Green Smoothie Link Up #3

We made it!!! 

7 days of adding one green smoothie to your routine was actually a lot of fun and for sure very healthy!!


I'm smiling ear to ear thinking about how many of us jumped on board with this challenge and stuck with it :)
It's been fun bouncing around the link ups and following along via Twitter and Instagram. Huge THANK YOU to Katherine. She's the creator of our little challenge and has worked hard collaborating and bringing you giveaway opportunities. If you haven't gotten by her blog, you're crazy. She's filled with cheer and tons of real food recipes. AND, I hope you've stopped by the co -hosts Sally, Jezz, Ashlee, and Hope too! They've definitely inspired me to try a few new "green" recipes! and makeup, and pilates, and other recipes too!

Today's the final link up.
A HOOAH, farewell to this challenge but definitely not an excuse to stop drinking spinach! I say keep it up! I know my family and I will continue to add greens to our smoothies. I seriously had no idea that the taste would be masked so well by fruit. Both my boys are getting servings of veggies and hardly noticing it. Making momma happy. Hubs is still a bit weary of the whole idea but he's coming around. And me.... I'm hooked! I'll never make another smoothie without at least adding a handful of spinach  :)

What about you?
Have you tried new ingredients? Bought new "superfoods"?
Do you think you'll continue with daily/weekly green smoothies?

Enjoy the Giveaway below and best of luck to you! Then link up your recipes and final posts!
If you missed the previous link ups and green smoothie recipes I've tried you can find them here...

Sambazon
{all organic, vegan and gluten free} 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Party Time - Green Smoothie

It's the 7th and final day of our Green Smoothie Challenge!
Katherine, Ashlee, Sally, Jezz, Hope and I all hope you've had fun getting your green on!
Tomorrow is the final link up. Have you looked over Wednesday and Fridays? I'm so tempted to try every green smoothie creation! Each time I make one of these green smoothies I'm still expecting to taste the green and just doesn't happen. Maybe because I overload the blender with every fruit in the house or maybe it's just meant to be. But I'm loving the fact that my smoothies now offer a pow of both veggies and fruits.

Party Time Green Smoothie

for the first smoothie...                          for the second smoothie...

handfuls of spinach                                 cup of sliced strawberries

handful of kale                                           cup of blueberries and blackberries

cup of frozen pineapple                         sliced kiwi

sliced frozen banana                               mango greek yogurt

mango                                                          5 spinach icecubes

1/4 cup Coconut Milk                            1/4 cup Coconut Milk

Blend each smoothie separately then combine! This makes plenty so expect leftovers!

We had fun with this colorful smoothie. It's like a little party in a cup! My little one and I played with layering the veggie and fruit goodness into our glasses. His being a plastic Mickey Mouse tumbler :) We made more than enough and used the leftovers for popsicles! Those will be the perfect bedtime treat for little man tonight. He really does get all kinds of excited when it's time to make a smoothie. He grabs his step stool and gets himself up to the counter ready to press the button on the blender. He imitates the sounds he hears and when it's ready he hops down, cup in hands and literally jumps up and down squealing for his fill up. It's really too cute and makes me happy that he's as excited about a green smoothie as he is over a new truck or handful of M&M's.

Come back Monday for the final link up!
Share a recipe and your thoughts on the challenge on with us. Has it become a habit for you?
Something you will continue? Did you learn of new ingredients or shelf items to help make your smoothies even more nutritious/yummy?






Linking with Taste Of Tuesdays, Tell Me Tuesday

I Love Me a FRIDAY!

Finally Friday! 
I'm sooooo looking forward to the weekend, I'm sure you are too!
Considering Sunday will be spent in class studying for the AFAA certification, I plan to relax at home with my 3 L's all.day.long Saturday. Maybe squeeze in a little workout, maybe not. No pressure this weekend! I may even completely unplug. maybe. This has been a busy week on the blog, thank you all for playing along!

1// HELLO hot new running shoes! I drove my happy self down to Carytown this week to Road Runners. There they have you walk and run to determine your gait. Turns out the shoes I've been choosing over-correct my slight pronation. In fact my left foot turns inward more than my right foot. No wonder my right knee and ITband have been bothering me! They gave me 3 choices in the perfect structured shoe for me and I chose the Nike Zoom Elite based on fitting not color. Trust me, if you follow me on Instagram then you know all about my cry for help over this bubblegum pink color!

