Granola Banana Snack

It's a Monday so let's keep things simple and quick today!  This was a snack I made up for an afternoon pick-me-up at the office.  Three basic ingredients...banana, almond butter and homemade granola or trail mix (whatever you want to call it).

This granola/trail mix was just a combo of items I had in my pantry that I thought would taste good together.

• Raisins
• Cheerios
• Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• Crushed up honey oat granola bar
• A few M&M's
• Chopped up dark chocolate

Slather a banana with almond butter and stick the granola on.  Eat it with a fork and enjoy this salty sweet treat!  I ate this for an afternoon snack but it could easily be a quick breakfast as well.  You've got fruit, healthy fats and protein all working together for a simple and delicious combo.

This is barely a "recipe" and what's great is you can make this however YOU like!  Not a fan of almond butter...go for the classic peanut butter (creamy or crunchy) or maybe some cashew butter?  How about walnuts or almonds in your granola or sunflower seeds instead of pumpkin seeds?  Maybe some toasted coconut or other dried fruit?  The combinations are endless and completely up to you!

Green Smoothie

This smoothie came about in an unexpected way.  My husband and I were on an airplane and I was reading my Rachael Ray Every Day magazine.  Ryan happened to notice this super simple recipe for a tropical green smoothie and said we should try it out when we got home.  This was a surprise coming from my husband who is not always the biggest fan of veggies but I was on board to try something new!

Original recipe can be found HERE.

Now, to be honest, I have never been a fan of green smoothies.  I always thought they tasted like grass from the backyard and it was just not my thing.  But I decided to give this one a try, especially since Ryan was willing to try it out as well.  I figured the fruit would help balance the "green."  Well, imagine my surprise when this turned out to be DELISH!  We have made this many times over since first trying it and I've even experimented with different ingredients.  All of them are easy and taste great and the best thing is it's such a simple way to get a big serving of fruits and veggies!

You can see in the two photos above, the ingredients are slightly different.  These are just a couple of my different variations I give to the smoothie depending on what we have on hand.

PRO TIP: The blueberries are delicious but they will turn the smoothie a rather unappetizing color of brownish green.  I usually leave those out now just because I love the clean green color so much.

Ingredients:
These can vary based on my mood and what's in the kitchen.  You can use these but it's also delicious with even less ingredients.  The original recipe linked above is pretty simple and a good place to start.  This morning I used the following combo:

• OJ, about 1 cup
• Pineapple (instead of fresh I use a canned version that's more affordable, depending on time of year, and that's packed in it's own juices...no added sugar!)
• Chia seeds, about a Tbsp.
• Mint leaves
• Ginger (the dried stuff from the spice aisle is fine but if you have fresh feel free to use it!)
• Red gala apple, chopped
• Carrots, chopped
• Walnuts, small handful
• Avocado, half or whole depending on size and how big of a smoothie I'm making
• Frozen banana slices, roughly 1 banana
• Spinach, as much as I can pack in at the top of the blender
• Ice
• Blend!

* I like mine a bit thicker consistency and I drink it with a straw.  If you want yours less thick, add more liquid like OJ or pineapple juice or even water.

* I've also used baby kale as my "greens" and it's equally delicious.

PRO TIP: We used to have a cheap blender and about a year ago I finally invested in a Vitamix.  Life. Changer.  I bought ours from QVC during the holidays and they sold me with the 6 monthly "easy payments."  It was much more doable to charge $60 to my credit card each month rather than the full $400.00.  I know, I know.  $400 for a blender?! Insane but so worth it if you use it often.  This baby is used all the time in our house and it makes super quick work of everything I stuff in there.

This smoothie doesn't need to be expensive.  I stock up on organic greens when they're on sale but otherwise I'll buy the non-organic stuff, no biggie.  I also have tried it with frozen chopped spinach when the fresh is not on sale.  A big savings there!  Canned pineapple when fresh is not on sale, mint from a more affordable produce store, etc.

