Warm Protein Smoothie

I just couldn't swallow any more ice while my home hovers at 60 degrees. I was going hypothermic! So my ice-based protein smoothies, blended to perfection in the blender, were needing a good replacement plan. But protein powder does nasty things when you try to dissolve it in hot water. 

Solution: Add a scoop of protein powder and 1/2 cup of cold fat-free milk, to your blender, along with your favorite hot drink flavors, like coffee, or cocoa. I like to use chocolate protein powder, adding a generous amount of ground cinnamon and cloves. Process long enough to thoroughly dissolve. 

Pour the protein mixture into a large coffee mug...a really large one. Then slowly pour in boiling or nearly boiling water to top it off. My protein drink was warm and smooth and yummy. Just a little froth on top, and the warm mug did wonders for my cold fingers :) 

Apparently protein powder "curdles" in hot water, lumping and clumping and foaming...just nasty. Dissolving it first was the key.

Seriously Good Caramel Frappe Meal Replacement

If you like cold and creamy, smooth and caramelly, blended coffee wonderfulness, you've just got to try this recipe.

This high-protein, filling and satisfying, yet low-calorie frappe tops my list of high-protein amazingness, and is a seriously filling alternative to any other breakfast out there. When I have this for breakfast, I'm full and energized for hours. Packing 3 times as much protein as a slim-fast shake, this recipe carries only 382 calories...skinny enough to keep you from sabotaging your weight-loss goals, but full enough to feel like you ate the Grand Slam at Denny's. (That Grand Slam, by the way, has 795 calories, 50 grams of FAT, 65 carbs, and only 34 grams of protein. I don't recommend eating that.)

So, the nutritional breakdown on this Seriously Good Caramel Frappe Meal Replacement is as follows:

Calories: 382 Protein: 36g Carbohydrates: 39g Fat: 9g

I add a few nutritional supplements to mine, including D3, Chromium, MSM, Alpha-lipoic Acid, and I pop a multi-vitamin on the side. When adding nutritional supplements to my blender, I break the capsule open and empty the contents. The capsules will not blend well.

So here it is...the recipe:

SERIOUSLY GOOD CARAMEL FRAPPE MEAL REPLACEMENT

1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder (I used Body Fortress)

3 tbsp Hills Bros. Skinny Latte fat free caramel (found in the instant coffee section)

1 cup 1% milk

1 tablespoon cinnamon (good for you, helps metabolism)

1 teaspoon Flaxseed Oil (packs a ton of Omega 3 and Omega 6)

Add all ingredients to a blender, and process on the lowest setting for one minute. Add 6 to 10 ice cubes, and pulse on highest setting until ice is crushed. Then process on highest non-pulse setting for one minute.

Want to reduce calories further? Use skim milk (cuts 22 calories) or water (cuts recipe by 102 calories). If you don't add the flaxseed oil, you cut 40 calories, but you lose the Omega 3 & 6. Remember, it isn't all about cutting calories. To keep from becoming so hungry you eat things you wish you hadn't, maintain a healthy, nutrition-packed, protein-packed diet. At least, that is what works for me.

And just for motivation... a similarly sized Caramel Frappucino Blended Beverage from Starbucks has the following breakdown: Calories: 490 Protein: 6g Fat: 16g Carbs: an eye-popping 79 grams. Talk about a sugar rush followed by a "pass me some of those chips" moment. Yeah... don't drink that :)

I'm Losing !! What am I doing right? Read my 5 strategies.

Since beginning my weight-loss adventure, I've lost 16 pounds.  In Biggest Loser terms, that is over 7%.  I've still got a long way to go to reach my goal of 125 lbs., but I'm well on my way.  These are the strategies that have worked for me:

1. Increase protein intake.  I was not consuming nearly enough protein before changing my dietary habits, and this left me craving food...particularly carbohydrates.  My body needed more nourishment, but not the easy carbs I tended to reach for to fill those cravings.  Now, I strictly enforce this rule: Drink 2 high-protein smoothies every single day, no matter what else I eat.  I start with breakfast, drinking a coffee smoothie containing one scoop of whey protein powder (26 grams of protein).  At lunch, I drink a fruity smoothie containing one scoop of whey protein powder.  Whenever I have wavered on this rule, I've noticed a marked increase in my tendency to crave carby snacks.  Now, I don't waver...I drink my smoothies.  They give me the edge on resisting foods I know I really don't want to eat...foods that would sabotage my progress.  Check the Smoothie Recipes page for high-protein smoothie recipes.
2. Increase activity level.  I did not easily reconcile myself to a lifestyle that included exercise.  But I've finally realized that I can't maintain my health without it.  And so, I carefully track my exercise goals and achievements on Spark People.  I can't afford (as most cannot) a personal trainer/coach.  So I've become very determined to be "tough" on myself.  In a sense, I've determined to let my mind be the coach, and make my body submit to what my mind tells me I must do.  When I'm exercising, whether it is walking/running/aerobics or it is stretches/crunches/weights, I expect to really feel it...to really push myself beyond what my body wants to do, into the sphere of "going further - doing more."  It isn't enough to do what I did last week.  I have to push, push, push, or I'm not being fair to myself.  I guess you have to want it bad enough, but I don't allow myself to whine about sweating, or go easy because it is hard.  HOWEVER... I do guard against injury at all times, and I read, read, read, to learn about proper techniques and strategies to exercise safely and effectively.  You owe it to yourself to do the same.  Look at it this way - You know that a sedentary lifestyle leads to an early grave.  Love life enough to do whatever it takes to be healthy and feel good.  Love your self enough to take every measure you can to live well.  Someone might say "do it for your kids/spouse/family/friends/you fill the blank.  But for me, I've realized I must do it for my SELF.  And those around me surely do reap the benefits as well.
3. Increase nutritional value of diet.  I was not content with someone telling me to eat my veggies.  I wanted to know if it really mattered what I ate, and whether or not nutritional supplements and vitamins really did any good.  So I researched the researchers.  I don't have labs and scientists and blind studies to perform today, thankfully.  Thousands upon thousands have been done already, by reputable universities and labs that don't stand to gain monetarily from their findings.  So all I had to do was get online and look it up.  After reading much much much about the importance of vitamins, minerals, phyto-nutrients, and such, I began to add one or two at a time to my diet.  I progressed slowly, and I'm still doing the research, but I'm already noticing undeniable benefits from the drastically increased nutritional content of what I eat and take as supplements.  I eat fresh vegetables and fruit at every meal, and take additional vitamins and nutritional supplements daily.  This list includes: multi-vitamins, alpha-lipoic acid, MSM, D-3, Chromium, Cinnamon, Ginkgo-biloba, and Omega 3, 6, and 9.
4. Increase food awareness.  Another hard and fast rule I follow is to track every single food I take into my mouth, except for those in fresh (uncooked) vegetables. (My reasoning is that their nutritional value is so high, and their caloric value so low, I consider them "free foods".)  I track my nutrition on Spark People every day.  The result has been SUCCESS in maintaining my caloric intake goals.  It was simply too, too easy for me to 'fudge' on myself before keeping this caloric record.  And, I should add, my nutritional tracking also tracks the actual nutritional values of the foods I eat, not just the calories.  I can generate reports that show areas of my diet that are adequate and those that may be lacking, at a glance being able to see how I might change what I'm eating to better achieve my goals.
5. Increase water intake.  My body was thirsty, and I didn't even realize it.  Now I realize that many foods I craved, particularly ice cream, of all things, was due to the fact I was needing a good, long drink of water.  I now make a point of drinking 1/2 my weight in ounces of water, daily, with an emphasis on drinking lots of water early in the day.  Not only does this decrease overall hunger by filling the stomach, but more importantly, it hydrates every cell in my body so it can work efficiently to do the job it was designed to do.  And did you know that your blood actually thickens as it becomes dehydrated, increasing the work your heart must do?  And did you know that water flushes toxins from your system, not only keeping you healthier to start with, but helping your body rid itself of things like viruses.  Drink early, drink often, as if your life depends on it.  It does.