2// Aprils fitness challenge was Be Your Own Inspiration and Be More Active. I think I did pretty well. Even my boys jumped on this and my husband, well that man is plenty active already. Anyhoooo, I definitely added more running to my routine, tried fun fitness and picked up the kettlebell more times than I can count. Hope you all had fun with the Be More Active Challenge too! We'll soon see what challenge May brings us :)

3// Like Father like son! Little man Landon is all about his daddy. He got a leaf blower and mower for his birthday so now he's happy instead of crappie when his dads doing yard work. The two of them do it together every week. Landon even tries to bring the mower into bath time and bed time. Too cute.

4// Another green smoothie! You know this had slide into my H54F post :) Be sure to check out the linky and add yours too if you've joined us!

5// Lance is doing shot put on the track team now! He's a sprinter and loves the 100 meter dash but he's gotten really good at shot put so coach let him do it twice this week! He's making his momma proud!


*Take a moment to reflect on the big and small things that make your week more beautiful.



Have you ever been fitted for running shoes?
Sat through an AFAA Certification class?

Much love to you all!!
Hope you each have a wonderful weekend!


P.S.
Hopefully you caught yesterday's post!
All my April Sponsors make me smile ear and to ear, you should def go meet each one!
This months group giveaway has a $70 VISA up for grabs along with some real estate... have fun with that :)

AND Weekend Bloglovin Hop

Green Smoothie Link Up #2

WOW! Wednesdays Green Smoothie Link Up held over 30 delicious smoothie creations and it seems by the comments, tweets and even IG that there are so many more of you participating too!!
Your doing your body lots of good :)

I'm wondering do you feel any different?
Like do you feel healthier by just having one green smoothie? Do feel more energetic? Less hungry?

Just curious.

I guess for me, having a smoothie/green smoothie each day definitely makes me feel healthy. It's a healthy choice how could it not?! They do fill me up but are in no way a meal replacement for me. I find them to be super convenient and love adding protein to it for post workout purposes. The whole family enjoys them and I'm thinking about freezing the mix as popsicles for the upcoming weekend. Don't you think that'll work?

I'm happy about taking on taking on this 7 day green smoothie. I know my blog is running posts like crazy compared to my normal but this is a good cause and I'm happy to support it and thrilled by each of you who have joined! Our bodies are little machines and we need to fuel them correctly. This is just one way to be sure we're feeding ourselves a healthy treat each day!



Keep those recipes coming and keep with the challenge, stay strong through the weekend! We're here for ya!!

***

your host/cohost are the first 6

just link a green smoothie post and be cool and link back

Let's mingle and gain inspiration from each other :)

Island Green Smoothie

Island Green Smoothie

Blend these ingredients first...

handful of finely chopped Kale

handful of chopped spinach

1/4 c. coconut milk

1/2 c. mango Greek yogurt

1/2 c. traditional oats

Then add...

chopped mango

chopped kiwi

cup of pineapple cubes

handful green grapes

sliced banana

Blend and enjoy!
*if none of the above are frozen then add your spinach ice cubes! 

I must admit I was scared to try kale as my "green" in today's smoothie. Kale is known to have a bitter taste. It's also known to hold high amounts of vitamins, antioxidants and fiber even some protein, all the stuff that's good for you! So it was well worth the try. And guess what? I really liked this smoothie!

Last week, Lucas and I took our lunch breaks together, we ordered smoothies and sandwiches. I took notes of what was in the Island Green Smoothie I had ordered and did my best to recreate it. I think I nailed it! I highly recommend you give this one a try. Super nutritious and super delicious!


What's been your favorite smoothie so far?
Have you tried Kale in your smoothie before?
We tried Kale chips again tonight and are starting to really like them. Have you had those before?


Katherine, Ashlee, Sally, Jezz, and Hope have been posting green smoothie recipes all week.
Be sure to check out their posts, lots of green going on there and the Sun Warrior Giveaway is live through tonight, enter there for Raw Vegan Superfoods :) Also, I've got a fab giveaway here for you too!

