Fitness Blender

Red & Green (Not Just For Christmas Anymore) Smoothie & HIIT Lower Body Workout

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Hey there peeps, no long time no see.  It pains me to think how long it’s been since I shared some smoothie goodness with you, but life (and fatherhood) haven’t left me with much time to post.  Today’s smoothie is the product of circumstance.  The only things ingredients I had in the fridge that day were red apples, strawberries, celery and kale.  I never combined apples and strawberries, so i figured I’d give it a go.  I also decided to kick it up a notch with some cinnamon powder and powdered peanut butter.  The results were so good, that I made this smoothie for 2 consecutive days.  Give it a try and lemme know what you think.

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2 cups Organic Kale

1 Red Apple (Cored)

1 Cup Organic Celery

1/2 Cup Organic Strawberries

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon Powder

2 Tablespoons Slim Powdered Peanut Butter

1 Cup Vanilla Almond Milk

FOOD KEY:

– Kale: vitamins, A, B6 &C, potassium, copper, folic acid, calcium, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and zinc (MEGA-STACKED!!)

– Apples: potassium, vitamin C and pectin (helps control cholesterol and blood sugar)

– Celery: potassium, folic acid and vitamins C & B6

– Strawberries: vitamins C & B5, potassium, folic acid and magnesium

– Cinnamon: fiber, calcium, good for digestion

– Powdered Peanut Butter: protein, fiber and potassium

Today’s workout is a super quick HIIT workout that focuses on the lower body.  It’s only 10 minutes, but I was definitely feeling it afterwards.  It incorporates some of my least favorite, albeit most effective, exercises including the dreaded star jumps.  Enjoy, lol.

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Powder Power Smoothie & Yoga/Abs Workout

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Dessert is for breakfast today as this smoothie features food’s sexiest couple – peanut butter and chocolate.  I’ve raved about the Vitacost Slim Powdered Peanut Butter before, but chocolate has it’s own healthy powder version in the form of raw cacao powder.  Add in some bananas, almonds and of course some dark chocolate almond milk and you have a breakfast smoothie fit for dessert.  I also threw in a handful of spinach just because HEALTH.

Smoothie Powder Power

 1 Frozen, Sliced Banana

2 Tablespoons Vitacost Slim Powdered Peanut Butter

1 Tablespoon Raw Cacao Powder

1/4 Steel Cut Organic Oats

1 Handful Raw Almonds

1 Handful Spinach

1 Cup Dark Chocolate Almond Milk

FOOD KEY

– Bananas: vitamin B6 and potassium

– Powdered Peanut Butter: protein, fiber and potassium

– Cacao: protein, copper, potassium, vitamin B12, fiber and iron (STACKED!!)

– Oats: fiber and protein

– Raw Almonds: magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, riboflavin, copper, niacin and zinc (STACKED!!)

– Spinach: vitamins A, B1,2,3 &6, C, E & K, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, copper, calcium, potassium, fiber, phosphorous, zinc, protein and selenium (SUPER STACKED!!)

For today’s workout I combined a 12 minute morning Yoga Practice from Sean Vigue and an 8 Minute Ab Workout from Fitness Blender.  Get to work.

1) Morning Yoga 

2) Eight Minute Abs

Peanut Butter Banana Date Smoothie, HIIT Workout & A BABY!

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Hey everyone, sorry I haven’t posted any smoothie goodness in the last few weeks. Been kinda busy…WITH MY NEW DAUGHTER!!! Mrs. Smoothie Operator gave birth to my beautiful baby girl a few weeks ago, and I have been enjoying fatherfood ever since. Finding time to make and post smoothies and exercise has been tricky, but I have a great one for you today.  Enjoy!

Smoothie baby

1 Cup Spinach

1 Chopped Banana

1/4 Cup Organic Steel Cut Oats

2 Pitted Dates

1 Tablespoon Natural Peanut Butter

1 Cup Vanilla Almond Milk

FOOD KEY

– Spinach: vitamins A, B1,2,3 &6, C, E & K, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, copper, calcium, potassium, fiber, phosphorous, zinc, protein and selenium (SUPER STACKED!!)

