Smoothie Operator

It's no secret that I love my smoothies. What's not to like? Slushy, smooth, creamy, fruity, tangy fresh and healthy. It's a win, win, win..! The hardest part about making a smoothie should be choosing which flavor to drink today.  It's a cinch to meet your "eat the rainbow" goals by incorporating a few smoothies into your meal regime weekly. For athletes, it's an easy way to meet your after- workout- protein-goals. Parents, you can sneak in those extra veggies for the kids. If you put a plate of spinach in front of them and they make that, I wouldn't eat that for a million dollars face, try adding greens to a frozen banana smoothie and tell them this is what all the astronauts drink to battle the green Martians in space. 

So, how do you achieve perfect smoothie consistency? That depends on your ratio of frozen to liquid and raw components.  Also consider the type of frozen fruit you are using. If your fruits are more water based like watermelon and pineapple or cantaloupe than try adding yogurt or some avocado to give it that silky texture. There really isn't any way to screw up frozen fruit and milk in a blender. You would need to be trying really hard to make this a disaster, and then it could happen, say if you left the top off the blender and hit the mix button. But don't do that, I don't need any hate comments like Jessi, you gave me the smoothie recipe but didn't mention to put the top on the mixer before blending.

 
 

Add-ons: What's in your smoothie? I haven't found too many off-limits ingredients yet. Obviously, meat and cheese may not be desirable fixings, but common sense should tell you that. Don't be afraid to go out of the box and experiment with some non-traditional elements. Like tomato. Surprisingly, tomato, lime, watermelon (frozen) pineapple make a delicious combination and also packed full of antioxidants like lycopene. I love watermelon and pineapple together after a workout. Listen up Food Athletes,  watermelon has unique benefits like soothing achy muscles and pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain, which is known to act as an aid for digesting protein and can reduce inflammation. It's a perfect duo to drink pre or post to prevent injuries. Of course, the addition of tomato adds more of the antioxidant lycopene, and this magical free radical fighter is also famous for its cancer battling effects. Wanna go all green? Love it! Throw together spinach, avocado, kiwi, lime and this amazing green powder, spirulina to create the most super of super food smoothies! Say that three times fast, "spirulina, super, super food".  Just one tablespoon of this blue-green microalgae is insanely powerful.  It's a complete protein, actually, fun fact: it has between "55-70% more than beef, chicken, and soybeans." It's also an energy booster, and when I am teaching my 5 a.m. fitness classes I love a green smoothie for breakfast, the spirulina also improves endurance and reduces fatigue. I need all the help I can get at that hour of the day, so I drink that stuff up quick, trust me. There are more superfoods that make yummy and delightfully bright in color smoothies. Acai and pitaya aka dragon fruit. It turns any icy beverage this electric pink hue, it's almost too pretty to consume, probably why I have so many pictures of pink smoothies on my Instagram. It's health properties are as colorful as its appearance, it helps lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and raises the good (HDL), it's super high in fiber and it's known as the "anti-inflammatory fruit." All good news here friends.

I am not scared of new flavors and the other day I was craving a more savory blend. Just go with me on this one, your going to need an open mind. Carrots or carrot juice,  frozen cantaloupe , greek yogurt, cardamom, ginger, mint, lemon and I sweetened with dates and coconut milk. Kinda amazing! When I'm feeling like I want to get in touch with some of my roots I go Mediterranean with beets, banana, ginger, mango and almond milk.  Another fun one for grown-ups and the mini-mes is a P B and J Smoothie.  Frozen strawberries, blueberries, almond milk, protein powder and a little fresh ground peanut butter, or just toss raw peanuts in there, and I swear it's just like eating the sandwich you enjoyed as a kid. Top with cereal and you will be parent-of-the-year!! Speaking of bowls of cereal. Another route to go is in with a spoon. Smoothie bowl is on trend these days, and again another fun kid-friendly way to sneak in vitamins.  You can easily blend in spinach to any of these below and the color won't change much, maybe a deeper purple, but the little one won't even know it's in there. I haven't mentioned the obvious, but maybe it isn't so obvi. and that protein powder. I 99% of the time add it in, usually a plant based one but you can put your fave of choice. Whey, soy. It all works, I found that the pea/plant protein blends best when I add a little avocado but again it may be a little trial and error to get your desired texture.  Besides being obsessed with smoothies I also happen to have a slight granola addiction. I make my own so the sugar content is controlled and then add on top of the smoothie bowl. If you're needing a heartier meal it's perfect with the addition of some oats.

 

 

If your not a chef like I am, and you feel out of your comfort zone in the kitchen, concocting smoothies may be your ticket to ease into the culinary world. For one, it's fast. Start by chopping  up fruits and veggies in bulk and store them in the freezer and fridge. A little prep can go a long way, especially if you're on a tight schedule. And the second reason, it's easy. No measuring involved, it's just a preference thing, do you want your drink slushier? Then add more ice. Creamier? Add almond milk and banana. Is that easy enough? Need it sweeter? Add another date. Most fruit has natural sugar so there's no need to load up on artificial flavors. Veggies and fruit contain so many vitamins and minerals that you may even meet your RDA's for the day just by adding a smoothie into your feeding plan. When you eat more whole real foods, taking extra supplements aren't necessary and might even save you a few pennies. Isn't it worth it to spend some extra cash on fresh produce to get all that good nourishment rather than popping pills? My answer will be yes, duh. But that's me, I love food and I love to eat! And drink. My smoothies that it. 

I will be posting a smoothie recipes on my page Let's Cook Together so be sure to take a peek over there to get the full scoop.