I hope you'll be adventurous and try this out for yourself!  I was not a believer of any green drink, except for my green tea, and now I drink this at least 3 times a week.  I make it any time of day...it actually makes for a nutritious and filling dinner if you don't feel like cooking. The best part is it's very easy to customize to your taste...you can tinker with the ingredients until you find a combo you enjoy!

Sweet Potato with Asparagus

Here's a quick and easy one!  A delicious side dish or even a meat free lunch or dinner option.  This was super tasty and something I will definitely make again...and even better? Only TWO main ingredients!  The rest are pantry items I always have on hand.

Ingredients:

• Sweet potato
• Asparagus (as much as you want to eat), chopped into 1" pieces
• Pantry Items: S&P, EVOO

Instructions:

• To make this even faster, I microwaved the potato until fork tender.  
• PRO TIP: Cooking time will vary based on size of your potato.  Start with 6 minutes and check it from there.  It's done when a fork or knife inserted into the potato goes in smoothly with no resistance. 
• PRO TIP: Poke some holes all over the potato with a fork before you nuke it.  This helps steam escape while it's cooking.
• In a pan, over medium high heat, pour some EVOO in the pan and add your asparagus.
• Season with S&P.
• Sautee until just starting to brown.  PRO TIP: Those brown spots as seen in the photo are flavor magic!
• Slice your potato in half, season with S&P (and EVOO if you'd like), top with the asparagus.
• Enjoy!
• 
  

Six Ingredient Breakfast - Eggs, Veggies and English Muffins

Keeping it simple on a Monday morning with a healthy and filling SIX ingredient breakfast! This breakfast has it all...a serving of veggies, filling protein and satisfying carbs and healthy fats.  And it can all come together in under 10 minutes!

Ingredients:

• 2 whole eggs
• 1-2 large handfuls of spinach
• 1 tomato or a handful of cherry tomatoes, diced
• 1 whole wheat English muffin
• Reduced fat cream cheese
• Sprinkle of chia seeds

Pantry Items: Olive oil, salt and pepper.  (*not counted in the six main ingredients*)

Instructions:

• Split the English muffin and toast to desired done-ness.
• Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a bowl, scramble and pour into a pan over medium heat.  Cook until done to your liking and season with S&P.
• Transfer eggs onto your plate.
• *Don't forget to check your English muffins!  You don't want those to burn.*
• In the same pan that you cooked the eggs in, drizzle in some olive oil and turn the heat up to medium high.  Add the tomatoes and let cook a minute or two until they start getting soft and blistering.
• Add the spinach and wilt until done to your liking.
• Season with S&P.
• Transfer to the plate with the eggs.
• Smear some cream cheese onto your English muffins and sprinkle with chia seeds.
• Enjoy!

Workout Wednesday - Active Maternity

This morning I did something I haven't done in a long time...got a workout in early morning before work.  I discovered that Beachbody has yet another great workout option for me...Active Maternity!  These are workouts designed specifically for pregnant women and they're available on Beachbody on Demand.

They are broken into 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester workouts with an option for post-natal as well.  I tried out the 2nd trimester workout since I'm almost to 16 weeks.  It was great!  It was only 23 minutes, including warm up and cool down, which may have been my favorite feature.  I was not up for a long workout early in the morning.  I also really enjoyed incorporating some weights into the routine.

Read more about Active Maternity by Beachbody on Demand HERE!

Another thing I loved about the workout, and really, any Beachbody program I've tried so far, is that you can modify it to your needs and comfort level.  I took some extra breaths and didn't do as many reps on certain exercises, but that's the great thing about working out with a "virtual" trainer via DVD or computer...they can't see you, haha!  But really, all the trainers I've worked out with via Beachbody encourage you to modify as needed, take a water break, etc. and this is if you're pregnant or not!

Pregnancy aside, the trainer allows you to take any fitness program at your own pace while also encouraging you to try a little harder...hold that plank for another couple of seconds, get that last squat in, try a slightly heavier weight...you might surprise yourself.

