Energy Boosting Smoothie: Avocado+Kiwi+Pineapple

This sweet and tangy smoothie recipe contains avocado, kiwi, and pineapple — a nutritious trio that delivers a healthy dose of fiber and vitamin C. Avocado provides energy, which comes from its monounsaturated ‘healthy’ fat content. It is also a good source vitamin E, known for its ability to help our skin retain its natural moisturizers. Vitamins C & E work as antioxidants to block cell damaging free radicals. Over time, these free radicals may contribute to the aging process and the development of cancer, heart disease, and arthritis. Enjoy looking and feeling younger with this energy boosting smoothie.

Ingredients
(2 servings)
•    2 cups ice, crushed
•    1/2 avocado
•    2 kiwi, peeled and sliced
•    1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
•    ½ cup almond milk
•    2 teaspoons honey

Directions
1. Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.
2. Pour and garnish with a slice of kiwi.

COMING SOON! Helen’s new app: The 24_7 Dietitian app download is FREE, and is iOS and Android friendly.  It is a healthy extension of Pro Nutrition’s passion of helping people achieve their weight loss goals by living a more nutritious and healthy lifestyle.  The 24_7 Dietitian app will allow users to journal and track  their nutrition and fitness goals, post questions and pictures, and most importantly have the ability to have personal nutrition coaching anytime of the day (for a monthly fee of $20). Follow her on Twitter @24_7dietitian and check out her site www.pronutritionconsulting.com for more information.

Energy Boosting Smoothie by Helen Agresti, R.D.

Have you fallen off-track with your fitness? Are your workouts lacking motivation? Is your exercise energy lagging? Here’s how to GET INSPIRED!

JOIN US for your weekly dose of fitness motivation, inspiration and FUN!

#HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat every Monday at 5pm(Pacific)/8pm(Eastern) on Twitter.

We chat about all things fitness: finding fun workouts, goal-setting, problem-solving, overcoming obstacles, hot new workouts, racing, community athletic events, just to name a few.

Joining in the fun is easy! Here’s how:

Log into your Twitter account
Enter #HealthyWayMag in the “Search Twitter” box.
Follow questions noted as Q1 (Question 1), Q2 (Question 2), etc.
To participate in the conversation answer using A1 (Answer 1), etc.
Chat and have fun with other fitness-minded folks!

Tomorrow, March 30th Fitness Chat is Sponsored by goChia!
GoChia is an innovative all natural chia seed beverage that offers an alternative to sugary and stimulant laden drinks. Low calorie and low sugar, plus the power of the mighty chia seed! GoChia provides enhanced hydration, endurance and immune system support. They are the only chia drink that has the power of chia with B-complex vitamin, selenium and zinc as well as being rich in plant sourced-omega-3 fatty acids. Follow them on Twitter @DrinkChia. Find their Chia Bites now available in Costco NE region, and their Chia Drinks and Snacks available on Amazon.

How to Get INSPIRED!

Feeling hungry, but dinner is hours away? Have a snack.

Snacks keep our blood sugars even, which prevents energy crashes and moodiness. They also help us stay in control. When we get to the point of “starving,” healthy options tend to lose to whatever is most convenient. We also wind up eating way too much, way too fast when we do have our next meal.

I’m not saying to eat a candy bar if you feel hungry between meals (this isn’t a Snickers commercial). A healthy snack should ideally include protein and fiber. Keeping healthy snacks available is a great way to prevent falling victim to the office candy bowl or vending machine.

Healthy snack options include:

1 Tablespoon of peanut butter & a fruit or celery sticks
2 Tablespoons of hummus & vegetables or fiber crackers
1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese and berries
Low-fat string cheese
1 ounce of unsalted nuts or seeds (mix them with a little high fiber cereal for added fiber and volume)
1/2 cup of edamame
Hard boiled egg
Granola bar (look for those that are low in sugar and high in protein and fiber)
Light popcorn
1 serving of baked potato, kale or beet chips

Bottom line: Snacks are not just for fun. Snacks are meant to hold us over until our next meal, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be nutritious, delicious and satisfying.