– Bananas: vitamin B6 and potassium

– Oats: fiber and protein

– Dates: fiber, magnesium, potassium, and antioxidants

– Peanut Butter: protein, potassium, fiber, vitamins E & B6, and magnesium

Since we brought the baby home,  I have much less time to myself in the mornings, so I’ve had to adjust my morning workouts.  I’ve searched for the quickest (15-20 minutes), most efficient workouts I could find and will be sharing them with all of you.  First up is a great 15 minute HIIT workout from Fitness Blender.

Peanut Butter & BRRR-y Breakfast of Champions Smoothie

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Today’s smoothie is not only ridiculously delicious and nutricious, but also makes a great post-workout protein shake.  I put a nice, moderate workout together using three YouTube Videos from the peeps at Fitness Blender.  I took a brutal kickboxing class at Title Boxing Club earlier this week that is still whipping my ass, so a moderate workout is all I could handle this morning.  It’s low impact, but really hits the core nicely and then cools you down with a little yoga/pilates remix.  The whole thing takes about 30 minutes.  Try the workout, enjoy the smoothie.

1. No Impact Cardio Workout

2. Killer at Home Chest Workout

3. Yoga Pilates Stretch Workout

and now the reward…

Smoothie - PB & Brrry

1 Cup Frozen Mixed Berries (Blueberries, Strawberries, Blackberries & Raspberries)

1Sliced Banana

1 Tablespoon Organic Peanut Butter

1 Handful Raw Almonds

1/4 Cup Steel Cut Organic Oats

1 Scoop Soy-Free Vegetable Protein Powder

1 Cup Vanilla Almond Milk

Food Key

– Blueberries: vitamins K & C, manganese, fiber and copper

– Strawberries: vitamins C & B5, potassium, folic acid and magnesium 

– Blackberries: vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and copper

– Raspberries: vitamins C & A, potassium, magnesium and fiber

– Bananas: vitamin B6 and potassium

– Peanut Butter: protein, potassium, fiber, vitamins E & B6, and magnesium

– Raw Almonds: magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, riboflavin, copper, niacin and zinc (STACKED!!)

– Oats: fiber and protein

Maca PB&J Oatmeal Smoothie & Suns Out, Guns Out/100 Rep Squat Double Feature

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I wrap up my Double Feature series with 1, 2 combo from Fitness Blender that’ll tone up those arms and legs as we head into tank top and shorts season.  The arm video requires dumbbells.  Choose whatever weights suit your goals.  The leg routine is 100 squats – 10 sets of 10 different variations, all bodyweight.  Do it.

Tank Top Arms Workout

100 Rep Squat Challenge

Today’s smoothie is a twist on the greatest sandwich ever invented, Peanut Butter Jelly.  Enjoy!

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1 Cup Frozen Mixed Berries (Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries & Raspberries)

1 Tablespoon Organic Peanut Butter

1 Tablespoon Organic Maca Powder

1/3 Cup Steel Cut Organic Oats

1 Tablespoon Honey

1 & 1/2 Cups Vanilla Almond Milk

1 Scoop Soy-Free Vegetable Protein

Food Key

– Blueberries: vitamins K & C, manganese, fiber and copper

– Strawberries: vitamins C & B5, potassium, folic acid and magnesium 

– Raspberries: vitamins C & A, potassium, magnesium and fiber

– Blackberries: vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and copper

– Peanut Butter: protein, potassium, fiber, vitamins E & B6, and magnesium

– Maca: Vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, C & E, calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorous and amino acids (MEGA- STACKED!!).  Also a libido booster (OH YEAH!!)

