Green Monster Mania!

I want to start by thanking one of my lovely sisters again for introducing me to the BEST lunch ever: the Green Monster Smoothie.  

This drink is the best on the go lunch, or even breakfast, out there for when I don’t have time to eat before class.  Just blend and go! Not only is it an easy make, taking about 3-5 minutes, I felt completely energized during the long span of my classes.

All you need is:

• ·         Two cups baby spinach

• ·         ¾ cup of Vanilla Almond Milk

• ·         1 banana frozen

• ·        1 tbsp of peanut butter

• ·         ½ cup of Greek yogurt (I use Chobani honey)

When my sister first told me about this, I was a big skeptic because I’m not a big spinach fan and the only milk I drink is non-fat.  The fact that it is a green drink skeeved me out too.  But the taste makes it worth it! My roommates looked at me like I was crazy putting each of the ingredients in the blender and had eyes of disgust when I took my first sip.  Only my reaction of going to heaven had them dying to try it.  One of them loved it and decided to split the batch with me, while the other…not so much.  You win some you lose some I guess. 

 Another good thing about this recipe, like most, is that you can doctor it to your liking. One of my friends is allergic to peanut butter so she substitutes it with sun butter made from sunflower seeds.  The other day I ran out of honey yogurt so I tried it with peach and it was just as good, if not better! There’s also no room in our freezer for me to keep a bundle of bananas so I just use ice, works just the same.

Want to learn more? Check out the Green Monster Movement for more recipe ideas.

Happy first day of Spring!!

Sorry I seem to have fallen off the face of the earth lately, but I’m back!  While away, I stumbled upon this article using the ZITE app on my phone and it definitely had me thinking.  To summarize, the article states that a person is capable of changing their own genes when it comes to obesity simply by walking more.  Not only did my eyes widened when I read that, I instantly thought, “No way is this true.”  But the short article has proof from a study done at Harvard, so it must be true, right? I’m still skeptic.  I think having a routine of walking briskly for an hour a day will affect your heath and weight, but it will not change your genetics.   In my opinion, living a lifestyle that consists of physical exercise and healthy eating habits is what causes a change.  Then, applying this same lifestyle to how you raise your children will instill the same healthy values, causing a ripple effect to future generations. What do you think??

On a lighter note, spring fever has hit campus!  Everyone is outside in the quad, tanning in bikinis, going for runs, you name it college students everywhere are doing it.  So with all this extra activity that Spring always brings, here is a healthy treat that you should try: FROYO!  

Are you an ice cream junkie?  Do you sneak spoonfuls when no one is looking? Well this lovely invention is the PERFECT healthy alternative for you.  Now I know frozen yogurt is nothing too new to the world, but up until I started college a few years ago I never knew it was better to eat than ice cream.  There is a place in town a few blocks up from my apartment called Kiwi Yogurt (formerly known as "Sprinkles" for those of us who were around when it first opened) that is to die for on a hot day! All of their frozen yogurt varieties are non-fat, and as of recently many are gluten-free! There is also a bar of goodies that you can top your dessert with such as fruit, candy, sprinkles, cereal—practically anything you want. Here's a look at my delicious treat I shared with my boyfriend:

More good news: a ½ cup (the serving size) of any of the yogurts comes to under 150 calories before the toppings. Kiwi, like many frozen yogurt places, also pays by the ounce, which is an added bonus.  A FROYO shop that is close by is also a great place to run to ;]

picture 1 http://www.hiren.info/desktop-wallpapers/animals-birds-pictures/spring-scents_beagle-puppy 
picture 2 http://amplifiedculture.com/bliss-kiwi-frozen-yogurt-opens-in-winter-springs/

It’s just been one of those weeks.

I have eaten food that is high in sugar, loaded with saturated fats, and contains more salt than ever before.  It didn’t help that I had midterms, presentations and papers due every day (side note—I’m a stress-eater).  However, what really upsets me is that I didn’t think once to take my advice from my previous post.  It’s okay to have those weeks where vegetables are figments of your imagination, but, for me at least, I need to do some type of exercise otherwise I start to feel sorry for myself.  Therefore, to boost my morale this week, I’ve decided to follow this calendar that my sister emailed me on Friday:

It’s not much, and I will probably try to add some cardio in there as well, but having what I need to do planned out each day will help me succeed.  So what are your thoughts? Have you ever kicked yourself for doing or not doing something? What did you do to make up for it?

**Picture from http://toneandfit.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/madabsmarch.jpg