Big Breakfast Smoothie

I've been pretty much off the whole smoothie thing for about six months now. But the time that I spent on the wagon really became a part of who I am and what I eat - if that makes sense - so I still occasionally have a smoothie for breakfast or for lunch, usually when I'm feeling a little like I'm over indulged.

This morning I've made a super tasty 'Big Breakfast Smoothie'.

Ingredients:
1 banana
1 cup frozen mango (defrosted a little to make it easier to blend)
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
1 scoop protein powder (mine's strawberry flavour)
Spoonful of nutella
Enough milk to make it liquid & drinkable

Nutritional Info
540 Calories
29g Protein
75g total carbs
58g total sugar

Obviously calorie count will be decreased if you use skimmed milk or even coconut milk/almond milk, or if you veto the nutella or the protein powder. However, I'm not watching calories atm, I'm just trying to eat good food that makes me feel nice :) and this certainly makes me feel nice!

Mmmm Snacks

I am a terrible snacker. I can admit it, and embrace it and try to change.

So today I came up with this little picture, which has four of my favourite good-for-me snacks on, which are what I try to reach for when I'm craving something naughty - like haribos or cheese on toast. Ugh, I have such a problem with melted cheese!


Anyway.

Here are four recipes. They aren't all under 100 calories, but they are all yummy and are a great substitute for that cake you're reaching for, stop it!

Some of them take a little more effort, but they are all cheap, because I am. I don't have money to spend on all these made-for-me ready-to-go healthy snacks, I have to make my own with what I have in the cupboard.

The one thing I will say is get yourself a popcorn maker. It has been such a revelation, and to know that a big bowl of it, to myself, is only like 100 calories is simply astonishing. I have to be honest, I haven't tried it with nutella on, I've been sticking to salt, but apparently it's to die for. So you'll have to let me know if you give it a go :)

Lots of Yummy Food

Woke up early this morning and spent about half an hour in the gym. Not long, I know, but certainly long enough. After my time in the gym, I made myself some pancakes again, but this time I added blueberries in, and instead of a chopped banana, I had raspberries and honey :D.

 It was so yummy!

And it made me feel good, which is all I wanted from this new 'diet' thing. I'm still trying to lose weight and be sexy in a bikini of course. Me and my fiance have decided that we're going to go somewhere sunny, after my resits :).



Then for my lunch, oh my lunch :)

Two rashers of grilled bacon, one grilled tomato and one poached egg. So yummy, and just what I wanted. I really wanted something fatty to be honest, and my brother was making bacon sandwiches, and I've heard that eating fat without carbs is better for you or some such thing. So yeah :)

I'm feeling much better today, better about having to do these resits and better about myself. Looking forward to two weeks on Monday when this will all be over :)

Good Morning!

It's been a good morning so far!

I had a weight watchers yogurt and a strawberry smoothie for breakfast, then I went to the gym! For like an hour and a half!

This is the workout I tracked through Fitocracy. However, I did more than this, only it doesn't really let you track everything.

I did these funny exercise ball spike press-up things that I saw Cassey Ho doing:

They were super hard, and I did about 30 of them (which is where my press ups came from). And my form was not nearly as good as Cassey's but I tried really hard!

I'm going to be brave today, and I'm going to get a photo of me in a bikini, as a sort of before photo. The thing is, I'm not really unhappy with the way I look, I'd just rather my curves were muscle rather than fat. I don't really want to be any smaller than I am (I happen to like my big bum and hips).

Anyway, time for a shower! Then I think I'll get some writing done before I go to Whitby with Rob for fish and chips!! :D

Cherry Apple Smoothie

Today may not be a diet day, but that doesn't mean that I'm still not going to eat healthy. I have a little bowl of Llamas (these amazing wheat chili snacks that are just so awesome) and my cherry smoothie :)

Ingredients (makes 2)
1.5 cups frozen cherries
1/2 banana
2 tablespoon natural yogurt
~200mL apple juice
~100mL water

Nutritional Info (per serving)
132 Calories
27.1g total carbs
1.3g fibre
3.6g protein

Low, low calorie smoothie

Today is diet day!

Which means I'm taking in no more than 700 calories, and you know what, it's not that hard. Like, 700 calories isn't much, but honestly, it's not that difficult to stay within that boundary and still feel full. But I haven't been to the gym yet, so we'll see how I go.

