Mango Milkshake

Ever since I got off work this evening, I’ve been in the kitchen baking away!

I have an amazingly delicious recipe to share with you, but it’ll have to wait until tomorrow, as I still need to photograph the finished product and it requires overnight refrigeration. Stay tuned! 😀

Since I cannot bake anything without eating copious amounts of batter, I naturally filled up on sweet batter before dinner.

Though I felt full, I knew that my batter consumption didn’t exactly qualify as dinner. Ryan and I initially planned to enjoy pork for dinner, but my sweet tooth was sparked and all I wanted was more sweets.

I decided to make us mango milkshakes for dinner, but made a couple of tweaks to make ‘em healthier.

First, instead of full-fat vanilla ice cream, I used low-fat Haagen-Dazs vanilla frozen yogurt.

I added frozen mango, milk and vanilla protein powder to the mix to round out the shake.

The result was a thick, creamy and perfectly sweet milkshake.

 

In the summertime, a cold milkshake is sometimes the perfect dinner. 😀

I’m off to clean up my baking mess in the kitchen!

Catch you crazy kids later!

***

Mango Milkshake

• 3/4 c. vanilla frozen yogurt
• 1 c. frozen mango
• 3/4 c. milk
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)

Blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy.

Healthy Food Staples

Cheese is one of those foods I think I could eat at every meal and still not get remotely sick of it.

There are so many different varieties of cheese and it’s just so darn delicious that I cannot help but crave it all the time!

Today I included a slice of Land O Lakes smoky Provolone cheese in a cheese, arugula, spinach and cucumber sandwich.

Oh Provolone!

On the side I enjoyed cucumber slices and grape tomatoes for some added color and nutrition.

Cucamaters

I am looooving grape tomatoes lately. They’ve been on sale for more than a month at my local grocery store and it’s fantastic!

I also had a cup of Smartfood white cheddar popcorn because it is the JAM.

Chedda Makes it Betta

This was a great lil’ Monday lunch.

The Spread

Healthy Food Staples

Woohoo! Today is the day I begin tackling the first of your reader’s requests from last week. First up: my healthy food staples!

There are certain foods I try to always have on hand. I find that I can create a healthy meal fairly easily as long as I have a few tasty and nutritious staples available to me.

Each week, I make sure I have the following items in my kitchen to make healthy eating throughout the week easier and oh-so-convenient:

• Greek yogurt: I love the creamy consistency and wonderful protein content of Greek yogurt. A cup of this stuff, paired with berries, nuts, barley or low-fat granola makes breakfast a breeze and keeps me feeling full for hours. It’s also fabulous in Greek yogurt pancakes.

Greek Yogurt Pancakes

• Whole wheat tortillas: These lil’ babies are so versatile. I use them almost every day in my morning snack when I make microwavable quesadillas by microwaving a stick of string cheese on top of a tortilla and folding it over. They’re also great for wraps made with lean meats or peanut butter and banana roll-ups.

• Nut butter: Though peanut butter is obviously my nut butter of choice, having any nut butter on hand makes it easy to incorporate healthy, filling fats into your diet. Simply stir a scoop of the nut butter into your morning bowl of oatmeal, or spread it over a whole wheat sandwich thin and enjoy with sliced pears for an easy pb & p sandwich.

"Gimme the PB and Nobody Gets Hurt!"

• Protein Powder: I don’t consume protein powder daily (or even weekly sometimes), but I do like having it available to blend into smoothies or stir into oatmeal to add extra protein to otherwise less-than-filling meals. My favorite protein powder is All the Whey, but everyone’s tastes are different. I had to try a bunch until I found my favorite!

• Fresh veggies: For me to feel truly satisfied after a meal, I have to eat a lot. I like to fill my plate with lots of vegetables so I can eat a ton without overdoing it in the calorie department. Though I don’t count calories, I am aware of them and find that filling up on vegetables not only provides my body with healthy nutrients, but also makes me feel more energetic and satisfied after a meal.

• Oatmeal or Barley: Having a go-to whole grain on hand makes it easy to always have a healthy meal available to you. I love incorporating oats or barley into yogurt bowls made with Greek yogurt because they add extra fiber to my meal, which keeps me feeling fuller for longer. Protein pancakes made with oatmeal also have some serious staying power.

• Fresh or Frozen Fruit: Fruit is so tasty and I’m always in the mood for fresh berries, so having fruit available makes it easier to select something nutritious to snack on. Apples with peanut butter and frozen bananas make great snacks. Tossing a handful of berries into a morning bowl of oatmeal or a cup of yogurt adds volume, vitamins, flavor, texture and fiber! Eat up! Frozen fruit is perfect for smoothies.

Smoothies with a Spoon = Extra Thick

• Eggs: You’ll always have a great source of protein on hand if you keep eggs in your fridge. I’m a big fan of breakfast for dinner and love using eggs to make healthy meals such as a healthified Egg McMuffin, banana almond-stuffed French toast or French toast strips.

Dippy Eggs!

And there you have it. My healthy food staples. I love ’em all!

Question of the Afternoon

• What are YOUR healthy food staples?

Let’s share some ideas! 😀

Oooh Monday

Oh Monday, you’re here again.

A Lil' Tinkle to Start the Week

Here’s the truth, Monday: I pretend to hate you to fit in with the people at work who sigh “Ahh, Monday” in the elevators. If I’m being honest though, I don’t mind you so much. (You may see my “day of the week rankings” here. 🙂 )

I like how Mondays always reset my healthy living goals after a weekend of more indulgent eating (hello soft serve x 1,000, cookies, apple crisp, wine, etc.). I also love Mondays motivate me to have a great workout right off the bat to start my day off on the right foot.

Workout

My Monday morning workout was a good one! I began my workout by taking a BodyPump class and followed it up with 20 minutes of light cardio on the elliptical with a wedding magazine.

Wedding magazines and celebrity gossip magazines are my gym-readings of choice because they’re full of pictures so I don’t have to slow down my workout to read anything. Whenever I catch myself reading, I always notice that my pace slows and my workout suffers a bit.

Breakfast

After my workout and a quick 20-minute with with Miss Sadie, my stomach was ready for some sustenance.

I made myself a big ol’ bowl of chocolate yogurt mousse topped with blueberries and sliced strawberries.

Berries + Chocolate Yogurt Mousse

Deeelish

This chocolatey concoction was the perfect healthy start to the workweek!

Eat Up!

Questions of the Morning

• What is your favorite day of the week?
• What is your least favorite day of the week?