Tag Archives: smoothies

The Big Food Trends You Can Expect to Devour in 2024

2015-food-trends

‘Tis the season for predicting what 2024 will be like! Many forecasts have been made about the food trends that are awaiting us next year, and we are excited about so many of them! Over the past few years, we have seen food items like cupcakes and cronuts, popsicles, sriracha, quinoa, and bacon rise to unprecedented levels of pop culture fandom, while food-related conversations have hit on things like locally-traded food, organic food, and food trucks.

So what do we have to look forward to noshing on in 2024? Let’s dig in!

green tea smoothie

1. Liquid Revolution!

According to McCormick Spice Company, 2024 will bring somewhat of a liquid revolution. Purees and juices will make the rounds, focusing on a “more fun” way to consume those 13 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

Start Now: Green Tea Power Smoothie or this Rainbow Smoothie (more…)

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Jessica Tholmer

Make This Strawberry Banana Crunch Smoothie Bowl for a Delicious Post-Workout Recovery

smoothie bowl recipe

One of the most common questions that I get asked as a personal trainer is what to eat pre- and post-workout. Fueling your workouts properly and eating a nutritious post-workout meal is just as important as exercising itself (especially if you want to reap the full benefits of your sweat session). Let me share with you what works best for me.

I keep my pre-workout fueling simple. Why? I’m usually not hungry when I wake up, and I tend to cramp up if I eat a big meal before I exercise. My go-to choices are a banana, half a bagel with peanut butter, or part of a granola bar.

 PREWORKOUT SNACKS

Post-workout is when I can get creative! After I’ve finished a long run or bike ride, I love nothing more than to kick back and enjoy a delicious and refreshing smoothie bowl. I created this recipe in order to help my body recover after a hard workout. I like to call it the Strawberry Banana Crunch Smoothie Bowl, and I think you’re going to love it, too! (more…)

Posted on August 12, 2023 by Dempsey Marks

Indulge in a Smoothie Happy Hour! How a Splash of Booze Transforms Your Healthiest Smoothie Recipe

If you are anything like me, you like to stay fit but have a good time at night, too. I have the perfect answer for you. Below, I have some great (and healthy!) smoothie ideas that will be (almost) as healthy with a splash of spirits!

strawberry smoothie

Girls night, game night, or movie night can be an empty calorie bomb after a few rounds of daiquiris, martinis, and wine. Those calories in alcohol really add up! But when you make a compromise to indulge with a little of your favorite liquor swirled around in your favorite homemade fruit and veggie-based smoothie, then you get to enjoy a little of everything.

Enjoy these five healthy smoothies paired with a splash of somethin’!

Strawberry Whopper +Coconut rum

Strawberries, spinach, cacao powder, and coconut rum?! Somebody stop me! I am dead serious–this smoothie with a bit of rum is so delicious, and completely guilt free. Since this recipe, created by Nutritious America, already calls for coconut water, it is not that much of a stretch to imagine it with coconut rum instead. To avoid the smoothie becoming too watery, substitute half a cup of the coconut water for the rum instead. Voila! Delicious. (more…)

Posted on April 7, 2024 by Jessica Tholmer

This Green Tea Power Smoothie is the Ultimate Power Breakfast

Smoothies are the ultimate power breakfast, in my opinion. In one easy and portable drink, you get multiple servings of fruit and vegetables plus protein so it always lasts you till lunch. And no matter what the ingredients are it always ends up tasting delicious, which makes me think my blender has magical powers.

matcha smoothie

Once I discovered you could add spinach to smoothies without altering the taste, my morning breakfast was forever changed. In this smoothie, we add spinach and green tea powder, or “matcha,” which contains more antioxidants than brewed green tea, raspberries and blueberries combined!

greenTea-smoothie

In other words, this is one of the healthiest smoothies on the block! (more…)

Posted on March 10, 2024 by Dana

75 New Vegan Recipes in the ‘Oh She Glows’ Debut Cookbook

Angela Liddon is a popular blogger who’s been sharing vegan recipes on her award-winning site, Oh She Glows, for the last five years. Originally the blog was created as a cathartic outlet for Angela to write about her eating disorder recovery. The site became a place for her to connect with men and women who were also struggling to make peace with food. Now, Oh She Glows boasts more than 400 healthy recipes. Writing The Oh She Glows Cookbook was a natural progression, and a project that her fans have been eagerly awaiting.

oh she glows 1

The book will be released on March 4, 2024, but Angela was nice enough to give us a little sneak peek.