Ingredients (serves 2)
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 banana
2 tablespoons wheat bran
Squidge of honey
~200 mL apple juice

Nutritional Info
111 Calories
7.1g Dietary fibre
3.1g Protein
36.5% Vitamin C

Double Raspberry Smoothie

 I haven't been very good at posting. But then I haven't been very good with this whole diet thing either. I think the problem is I've been running a lot....like a lot. I've ran like 10k this week using that Zombies, Run! game, so I've been doing bad with the smoothies. I reckon they'd totally keep me going, it's just my mind is telling me to eat mozzarella paninis and shit like that.

Ingredients
1 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 banana
1/2 pear (tinned)
1 tablespoon wheat bran
squidge of honey
~200mL cranberry/raspberry juice

Nutritional Info
312 calories
2.5g total fat
65.3g total carbs
9.3g fibre
5.8g protein
30.7% vitamin C

Super yummy Raspberry Mango Smoothie

I haven't been very good at posting lately. It's been very sporadic and wishy-washy, but I'm hoping to do better from now on...maybe.
I've started revising for my exams, it's not overwhelming me yet. I'm making good use of One Note, making notebooks and sections for all my modules and pages for every subject within those modules and things. I've already got two whole subjects written up - yay :D

Ingredients
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup frozen mango
1 raspberry yogurt pot
1/2 banana
~200mL mango juice

Nutritional Info
357 calories
2.2g fat
78g total carbs
8.4g fibre
5.6g protein
86.5% vitamin C

I love the colour of this smoothie, it's just a really nice corally pink colour :D

Fitocracy & Raspberry Stawberry Banana Smoothie

I discovered this website called Fitocracy, and now I'm obsessed.

You gain points by doing exercise, any exercise! And when you have so many points you level up :D I'm not at level 4. It's a little exciting.

Ingredients
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 banana
1/4 cup porridge oats
1 low fat strawberry yogurt
~100mL apple juice

Nutritional Info
238 calories
3.0g total fat
50.3g total carbs
4.8g fibre
11.5g protein
13.3% vitamin C

Amazing Mango Smoothie

I had this smoothie yesterday morning, it was so amazingly tasty!! Coconut milk is my new favourite thing :) Also, this can be vegan if you simply omit the yogurt :)

Ingredients
1 cup frozen mango
1/2 banana chopped
2 tablespoon tinned peach
1 tablespoon wheat bran
~200mL dairy free coconut milk

Nutritional Info
315 calories
5.7g total fat
6.9g fibre
2.1g protein
53.9% vitamin C

Raspberry Smoothie

This was so yummy, but a bit seedy, good for brekkie though :)

Ingredients
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 tinned pear
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup raspberry/cranberry juice
1 tablespoon wheat bran
1 peach yogurt pot

Nutritional Info
219 calories
2.9g fat
37.4g total carbs
8.0g fibre
8.3g protein



For lunch I found this amazing recipe on the Be Food Smart app and made it for me and Rob.
2 slices of brown toast, 1 onion, green pepper and tomato chopped and grilled. Then top the toast with the grilled veg, add a little cheese and grill again :D. 207 calories per portion.

I also went to the gym today, cycled for 20 minutes, did some interval walking/running on the treadmill then did a ton of weights. Then me and Rob went for a 30 minute walk.

And I weighed myself. I've lost another 4lbs :)

Raspberry, Blueberry, Coconut Milk Smoothie

Today I restocked my freezer of frozen fruit :D and also bought some coconut milk. I've heard some really good things about it, it's got both calcium and vitamin D in, which is always good. I wasn't sure how well it would go, because I hate malibu and other coconut drinks, but I can't taste it!

Reckon I'll be adding coconut milk to all my smoothies this week :)

Ingredients
1 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 tinned pear
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup apple juice
1 tablespoon wheat bran
squidge of honey

Nutritional Info
139 Calories
2.2g fat
25.3g total carbs
6.8g fibre
2.7g protein
Vitamin C 11.2%

Cleaning Out The Freezer

Weekends are for shopping, though I'm not sure when I'll manage to go this weekend, what with work and a wedding fair to go to. So I've been using up some of the left over portions of frozen fruit, so I have enough space to buy more punnets.