Tomorrow is another Green Smoothie Link up!
check here for other green smoothies of this week!

Green Smoothie Link Up!

If you follow me on twitter, I might be killing you with the green smoothie tweets, but I can't help it! You people are full of yummy little creations and I kinda just want to share them with everyone. I've always been a fan of smoothies and am forever grateful to Katherine for contacting me about this Green Smoothie Challenge. I don't know how much longer it would have taken me to DRINK SPINACH. I love knowing that I can start or end each day with a serving of both fruit and veggies. And it's a serving that taste more like ice cream. So keep those recipes coming and keep with the challenge....you're doing your body lots of good!

The Green Smoothie Challenge has already gifted 2 winners with $70 worth of Amazing Grass meals, there are more giveaways to come over the next 4 days. It's uber hard for me to not spill the beans, I'm excited for you! Katherine's scored some great companies and products! But there is one giveaway I can brag on and tell you about! All those rad bloggers to the right have come together to host a nice little giveaway, be sure to come back later tonight and get in on their awesomeness and generosity! Cheers my friends!

***

your host/cohost are the first 6

just link a green smoothie post and be cool and link back

Let's mingle and gain inspiration from each other :)

Post Workout Banana & Oat Green Smoothie

I'm currently rolling a tennis ball under foot. I'm in desperate need of new running shoes. In my mind, I'm cursing myself for not taking the time to shop for a new pair. Tell you a secret, these running shoes have been with me since last years 10K. bad, bad, bad. very bad. It's no wonder my arches ache and my knee is driving me crazy each time I run or hit the gym. I'm promising myself a block of time on Wednesday to shop for new running shoes. You all hold me to it!!! I'm so quick to put myself off and worry over others but this is important stuff here. for realzzzz.

Ok, on to the awesomely.delicious post work-out smoothie. 

If you like banana and pineapple this ones for you.  If you sweat and drag yourself back home after a run or time at the gym, this ones for you. If you... just kidding.

What's in it...

Post Workout Protein Green Smoothie

4 spinach ice cubes
2 handfuls spinach
1 sliced banana
chunks of pineapple (maybe cups worth)
scoop of peanut butter (you can make your own!)
teaspoon of L-Glutamine
scoop of banana flavored protein powder
half cup of oats
half cup of almond milk (or other liquid)

So the list of items makes it seem complicated but it's not. This is simple stuff, just chop, scoop and dump.
Let the blender do the hard work. If you really like the taste of peanut butter go for it, make it a heaping spoonful. I kinda don't so if I'd change anything about this it would be a little less peanut butter. The banana and pineapple are light, fluffy flavors so the peanut butter does get the limelight.

If you haven't noticed yet, I'm a bit obsessed with banana's. No one in their right mind wants a banana protein powder shake, awesome for me because GNC marked this whey protein flavor down from 60 to 20. Thank you very much, it makes for a super yummy post workout smoothie. What is L-Glutamine? It comes in tablet or powder form and is believed to help with muscle repair and growth aka soreness. When you're working hard, you're gonna have sore muscles. It's a good thing, a strong sign that you're becoming better. But it doesn't necessarily look on good you. At least not me. When I'm struggling up a staircase with toddler, purse, dog, and groceries I look all sorts of foolishness. I believe in L-Glutamine. When I use it consistently I notice my soreness fades more quickly. It's also known to aid in digestion and help deliver protein to muscles. Definite pluses when working out. We buy powder form and just add it to our shakes and smoothies. An easy and thoughtless aid in post workout care.

Why oats? ehhhh, I've just noticed a lot of smoothies, cookies and brunches making oats look fancy. And because we know oats hold fiber. Fiber fills you up and helps keep things on the reg. (whatever that's worth). It's just half a cup of traditional oats. Good ole' Quaker style. One of these days I'll try mashing a banana into oats and see what all the rave is over those yummy looking cookies but for now the resturant size tub of oats is just for me' smoothies. If you're wanting a green smoothie to tie you over between meals or be a meal replacement, add oats to help fill you up.

yes, little man will literally fight me for a sip of my green smoothies. excellent way to sneak him some veggies! 

this pic of us first went up on IG about a week ago!

