I woke up feeling pretty sickly this morning. I also knew that I needed to get back on the smoothie wagon, as I spent most of my Thanksgiving break leaping off of said wagon. So, I did what I often do: I started looking for smoothie recipes.
The following recipe is one I created and it is inspired by many I found in my searches. True to my mad scientist nature, it contains whatever I coud find in my kitchen. Let's get started.
Ingredients
1 cup kale
1 cup lemon ginger tea (cooled)
1/3 cup frozen berries
1/3 cup orange juice
1 container strawberry Greek yogurt
1/8 cup chia seeds
1-2 tbsp honey
Instructions
Blend to your heart's desire. Or for about 45 seconds so everything is evenly blended.
Modifications
I got lucky this morning finding the last bag of lemon ginger tea in our tea cabinet, but if you are not as lucky, you can always use regular ginger tea and lemon juice. PAY ATTENTION TO THE STEEPING INSTRUCTIONS. I cannot stress that enough. If you make your tea too strong, it will taint the rest of the juice by making it too strong or bitter. (This is especially true when using green tea in a juice or smoothie.)
Many people also like to cut up a small piece of ginger root and put that in their immune-boosting juices. If you have ginger root on hand, go for it.
Reap Some 'Ledge
All of these ingredients contribute wonderfully to your immune system. For starters, kale, ginger, berries, and chia seeds all contain serious antioxidants which boost your immune system by decreasing inflammation in the body. (Regular intake of antioxidants also decreases your chances of developing cancer, a major cause of which is inflammation.) Ginger particularly targets inflammation of the joints, joint cartilage, and immune cells! It is often used in recipes for detox juices and smoothies because it causes healthy sweating, allowing your body to secrete the toxins it is fighting. Ginger is also very good for your digestive tract which contributes to a healthy immune system and and allover happier you.
Lemon, orange, and strawberry all contain generous helpings of Vitamin C which, as you probably know, is ideal for boosting the immune system (especially when you feel a cold coming on).
Give Bees a Standing Ovation
Not enough good things can be said about honey. It has so many health benefits, it is one of the most super superfoods. Plus, it never goes bad - brilliant! Not only does it promote healthy antioxidant levels in the blood when consumed regularly, it has also been found to be a superior cough supressant and it may improve blood sugar control. It also contains a large amount of "friendly" bacteria (the bacteria found in probiotics) which are good for digestive health and for the immune system. But most importantly, raw honey is considered an excellent anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal due to a combination of plant resins and secretions produced by bees. Because bees are awesome, they create this substance to seal and protect their hives from pathogens, thus protecting honey-consumers from pathogens! I know many people are afraid of bees, but honestly, we'd probably all be dead without them.
Please feel free to comment on this post about anything mentioned herein. I am
always open to corrections and constructive criticism. Happy mixing!
Sources:
World's Healthiest Foods: whfoods.org
Monday, December 2, 2013
Monday, November 11, 2013
Post-Workout So-Tasty-You-Won't-Believe-It's-Healthy Milkshake
Before we get started, I should give a little explanation as to title of this blog. My favorite part of science is getting to combine a bunch of things and see what happens. This is endless fun for me, whether those things are 18M sulfuric acid and 2-butanone or avocados and vanilla whey protein. For this reason, I consider myself a mad scientist and I love it.
All of these recipes were pulled together by me rifling through the pantry and refridgerator and seeing what might taste good combined with this or that. A lot of my food preparation is improvisation and what-ifs, just like the scientific method (but with way less formality). And the great thing about this improvisation for you, dear reader, is that you can adapt my recipes however you like to fit your diet, lifestyle, budget, or readily-available ingredients. Allons-y!
Ingredients
1/2 of an avocado
2-3 tbsp ground almonds
1 cup milk
1/8 cup chia seeds
1 scoop vanilla-flavored protein powder (whey or plant-based)
several ice cubes
Optional: 1 tsp agave nectar
Directions
Blend to your heart's desire. Or for about 30 seconds to create a smooth, frothy shake.
Modifications
All of my recipes can be adapted to be vegan. Also, if you are not blessed with a nut grinder and have difficulties pulverizing almonds, that is fine. In either case, I recommend using almond milk instead of ground almonds or any other kind of milk (just use about 1/4 cup more). You will find that the combination of the almond and vanilla flavors make for an authentic vanilla milkshake taste.
If you are allergic to/hate avocados, you can certainly use a whole banana instead. I personally do not digest bananas well, so you will probably not see them in any of my recipes. Avocados contain almost as much Potassium as bananas and they create the same creamy texture as bananas; the right flavoring will prevent the whole shake from tasting like guacamole.
