Thirsty Thursday: Mamma Chia and Vanilla Smoothie

Ned's Point

One of my favorite things about being back in my home town (Mattapoisett, MA) is being able to run down to one of the most beautiful ocean-side parks called Ned's Point. Ned's Point is about 1.25 miles from my parents' house and most of the route is covered by huge, beautiful oak trees and surrounded by large beach houses. There is something about Ned's Point that makes me feel "at home" and sitting on the picnic tables and gazing past the lighthouse at the crashing waves against the rocks brings back childhood memories - it is truly my happy place :-)

(Ned's Point - Mattapoisett, MA - My "happy place")

I've started nearly every morning since I arrived back home with a nice jog down to Ned's Point and back to my parents' house and, while it is only 2.5 miles round trip, the "hazy hot and humid" temperatures this week have gotten the best of me and I could not wait to guzzle down an ice-cold smoothie as soon as I walked in the house! There is nothing quite as refreshing as an ice-cold post-workout protein smoothie and my food-shopping-savvy mother has introduced me to some great new smoothie ingredients that led me to create this week's Thirsty Thursday smoothie recipe - Mamma Chia Vanilla Protein Smoothie.

Chia smoothie 1

With only three main ingredients, this smoothie is by far the easiest one to make and easily the most delicious post-workout smoothie yet!

Ingredients:

• 8 oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 3.5-oz Mamma Chia Squeeze Vitality Snack packet
• 1 scoop (single-serve packet) of vanilla vegan protein powder
• 5-6 ice cubes
• Natural sweetener of choice (to taste, optional) - I used 1 Stevia packet
• Optional add-ins: 1/4th cup plain Greek yogurt (for more protein, carbohydrates, and creamier texture), 1/4th cup dry oats (for more complex carbohydrates, B vitamin, and thicker consistency), or 1/2 frozen banana (for more carbohydrates, potassium, and more slushy-like consistency).

* I usually travel with a packet or two of protein powder (just in case) and I am a big fan of NutraKey VPro, which is made of organic, non-GMO raw plant proteins and provides all the essential amino acids the body needs.

* My brilliant mother found the Mamma Chia snack packs at BJ's Wholesale Market (similar to Costco or Sam's Club) and these tasty little snack packs provide 1200 mg of Omega-3s and can be purchased in bulk for healthy snacking on-the-go!

Chia smoothie 2

Instructions:

1. Pour almond milk into a blender with the ice cubes.
2. Squeeze the Chia snack pack into the blender and blend on high for 30-60 seconds.
3. Add in the scoop /packet of protein powder (and sweetener if desired) and blend on high again for 30-60 seconds (or until all ingredients are mixed well and the ice cubes are all broken up.
4. And chug away (but not so quickly that you get brain freeze)!!

There you have it! A very easy way to combine simple ingredients with essential nutrients to refuel after a workout or hot run in the summer heat! Stay cool and refuel with lean protein and healthy fats :-)

Meal Makeover: Zucchini Pizza Boats

I had a lot of "me time" this past weekend (since my sweet husband was busy working at the office Saturday and Sunday) so I took advantage of my free time and tested out some new recipes! Not only did I have a blast making a mess of my kitchen, but I was able to play around with three new recipes and could not wait to share this week's meal makeover recipe with you all! If you are like me (and human) you may crave pizza nearly 365 days a year, but you may not want the high-carbohydrate and high-calorie content of the traditional pizza! Have no fear, the Zucchini Pizza Boat has come to your rescue!

This week's Meal Makeover: Zucchini Pizza Boat

Zucchini pizza complete

Zucchini pizza nutrition

This low-carb, high protein "pizza" is super easy to make and surprisingly delicious and filling (thanks to the water and fiber content of the almighty zucchini)! One serving (1 zucchini boat) provides you with nearly 36g of lean protein and a mere 13g carbohydrates and 6g total fat at only 245 calories.

The best part is that you can modify the ingredients to make this meal for yourself or for the whole family to enjoy and you can use any type of lean protein that you prefer (extra-lean ground turkey, chopped chicken breast, shrimp, tofu...)! I made this meal for my neighbor and myself with extra-lean ground turkey and used the leftover turkey in my meals for the next two days. (Meal-prepping at its finest!)

