”  Too many people I know overeat and then feel like crap the next day! 
39. Skip juice. Reaching for an apple instead of apple juice is not only better calorie-wise, but it’ll also do a better job of boosting your metabolism, Dr. Manfroy explains.

IN YOUR LIFE
41 & 42. Get C and D. Vitamin C can help you burn more fat, and D may help you lose fat, research notes. Aim for 400 to 500 mg of C and 800 mg of D a day.
43 & 44. Walk more (in denim). Researchers found that fitness-friendly offices (think treadmill desks, mobile headsets) helped people trim pounds and fat, as did wearing jeans to work, since dressing casual encourages you to move more. Wear comfy clothes when you can, pace while on the phone, and stand while chatting with co-workers.
45. Add fish oil (And work out). Taking 6 grams of fish oil per day and hitting the gym three times a week can help nix body fat, an Australian study reveals. Omega 3-6-9 baby ! 
46. Work the day shift. Keeping nontraditional hours lowers levels of hormones that trigger satiety, increases blood glucose and insulin levels, and raises levels of the stress hormone cortisol (which can drive you to eat more), scientists say.
47. Nix the boob tube. Cut your TV time in half, and you’ll burn more calories each day, research from the University of Vermont suggests.
48. Go mental. People who visualized themselves training a specific muscle boosted the strength in that muscle group, researchers found. Have a plan when you go to the gym and keep a workout journal ! 
49. Eat a smaller dinner. Your body may not digest food — and burn fat — as efficiently if you down a huge meal right before bedtime, especially because your metabolism is slower while you sleep, Dr. Manfroy says.
50. Jump-start your morning. Wake up your metabolism — and get fat-burning started — by doing some sort of exercise within the first few hours of being awake, like Push-Ups !!  

51. Get your snooze on. Sleep for a solid 7 - 8 hours instead of 5 - 6,  and you’ll lose more fat. Sweet dreams!

"Peace, Love and Fitness"