Lori Rosenthal, MS, RD, CDN
Bariatric Dietitian
Twitter: LoRoRD

Carry healthy snacks with you! By Lori Rosenthal, RD

Energizing Cacao/Chocolate Smoothie

This chocolate smoothie is long overdue.  Chocolate is our favorite superfood- thanks to cacao. The bean of the cacao plant is the main ingredient of all chocolate and cocoa products. What makes it a superfood?  It is naturally rich in antioxidants, magnesium, iron, and fiber.  Cacao is low in calories and doesn’t contain any sugar.  We incorporated a date and some honey to naturally sweeten this deliciously energizing smoothie.  The flax meal and chia seeds offer additional fiber and staying power.  It’s perfect for refueling and replenishing after a workout.

Blend together…
•    2 c ice, crushed
•    ¾ c vanilla almond milk, unsweetened
•    2½ tablespoons 100% cacao powder, raw
•    1 date, pitted, finely chopped
•    2 teaspoons honey
•    1 teaspoon chia seeds
•    1 teaspoon flax meal
~Blend until smooth and enjoy drinking super!

Recipe courtesy of Helen Agresti, RD. Helen Agresti is a Registered Dietitian with Professional Nutrition Consulting, LLC.  She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and 5 children.  For more Nutrition advice and healthy recipes follow her on twitter @HelenAgresti. For more information and recipes, go to www.pronutritionconsulting.com

Refreshing Chocolate Smoothie by Helen Agresti, R.D.

Looking for an easy snack recipe? Try this healthy dip! Scoop up with celery sticks or carrot sticks for a nutritious, filling everyday snack.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas ( 14 fl.oz, 398 ml)
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp tahini
5 tbsp olive or camelina oil
1 tsp cumin
1 whole roasted red pepper
sea salt to taste

Directions:
To roast a red pepper, cut in half, clean out seeds and place face down on a tray. Place under broiler and cook until skin is black. Remove from oven and cover with a tea towel to trap steam. When cool, remove blackened skin.

In a food processor blend chickpeas, garlic, tahini, oil, cumin, salt, lemon juice and red pepper until smooth.

Recipe by Shirley Plant- Nutrition Coach and Author of Finally Food I Can Eat
www.deliciousalternatives.com. Follow her on Twitter via @sherrecipes

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus by Shirley Plant

In my never ending search for sweets that are not dense with empty calories, I made a batch of these Frozen Banana Bites, a healthy desert, if eaten in moderation. I always try to add something wholesome to my delicacies. My thought is, if you’re going to indulge, at least eat something not completely void of nutrients.

Frozen Banana Bites Recipe

What You Will Need
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup of 70% Dark Chocolate Chips
1 T. of Milk or Milk alternative
1 T. Coconut oil
1 T. Flax Meal
1 T. Chia Seeds
1 T. Protein Powder (optional)
1/2 cup of chopped nuts (optional)

How to Make
Take a ripe banana and cut into 1/4 inch slices, set aside. Pour chocolate chips into a medium sized microwave safe dish, add milk, coconut oil, flax meal, chia seeds and protein powder. Microwave on low for 50 seconds (time may vary). Remove from oven and stir until all ingredients are smooth and creamy. Nuts can be bought pre-chopped or pulsed in a food processor. Place nuts in a dish.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dip sliced bananas into melted chocolate, covering both sides, then transfer to the nut mixture and coat thoroughly. Place the completed banana on the baking sheet. Repeat until no more banana slices remain. Place baking dish in the freezer for at least 20-30 minutes before serving.

Snacking can be healthy and delicious!

