Because we’re in the doldrums of the coronavirus pandemic, I’m bored in some ways. So here’s a little bit of a different post.
Here’s a smoothie recipe (with some alternatives) I’ve been downing pretty much every day. It’s pretty large and filling, so you can use this as a meal replacement.
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Discovery 1: kettlebells work almost as well as the gym, and I am saving time & money doing it
Discovery 2: while I cannot run nearly as far or fast as I did in my jarhead days, my cardio has improved with a regular dose of burpees, mountain climbers, star jumps, and a moderate jog
No diet or supplements, but I am in the best shape I’ve experienced since retiring in 2013
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Burpees will do it. I hate those things.
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When all this started, I could do six in a row. Now I knock out 30 without stop, and at a good pace!
This shutdown has definitely helped diversify my workouts!
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Suggest going easy on the kale. I wound up with a lot of joint pain a couple years ago out of nowhere. Figured out randomly that it came from seven years of chugging green smoothies. Turns out it was cumulative oxalate build up from kale and spinach in particular. Romaine and arugula are technically lower in oxalate, so you may consider leaning on those if you stay committed to the green smoothies.
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This is a good point regarding oxalates. I also consume almonds and almond butter, which have oxalates. There are a variety of ways to combat the oxalate effect, including sprouting/soaking the nuts. I also consume some apple cider vinegar and lemon juice every day based on some research I did on the keto diet. (I don’t subscribe to a keto diet, but it does make some sense to me.) The apple cider vinegar and lemon juice are supposed to help with the oxalates, which can cause inflammation and kidney stones.
You can also cook spinach to get rid of oxalates, but cooked spinach is disgusting. I used to eat a lot of spinach salads, but I’ve changed that to include more mixed greens.
Kale isn’t too high in oxalates, though.
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Funny that my smoothie has all the stuff you do, although I use a different protein powder. Also, I add:
ginger root
sometimes I alternate the almonds with cashews
I use frozen strawberries (big bag from Costco) instead of ice.
greek yogurt (mmmm, Trader Joe’s honey greek yogurt)
carrots
beets
aloe vera juice
turmeric
My smoothie is big (about 4.5 pint glasses).
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Dang, that does sound like a giant smoothie. I’m not sure I could handle the carrot/beet flavor in there.
Out of curiosity, what kind of protein powder do you use?
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If you aren’t religious about the organic blueberries, frozen blueberries is a good substitute for the ice and/or water as well. They combine well with the strawberries also. Frozen strawberries can beat up a weak blender. I had to upgrade to a bigger motor pretty quick.
I like the flavorless Naked Whey … a buck or so more expensive …. and the Vanilla Bodylogix Natural Whey. The chocolate Bodylogix has some after taste. There was some controversy about GMO/non GMO contents with the Bodylogix. I don’t know if it has been sorted out. I didn’t care.
I use some almond milk to thin the thing out some. You can make it ice cream like if you back off the liquids. I’ll do that a fair amount in the summer.
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You’re right about strawberries. I get organic frozen berries (blueberries, strawberries, or a berry mix) from Costco. I change up the ingredients based on what type of nut butter I’m putting in. Peanut butter and coconut butter have good flavors, so I usually use kale with those. If I’m using almond butter, I usually add blueberries/strawberries or else the flavor is too bitter with the spinach/kale.
I can’t use whey very much. I occasionally do if I’m at someone else’s house or if I buy a shake at the gym or something, but whey used to mess with my stomach. So now I avoid it, even though it doesn’t bother me on the rare occasions I use it now.
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strawberries — I use the Costco strawberries and blueberries, too. I like to say that once you add strawberries, that flavor is so overpowering for me that everything else is free WRT to taste.
protein — I use whey protein from Hammer — https://www.hammernutrition.com/whey-protein
I drink the Hammer Kool-aid … I use their products, wear lots of their clothes, consume lots of their knowledge on fueling.
Blender — I have the BlendTec at work and the VitaMix at my house; so, no blender power issues for me.
eggs — I also add 3 raw eggs. Good protein/fat, and it really adds to the smmooooottth of the smoothie.
Amount — Yes, it’s a lot. it fills the pitcher of the BlendTec and Vitamix. But, I’m a triathlete (“TriFloyd”); so, I burn a lot of fuel in a day.
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