I went to one of my favorite classes at the gym tonight….Boot Camp! Love it! It’s basically an hour of short, yet intense cardio/resistance intervals. I always leave totally SPENT. It’s awesome. Kev comes with me sometimes too. I told him that a lot of (normal) men attend the class, so he started coming with me and he loves it too! So, if you have a gym membership, I would highly encourage you to try out a Boot Camp (or similar) class. You and your body will love it!
I also thought I would put in a little plug for good ‘ol WATER. I love love love love love water! There’s nothing that can quench my thirst quite like water. I actually crave it. I’m here to tell you that if you don’t like water…..drink it anyway! The more you drink it, the more your body will crave it. Seriously. It’s such a simple thing to do and it provides so many health benefits! Here are just a few reasons why you should drink (buckets and buckets of) water:
- Aids in weight loss: Helps to flush out your system, reduce hunger and it has 0 calories!
- Helps your skin look younger and healthier: helps to replenish skin tissues, moisturize skin and increase skin elasticity.
- Helps you to exercise more efficiently: Helps to regulate your body temperature. It gives you more energy and fuels your muscles.
- I’ve also heard that drinking lots of water can boost your immune system, improve your mood and even reduce your risk of some types of cancer!
So, drink up! I try to drink a gallon a day. I fill up a gallon pitcher every morning and then I just drink from it all day long. If I’m leaving for a while, I will fill up a water bottle or two with water from the pitcher and take them with me. I like to be able to keep track of how much I drink every day and this seems to work for me!
Here’s my little water pitcher;
For dinner tonight, I just made the kids grilled cheese sandwiches and fruit and Kev and I had protein shakes. We usually don’t do that, but for some reason after our boot camp class, we wanted something lite. It was just the thing I needed and filled me up perfectly.
I just want to say a little something about Protein Shakes….
For a long time I wasn’t interested in drinking protein shakes AT ALL because I thought of them as just “bodybuilder food”. They didn’t seem like a really healthy food to me either. Well…….I tried them and I LOVE them (kinda like green eggs and ham!) They ARE healthy too! Yay! Now I think of them as a very easy and healthy way to eat (drink) a lot of powerful foods! I also love them because they are portable, no-nonsense, and very filling! Most of the protein shakes I drink include a protein (protein powder), healthy carb (fruit) and a healthy fat (flaxseed). Perfect. I really really love them.
So, here is the recipe for the one I had tonight. It is a very yummy one and I promise you can’t even taste the spinach (not even a little bit).
Fruity Spinach Protein Shake
1/2 C. skim milk (you can also substitute almond milk or water)
1 scoop Protein Powder (any flavor)
1/4 orange
3-4 strawberries
1/4 banana
2 big handfuls spinach (it is not yucky, I promise)
1 T ground flaxseed
6-8 ice cubes
In blender, mix Protein Powder and milk (water) first.
This is the kind of Protein Powder I use. I buy it at Costco and I think it’s about $36 for this giant bag. It lasts a long time. Kev likes the vanilla flavor too. The serving size (1 rounded scoop) is 140 calories. I use 1 level scoop, so I’m guessing it’s about 120 calories or so.
Add fruit and mix well.
This is my frozen fruit in a little ziplock bag. I like to freeze my fruit beforehand in single-servings to make it quick and convenient. It also creates a better consistency if the fruit is frozen first.
This is the fruit with the milk/protein powder in the blender
Add spinach, mix well.
This is how much spinach I use. I just grab two big handfuls. I promise you can’t even taste it in the shake! I think it’s quite awesome that you can eat so much of such a healthy vegetable so easily! Yay!
Getting ready to blend in the spinach! I use a spoon to push it down first.
Add flaxseed and ice and mix until desired consistency.
This is the brand of flax seed I use. I buy it at Costco. I just put a cup or two in a plastic container in the fridge and keep this big ‘ol bag in the freezer.
And this is how it looks when everything is all mixed up!
Just to show you how yummy this is….my three year old couldn’t leave it alone. He probably ate 1/4 of it!
This shake is about 250 calories. If you replace the milk with water it shaves off 45 calories. I’ve tried it with water and it’s very yummy too! I haven’t tried it with almond milk yet, but I’ve heard it’s awesome and saves a little on calories too!
Melanie, I am loving all your Healthy Blog. I am inspired to go do some major shopping at Cosco with all your healthy ideas you given. You really know how to live and eat a healthy lifestyle. I am so impressed with your knowledge and creativity! I will be trying your Parm. Chicken recipe, and of course the Spinach Protein Shake soon. I will comment and let you know when I make them. Keep up the great work!! You are such a sweet and giving person to create and share a blog like this to inspire thoughs of us who have the desire, but have no idea where to start making thoughs healthy changes. Thank you Melanie!! Love, your Sugar addicted cousin Hillary
Hillary, you are so sweet. I love reading and learning all about living a healthy lifestyle, but it is SO HARD to live it! I am addicted to sugar as well! I hope you enjoy the recipes. I hope to see you up at my mom’s soon. I love you so much.
I love how you make the ziplocs with frozen fruit. Great idea!
Thanks Stacey! It really helps to make it fast and convenient! 😉