Forest Fruits smoothie

Raspberry, blueberry smoothie

 Yesterday I made a super purple, thick smoothie. It was really yummy!
Ingredients
Approx. 1 1/2 cups of frozen forest fruits
1 pot cherry yogurt
1 banana
1 tablespoon tinned peaches
squidge of honey
1 tablespoon wheat bran
~100mL cranberry/raspberry juice

And today I've made an equally delicious raspberry, blueberry smoothie.
Ingredients
1 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 raspberry yogurt pot
1/2 cup porridge oats
~100mL cranberry/raspberry juice

Mango Smoothie

This is basically a one fruit smoothie. It's not! But it might as well be. It was very liquidy, and I didn't blend it entirely so there were lumps of fruit it in, which isn't always pleasant. It was very tasty though :) and made for a good breakfast.

My lunch was comprised of sliced red pepper, a little tub of peanut butter, a handful of dried apricots and a banana :)

Ingredients
1 cup frozen mango
1 tinned pear
1 tablespoon yogurt
1 teaspoon peanut butter
squidge of honey
~200mL mango juice

Nutritional Info
284 calories
6.1g fat
51.5g total carbs
3.3g fibre
50% vitamin C

Yummy Smoothie!!

This was a brilliant smoothie! Tinned fruit makes smoothies so easy. When I buy my fruit, I go for the cheapest, simply because it's going to be mushed up, so who cares what it looks like?!

Ingredients
3 tablespoons tinned peach slices
1 tinned pear
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 teaspoon low fat smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon low fat natural yogurt
~200mL apple juice

Nutritional Info
183 calories               4.7g protein
6g fat                         5.8% vitamin C
1.8g fibre                   27.3g total carbs

Yummy Breakfast Smoothie

Oh wow, this smoothie was soooo thick! and perfect, because I drank a bottle of beer and half a bottle of wine last night and I haven't drank in like 6 weeks so when I woke up this morning I felt a bit like crap. This smoothie fixed me!!

Ingredients
1/2 cup frozen mango
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
1 1/2 tinned pears
tablespoon full tinned peach slices
1 peach weight watchers yogurt
1 tablespoon wheat bran
1/2 cup juice from tinned pears

Nutritional Info
129 calories
23.8g total carbs
5.5g fibre
26% vitamin C

I couldn't believe how thick was, it was so yummy!! Can you see those straws just standing up in it!

Lunch Time!

Had another lie in this morning, it was heavenly! I really shouldn't be so excited about getting to sleep in, but I suppose that's what happens when you're an adult *sigh*.

Got friends coming over tonight to play board games and things, which will probably result in the ordering of a take away, more likely than not Indian or Pizza. So I walked to uni today, had a small bowl of cereal for my breakfast (no sugar) and now I'm having a super fruit packed lunch

Ingredients
1 cup frozen mango chunks
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/3 cup frozen blueberries
1 raspberry yogurt pot
1 tinned pear & 4 tablespoons of juice
~100mL apple juice

Nutritional Info
256 calories
3.1g fibre
53.8g total carbs
57% vitamin C
26% calcium

Mango Berry Smoothie

I was really impressed with the smoothie I had yesterday, so I made a similar one today. T'was super yummy and kept me going all morning to lunch time.

 Ingredients
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/3 cup frozen mango
1 tablespoon wheat bran
squidge of honey
~100mL apple juice
1 cup water

Nutritional Info
130 calories
28.1g total carbs
5.5g fibre
2.3g protein
33.7% vitamin C

Mango Raspberry Smoothie

This is such a super yummy smoothie! It ended up really thick too, which was lovely. I left the frozen raspberries and mango chunks out to defrost for about 30 minutes, just to make it easier to blend.

Ingredients
1/2 cup mango
1/2 cup raspberries
2 tinned pear halves
1 tablespoon wheat bran
~150mL apple juice

Nutritional Info
153 Calories
5.8g fibre
29.1g total carbs
55.8% vitamin C
5.9% iron

Strawberry, Mango, Berry smoothie

In my freezer I have a drawer full of frozen fruit, and when one packs getting low I buy another and pour whats left into another tub. So today I had a tub with some mango chunks, some strawberries and some random cranberries, blueberries and blackberries. Just enough to make a smoothie :)

Ingredients

1 raspberry yogurt

1 tablespoon wheat bran

1/3 cup mango chunks

1/3 cup strawberries

a few blueberries, cranberries and blackberries

~100mL semi-skimmed milk

Whiz it together and there you have it :) I have no skimmed milk left, so semi it is. But it's super yummy and quite thick. So hopefully it'll keep me going through lectures and the gym this morning :)