That's it loves! I'm beat, my feet ache and my belly is full. I'm off to watch some TV and stare into my lovers eyes. Plus I'm really full of myself tonight, so it's best I get out of here!

Tomorrow is the first link up for this Green Smoothie Challenge! I'm excited to see us all link our posts. You don't have to make a new special post for the link up, you can totally use Mondays or today's. In fact, I'll probably use today's :) It's been fun wondering around, checking into everyones excitement and recipes!  I feel uber happy that so many have joined this challenge and having a go-to place in tomorrows link up will make it much easier for us to meet each other! Wooohooo to 7 days of green smoothies!

Make sure to check in with Katherine (our ring leader), Ashlee, Hope, Sally, and Jezz. We're all in this craziness together and here for you with support and fun "green" recipes!

Ok, now I'm done!


But before you go check out yesterday's super sweet Apple Green Smoothie!
And/Or check out the Green Smoothie Link Up for countless recipes for your next smoothie and if you have a green smoothie post we'd love for you to link it up too :)

*more on L-Glutamine here and here 
as always, I'm not a doctor or RD!


Linking with Just Because, Tell Me Tuesday, Taste of Tuesday, Anything and Everything, Katherine's Corner

Apple A Day - Green Smoothie Recipe & Giveaway!

Today's the kickoff!

Green Smoothie Challenge - Day 1
In case you forgot or are seeing this for the first time, all you have to do is add one green smoothie to your day for 7 days. That's it! How easy right?! Here's a look at my first ever green smoothie....

We love apples in this house. My little one will carry an apple around like most tots do their paci. He'll stay busy on that apple all day. It's quite the babysitter. Apples are a staple, a must have in my house!

The first time I put apples in the blender was for this salad dressing and I remember thinking, well this is weird. But that salad dressing went down as one of my absolute faves. So for my first green smoothie I wanted to try mixing apples in with other fruits and handfuls of spinach.

Like apples, everyone in the fam wants a sip of my smoothie. I always make enough for at least 2 glasses and if I'm really being generous with MY smoothie then an entire blender full will make about 3 glasses. I tell you this because if you too make enough to share then you really need to double up on the greens to reep all the benefits of a green smoothie.

Apple a Day - Green Smoothie Recipe

1/2 c. almond milk

2 c. chopped spinach

1 fugi apple sliced/cubed

1 c. frozen pineapple chunks

1 c. frozen strawberry slices

*measurements are close estimates, I really just chop and dump!

So my first Green Smoothie wasn't actually the color green?! Keep that in mind, not all green smoothies are green. If you're adding blueberries or tons of strawberries or not using enough spinach/other green then the color will vary :)

Aside from the stems, I LOVED it!
I promise you, you can't taste the spinach!

Stealing a few tips from my Makings of a Green Smoothie post.... pour milk into blender first then add spinach, followed by fruits. It's important to put milk or creamy fruits in first so the blades/motor can work efficiently. My first green smoothie held a few stems, I realized that breaking the spinach leaves into pieces before adding to blender would help my smoothies be more smooth and stem free. Freezing my fruits the night before is really helpful too. Every smoothie needs something frozen otherwise you just get juice. Another fun trick for something frozen is making spinach ice cubes! Do this by placing spinach leaves in an ice cube tray and adding water. Tossing 5 or so into an otherwise unfrozen smoothie recipe will help you get the right consistency.

Also check out my Banana and Oat Post Workout Green Smoothie, it's my favorite!
The Green Smoothie linky is filling up with recipes too, check it out!


So team up with us!
Make sure to comment on one of our blogs so we know you're doing it too!

It's been a bit tricky to keep track of each person whose joined. Katherine who host this challenge has about 60 people signed up and each of us co-host are showing anywhere from 5 to 20 people joining. As important as it is for us to share recipes with you, it's even more important that we get to really know each other through this challenge! We'll have link ups set for you join on Wednesday, Friday and the final day - next Monday. This will give us all one place to be together and a chance to show off share our favorite green recipes and mingle!!