I've got my comments button working now, yay, so I'd love to hear from you. What are some of your favorite foods that you'd like to make into a smoothie? Do you have one you can share with me? Or try one of my suggestions and let me know how it turns out.  Happy Hump Day! 

Cheers!

Be Happy Be Healthy Love Your Body, 

xx Jessi (your Food Athlete) xx

#meatlessmonday

Don't cry over spilled veggies.

Meatless Monday, not just a trendy # Hashtag:

 

Well, isn't this amazing?  I love that Meatless Monday is a real thing. It’s easy to get lost in the quickness of social media.  The come and go style of Instagram, for instance, doesn’t allow for ALL of the information to be communicated.  So Meatless Monday, personally speaking, was just a fun indulge hashtag along with a meatless photo opp.  As I dove deeper, since I was heading into the “day” itself and starting to brainstorm recipes,  I come to find out it’s interesting and purposeful history as follows: "Meatless Monday is an international campaign that encourages people to not eat meat on Mondays to improve their health and the health of the planet. Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns Inc. in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for a Livable Future. Meatless Monday was founded in 2003 by marketing professional Sid Lerner. The program follows the nutrition guidelines developed by the USDA.[1] Meatless Monday is part of the Healthy Monday initiative.[2]Healthy Monday encourages Americans to make healthier decisions at the start of every week.

So clearly the meatless tradition has been around for a while, way before social media and hashtags brought it to my attention. I may not even be telling some of you things you don't already know. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Strive to consume a more plant diet. Eat more foods that will provide you with organic, raw, natural nutrients rather than processed foods that don't offer any substance and are also harming the planet. Do I sound a little harsh? Well, I'm not here to sugar coat this. Nutrition is a beautiful thing and if I have to expose a few undesirable topics to get to the root of greatness, nourishment that is then so be it. 

So, why go meatless? Let me start by saying I am not a vegan or vegetarian. Although I don’t indulge in red meat very often it isn't void from my eating lifestyle either.  The humane aspect alone is why some opt to cut it out altogether. There is certainly no way to spin consuming animal products into a cause worthy plan of action. I would never try to convince a vegan that they are missing out. Same goes for us meat eaters, we shouldn't be shamed for enjoying our protein of choice. However, if you are going to partake there's definitely  friendly options these days compared to a decade ago. I'm talking about how the animals are raised and treated. So please do your part to research where your meat protein comes from when shopping.  So, back to today and diving into some yummy fresh produce, grains and meat alternatives. Let's talk options.  What can you do to make the most of the meat-free day? What are the benefits of loading up on grains, veggies, legumes, nuts, fruit and meat alternatives like, soy (tofu), seitan and tempeh? For one, and this is going to be a running theme with me at The Food Athlete, your body wants to be fed a variety of whole foods, meat or not. Healthy eating is smart but there's no need to eat salmon five times a week just because you want the omegas. Try adding ground flax to your morning oatmeal, or walnuts to salad. There are hundreds of choices when it comes to mixing it up to get benefits from different edibles. Did you know abstaining from meat for just one day, (that's all you need) to observe a plant-based diet will help increase your antioxidant intake, battle free radicals, and provide your body clean fuel to protect your cells. Not to mention all the awesome potential of preventing some cancers and diabetes. Cleansing your system with more natural fruits and veggies in between meal time will detour you from snacking on the harmful processed foods that we sometimes reach for during mindless eating moments.   As for you fitness addicts out there, don't be afraid to go meatless thinking that you won't get your protein in for the day. That's just silly. Smart combos of grains and beans can give you all the amino acids you need to help repair muscles after a workout. One of my go-to post workout recovery fuel is a  Pea Protein Smoothie, (I'm still trying out Plant/Pea brands to find my fave): add frozen pineapple, frozen watermelon, fresh grated ginger, a date to sweeten, raw almonds, almond milk, spinach to  1 1/2 scoops of the protein (it's  like 30 grams) Plants baby!! Love them!

Legumes like beans can easily be added to (like I mentioned above) grain bowls to form complete proteins or just thrown into fresh salads. One of my favorites to whip up is: White Bean Puree: Cup of cannelloni beans, shallot, vinegar, olive oil, lemon, roasted garlic, pink salt, and ground black pepper. Throw it all in  my Magic Bullet and blend 'til it looks like a thick sauce.  This is such a fun alternative to hummus. Dunk in raw veggies for a snack, or spread on crackers instead of cheese. You get all that protein and less fat (processed fats that is). And if you're needing your fat fill for the day (because we all know some fats aren't bad for us,right?) slice some avocado and top it over the cracker spread. Lately, I've been making my bean quota with Bean Spaghetti. Check out my recipe on my page Let's Cook Together.

 

 

The bottom line on going plant style for the day? Just do it! It for sure takes a lot of planning if vegetarian is going to be your full-time gig.  But one day?  C'mon, you got this.  So whether it's for a cause like saving the climate, improving our environment, education in the school system to motivate kids to eat more veggies, or simply raise awareness about living a more nutritious lifestyle, going meatless once a week, as you can see has many delicious up sides. Too many ups that you may not want to come down. Come back and join me The Food Athlete on Mondays on my page Let's Cook Together for more Meatless recipes. Happy Plant Hunting Friends!

xx Jessi (your food athlete) xx

 

PS Friends-  I'm having some issues with the comments button for this page and Let's Cook Together.  I would still love to hear your comments so if you feel inclined to speak about what I write please visit my Instagram @jessipiha and comment there. Thank you!