The Oh She Glows Cookbook: Over 100 Recipes to Glow from the Inside Out contains 75 new recipes not found on the website. The recipes are all vegan in nature but some are also gluten-free and sugar-free. The focus is on health and “real whole-food ingredients.”

(more…)

Posted on February 26, 2024 by Dani Stone

4 Ways to Fit in Breakfast Even on Busy Mornings

By Team Best Life

We know how tough it can be to find the time for a healthy breakfast when you’re trying to get out the door in the morning. But a recent survey from the NPD Group, a market research company, suggests that people have found a solution: More and more Americans are opting for grab-and-go breakfasts.

breakfast

That’s a smart strategy since the benefits of breakfast have been well proven—people who start their day with a healthy meal are generally slimmer and healthier than those who skip it. Not only can a morning meal help keep your appetite in check, but it can also give you a boost of energy.

Check out the grab-and-go breakfast ideas below, all of which can help you power through your day:

  • Muffins. Make a batch of over the weekend, and enjoy them all week long. (Handy tip: You can freeze them and microwave them for just a few seconds to soften them up right before eating.) Pair with a skim latte and fruit for a balanced breakfast. We love these Pumpkin Spice Muffins. Don’t have time for homemade? It’s fine to go for store-bought—just look for one with 160 to 200 calories and at least 5 g fiber. (more…)
Posted on February 25, 2024 by BestLifeDiet

5 Fall Fruit Desserts to Bake, Poach, and Grill Your Way to 5 a Day

By Team Best Life

You already know that fruit is loaded with good-for-you nutrients, including fiber, vitamins and phytochemicals, all of which can keep you healthy, so we’ll save that lecture again. Choices certainly become a bit more limited in the fall and winter (unless you want to shell out for expensive imports), but there are plenty of in-season fruits that totally satisfy your sweet tooth. Our favorite way to get our fruit fix: Have it for dessert. Fruit is the perfect base for desserts because it’s naturally sweet. So this season, grab your favorite fall or winter fruit and bake, poach, or even grill your way to five a day.

apples pears

Bake It

Pop some fruit in the oven for a warm, melt-in-your-mouth treat. You can make a fruit crisp or crumble, which features a crunchy, sweet topping, or a fruit slump, which boasts a moister topping that literally slumps into the fruit while it’s baking. Or top your baked fruit with a little chocolate, as in this Baked Pear with Chocolate Sauce recipe.

Poach It

Simmer your fruit in liquid with a bit of sugar to create a juicy and mouthwatering dish. Want a little more flavor? Try adding some of your favorite spices, as shown in this recipe for Poached Fall Fruit: Grapes, Apples and Pears with Cinnamon, Cardamom and Anise. (more…)

Posted on November 20, 2023 by BestLifeDiet

Sip a Rainbow Smoothie to Deliciously Tackle Your Daily Fruit and Vegetable Serving Needs

How many fruits and vegetables have you had today? How about the kids? If you’re like most Americans, the CDC says it’s not enough. Sure, it can feel like a challenge to get more fresh plant-based foods on to your plate, but it’s absolutely worth trying. Nothing good ever came from a beige plate of food. That’s why every plate should look like a rainbow.

rainbow smoothie ingredients

We’ve got a pretty healthy, simple, and delicious way to fix this fruit and veggie problem, at least a part of it. You and the kids are going to love our Rainbow Smoothie because it’s as tasty as it is fun.

judah rainbow smoothie

The premise is really pretty simple – select one fruit or vegetable from each color family. Combine these with yogurt in a blender, and voila, you’ve got as much as seven servings of fruits and vegetables in one cup. If your kids haven’t met Roy G. Biv, now is a great time, especially when they can relate it to food.

