Spicy Smoothies: Getting Healthy from the Inside Out

I eat a smoothie for breakfast about 4-5 times a week, and I love them. LOVE THEM. I've fine tuned my ingredients after doing a fair amount of reading and now include several spices and "super foods" in the mix, aiming for high impact health and skincare benefits.

Healthy greens such as baby spinach and/or kale (vitamins K, A, and C) make up at least half of the smoothie, and if I have celery (vitamin K and molybdenum) on hand that will get tossed in as well.  I hate the taste of uncooked celery, but I'm finding I can tolerate things in smoothies that I won't touch otherwise (beets, anyone?).

I'll also add bell peppers (vitamin C and carotenoids). A quarter of an avocado adds healthy fat, which is important for the absorption of fat soluble vitamins and carotenoids. I also like adding fresh ginger root for both it's flavor and anti-inflammatory benefits.

I'll vary the types of fruits I add each day, although half a banana (potassium) is a staple. I'll typically buy a bunch of 5-6 bananas and be able to use 2 before they start getting too ripe. I'll then cut up and freeze the rest, which works just fine for smoothies.

I buy large bags of frozen fruit from either Walmart or Costco, with my favorites being mixed blueberries/blackberries/raspberries, cherries, and mixed peaches/pineapple/strawberies. So, my fruit blend would be bananas with one of the mixes or the cherries. The fruit provides a great balance to the greens and vegetables, rounding out both the flavor and nutritional aspects.

Next come spices and protein powder. Yes, spices like turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Turmeric and ginger are known for their anti-inflammatory powers (although their benefits extend far beyond that), and the less inflammation in our bodies, the better. I can tell a major difference in the level of joint/muscle pain that is an almost constant for me (due to scoliosis) since I started eating them regularly. While I still need to do yoga to keep my muscles stretched out, the level of pain is much less on a day to day basis.

Cinnamon helps with blood sugar control, cayenne with revving up your metabolism, and black pepper helps with the absorption of turmeric.  I actually like my smoothies better with the added kick from the spices, so don't be afraid to try them. I buy my spices in bulk for much cheaper prices than I find in grocery stores, and I suspect they are fresher as well.

I use 1 teaspoon of turmeric, half a tsp of cinnamon, 1/4 tsp of cayenne, and throw in 1-2 whole black pepper buds. I've been using a soy-based protein powder and usually put about 1/3 of a day's serving in, as I do better with some protein first thing in the morning.

I'll sometimes add "boosters" like Maca powder (vitamins B, C, E, increased energy levels) or cacao powder (flavanoids, oleic acid) as well, and purchase mine from Amazon. I then fill up the container about half way with water (green tea and almond milks are my other two liquid go to's).

After mixing everything I'll typically add 4-5 ice cubes and mix some more. The result is 2 servings of smoothie and I can honestly say I look forward to these. Oatmeal is my other breakfast staple (see my recipe here) for my non-smoothie mornings, but I've yet to tire of either making or drinking these.

If you've got a favorite smoothie recipe or ingredients, please share!

Healthy Eating in 2016: Oatmeal to Go

One of the resolutions that I (and probably 1.6 billion other people) made for 2016 is to eat more healthy. For me, that means more home cooked meals with a focus on vegetables, fruits, selected whole grains, and less animal-based protein choices. With that in mind, I'll be posting some of the meals that worked for me and have been incorporated into my routine.

Steel-cut (or Irish) oatmeal is a breakfast item I've been eating for years. I learned about the benefits of steel-cut oatmeal when I was following The Zone Diet, which taught me that cooked oatmeal is a food-based source of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). GLA is an essential fatty acid helpful in reducing inflammation in the body. Now that we know inflammation contributes to multiple disease processes, anything that lessens it is a good thing, IMO. Of course, there are multiple other benefits from oats, such as helping to stabilize blood sugar, lower cholesterol, enhance immune response, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (source).  But remember: steel-cut over instant oatmeal, always.

However, steel-cut oatmeal takes a good 20 minutes to cook, which means I frequently only eat it on the weekend when I've got a more leisurely morning schedule. I recently cleaned out my kitchen cabinets and rediscovered some small ball jars that are perfect for on the go servings, which prompted me to take oatmeal with me during my more rushed weekday mornings.