By Lisa McClellan. Follow Lisa via her blog www.RunWiki.org

Healthy Treat by Lisa McClellan

Ingredients:

Makes 15 muffins
1/2 to 3/4 cup of coconut oil
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of maple syrup
2 large eggs
1 cup of white flour
1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
15 oz. of organic pumpkin
1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup of chia seeds
1/4 cup of flax meal
1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips (Optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix Flours, salt, baking soda, chia seeds and flax meal in a large bowl and set aside.
3. With a eletric or hand mixer cream coconut oil, sugar and maple syrup. Add eggs one at time until mixture is fluffy. Add pumpkin puree, greek yogurt, and vanilla.
4. Slowly add dry ingredients and chocolate chips until just blended, don’t over mix or the muffins will be tough.
5. Scoop batter into a lined cupcake pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Let cool and enjoy with a icy cold or hot beverage.

I put them in my kids lunches, serve as an after school snack, or for a breakfast on the run.

Recipe by Lisa McClellan. For more recipes and healthy living tips follow her via RunWIki.org

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Maple Muffins by Lisa McClellan

All teas are healthy for you, in fact, the Chinese have known about the benefits of drinking tea since ancient times.  But there is one tea in particular that shines above the rest and that is:  Green Tea.  Green tea is a young tea and because of this, is also less processed.  There are many health advantages to drinking green tea due to its very high concentration of EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) and other antioxidants.  The active ingredients in green tea responsible for its broad healing effects along with EGCG are antioxidants including polyphenols, and catechins.

Here are the top 5 reasons why green tea is healthy for you:

1.     Green tea can help protect against cancer.  The polyphenols in green tea stop cancer in its tracks by shutting off the blood supply to the cancer. Many studies have linked green tea to a decreased risk of skin, breast, lung, colon, esophageal, and bladder cancer.

2.    Green tea improves cardiovascular health.  The polyphenols in green tea increase the ‘good’ HDL cholesterol and reduce the ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol.  The antioxidants also help to prevent heart attack and stroke.

3.    Green tea can help prevent Alzhiemers Disease.  Green tea inhibits three enzymes linked to the development of Alzheimer’s. Polyphenols, present in green tea, have neuroprotective properties, binding with the toxic compounds that protect brain cells.

4.    Green tea help prevent Rheumatoid Arthritis . Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease that causes soreness, stiffness, inflammation and loss of function in the joints. The EGCG  in green tea help reduce pain, joint damage, inflammation and slow cartilage breakdown

5.    Green Tea helps prevent stress. Stress causes inflammation in the body.  Green tea contains a large concentration of catechins (antioxidants) that reduce the body’s mental and physical stress response.  Additionally, the amino acid Theanine can reduce stress, improve cognition and mood.

Drinking 3 cups of green tea a day or using an extract are beneficial and will help you to create optimal health now and in your future.

This article is written by Lori L Shemek, PhD, CNC. America’s #1 Fat Loss Expert and Best-Selling Author of ‘Fire-Up Your Fat Burn!’  Find Lori’s book here: http://www.amazon.com/FIRE-UP-YOUR-FAT-BURN-ebook/dp/B0083BW37G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337040876&sr=8-1

Green Tea: Healthy or Hype? By Lori Shemek, PhD

What you’ll need-

6oz non-fat honey greek yogurt
1/2 banana
1 ripe mango
1/2 cup pineapple
1/8 cup coconut water
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Simply combine all ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth and enjoy!
 

Jessica Matthews, MS, E-RYT, is an exercise physiologist, yoga teacher, group fitness instructor, personal trainer, adjunct professor, blogger and fitness personality. Jessica strives to open minds, ignite passion and inspire the world to health and fitness through purposeful movement, quality nutrition and kind words. She has been featured as a fitness expert on CNN and has been quoted in numerous publications including Shape, Self, Oxygen and Oprah.com. For more health and fitness information, follow Jessica at www.twitter.com/fitexpertjess.

Golden Days of Summer Smoothie by Jessica Matthews