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Fitness

Don’t Let Tracy Anderson Ruin Your Workout

May 16th, 2014 in celebrities, Diet, Fitness, Uncategorized by AmyBlitz

“I get it. You want lean, strong legs (and a tight, lifted butt). The problem is, in the quest for toned thighs, we often overdo it and end up with big old bulky legs…I’m not saying don’t ever run or spin or use the leg press machine at the gym, but doing so several times a week can create thigh thickness…” –Tracy Anderson

Thank you, Tracy for warning me off my favorite exercises like running and spinning. I wouldn’t want to (gasp) get “bulky” legs from putting on any unsightly muscle.

SIGH.

First, Tracy is wrong. I regularly take spin. I weight train my legs with both heavy and light weights. Up until a month ago when I injured myself, I ran several days a week. While I’m not rocking a thigh gap (and wouldn’t want to anyway), my legs aren’t bulky. Spinning and running are endurance exercises, which use slow twitch muscle fibers. These muscles do not bulk. Also, unless she is genetically predisposed with the ability to put on a lot of muscle, the only way for a woman to bulk is to eat. That’s it. Anybody that looks like is body builder is probably working very hard for those results.

Which brings me to my next point: even if it were possible for spinning and running to add bulk to legs, SO WHAT? Why does everyone assume that a woman doesn’t want to “get big”? Because I’m a female I need to be stick thin? If my pursuit of a nice booty means my thighs get a little bigger, than so be it. And I’m not the only one who feels this way. This group of sporty people just started their own jean company for muscular legs: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/22/barbell-apparel-denim-jeans-for-athletes_n_5192767.html

Instead of worrying about putting on too much muscle, which again, is not likely if you are a lady (sorry, I never met a dead horse who I did not want to beat), why not celebrate the fact that we are working out? For some, it’s a miracle that they can squeeze a few spin classes into their busy schedules. Let’s be happy that we’re exercising and getting stronger, not stressing over a stupid fear of looking “too big”.

Women’s fitness has come a long way. We say things like “Strong is the new sexy” and I think we actually mean it. Although sometimes that sentiment is accompanied by pictures like this-

Oh no! Somebody should tell her she forgot to wear her pants to the gym!

-the evidence that the ladies are killing it at the fitness game is right there in every Crossfit and BodyPump class. Besides being the consumers, we’re also leading the charge to create new ways to get your sweat on. The hottest boutique cycling studios, Soul Cycle and Flywheel, were created and are currently run by women.

Let’s keep running, spinning, swimming, or doing whatever the hell it is we like to do and celebrate that we can improve our bodies and our minds through exercise. I’m on my way to a spin class. I hope I see you there.

Next week I’ll share some vegetarian recipes and products I’ve come across during my 3 month diet experiment. Got any tips on how to be a healthy vegetarian? Let me know on Facebook.com/blitzyourbody or Twitter @AmyBlitz1

Bye-bye, Caveman! Hello, Bambi! Transitioning from Paleo to Vegetarianism

May 2nd, 2014 in Diet, Fitness, Uncategorized by AmyBlitz

My month-long trial of the Paleo diet is over! Woo hoo! Time to celebrate with all the pizza and cake I can eat!

This is an actual piece of pizza-cake. Really.

Kidding, kidding…

Paleo is strict, but I enjoyed all the healthy fruits, veggies and lean meat I ate this past month. I allowed myself 5 cheat meals in 30 days, which I believe actually enabled me to ultimately stay within the diet’s rigid guidelines. So my first piece of advice if you are going to try the Paleo diet…is to cheat! Ha, ha, easy right? Seriously, you can’t be perfect all the time, so if you reward yourself with a piece of pizza on Friday, to celebrate eating healthy the rest of the week, then you’re golden.

Here’s a breakdown of my 30 day Paleo diet:

Difficulty: It’s not difficult if you stay home and make all of your own food. Going out with friends was a challenge. If I went out socially on a weekend, then that night would generally include my splurge meal. Since I usually like to order fish when I go out, most of my cheats were paleo-esque anyway.

Expense: Not too bad. I mainly stuck to Trader Joe’s, the cost per pound of grass fed meat, wild caught fish, and omega 3 eggs was only about $1.00 more than the regular stuff. All told, I spent about $225 on groceries this month, which in NYC, is not bad for two people!

What I Ate: Kale and spaghetti squash made perfect “beds” for my protein. I also ate sweet potatoes, kabucha squash, spinach, and broccoli slaw on a regular basis. My animal protein was mostly chicken, fish, pork and eggs. I ate red meat only three times this month. Nuts, especially walnuts and my beloved cashew butter, were staples, but I made sure to watch my portions. Overall, I felt like I was eating a very healthy diet.