Ingredients: 2 servings (2 Zucchini Boats)

• 6 oz cooked extra-lean ground turkey (divided) (I cooked 1.25 lbs of Jennie-O Extra-lean Turkey and saved the rest for leftovers).
• 1 large zucchini (divided) (I found a very large, wide diameter zucchini that weighed about 12 oz)
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce (divided) (look for low-sodium, all-natural varieties or make your own)
• 1/2 cup 2% milk shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic salt

Intructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. Wash the zucchini well and dry with a paper towel before cutting the vegetable in half (length wise). Cut the ends off as well. Carefully scoop out the zucchini flesh and seeds with a mini ice cream scoop or spoon, but be careful not to press too hard and break the core of the zucchini. You want to leave about 1/4th of the zucchini flesh intact to make the "boat" shape for the turkey filling. Discard the zucchini flesh and seeds or save for later use in another recipe.
2. In a large sauce pan, cook the turkey completely (no pink pieces left) and then add in the spices (cumin, chili powder, and garlic salt), remove from heat and stir in spices well.
3. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place the zucchini halves on top of the foil (flesh side up). Fill each boat with 2 tbsp pizza sauce, then 2 tbsp shredded cheese, then 3 oz of cooked turkey, followed by remaining 2 tbsp pizza sauce.
4. Bake the zucchini boats at 400 deg. F for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the cookie sheet from the oven and top each boat with the remaining 2 tbsp shredded cheese.
5. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 deg. F and return the cookie sheet back to the oven and bake for an addition 5-10 minutes (or until cheese is completely melted). Keep a close eye on the cheese so that it does not burn (like mine did in the picture above)! ...ooops....

Zucchini pizza prep

(Cooked turkey with spices and hollowed-out zucchini boats)

Zucchini pizza filling

(Filled boats with pizza sauce and shredded cheese)

Zucchini pizza full

(Filled boats with ground turkey and shredded cheese)

And that's it! We paired our zucchini boats with a mixed greens salad for a well-balanced and nutritious meal. I enjoyed every last bite of my zucchini pizza boat and the great company of my sweet neighbor, Margie :-)

I hope you will try out this meal makeover recipe and share it with your family or friends. Let me know what you think!

Meal made in minutes: Easy egg white sandwich

Eggs are a very versatile lean protein and can really be eaten anytime of the day - breakfast, lunch, or dinner! This power-house of a super-food is nutrient dense, yet low in calories and contains several essential vitamins (B vitamins and vitamin A and vitamin D) and minerals (choline, selenium, and phosphorus) as well as the highest quality protein and amino acid profile that meets the needs of the human body. The whites alone contain only 16 calories (per large egg) and 4g of protein, without the saturated fat or cholesterol that is found in the yellow yolk. The best part is that egg whites can be prepared in minutes and easily incorporated into a perfect sandwich for a quick breakfast before work. Heck, you can even make this meal portable and eat it on your way into work (while driving as safely as possible, of course!)...

Quick Egg white sandwich

This week's Meal Made in Minutes: Easy Egg White Sandwich  

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup liquid egg whites (I used All Whites) or the egg whites of 3 large eggs
• 2 slices whole grain bread (I used Canyon Ranch 7-Grain gluten-free bread)
• 1 slice reduced-fat provolone cheese (I used Sargento)
• 1 cup baby spinach leaves
• 2 tbsp hummus (any flavor) (I used Tribe Sun-dried Tomato)
• Cherry tomatoes (optional)
• Black pepper or red chili flakes (to taste)

Tools needed:

1. Toaster oven
2. Microwaveable omelet maker (I bought mine at Amazon.com)

Egg white omelet

(All Whites egg whites with red chili flakes)

Directions:

1. Toast bread in toaster oven
2. While bread is toasting, prepare omelet - pour egg whites into omelet maker and season with black pepper or red chili flakes (to taste).
3. Cook eggs in the microwave on high heat for 1 minute. Make sure whites are complete set and cooked through - if whites are still runny, place omelet maker back in the microwave for 15 seconds.
4. Assemble egg white sandwich - spread 1 tbsp hummus on one slice of bread, then lay 1/2 cup spinach on top, then the egg whites, provolone cheese, remaining 1/2 cup spinach and the second slice of bread with remaining 1 tbsp hummus spread on top.