Be sure to check out Katherine, Hope, Ashlee, Sally, and Jezz too! They each have yummy recipe's posted this week for the challenge! Let us know if you have any troubles or questions, we're here for ya!!

And now GIVEAWAY TIME :)
sponsored by Amazing Grass. Enter now, winner selected on Tuesday!
a Rafflecopter giveaway



P.S. if you missed the weekends fun you can find it here! 

Linking with Wonderful Food, YOLO Mondays, Miscellany Mondays, Moms Monday Mingle, Bloglovin, Katherines Corner

The Making of a Green Smoothie

Tomorrow starts the Green Smoothie Challenge!
It's really easy, just add one green smoothie to your day for 7 days :) 

How to make a Green Smoothie
pour your chosen liquid into blender first (I use almond milk)
add handfuls of chopped green (spinach, kale, parsley, collard, etc)
add chopped fruit (be creative, use your favorites)
add ice (or spinach ice cubes)
blend and enjoy!

It really is that easy and a green smoothie hardly taste any different than a regular smoothie.

Guarantee the right texture
you need something frozen in your recipe!
make spinach ice cubes
freeze chopped fruit
freeze yogurt
chop greens by hand or knife before adding to blender
pretty much always add a banana

So, why add a green smoothie to your day?
It's what the cool kids are doing! And, it's an easy and yummy way to add nutrition to your every day!
Your smoothie is completely custom to your liking. For example, if it's post workout - I add protein powder and a spoonful of L-glutamine powder. If I'm rushed for work I use milk, spinach icecubes, pineapple, strawberry and banana. If you want more of a detox kind use dandelion leaves, if you feel sick add ginger, honey, orange juice. It's whatever you're in the mood for or whatever you think your body needs.

Katherine who created this challenge for us has done it before, her blog is packed with info and recipes, not to mention some gorgeous photo's! And of course you can count on me to post recipes throughout the week and you should absolutely check out these girls for more!

Katherine - The Real Food Runner
Hope - All Smoothie Recipes
Ashlee - ABpetite
Sally - Forward From the Heart
Jezz - Jezz Dallas Makeup


<a href="http://therealfoodrunner.blogspot.com/2013/04/announcing-2013-spring-green-smoothie.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiis_T-VzDhNp26NZieWzWysM5YlEXYo28dQxmAIRD1wdxNszjDsq3IqOQi3oHVRnn-IQ3oR1wbczVjuOxlSWSRvq07-kECGlpFeADoRv5WbsoNi4J1bnx_PK6JK-MNDThF7pRMSJS4vQ/s1600/GSC+blog+button.jpg"/></a><br>

Over 60 people have signed up for the challenge with us, please join if you haven't yet! Be sure to visit this post and add your name! 



Linking with Sunday Funday

Here's your Invite, Save the Date & GET GREEN WITH US!

Wild and Green World Party 

I've been invited which means you are too!!!
Katherine who blogs at Real Food Runner has hosted this party before, it was such a hit that she's opened it back up for the end of April. I'm excited to be a part of it and as co-host encourage all of you to join too!

Check out the video Katherine created to show you what this party's all about!



Doesn't she make it look so good?
And it's as EASY as adding one green smoothie a day for 7 days!
That's it! Feed your body nutrients, curb some cravings and feel great. I've always been a bit skeptic of adding greens to my smoothies buuuutttt I'm taking on the challenge and hoping you will join too!

Today is just the announcement...if you're on board (which I hope you are) SIGN UP HERE!
Katherine's made the entry uber easy, just leave a comment in her post and you're good to go.

You're name and blog will be added to the list and included in the posts during the week of April 22-28th.
Not only will you be feeding yourself tons of nutrients each day but you'll have the chance to meet other bloggers who are doing the same too. Surrounding yourself with lots of motivation and inspiration :)

Each of us will support you along the way with motivation and yummy recipes to be sure you're getting the best experience out of this. And don't worry, not every smoothies comes out the color green....

Get to know your hosts!

Katherine, Hope, Ashlee, Sally, Jezz, and Me :) 

Ok, get to signing up!! And, stay tuned for yummy green smoothie recipes!

If you have ANY questions or worries comment below, I'll help you along.

Linking with Anything and Everything, Just Because, and Tell Me Tuesday