In defense of the avocado
Aside from their silky texture, avocados provide many benefits to a post-workout milkshake or any shake for that matter. They are fabulous sources of monounsaturated fats, which are considered "good" fats as they help your body process the not-so-good fats. They are a good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and folate and they also contain a small helping of complete protein with all of the essential amino acids! They are low on the glycemic index and are moderately anti-inflammatory, which is ideal in the short term for post-workout muscle soreness and in the long term for the prevention of cancer. I could go on, but if you are not allergic to it, I highly recommend incorporating a little more avocado into your life.
Why is this milkshake only post-workout?
This milkshake is ideal mainly for consumption after a high impact workout. These workouts can lead to muscle damage and you want to consume something afterward with lots of complete protein to aid in the repair of your muscles. (This also helps you build lean muscle in the long run if you stick with such a regimen.) However, this milkshake contains over 25g of protein, and the human body can only process about 25-30g of protein at a time, so you do not want to push it. If your body is not in immediate need of muscle repair, I would not recommend consuming something so high in protein as it will take a long time to process. (In other words, I would not recommend consuming this shake if you have not just completed a high-impact workout.)
All of this, of course, depends on the protein powder you use, but a scoop of many whey or plant-based powders out there does provide a generous helping of protein. To be safe, check out the serving size and nutrition facts on your bottle.
Please feel free to comment on this post about anything mentioned herein. I am always open to corrections and constructive criticism. For now, happy mixing!
All of these recipes were pulled together by me rifling through the pantry and refridgerator and seeing what might taste good combined with this or that. A lot of my food preparation is improvisation and what-ifs, just like the scientific method (but with way less formality). And the great thing about this improvisation for you, dear reader, is that you can adapt my recipes however you like to fit your diet, lifestyle, budget, or readily-available ingredients. Allons-y!
Ingredients
1/2 of an avocado
2-3 tbsp ground almonds
1 cup milk
1/8 cup chia seeds
1 scoop vanilla-flavored protein powder (whey or plant-based)
several ice cubes
Optional: 1 tsp agave nectar
Directions
Blend to your heart's desire. Or for about 30 seconds to create a smooth, frothy shake.
Modifications
All of my recipes can be adapted to be vegan. Also, if you are not blessed with a nut grinder and have difficulties pulverizing almonds, that is fine. In either case, I recommend using almond milk instead of ground almonds or any other kind of milk (just use about 1/4 cup more). You will find that the combination of the almond and vanilla flavors make for an authentic vanilla milkshake taste.
If you are allergic to/hate avocados, you can certainly use a whole banana instead. I personally do not digest bananas well, so you will probably not see them in any of my recipes. Avocados contain almost as much Potassium as bananas and they create the same creamy texture as bananas; the right flavoring will prevent the whole shake from tasting like guacamole.
In defense of the avocado
Aside from their silky texture, avocados provide many benefits to a post-workout milkshake or any shake for that matter. They are fabulous sources of monounsaturated fats, which are considered "good" fats as they help your body process the not-so-good fats. They are a good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and folate and they also contain a small helping of complete protein with all of the essential amino acids! They are low on the glycemic index and are moderately anti-inflammatory, which is ideal in the short term for post-workout muscle soreness and in the long term for the prevention of cancer. I could go on, but if you are not allergic to it, I highly recommend incorporating a little more avocado into your life.
Why is this milkshake only post-workout?
This milkshake is ideal mainly for consumption after a high impact workout. These workouts can lead to muscle damage and you want to consume something afterward with lots of complete protein to aid in the repair of your muscles. (This also helps you build lean muscle in the long run if you stick with such a regimen.) However, this milkshake contains over 25g of protein, and the human body can only process about 25-30g of protein at a time, so you do not want to push it. If your body is not in immediate need of muscle repair, I would not recommend consuming something so high in protein as it will take a long time to process. (In other words, I would not recommend consuming this shake if you have not just completed a high-impact workout.)
All of this, of course, depends on the protein powder you use, but a scoop of many whey or plant-based powders out there does provide a generous helping of protein. To be safe, check out the serving size and nutrition facts on your bottle.
Please feel free to comment on this post about anything mentioned herein. I am always open to corrections and constructive criticism. For now, happy mixing!
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Flagship Post
Well, hi! Thank you for visiting my blog. I am currently in the very beginning stages of this project and, thus, am still readying some posts for human viewing. Your patience is appreciated.
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