Workout BREAKTHROUGH

Smoothies are delicious and incredibly nutritious, but have you ever wondered what makes them good for your workout? It is the quality of vitamins and minerals in whole, raw, fruits and vegetables that improve our endurance, strength, metabolic processes, hydrate us, and repairs tissues.

Here are the vitamins and minerals that will create your workout breakthrough:

CALCIUM: prevents muscle cramps and helps strengthen bones

Where? There is more calcium in 1 cup of dark leafy greens than 1 cup of milk.

IRON: common deficiency among athletes

Where? apricot, pomegranate, currants, swiss chard, cilantro, parsley (excellent source)

MAGNESIUM: present in more than 300 human processes, helping many metabolic processes

Where? almonds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, spinach, cilantro, beet greens, collard greens, dates

POTASSIUM: helps to maintain a healthy blood pressure, mineral balance, and regulate fluids

Where? Bananas, avocados, beet greens, spinach, cilantro, apricots, cantaloupes, figs, nectarines, pears

SELENIUM: critical to antioxidant production

Where? brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, spinach, seaweed

SODIUM: retains water in cells, preventing dehydration

Where? all fruits and vegetables contain sodium, the whole, natural form is much better for you

ZINC: directly related to endurance and tissue repair

Where? pumpkin (squash) seeds, peanuts, bee pollen, sweet peppers, spinach, parsley, seaweed

Sport drink and shake companies commonly advertise their products have the same list of benefits; they are trying to create a processed product to rival the real nutrients found in green smoothies. Skip the chemicals, preservatives, fillers, dyes, and unpronounceable names the easy way. With foods that don’t need ingredient labels.  

Would you like support learning what kinds of foods are best for your unique body? Curious about how health coaching can help you make your own healthy changes? Let’s talk! Schedule an initial complimentary consultation with me today——or pass this offer on to someone you care about!

Black Bean Patties

I love me a veggie burger. I love topping these black bean patties with my citrus salsa. These little guys are perfect for winter, when citrus is in season.

Patties before they are cooked

Bean Patties with Citrus Salsa

What You Need:

can of black beans, rinsed really well

1/2 cup cooked brown rice

1/3 cup of parsley, chopped

1/4 red onion, chopped

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, chopped

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon oregano

salt and pepper

olive oil

What To Do:

1. Combine everything except the oil in a bowl, use your hands to mash the beans up a bit, not completely though

2. Make the patties 1″ thick, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking. I like to make them small so they don’t fall apart when I flip them.

3. Heat up olive oil in a pan and cook patties until golden brown about 4 minutes each side. I like to put them on paper towels after cooking.

Citrus Salsa

What You Need

1 grapefruit

3 mandarin oranges

2 avocados, diced

1/3 cup of cilantro, chopped

1/4 of a red onion, diced

1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped

juice from 1 lime

1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

What To Do

1. When cutting the grapefruit and mandarins cut the top and bottom off, then cut off the peel and the pith (the white stuff), working in sections around the fruit. The pith and skin are more bitter, so we don’t want it in the salsa. 

2. Cut remaining ingredients.

3. Combine everything in a bowl and chill for at least 30 minutes prior to serving.

Cauliflower Cream Sauce

Cauliflower Cream Sauce

Fall in love with this plant based cream sauce.  I use it on everything pasta, eggs, as a dip, be creative.

Ingredients

1/2 head of cauliflower

1/2 yellow onion cut into chunks

2 cloves of garlic

1 1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/3 cup basil

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

pepper to taste

unsweetened, plain, almond milk – as needed

What to do

1. Chop cauliflower. Boil for about 10 minutes, until tender.

2. Drain and puree using an immersion blender or a blender with a tight fitting lid. Add almond milk to achieve a creamy consistentcy.

3.  Cover the puree and set aside.

4. Cook onions for 10 minutes, using 1-2 tablespoons of water as needed so onion don’t stick to the pan.

5. Add garlic, thyme, basil cook for one minute.

6. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper, and nutritional yeast, cook for 5 minutes

7. Add the onion mixture to the cauliflower mixture and blend. Add up to 1/2 cup of almond milk to achieve a creamy consistentcy

Would you like help learning how to get more vegetables in your diet? Curious about how health coaching can help you make your own healthy changes? Let’s talk! Schedule an initial complimentary consultation with me today——or pass this offer on to someone you care about!

Ginger Kale Lemonade

This juice is great in the morning to clear your mind and give you the energy to tackle your day. Super simple, juice all the ingredients in your juicer and enjoy as soon as possible.

What You Need

1 bunch of kale

2″ ginger

2 lemons

2 apples

I’m Featured in a Cookbook!!

So excited about this!!

