29 | July | 2010 | healthy laps

how to give your smoothie staying power

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Jen

Lately, all I have been wanting for breakfast is a smoothie. I think it has to do with the heat and humidity. Smoothie’s are cool and refreshing and don’t weigh you down. I love how simple or complex they can be! If you are using them as a meal, just make sure to pack them with protein to increase the staying power.

Good ways to add protein into your smoothies:

nut butter
nuts
protein powder
yogurt
milk
oats

A smoothie can definitely be made into a meal by adding a few extras other than fruit. Try a tbsp of peanut butter or pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for extra iron or hemp seeds for extra protein.

This morning, I was feeling like chocolate, so I mixed away in my Vita-Mix!

1 frozen banana (the key to a thicker smoothie!)
1/2 cup frozen blueberries (antioxidants!)
5 frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen spinach
1 tbsp mango jelly
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 tbsp cacao powder
dash vanilla
2 tbsp hemp seeds (extra protein)

It was a pretty yucky color, but sure did taste good!

Yum.

I try to stock up on frozen fruit when I am at Trader Joes because they make excellent smoothie additions. The frozen fruit adds depth to the smoothie by making it thicker and colder.

Moving on…

I have been so thirsty lately! Has anyone else been? It must be the weather because I already drink a lot of water, but have been drinking so much more recently. Darn humidity!

I wasn’t really hungry for a mid-morning snack, so I skipped right to an early lunch since that was on my mind – leftover Stuffed Patty Pan Squash!

Packed in two seperate containers to prevent them from tipping over and heated in the microwave at work, they were just as good as last night.

Along with the leftovers, I had a blueberry yogurt and 2 apricots. A pretty well-balanced lunch if you ask me. 🙂

An afternoon snack included Livin’ Spoonful raw crackers (filled with nuts and herbs and oh so flavorful!) and lemon hummus.

And, a Refresh Glo Bar. I loved this flavor. Chocolate and mint is a favorite combination of mine!

I’m thinking of a quick run tonight before dinner, then I’ve got another quick and yummy recipe to whip up.

See ya!

Filed under: Eating Laps, Running Laps | Tagged: Glo Bar, smoothie, vegetables | 2 Comments »

stuffed patty pan squash

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Jen

Last night, I was determined to turn my Patty Pan Squash into something amazing. I was craving a good, healthy dinner and that is just what I got!

A few weeks ago I saw a recipe for stuffed patty pan squash on Oh She Glows, so I thought I would give it a shot. I basically followed Angela’s recipe, but made some modifications for what I had on hand.

Stuffed Patty Pan Squash

adapted from Oh She Glows (original recipe here)

Ingredients:

4 Patty Pan Squash
1 large zucchini
2 small carrots
1 spring onion, bulb and stalk
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups cooked black beluga lentils
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small jar tomato paste
2 tbsp unsalted butter of choice
sea salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
sprinkle parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:

Cut the tops off of your squash and the zucchini in half and scoop out the insides.

I sliced my zucchini into smaller pieces so that they would be easier to eat.

Add the squash and zucchini meat, onion bulb and stalk, carrots and garlic to your food processor and blend until smooth.

Let that mixture sit until you have your rice ready.

Add your cooked brown rice and lentils to a pot with the butter and tomato paste. Warm over medium-low heat until the butter is melted and everything is mixed in.

Then, add the veggie mixture to the rice mixture and mix well. Add italian seasoning (or seasoning of your choice), salt and pepper to taste. I added about 1 tsp of salt and pepper.

Stuff the squash and zucchini. I like them to be overflowing!