Makes 1 Smoothie
Time=5 minutes
1/2 banana
1/2 C frozen blueberries
1/2 C acai-blueberry juice
1/4 C soft silken tofu
1/4 C plain soy
1 tsp. lemon juice
BLEND
219 calories
3g total fat
43g carbs
46 mg sodium
4g fiber
7g protein
Archive for Breakfast
Wednesdays with Ellie & Greek Gods
I have come to look forward to Wednesdays! Wednesdays are just us girls at our house and we have a nice little routine in place. I get some work done while Ellie gets her dance clothes on and plays! We then hit up Starbucks for some coffee and a chocolate milk (Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk) on our way to Ellie’s Ballet class. Ellie then dances with Teacher Hanna and her little buddies while I watch through the window (no Moms allowed-Boo Hoo!).
After dance class we come home and make a smoothie for lunch. Ellie gets to pick the ingredients (I must admit she does a pretty good job) and place them in the blender!
Last week Ellie pointed to the Greek Gods and it was a great choice. If you are not familiar with the Greek Gods RUN don’t walk to the nearest store. This stuff is the BOMB! We use it as yogurt, mix it with berries, cereal, in place of sour cream on dishes, and of course in smoothies.
Greek yogurt is one of Dr. Oz’s 8 favorite foods (see the rest here) and it is good for us because it has live cultures and probiotics. Live and active cultures are beneficial bacteria that naturally reside in your digestive tract and improve intestinal function, promote good digestive health, and lead your body’s defenses against a number of ailments.
If you spray sawdust with vitamins, do you have dinner?
I really do not want this blog to be about politics or my own personal judgments, but this crap pisses me off. These companies should be ashamed of themselves!
Where do I start? 40% SUGAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ingredients: RICE, SUGAR, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE (SUGAR, CHOCOLATE, ANHYDROUS DEXTROSE), PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL (ONE OR MORE OF: COCONUT, SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED), SALT, MALT FLAVORING, CALCIUM CARBONATE, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, ASCORBIC ACID AND SODIUM ASCORBATE (VITAMIN C), IRON, ALPHA TOCOPHEROL ACETATE (VITAMIN E), NIACINAMIDE, ZINC OXIDE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), FOLIC ACID, BHT (PRESERVATIVE), VITAMIN D, VITAMIN B12. LESS THAN 0.5g TRANS FAT PER SERVING.
I have to believe that most people who feed their kids sugar cereal KNOW they are feeding their kids sugar cereal. KELLOGGS is insulting the very people who consume their product by claiming it will boost their kids immunity!
Growing up in my house you couldn’t find a box of sugar cereal to save your life. Oatmeal, granola, eggs, fruit, cottage cheese, yogurt, pancakes, waffles…sure, but no sugar cereal, not even on weekends.
(note: Mom was not perfect, we were raised on Tab. Still hoping not too much damage was done there. Sorry Mom!)
Guess what? I don’t serve it either because unlike my Mom, I don’t have to work as hard to make a healthy breakfast. There are SO MANY yummy cereals now that actually are good for your kids, full of protein, fiber, and lots of nutrients. But these nutrients are from the foods in the cereal…they were not SPRAYED on as an after-thought.
Sugar cereal is “fun food”. There is nothing wrong with “fun food” in moderation.
Here are some “fun cereal” alternatives. Try it. Your kids might just surprise you. Real Simple Magazine had some great info on healthy cereals.
Wrap it UP!
My new FAVORITE bite-to-eat on the go is the Starbucks Egg White Spinach & Feta Wrap! Yummy! If your Starbucks is not yet serving this fabulous find ask them to get it! The feta is obviously the key to this wrap doing what feta does best…giving just the right amount of “umph” to a dish! Egg white, spinach, and a touch of feta wrapped in a “lavash” (basically a wheat tortilla).
Now the sodium in this wrap is OVER THE TOP at around 1100 mg (OUCH!!) so this is certainly not an everyday breakfast…but in a pinch, or at the airport or on the road it is CERTAINLY a better choice than McDonald’s or most any other fast food option! Plus if you are eating well and drinking a lot of water this splurge really should not do too much damage.
The upside is the 19 grams of protein! We all know breakfast is the most important meal, and that we need to get our metabolisms revved up and going first thing in the morning…but all too often we simply don’t have time. This wrap will meet your needs and give you some get-up-and-go for the day!
Also…folks…just because you are being handed this from over a counter verses sitting down and having it served to you…PLEASE PLEASE know this is not a snack! At 280 calories this is a MEAL! BREAKFAST!
Thanks to Starbucks for offering something other than just those “High Class Egg McMuffins!”
280 Calories, 9g fat, 1,100mg sodium, 35g carbs, 8g fiber, 4g sugars, 19g protein
Better than Starbucks
I gave up Diet Coke. I am not giving up coffee. No way! But the good news is you can have coffee, they just don’t suggest more than a cup or two per day (read the mojo on over- caffinated Mom’s). The nice thing is I also gave up dairy (99% of the time) so really my trips to Starbucks came to a screeching halt!!! What is the point? If i am just having a cup of java I can do that at home, and for way less money.
New studies are also suggesting coffee/caffine can fight of some serious diseases:
So this morning I poured my coffee and realized when I went for my splash of soy milk that I was OUT! Now coffee black just ain’t for me Sistah! So I started scanning the fridge…VOILA! There is was, not only my answer for my coffee, but for my breakfast on the run, or a great afternoon snack!
I keep a few Odwalla Green drinks, berry drinks, and protein drinks in my fridge for sipping on here and there (if I have had a low veggie/fruit day) or am just to busy to chop and dice. Again this is a once in awhile thing, not everyday.
This morning I added a splash of my chocolate protein (soy and dairy (but very little dairy)) to my coffee. Realizing I had to get moving and I hadn’t yet had breakfast I mixed half the shake with some coffee and off I went.
A WHOLE bottle of this protein drink is 16 ounces. A serving size is 8 ounces. So I had one serving!
calories=220/fat=4g/cholesterol=5mg/sodium=310mg/potassium=460mg/Carbs=27/PROTEIN=18g
Now this is not a bad start to my day for being in a rush! I think over ice on a hot summer day this will be the bomb come 2:30 ish in the afternoon! But again…the full 16 ounces makes it a lot less of a snack and more of a meal! Think Portions and serving sizes….all the time!
Odwalla drinks are not cheap, but for about the price of my previous Venti noFoam, extra shot, non-fat, 1 splenda latte (yes I drank this all the time-ick) I can have two servings of a way healthier beverage!! Costco carries the Green Original Superfood drink that I love, giving you a little bit more bang for your buck!