Viola! That's it, within 6-8 minutes you will have the perfect egg white breakfast sandwich! To take your breakfast to-go, wrap the sandwich in aluminum foil and hit the road!

This breakfast sandwich will beat any fast-food option and will fill you up with complex carbs, healthy fats, and lean protein to get you through the busy morning :-)

Feel free to play around with the ingredients. Some substitutions you can try:

• 1 egg + 2 whites instead of all whites
• 1/4th avocado (mashed or sliced) instead of hummus
• kale instead of spinach
• a whole-grain tortilla wrap instead of bread

Enjoy!

Thirsty Thursday: Easy Green & Lean Smoothie

There is nothing more refreshing than an ice-cold smoothie after a hard workout and there's no faster method of re-fueling post-workout than by drinking a protein-packed, antioxidant-rich "Green & Lean" smoothie! I am often asked how I make my post-workout smoothies and many clients have asked me "what are the best ingredients to put into your smoothies to replenish the body's carbohydrate stores and provide sufficient protein for muscle tissue repair and growth?" These are great questions and today I am going to answer these questions and provide you all with my recipes for an Easy Green & Lean Smoothie!

Green Matcha Smoothie

Now doesn't that Green Smoothie look beautiful! This delicious smoothie was made at Village Health Market in South Tampa and, while it was packed with antioxidants, lean protein, and did not contain any added sugars, it cost me more than $6!! Now I don't know about you, but I can't justify paying a lot of money for something that I could easily make at home for less than half the price... so I decided to use this smoothie as inspiration for my homemade versions.

The main ingredients in this particular Green Smoothie are:

• Unsweetened Almond Milk
• Banana
• Spinach
• Vegan vanilla bean protein powder
• Matcha Green Tea powder
• 1 Stevia packet
• Ice cubes

See how simple it would be to buy these ingredients and make several smoothies at home! The important ingredients to include are a liquid of choice (water, unsweetened non-dairy milk or low-fat milk, and even leftover coffee or cold brew coffee), fruit (banana, berries, pineapple, peaches, mango...), super green leafy vegetables (spinach or kale), lean protein source (whey protein powder, vegan protein powder, Greek yogurt, or egg white protein), extra antioxidant boost (Match powder, Maca powder, raw cocoa powder...), a natural sweetener of choice (Stevia / Truvia, maple syrup, agave, or honey), and ice cubes to blend to desired consistency. You can add in or remove any ingredients that you'd like and you can mix match until you find your favorite blends! It really can be fun to experiment with your homemade smoothies!

Here are a few of my favorite concoctions to give you some ideas :-)

Smoothie ingredients - coffee

PB and Banana Mocha Smoothie:

• 1 cup chilled black coffee with 1/4th cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 small banana
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1/2 cup liquid egg whites (10g protein)
• 2 tbsp PB2
• 1 tsp Matcha Green Tea powder
• 1 packet Stevia
• 5 ice cubes

Smoothie ingredients - designer whey

Spinach and Banana Smoothie:

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 banana
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 scoop 100% whey protein powder (vanilla) (22g protein)
• 1 tsp Matcha Green Tea powder
• 2 packets Truvia
• 5 ice cubes

Smoothie ingredients - Greek yogurt

Greek PB and Banana Smoothie:

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 banana
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 single-serve Oikos plain Greek yogurt (15g protein)
• 2 tbsp PB2
• 1 packet Stevia
• 5 ice cubes

Mix all ingredients together in a blender and voila - you have the perfect post-workout smoothie that will replenish and rejuvenate :-) Have fun mixing and matching the ingredients and coming up with your own favorite smoothies!

Stay tuned for more great Smoothie recipes every Thursday!