Energy Level: High. It’s pretty telling that I no longer needed my afternoon cup of coffee two weeks after I started this diet. I felt so good this month that I am actually starting to wonder if I have a sensitivity to gluten or to something else that was in my diet before. Hmmm…we’ll see what happens in May.

Body Changes: While I wasn’t necessarily trying to lose weight, I did lose two pounds. I also lost about three inches, which is OK because I maintained my muscle mass and still look healthy. I lost the inches around my hips and thighs.

While Paleo is the most “fad-ish” of the diets I’m trying, it’s emphasis on all natural foods gives it more staying power than Atkins. I may even go back to that style of eating (with a few tweaks once I’m done with my project). But who knows? Maybe I’ll fall in love with being a vegetarian. Which bring me to…

Month 2: Vegetarianism

Wish me luck!

Got any tips on how to be a healthy vegetarian? Let me know on Facebook.com/blitzyourbody or Twitter @AmyBlitz1

Coconut Oil Smoothie? Yes! Plus, Tips for Getting You Ready for the Gun Show…

Apr 29th, 2014 in Diet, Fitness, Recipes, Uncategorized by AmyBlitz

The weather is warm! Let us all rejoice and wear short sleeves! Since tank top season is on it’s way, I’ve been concentrating on my biceps a little more than usual.

Here are three quick tips for those of you who are looking to get some backstage passes for the gun show:

1. Try different grips. In the picture above, I have my hand in the supinated position. At the start of the exercise, my hands are at my sides, but as I lift, I rotate my arm so that the palm then faces up. Another option is the traditional hammer curl. Or you could get really crazy and do a reverse curl. For this you’ll just keep your hand in the pronated position, which means your palms face down.

2. Change up your arm position.

Here I just rotated my arms so that my palms face away from me.

3. Use different weight and rep ranges. One day, go light and try for 15 reps per set. Another day, pick up heavier weights and try 6-8 reps per set.

Coconut Oil Recipes!

Coconut oil is everywhere these days, and it’s a good thing because I love it. I keep two jars in my house at all times: one in my kitchen for cooking and baking, and one in my bathroom for my daily beautification ritual (wash my face, apply coconut oil, sacrifice a virgin…)

Paleo peeps love putting it their coffee so I thought I’d give it a try.

It’s so good! Creamy, foamy and slightly coconut-y, this is a big time upgrade from my usual coffee with almond milk.

Coconut oil supposedly speeds up metabolism, increases your energy and immunity to diseases, and aids in the reduction of belly fat. Yeah, I know, too good to be true, right? I don’t know if all these things are true, but I love the taste, and my skin looks great so I’m going to keep on using it- in moderation, of course, since it has 120 calories per tablespoon–if you eat it. Feel free to smear as much as you want on your face.

This got me thinking, what if I added some of this magical oil to my protein shake instead of almond butter?

And the Banana “Daiquiri” Protein Shake was born!

I mean…c’mon. I could go on about how good this shake is, but really, you just have to try it yourself.

Drink this shake as a snack as opposed to a post workout recovery meal, since the fat provided by the coconut oil may impede your body’s ability to absorb the protein quickly.

“Paleo” Coconut Coffee (Blitz Your Body style)

*True Paleo coffee also includes butter, which I omitted because it requires melting a high quality butter. Too many steps at 6 am!

1 cup of coffee

2-3 oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 TB coconut oil

cinnamon

Combine in a blender and blend until it looks creamy and foamy. Done!

Banana “Daiquiri “Protein Shake

No rum required. But if you add it, I won’t judge you!

8 oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk or any milk of your choice

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

1/2 banana (frozen is best)

splash of vanilla extra

1 TB organic virgin coconut oil

1-2 ice cubes, or more as needed

Let me know if you try these coconut oil concoctions. I want to know what you think!

Facebook.com/blitzyourbody

Cashew Butter Bread and Tips for Race Season

Apr 22nd, 2014 in Diet, Fitness, Recipes, Uncategorized by AmyBlitz

Let me break it down for you. Cashew. Butter. Bread. Whaaaat? YES, you can make bread out of cashew butter, eggs and a few other things, and it’s awesome and pretty much tastes like bread. If you’re grain-free, or even grain-free curious, make this:

Yummy

The recipe can be found here: http://www.elanaspantry.com/rochels-cashew-bread/

And while you’re there, just go ahead and check out her entire site. Recipes galore!