– Oats: fiber and protein

– Honey: less calories than sugar, source of good carbs for strength and energy, good for digestion

Beach Muscle (Chest and Abs) Workout

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With as night and day as the weather has been, it’s easy to forget that summer is just around the corner.  That (hopefully) means plenty of sun and beach time.  This workout I threw together will help you get a little closer to where you’d like to be once the warm weather is finally here to stay (well for a couple months, anyway).  We start with a cardio warm up from our friends at Fitness Blender, and then blast the core with Mike Chang (Six Pack Shortcuts).

Quick Sweat Cardio Burst

Bodyweight 250 Rep Chest Workout

Don’t be ashamed to modify this workout (like I did) by doing different pushup variations or less reps.  3 sets each of 3 different kinds of pushups should do the job.  Mike Chang is a beast and not everyone can plow through this routine like he does.

Brutal Cardio Ab Routine

You should be totally spent now.  Go make a smoothie :).

 

Warm Up 2 Cool Down Full Body Workout

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Here’s a great workout I put together using three of Fitness Blender’s YouTube videos.  This particular series will bring you from a nice warm up to a great core workout and finally a nice cool down, all in about 45 minutes.  It’s just as important to get the body warmed before starting a workout up as it  is to cool down and stretch afterwards so you don’t end up hurting yourself.

Cardio and Total Body Toning Boot Camp Workout 

(I used this as a warm up, but you could jog in place or do some jumping jacks to loosen up before starting this video)

 

Six Pack Burn Out – Intense Abs Workout 

 

Restorative Yoga/Pilates Workout

 

 

 

Hump Day Cardi-Yoga Workout & Smoothie

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I started the day with a quick High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout from Fitness Blender.  Really built a nice sweat, and worked all the major muscles in less than 15 minutes.

Fat Burning HIIT Cardio Workout

Next up was a full body vinyasa yoga practice by another great YouTube Yogi, Ali Kamenova.  Some of the poses are a bit challenging, but you can modify to suit your ability.  I was a sweaty mess after this routine, but my whole body felt great afterwards.  She focuses a lot on abs in this routine, so it’s a nice practice if you are looking to work that midsection.

Full Body Vinyasa Flow

Today’s smoothie is simple, refreshing, and really orange.

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(Makes 2 Smoothies)

1 Cup Chopped Carrots

2 Little Pears

1 Inch Piece of Ginger

1 Orange

2 Cups Water

Food Key

– Carrots: vitamins A & B6, folic acid and magnesium

– Pears: fiber, potassium and copper

– Ginger: stimulates digestion, combats flatulence (NICE!) and is effective against colds

– Oranges: vitamin C and potassium

30 Minute Morning Workout and Breakfast Smoothie

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Here’s a fast morning workout I put together with the help of some of YouTube’s finest Fitness Gurus.  First I got the heart racing and body warmed up with this great, quick (roughly 8 minutes) cardio blast from Fitness Blender:

Quick Sweat Cardio Burst

After you’re warmed up and little sweaty, hit the abs with this semi-brutal, 10 minute ab workout from Six Pack Shortcuts:

Abs & Core Workout

Last but not least, cool yourself down with a short (about 12 minutes), relaxing yoga practice from Sean Vigue:

Zen Yoga Routine

Now that you just put some work in, reward yourself with this delicious oatmeal smoothie.  I used the classic instant oatmeal flavor cinnamon & apple, and just made it a whole lot better.

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1 Apple

1/4 Cup Steel Cut Oats

1 Scoop Soy-Free Vegetable Protein

1 Handful Brazil nuts

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon Powder

1 Tablespoon Sunflower Seed Butter

1 Cup Vanilla Almond Milk

If you’re on the fence about any of the ingredients, you can always substitute with any protein (hemp, whey, etc.) nut (almonds, cashews, etc.) nut butter (almond or classic peanut butter) or liquid (regular milk, water, etc.).

Food Key

– Apples: potassium, vitamin C and pectin (helps control cholesterol and blood sugar)

– Oats: fiber and protein

– Brazil Nuts: magnesium, potassium and zinc

– Cinnamon: fiber, calcium, good for digestion

– Sunflower Seed Butter: vitamin E and iron