Tropical Superpower Smoothie

Recently, my friend and I have signed up for our first half marathon. Since then, I have been on the hunt for new post workout meals that will refuel my body. This smoothie does have superpowers– its filled with vitamins, fiber, and tons or protein, which is essential after any workout.

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1/2 frozen banana (vitamin b6, fiber, and potassium)
• 1/4 frozen avocado (healthy fats, fiber, vitamin k, copper)
• 1/4 cup frozen mango (vitamin A and C)
• 1/4 cup frozen pineapple (vitamin C and manganese)
• 1 scoop protein powder ( if you don’t have protein powder, you could use silken tofu or some Greek yogurt)
• 1 tbsp. ground flax (fiber, thiamin, manganese)
• mini handful of leafy greens (vitamins A,C,E, and K)
• about 1/4 tsp. freshly grated ginger (immune booster)
• about 1/2 fresh lemon or lime juice (vitamin C and folate)
• 1/2-1 cup of almond milk or coconut water

Directions

• Place all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

This smoothie tastes as creamy and decadent as a milkshake, but with way more health benefits. The combination of banana, avocado, and mango creates an unbelievably smooth, rich texture. The fresh ginger and lemon/lime juice balances the richness of the smoothie. It’s the perfect breakfast to jump start your day.

Why do I LOVE Avocados?

So I have been doing the I LOVE Avocados series for a while now, and I just wanted to clarify why I love them so much. Besides being creamy, rich, smooth, and versatile, avocados have some fantastic health benefits. Here are some fun facts about the avocado.

1. They have 15 g of heart- healthy monounsaturated fat
2. They contain 1/3 of your daily requirement for vitamin C
3. They contain more than 1/2 of your daily requirement for vitamin K. This vitamin plays a crucial role in proper bone density and growth.
4. They have vitamin B too which is great for metabolism and skin.
5. One avocado is 75% insoluble fiber and 25% soluble fiber, which is great for you digestive system. It also keeps you full longer.

 

Sources

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/8-healthy-facts-about-avocados

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/avocado-health-benefits-3-reasons-you-should-be-eating-them.html

I LOVE Avocados: Green Goddess Smoothie

This is a delicious green smoothie! It is so thick and creamy; it could almost pass for a milkshake. Plus, the green color is gorgeous. Trust me, I would not be sharing this recipe if the the color were a puke green color.  With just a few ingredients, you can make this for your breakfast too!

Ingredients

• 1 frozen banana (It must be frozen. Otherwise, you won’t get a cold, creamy texture.)
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 c almond milk
• 1 serving protein powder
• a handful of spinach
• Optional: extra sweetener ( I personally thought the smoothie was sweet enough)

Place all ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth. You will love the result!

I LOVE Avocados: Egg Burrito with Avocado

In addition to avocados, I love eggs (they can’t have runny yokes, though)! I can honestly eat them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. This recipe let’s you be the creator because you can add your favorite ingredients to your eggs! Here’s how you make it.

Ingredients

• 1 whole wheat tortilla (try to get one that is around 110 calories
• 1/2 avocado
• 2 eggs + any other ingredients (I used spinach and leftover chicken and vegetables)
• a few cherry tomatoes

In a pan that is sprayed with non-stick spray, cook your eggs plus your added ingredients.

Meanwhile, spread the 1/2 of an avocado on the tortilla.

Top with chopped cherry tomatoes.

Top with egg mixture.

Roll up and serve. *Be warned. This burrito is HUGE! I had to eat a little of my filling so that I could roll up the tortilla.*

Nutrition Information is based on the egg burrito with just the tortilla, avocado, tomato, and eggs. Added ingredients will of course affect the nutritional value of the meal. 403 calories, 24.5 g fat, 10.2 g fiber, 17.4 g protein.

 

I LOVE Avocados: Avocado- Banana Toast

I LOVE avocados is the new mini series I will be doing to highlight the different things that you can do with the simple avocado. They are creamy and can be used in sweet or savory dishes. Today, I made simple toast topped with sweetened avocado and banana.

Ingredients

• 2 pieces of toast ( I used light whole wheat toast)
• half of an avocado
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• sprinkle of cinnamon
• 1 chopped banana (you really only need about 1/2 to top the toast, but I always just eat the other half)

Toast your bread.

Meanwhile, mash the avocado, honey, and cinnamon in a bowl.

Spread avocado mixture over toast and top with sliced banana. Optional: Drizzle a little more honey over the top.

This was super yummy! I never knew that avocado would taste good sweet. I was a little hesitant to use honey because I’ve had some bad experiences with it before. Let’s just say some of my relatives tried to feed me a spoonful of honey to try to get rid of my sore throat when I was little. Ever since, I always have gagged when I smelled honey. Today, though, it tasted wonderful with the dish. I think I liked this breakfast even more because it used banana! Nutrition information is based on using light bread and a whole banana: 388 calories, 15.1 g fat, 15.2 g fiber, 9.2 g protein.