ROYGBIV represents the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Now, that last arc of the rainbow gets a little tricky, but plenty of options exist. You can reference this chart. Stick it to the refrigerator and let the kids familiarize themselves with each food item, or they could even use it as a Rainbow Smoothie menu. (more…)

Posted on July 22, 2023 by Natalie K

July Fourth Recovery Menu: One-Day Clean Eating Plan

You went for it. Frankly, we all did. With the franks – hot dogs. And burgers. Potato salad, someone’s aunt’s best apple pie, sodas, beer, and ice cream, too. You celebrated July Fourth like most Americans. smoothie

Today? Not feeling so hot. All is not lost. It’s actually pretty easy to put yesterday’s holiday bender behind you and focus forward on a healthful summer. It starts today, right now.

This isn’t a detox – we think your body is aptly equipped to handle that on its own but ONLY if you’re giving it what it needs. Another full day of beers and brats and your digestive system is going to boycott the whole idea of helping you out!

Stick to our July Fourth Recovery Menu and you’ll feel better throughout the day, not to mention how much more energy you’ll have to take on the rest of the weekend’s events.  (more…)

Posted on July 5, 2023 by Natalie K

Our Exclusive Recipes Featured at FitBottomedEats.com

We really love Jenn and all the Fit Bottomed Girls, so when we learned last year that they’d be adding a third site to their sassy suite, we couldn’t help but ask if we could be a tiny part of it. FitBottomedEats.com is one of our favorite places to share our original recipes. Each month we craft a dessert, or breakfast, or entree that fits in to the lives of the easy-going, no-fuss ladies who visit there. We never make anything we wouldn’t, or don’t, eat ourselves and love that marriage of healthful and flavorful ingredients that always result in a winning recipe.

Each link will take you to the original recipe featured at FitBottomedEats.com. Be sure to tell Jenn we sent you!

Cheesy Stuffed Pepper Enchiladas

stuffed peppers done

We took everything we love about the classic green chili enchilada and stuffed it in to a big ‘ole bell pepper. In ditching the carb-loaded tortillas and typical cheddar cheese, we can focus on the flavor and wholesomeness of this quick and satisfying dinner.

burrito

Better Breakfast Burrito

We stuffed a soft spinach tortilla full of everything you love at breakfast and still managed to make it healthy! We used Applegate’s breakfast sausage links, which cook in mere seconds in the microwave, scrambled an egg, chopped fresh bell peppers, and sprinkled a bit of cheese. It’ll fuel your morning without interrupting your flow. (more…)

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Natalie K

Twitter’s Best Smoothies: Recipes in 140 Characters or Less

I love a smoothie! Honestly there is nothing wrong with this food. It’s completely customizable, satisfying, and delicious. And let’s talk about how nutritionally dense they are. When I’m feeling run down, sluggish, or just need to reboot after an indulgent weekend, I attack my blender.

A three-city road trip with my family last weekend left me in such a state, so it’s been smoothie mornings all week. I more or less make the same version every time depending on what I have. But yesterday’s smoothie was so awesome, tasted so fresh, and four hours later had me yet to clamor for a snack, it just had to be shared on Twitter!

That avocado and spinach that you’re curling your lips at? Can’t even taste them. But your body knows they are there and that’s what matters. If I don’t make smoothies with avocados, I’m hungry an hour or two later. The healthy fats keep me satisfied well past a normal snack time.

I’m not the only one sharing smoothie recipes on Twitter. Frankly, I’m not the only one sharing what I eat on any social network. It’s a thing. I’m part of it. Sort of proud, but definitely not ashamed. So I looked around and gathered the best tweeted smoothie recipes from the past week and found enough ideas to keep us all crushing ice and fruit for a few days.

 

 

Posted on January 31, 2024 by Natalie K