The Yoga Smoothie

People who want to get into shape and are pressed for time frequently try to fit a workout into their workday--the lunch hour turns into the exercise hour.  I myself take a couple lunch hours per week to bend and stretch with yoga.  I've got it down to a good solid routine so that not much can mess with my commitment to take care of my body (except the occasional emergency meeting).  I limit the workout itself to 30-40 mins, suit up in the bathroom, and use a facility on site at my office for the actual workout.  You may not be so lucky, but everyone has to find their own way to squeeze in that "me" time.

So, once you've huffed and puffed through your lunch hour, what to do about that grumbly tummy?  Enter the Yoga Smoothie.  I make it up in the morning.  I pour it into a thermos and store it in the break room fridge until I'm ready to "eat".  It's the least disruptive way to satisfy your post workout hunger and it can be carried to a meeting, or sipped on the way back from your gym location.

The photo is a bit blurry, but you get the idea.  With a lid on top of this puppy, no one need know that you're eating healthy while you tap out that TPS report at your desk.

Yoga Smoothie
3 bananas, chopped and frozen
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp hemp powder
handful of walnuts
almond or soy milk

Add all ingredients to your blender, pour the milk over until it rises to within an inch or two of the level of the solid bits, then blend the heck out of it.  I usually use the ice crush setting on mine at first, then frappe until completely blended and smooth.

Papaya: an LPR sufferer's friend

As an LPR sufferer, I'll consider whatever I can do to improve my digestion, and my latest interest is papaya. We can't make all of the amino acids we need for proper digestion. Papaya contains a digestive enzyme called Papain which helps out in that area. Also, Papain reduces swelling and promotes healing, which I figure could only help with LPR.

The other nice thing about papaya is it is not a very acid fruit. I could be eating a bunch of pineapple to get my digestive enzymes: Pineapple is loaded with Bromelain, another digestive enzyme. But it's way too acid for me to consider noshing on because of my LPR damage. Papaya fits the bill perfectly.

Here's a delicious smoothie I made this morning which is packed with papaya and other good-for-you stuff.

Papaya Smoothie

1/4 Mexican papaya (the bigger kind you see in the stores), peeled and roughly diced

1 banana, in slices, frozen, or 1 banana, sliced

1 cup of coconut water

If you aren't already freezing banana slices- and why aren't you, by the way- add 1/2 cup ice to the mix. If you are using frozen banana, then add some water or additional coconut water to just cover the fruit.

Whiz on low in the blender until incorporated, then kick it up to liquefy.

Makes enough for two tall smoothies.

Papaya is also good in more savory applications. I know as soon as I feel good enough to eat raw onion again, I'm going to make salsa with it. And this sounds delicious too: Papaya Mint Salad.

Mango Coconut Smoothie

After an evening running around and a rushed veggie patty sandwich on the go, we felt the need for a little sweet treat at home.  Digging around in the pantry, I found some canned full-fat coconut milk, mango chunks in the freezer, and a last little bit of orange juice--barely enough for breakfast--in the fridge.

I have developed a lactose intolerance over the winter, possibly due to a nasty flu bug, so when I crave something creamy I now resort to a variety of alterna-milks.  There's the coconut as mentioned earlier--really nice over cereal--but a bit overpowering in cooking.  Then we have the soy milk, which can be quite neutral in flavor, but delicate in sauces--you don't want to boil it because it gets lumpy.  Almond milk is the most expensive and it's probably the most flexible in cooking, though not as creamy.  I love almond milk in a cafe latte or cappuccino.  For whatever reason, the lower fat content produces a more frothy and stable steamed milk.

In the blender, I whizzed up the coconut milk, mango chunks, juice, with a few drops of vanilla extract and crushed ice cubes.  Out poured a luscious and semi-frozen treat, perfect for a warm May evening.  I didn't even get brain freeze.

Mike's Health Bomb

Sometimes, a measured, reasonable pace is not what's required. What's needed, instead, is drastic intervention. Mornings are like this for me, every single day. It takes extraordinary measures to evaporate the fog that's been accumulating in my head all night. Two cups of coffee are my usual poison; however, I'm changing my tune somewhat. Given: I've decided as the family morning riser it's my duty to be the one to work out in the mornings. Also given: my stomach is a barely caged beast in the A.M., demanding nothing less than immediate gratification in my first waking moments lest it reward me with it's other major morning mood, nausea. Impending workout + need for something in my belly asap = smoothie. You can see my logic here, right? Thanks to Smoov-E, creamy drink manufacture has become a snap. Additionally, it's easy to pack a whopper load of nutrition into 8 oz. of smoothie.

I have this other morning habit: I take probiotics, digestive enzymes and a multivitamin, and supplemental fiber in some form. I had the orange flavored citrucel before. What corporate genius decided people who are taking fiber for their health would find a significant dose of aspertame along with it just hunky dory? I did find some unsweetened citrucel (straight up psyllium husk, in actuality) which I dose juice with in the evenings. But I like another source of fiber better: Hemp. Not only does it have a significant dose of the required roughage, ground hemp seeds are also loaded with the all important Omega 3s and many trace minerals. Plus, it is loaded with protein. This stuff really is health food. The only obstacle you'll encounter with it is palatability. It's not unpleasant in flavor, but the powdery texture leaves something to be desired.

Enter: the smoothie. All of the above issues are easily addressed with a formula Abbey laughingly calls the Health Bomb. My guidelines are not strict (that's how I am with everything); what I made this morning is pretty representative of the idea, and, despite it looking like mud leaning mildly toward purple, it was very tasty. First, the supplements. I dumped two heaping tablespoons (which is about 16 grams of fiber) of hemp in the blender. Looks appetizing, yes? Then I disassembled two probiotic supplements and added that. To ensure a mix on the thin side to compensate for the hemp, which has a thickening effect, I added some almond milk and organic unsweetened grape juice. Finally, the solids: a banana (for the sweetness and the potassium) and a good handful of blueberries (for the anthocyanins and other good stuff). The product was ugly, yes, but actually very good. Abbey, who very sportingly tried some when I exclaimed in surprise, "It tastes good!", observed the almond milk compliments the flavor of the hemp; I agree, it really does. Now my belly is happy, I've added no caffeine to stress out my system so I can go work out, and I've got all the nutrition I need to feed my muscles. Problem happily solved. I'm looking forward to my next one, which judging from an inventory of the freezer will have a strawberry theme.

Bring on the Superfoods!

The namesake of this blog has made it known that he wishes to modify our current diet plan.  We will languish no more in the fruitless (literally) pursuit of South Beach weight loss.  While keeping some of the low carb principles in place, we're allowing far more fruit into our diet.

We're getting out the blender and we're not afraid to use it.  We feel the benefits, the fiber, the vitamins, and the delicious flavor, far outweigh the concern over sugars in our diet.  Phase 2 just seemed too restrictive in this area.

Exhibit A:  The Sunny Bunny...a smoothie I first experienced at Columbia, Missouri's Main Squeeze.  It fulfills Michael's new diet requirement, which is to say it tastes good and it's good for him.  It's a glass full of superfoods.  Carrots taste good.  We've been told all our lives that they're good for us, and they're loaded with vitamin A.  Oranges taste good.  They're packed with vitamin C and folate.  Bananas taste good.  One banana has 422 mg of potassium.  It's all quite fresh, organic, and good for him.  I got out the old Osterizer and juiced seven huge carrots.  I put a couple bananas in the blender with the carrot juice and the orange juice and blended.  When making smoothies, one can't be bothered with measurements.  You put in what you like and it will taste good to you.  Go on, dust off your juicer.  You know you wanna.