Smooth It Out!

I’m generally a little late to whatever trend party society is currently throwing.  I didn’t read The Hunger Games until the second movie was almost out, I didn’t start watching The Big Bang Theory until well after Penny and Leonard got together (you know, again) and I still haven’t bought one piece of clothing that would be categorized as “hi-low.” 

The same pattern holds true for my health and fitness routines.  I see the oncoming bandwagon and usually stand to the side, waving as it whizzes on by.  Oh, there goes Zumba, and low-carb eating and anything taught by Shaun T.   Then the world tries them out and I see how it goes.  So, at this point, I’ve done my fair share of Zumba, I still try to limit my carb intake to a healthy minimum and you can read all about my Shaun T experience here. 

But there is one health craze that I have done my best to run from.  Smoothies.  Yeah, I don’t know why they make me cringe a little.  Maybe it’s the fact that it seems morally wrong to drink your spinach.  No?  That’s just me?  Hm.  Or maybe it’s that so many people talk about smoothies as meal substitutes.  I don’t know about you, but I like to eat when I eat.  The thought of simply drinking when I could be chewing, is a turn off to me.

About three weeks ago I started following along with the Tone It Up Girls and their weekly work out plans.  If you've never heard of them, they are two best friends and trainers, based in California, that run their own fitness and nutrition empire.  Basically you sign up on the website and you will receive weekly workout schedules.  The routines are shown via a YouTube video or a printable guide and are both challenging and short—just the way I like it! 

Anyway, these two ladies talk a lot about smoothies; especially as fueling up after workouts.  I have been thinking for a while about alternative breakfast ideas for weekends to keep me from getting bored with that same old thing that I tend to eat.  I’m sure I've said before what a creature of habit I am.  Once I know something works, I stick with it.  But seven days a week of Belvita soft baked breakfast biscuits and a yogurt can be a bit mind-numbing.  And when I tend to venture off my path I end up in places full of cinnamon rolls, sausage biscuits and waffles with lots of butter.  Oh and sometimes, we’ll take muffin mix…oh, wait, back to topic…

So, I finally decided to give these smoothie things a try. Something even my best friend who wanted to open a smoothie bar has yet to get me to do.  I decided to start simple.  VERY simple. 

1 Cup Almond Milk

1 Cup Frozen Strawberries

1 Heaping Handful of Baby Spinach

1 package of Tone It Up Perfect Protein Powder in Vanilla (equivalent of heaping scoop) 

Put it all in.  Blend it all up.  Drink it all down. 

Notes:

• Have you tried Almond Milk?!  You should!  It tastes so much better than regular milk.  I could just guzzle glass after glass of it.  But be careful; you know what they say.  Too much of a good thing..is two pant sizes!
• I am more likely to eat veggies than fruits.  However, I am not always the best at eating leafy greens like I should.  I mean, by the time you cook/season/pour enough dressing on spinach to make me interested, it’s not really “good” for you anymore.  So this was a really awesome way to get a good amount in without having to taste it.  At all.  I will say that you could SMELL it though.  Which was weird. 
• The Perfect Protein Powder was in a trial set that I purchased from ToneItUp.com.  You get one vanilla pack, one chocolate pack and one protein bar.  It has 15g of protein per serving and is a natural, plant-based protein powder.  It’s gluten-free and they have a similar product at WalMart that’s a lot cheaper.  The Perfect Protein retails for about $35 for 10 individual packs.  Even if I only do it on weekends that is still a lot of moolah.  
• Side note:  The protein bar was so bad that after I took a bite of it (and promptly spit it in the trash) I saved the rest of the bar so that my husband could taste it later and I could prove how bad it was.  That's bad.  

The Husband Factor:

Steven was a real trooper and tried a smoothie, too.  I made his with the chocolate Perfect Protein Powder.  Let’s just say it didn't go over so well.  His face really said it all and the drain got to drink that one.  I tried it right before it got the heave-ho and I could barely get it down. 

Steven made a bagel and was happy. 

The End Result:

I’m kind of a smoothie convert at this point.  I actually loved my smoothie and it kept me full until lunch--shocker!  I made one the next day (minus the protein powder because I was out) that even the husband liked.  It was just a nice little treat to go with the salad I ate for lunch.  Kind of like a reward that I didn't feel so guilty about.  Not like the Nutella brownie I gobbled up later.  But we’ll just pretend that didn't happen.

So, now I’m on a mission.  I need healthy recipes to try.  What smoothies have you made and loved—or loathed?  Please, no bananas if you can help it.  Why do they all have bananas in them?  Bonus points if they turn green, but don't taste like it.  ;)  

Rachel has been smoothing things out at her house, too. As we find things we like, we'll post them on the blog.  I just found a recipe for one that supposedly tastes like coffee ice cream.  Um, don't mind if I do...