I'm definitely going to be using these Active Maternity workouts in my arsenal of exercises while pregnant.  Everything I've heard, read and been told by friends and doctors, points to exercise being invaluable for me and baby...for the pregnancy, labor and delivery and recovery.  Sounds good to me, so I will keep it up and try to be active in one way or another most days.  Not all days and not specialized exercise all the time...sometimes it may be a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood but that's better than not moving at all (also true...pregnant or not!)

Make Your Own Trail Mix

Here's a quick and easy one you could throw together late on a Sunday night or even with a couple extra minutes on a Monday morning.  This came about because I was looking for a "snack" to pack for work one weekday morning.  I was running out of time before I had to get on the road to the office and thought, "I don't have anything to eat!"

Oh yes I do!  I had originally just put some raisins into a container and was about to call it done.  Then I realized I had half a granola bar sitting in the fridge so I crumbled that up and added it to the raisins.  A quick peek into the pantry yielded some pumpkin and sunflower seeds so they got added to the party.  And the best way to finish it off?  With some chunks of dark chocolate of course!

This turned out to be a super easy and super simple "trail mix" that I threw together with stuff that was already in my pantry.  It was a great snack for that 3:00pm lull when I just want a little something to get me to 5 o'clock.  Salty, sweet, chewy, crunchy and best of all...healthy and delicious!

Try this out for yourself!  Go check your pantry and see what goodies you have lying around that you can combine.  Nuts, granola, chocolate, seeds, dried fruit, crackers, pretzels, anything!

Workout Wednesday - Pregnant!

Surprise, surprise!  Shortly after starting PIYO at the beginning of August, we found out I was pregnant!  Not too much of a surprise for us as it was part of our plan, but it did alter my goals and expectations of the PIYO program.  I don't have any "traditional" before and after photos to share since I was obviously not going to be losing weight once we realized I was pregnant.

The photo above shows me at Day 1 of PIYO, unaware of the start of the tiny little life inside of me.  It also shows me 13.5 weeks into my pregnancy journey.  Still working out, but modifying as needed.

I've since completed the two months of PIYO but it was certainly not done how I would have done it prior to being pregnant.  I had to slow down, keep an eye on my heart rate and make sure I modified any positions that felt uncomfortable or gave me an increased risk of falling over or hurting myself.  Even though I don't have any traditional "weight loss" stats to share with you, I can tell you PIYO definitely helped me accomplish several other non-scale victories!

• My flexibility and balance were vastly improved.
• I could hold a plank for 90 seconds, pretty easily.
• My push up strength improved and I could do more of them on my toes instead of on my knees.
• I became more aware of my posture throughout the day.
• I stuck the Warrior 3 pose without falling over once.
• I just had an overall feeling of strength and health, knowing I was doing good things for my body.
• Before we knew about the pregnancy, I had been on my way to losing 5 pounds in the first month of PIYO.  Obviously that changed and I've since put on weight, as I should be!

Even though I am officially "done" with my first round of PIYO, I'm certainly going to keep it in the rotation of exercises I plan on doing throughout my pregnancy, and after the baby is here.  Currently I've gone back to my first Beachbody love, T25.  I freaking love that program!  The 25 minute workouts are the best part about it for me.  And I can still get a good sweat on, just by following the modifier person they have in each workout.  I wear a heart rate monitor and make sure to keep my heart rate below 140.  This is all doctor approved...no worries!

I'm hoping my healthy habits before pregnancy and during will allow me a smoother (easier...ha?!) labor, delivery and recovery.  This seems to be a great overall plan according to my doctors and friends who have been through it before!

Now, I just need to get my eating habits back on track.  Once the doctor said, "Yep, you're pregnant!" all my mind wanted was carbs and cheese, haha!  I do eat those, but I need to make sure I'm balancing it with fruits, veggies and lean proteins.  I'm grateful to have an online support system in our Challenge Group that helps keep me in check. Good for me and good for baby.