 Please notice that each of these strategies are INCREASES.  I didn't go into this with the same mind-set I'd had in the past.  I didn't begin by denying myself calorie-rich foods and feeling guilty for eating.  I simply increased the nutritional value of my overall diet, demanding of myself that I MUST have those high-pro smoothies.  Then I INCREASED the amount of fresh, uncooked vegetables and fruits in my daily diet.  Then I INCREASED my activity levels.  I gave myself a series of YES's and the NO's  took care of themselves.

The benefits I've personally experienced would have sounded to good to be true before I experienced it for myself.  And I have no idea what benefits you will experience should you make similar personal commitments.  However, what I'm experiencing,  I'm experiencing first hand, and I'm sold.  Thus far, I've experienced: 

• More energy 
• Better sleep 
• Drastically increased hair and nail growth
• Smoother and rejuvenated-looking skin 
• Amazingly decreased neuropathy in my legs and feet (practically non-existent now) 
• Visibly better circulation in my legs and feet 
• Decreased blood pressure, beggining at 134/93 I'm pretty steady at 121/71
• Decreased resting heart rate:  58, down from 89.
• AND I'VE LOST 16 POUNDS!

A large part of my success is due to the wonderful tools I've found at Spark People, the best free health and weight-loss site I've found anywhere.  But the biggest favor I've done myself is avoid the trap of "no, no, no" and embraced a mantra of "yes, yes, yes."  I just like telling myself yes better than telling myself no...doesn't everyone??

Growing Your Own...Alfalfa Sprouts

4 day old Alfalfa Sprouts

Growing your own alfalfa sprouts is an extremely simple operation,  providing health benefits to your diet that border on sounding absurd.  I started my first batch of alfalfa sprouts on Sunday, and now, only 4 days later, I’m tempted to throw a pinch or two on my salad.  They’ll officially be done tomorrow.

Nutrition Information:

According to Nutrition Data, alfalfa sprouts are a good source of protein, vitamin A, niacin, and calcium, and a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, pantothenic acid, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, and manganese.  They, of course, contain no saturated fat and are low sodium, and very low in cholesterol.  They contain 49mg of Omega 3, and 65mg of Omega 6.  A one ounce serving (about what you might put on a salad or sandwich) has only 6 calories.  And to top it all off, they are considered mildly anti-inflammatory.

Rich in phytochemicals, according to HealthyEatingAdvisor.com, they protect against cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, and fibrocystic breast disease.  They stimulate natural killer cell activity which strengthens the immune system, and are beneficial for reducing symptoms of PMS and menopause, including hot flashes.  HealthyEatingAdvisor.com goes on to state that alfalfa sprouts contain chigh concentrations of antioxidants, the body’s defense against the destruction of DNA which is the cause of aging.  Alfalfa sprouts are also abundant sources of carotene, chlorophyll, amino acids, and trace elements.  They contain 45% protein, according to Nutrition Data.  One pound of alfalfa seed can produce 10-14 pounds of sprouts…that is a LOT of sprouts.

Eat them on salad, on sandwiches, by themselves, with dressing, in a smoothie if you just want to add a mild-tasting, easily covered-up-with-fruit spike to the nutritional goodness of your smoothies.  Growing them is simple, buying them is cheap (I paid $3.40 for 4 oz. of organic alfalfa seed at a local health food store.)  You can order them online at SproutPeople.org for only $8.40 for a WHOLE POUND.  (Please mention I sent you J)

Size of my container in relation to spoon.

Left: 3 day sprouts. Right: 4 day sprouts.

I grew my sprouts in a Rubbermaid plastic container covered with cheesecloth, which was secured to the top with a rubber band.  Here is a video (you'll want to see it) showing how to grow sprouts.  But my basic procedure was:

1.     Add 2 tablespoons organic alfalfa sprouting seeds to a one quart container. Soak in 2 cups water for 8 hours.

2.     Drain and rinse, and drain again.

3.     Rinse and drain 2 or 3 times a day.

4.     Be amazed every time.

5.     Rinse, drain thoroughly, and store in the frig.

6.     Enjoy on salad or whatever.

Interesting Links:

Nutrition Data

SproutPeople