Simple Savvy Healthy was designed for you, for me, and for every other woman out there who is constantly on-the-go and looking for easy to prepare plant-based recipes. Whether you are vegan, vegetarian, or simply looking for more plant-based recipes to add to your normal rotation, this cookbook is for you. Every recipe in Simple Savvy Healthy is meatless, dairy-free, gluten-free, and designed for simplicity. Simple Savvy Healthy is a compilation of over 80 recipes submitted by numerous talented contributors in the Health & Wellness industry.

The kindle e-book is currently only $2.99, but only for a limited time!!

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR COOKBOOK

BLEND AWAY THAT MUFFIN TOP

Losing weight can leave you feeling restricted in the foods you can eat, and lacking the time needed to prepare them. Green smoothies are such a simple trick to include in our weight loss journey, they are so quick and your options of flavours are endless.

Green smoothies will melt the pounds away because they:

• jump start your digestion
• help to burn excess fat
• provide more energy since your body doesn’t have to breakdown the food
• rid your body of toxins
• hydrate you
• decrease your cravings for processed foods
• Some fruits and vegetables have a circulation boosting effect which gives you a warm, attractive glow, so they even make you sexier!

My Expert Tips:

• blend your greens first with the liquid then add the fruit after to create a nice smooth texture
• short on time? Pre-make smoothies 24-36 hours before and store in airtight container in fridge. Add lemon juice to preserve the colour. Nutrients are slowly decreasing but you are still reaping all the benefits
• you can also pre-make smoothies for the week and freeze them. Just take one out the night before and re-blend in the morning to mix it up
• always wash blender immediately after it saves so much time, or soak in water if in a hurry

Green smoothies will trick you into being even healthier to drop those extra pounds for good. Adding something positive and healthy on purpose into your life will make you feel better about yourself, and increase the chance of other healthy habits happening. So blend that muffin top away!

Would you like help learning how to create delicous green smoothies? Curious about how health coaching can help you make your own healthy changes? Let’s talk! Schedule an initial complimentary consultation with me today——or pass this offer on to someone you care about!

Cool Collard Juice

The cucumber in this juice adds a refreshing taste and also helps to hid the “green-ness” of the collards, so you will love this simple refreshing juice.

What You Need:

4 big collard leaves

1 cucumber

2 lemons

3 apples

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF AMANDA GREENTHUMB

I can’t believe it’s been a year!

 

I want to thank all of my readers and followers, this past year has been a blast! I have learned so much, and continue to grow everyday. The support I have received from many fellow bloggers has been amazing, and I have met some amazing people. When I first started this blog my stats were not exactly impressive. But, I am proud to say that one year later things have really taken off.  From blogging, I have been published in The Daily Townsman, a newspaper based in the East Kootenays, and also on FitnessTown.ca as a Health and Wellness Expert. Looking forward to the next year I have some HUGE, exciting plans coming up and I can’t wait to blog about them.

I am truly grateful for all the love and support I have received, without it I am not sure I would have had the same success.

So thanks for reading this post, and all my others, I am so excited for our next year together!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

– Amanda

xoxo

Cauliflower Breadsticks

After you try cauliflower breadsticks you will disagree with Mark Twain too, who said, “Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education”.

Cauliflower can be used in so many different ways, and is known for reducing the risk of cancer, especially colon and stomach cancer. 

Cauliflower Breadsticks

Fool anyone into eating vegetables, cauliflower as bread. This is so great, for kids because it doesn’t look or taste like cauliflower. I dip the breadsticks in anything from marinara, tapanade, or ranch. Keep in mind to keep the bread sticks about 1/2″ thick, and the flipping is can be a little tricky. But you got this, I believe in you!

Ingredients

1/2 head of cauliflower

2 eggs (farm fresh is the best)

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 a red pepper

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 tablespoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1/4 cup grated good quality cheese

parchment paper

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Use food processor or grate 1/2 a head of cauliflower

2. Chop or use food processor to combine garlic, herbs, red pepper, and ground pepper. Combine with cauliflower, using your clean hands. Whisk eggs seperately and combine with cauliflower mixture.

3. Add grated cheese, mix to combine evenly.

4. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

5. Spread out an even layer of the cauliflower mixture onto the baking tray.

This is what mine looked like before I cooked it:

6. Bake for 30 minutes. Take out and carefully flip over. Or cheat and place a plate over top and flip over then slide back onto parchment paper line baking sheet. Bake for additional 15 minutes, until both sides are golden brown.

7. Remove from oven, let sit 5 minutes. Cut into strips and enjoy with any dips, marinara, hot sauce, left over bean dips or curries, the list is endless.

Would you like help learning how to get more vegetables in your diet? Curious about how health coaching can help you make your own healthy changes? Let’s talk! Schedule an initial complimentary consultation with me today——or pass this offer on to someone you care about!