You may be skeptical of the green color or how it will taste with spinach, but I have a feeling you will love it just as much as I did! It is an easy way to get in your fruits & veggies and makes for a great post workout or pre workout snack!

GREEN MONSTER SMOOTHIE

1 CUP PINEAPPLE (FROZEN)

1 BANANA (FROZEN)

2 CUPS OF FRESH BABY SPINACH

1 CUP WATER (or coconut water)

optional 1 SCOOP VANILLA PROTEIN POWDER

DIRECTIONS: Place all the ingredients in a blender

 Mix on high for 2 minutes or until smooth!

Pour in your favorite cup and enjoy!

If you are using fruit that isn’t frozen I recommend adding ice! This smoothy is healthy and refreshing, I am happy to have leftovers to drink today

What is your favorite smoothie recipe?

Do you like spinach in smoothies? 

Coconut Water it is low in calories, contains electrolytes like sodium, magnesium & potassium, and only has natural sugars

Bananas high in potassium

Whey Protein Shake (coffee flavor) high in fast-acting protein absorption

Apple & Peanut butter carbs, proteins, & healthy fats

Homemade Larabars healthy fats and carbs

Here are some other great options post-workout:

• fruit, yogurt & granola,
• turkey sandwich
• cheese & whole grain crackers
• protein shake with fruit and nut butter
• low-fat chocolate milk
• omelet with veggies

Through my training and personal experience I have learned the importance of a post-workout snack! Feeding your body after a workout helps repair the muscle tissues and replenishes your glycogen which gets depleted during intense workout sessions. It doesn’t matter where I am after a workout I always have  something to re-fuel my body. Here are some of my go to post-workout snacks or snacks that I recommend:

1. Cookie Dough Protein Bites a good source of protein & fat

2. Quest Protein Bars.. yum. They are super high in protein to help rebuild that muscle.

3. Banana.. high in potassium and would be great topped with some peanut or almond butter

4. Greek Yogurt with berries

5. A small chicken or turkey sandwich with reduced fat cheese

Don’t forget the importance of drinking water after a workout.. stay hydrated:)

Yesterday when I was prepping foods, I knew I needed some on the go snacks this week that were filling since my schedule is busy. These bars are sure to do the trick!

This morning I taught a Group Power class and immediately trained a client right after so this was the perfect post workout snack to eat as I was leaving class. With about 9g of protein, I knew my muscles would be replenished.  I loved that it had some crunch from the almonds and the combination of chocolate and peanut butter felt almost like a treat!

The best part is they are no bake! It literally took me 10 minutes to whip these up and I’m definitely going to make these weekly. I might try out some different flavors

Homemade Protein Bars

Ingredients

2 cups quick oats

2 scoops Egg White Protein Powder (I used Jay robb chocolate)

1/4 cup almonds

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup All Natural Peanut Butter (creamy)

1/4 cup skim milk

1/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 cup dark chocolate

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Grease a large 11×7 inch pan.

2. In plastic bag, crush almonds (I use a hammer but you can use a rolling pin

3. Combine all of the dry mix ingredients into a large bowl and mix

4. In a microwave safe bowl combine all of the wet mix ingredients & microwave until chocolate is mostly melted. Stir until smooth

5. Combine wet & dry ingredients.

6. Pour mixture into the pan and spread to cover the bottom of the pan.

(This is before they were cut.. I used wax paper to spread them in the pan so my hands didnt’ get all sticky.)

7. Refrigerate for an hour before eating & Store in the fridge.

Makes 12 bars, serving size 1 bar approximately 195 calories, 8.2g fat, 21g carb, 2.8g fiber, 9.2g protein

Note: These bars can be sticky from the honey so I wrapped mine in a piece of tin foil to bring to work or you could use wax paper so that it doesn’t get your hands all sticky.