Here's how I make my oatmeal:
1-1/4 cup water
1/4 cup steel cut oats (I get Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats from Big Lots)
frozen blueberries
1 scoop protein powder (currently using Genisoy protein powder)
1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 cup walnuts
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
sprinkle of brown sugar (optional)

After cooking the oats for 20 minutes or so, I put in the almond milk, protein powder, blueberries, walnuts and cinnamon and cook for another few minutes. I function better with protein at each meal and fat is needed to absorb fat soluble Vitamins A, D, E and K, so I always include some as well.  Plus, it helps me stay full longer. If I don't have nuts on hand I will add a bit of avocado oil.

The oatmeal can be cooking while I'm getting ready and then I just put it in the ball jar and hit the road.  Since it's a glass container, heating it up in the microwave at work is quick and easy if I have an early meeting and can't eat it first thing.  There are also lots of crock-pot based oatmeal recipes that you can make that will give you servings for an entire week, making it even easier for a fast breakfast on the go. So, on those weekday mornings where I'm craving something hot and hardy, I'm all set!

Accountability Sunday: Resolution Progress for the Week

I'm starting a new Sunday series where I'm going to document how I'm doing on my New Year's resolutions, or any new ones that I make during the year.  I find accountability to be a great motivator, so I'm laying it out here :-)  Plus momentum builds momentum in both negative and positive directions, so this will help me see trends.  I hope you join in and share your own progress in whatever areas you are focusing on!

My resolutions are:

• eat better:  start cooking more and eating out less
• exercise more: practice yoga/Pilates again, use a standing desk at work
• declutter house
• no buy on makeup/beauty items Jan-March:  can develop a wish list and purchase one or two items from it in April

So how did I do in this short (4 day) week?  Pretty darn good, actually!  Here are some highlights:

Slow cooker chicken taco soup, recipe here.

The chicken taco soup was quite tasty and very easy to make.  I took it to work for lunch and have frozen some as well.  Would definitely make this again.

Tasty lunch

Breakfasts were alternating slow cooked (steel oats) oatmeal or scrambled eggs with bell pepper and pepperjack cheese.  I found a recipe for slow cooker oatmeal that is cooking right now, so I'll report back on that one.  The CocoaVia I used in the oatmeal below was okay, but a bit tart.  Definitely boosts the nutritional value, however, as it essentially flavored powdered cocoa extract, which is high in antioxidants.  I also add several heaping tablespoons of Greek yogurt for protein, and top with raw almonds.  A few of those almonds are vanilla sugar coated, as they're from a Christmas mix :-)

A quick go to meal for me is a bean and cheese burrito topped with salsa and Greek yogurt, salad and diced jalapeno peppers.  It's easy to prepare and something I make frequently.  I need to expand my repertoire, however, as food variety is important nutrition wise.

I rigged a primitive but functional standing desk that has the added bonus of being right next to my one office window, so I can look outside.  I used it for about 3 hours Friday morning and I like it!  I'm shooting for using it half of my office time, which will cut my sitting time in half.  In case you are not aware of how bad for you sitting for long periods of time can be, check out Sitting All Day is Worse for You Than You Might Think.

I did yoga/Pilates for 30 minutes one morning and took a walk during lunch at work.  Dog walking has been somewhat curtailed by weather, so I still need to step it up in the exercise area.  

I cleaned and decluttered my dining room, which I use for a reading room.  The table in it was a clutter magnet, as I tend to  sit stuff on it as soon as I come in after work and the piles just grow and grow and grow.  So, I made a concerted effort to not do that this week, as there's no point cleaning it off if I keep putting stuff back on it.  Two rooms down, six more to go!

My no-buy is going well, and I can't say I've really been tempted by anything.  I've still got plenty of new things to play with, so that's probably a big reason why.  My wish list does have two items on it:  a Chanel cream blush and Fluffy Bunny hand cream. 

I'm thinking I need to add gym visits on the weekend, as I've got a gym membership that rarely gets used.  I know I won't go during the week, but there's no reason I couldn't go on Saturdays and Sundays.  I talked myself out of it this Saturday, however, because the weather was gorgeous and I decided I'd rather take the dogs for a long walk.  So, that's what I did:-)  I do need to step it up, however, so I think I'm going to wrap up this post and go do a yoga/Pilates DVD.

How was your week?  Are you happy with how things went?