Also, I love answering questions, so anytime you have one, hit me up on Facebook, email, or this blog and I will be happy to assist.

From Ginny:

Hi Amy! I’m running my first half marathon on May 18th. Any Blitz Tips for the final month of training?

Good for you, Ginny! The half is my favorite distance race. It’s long enough that you get a feeling of accomplishment, but not so long that you need tons of recovery time. Not everyone can or wants to run 13.1 miles, so you should already feel pretty great about yourself just for signing up.

My “Blitz Tips” as you said, (LOVE the moniker, by the way), are based on my own experiences and quite frankly, my mistakes. I’m going to assume you have been following a training plan so none of this will be about an actual running schedule.

1. Take it easy on the drinkin’, sister. Unless we’re talking about water.

You don’t have to be a nun during the final month, but keep in mind that you will be asking a lot of your body for the next few weeks. If you want the very best out of your final long runs, which are typically on the weekends, it does no good to be totally hung over and dehydrated. Your body must be hydrated to fuel proper contraction and relaxation of the muscles, so take it easy and get a lot of sleep. Try to totally abstain from drinking alcohol the last week of your race. But if you’re feeling nervous the night before your race, one glass won’t hurt.

2. The long slow distance run really means SLOW.

Your long run is not the time to test out how fast you can be on race day. Just get the “time on your legs” completed. Your pace should be approximately 50-60 seconds slower than your planned race pace. Check out the book, The New Rules of Running, by Vijay Vad, M.D. which talks in detail about training for long races.

3. Don’t over-hydrate the day of your race.

…Unless you want to hit up every port-a-potty on the route. I made this mistake at my first few races and it’s no fun standing in line while the race passes you by. Have 8-16 ounces of water an hour before the race, and then another half a glass before you run. During the race, drink if you’re thirsty. Personally, I like to just take sips of the Gatorade they hand out during the race. If it’s hot outside, drink more.

Good luck and let me know how your races are going!

A Crock-Pot Recipe You Can Jump Into with Both Feet…Or Maybe Just One

Apr 17th, 2014 in Diet, Fitness, Recipes by AmyBlitz

Working out is so much more fun when you have a buddy with you, right? Shout-out to my girl Angie, who’s been kind enough to come all the way from Queens over to my gym, and lift weights with me! See, ever since I’ve been wearing this beautiful boot…

Woomp, there it it-thought you knew…

…my work outs have been pretty perfunctory. But when I have my gym buddy, we have a great time challenging each other. In fact, if you happen to see us together in the gym, stand aside because Angie and I are getting the job DONE. (Just kidding, actually, come talk to us, cause we’re really friendly). So my only fit tip this week is this: if you’re in a fitness funk, not motivated, or just generally feeling down, grab a friend and get moving. I can now speak from experience, and tell you that the combination of exercise and good company is a one-two feel-good punch in the face.

Paleo Time!

It’s officially the end of week two of my little experiment and I gotta say, I love Paleo! I was very skeptical at first, however I feel energized, focused and even a little lighter. I don’t miss the foods I thought I would miss like yogurt and oatmeal, two very major staples in my life up until now. One tidbit: after a pizza cheat night, I thought it would be smart to go very low carb for a day or two and only have protein and vegetables. Not. Smart. And I know better; a little bit of pizza would not be enough carbs to get me through a few days of low carb eating. Let’s just say I MAY have been a little moody. Actually, let’s also just say that I MAY have wanted to tell off every single person I encountered on the subway during my commute, and MAYBE I cried because I missed a train because my boot was making me walk too slow. But, don’t worry, I figured out my problem , and promptly ate an apple, which pretty much changed my life. So, lesson learned. If you ever try paleo, eat your fruit!

I’ve been cooking A LOT, so there are always veggies to chop and some kind of mess to clean up, which I admit is kind of a pain. But, and I think everyone will agree on this, it is just so much better to cook your own meals. Even when your order out healthy food, you never know what they are putting into your dinner.

Speaking of cooking, do yourself a favor and make this in your crock-pot for an easy, paleo friendly meal that you can totally serve with brown rice if you want to. I had mine on top of spaghetti squash.

Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken

from Allrecipes.com

1 jar of salsa without preservatives (Newman’s Own is good)

Taco seasoning (Google up how to make your own and avoid all the sodium in the package)

1 lime or 1/2 of lemon (I used lemon cause that’s what I had)

1 handful of cilantro

3 lbs of skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Mix it up all up and cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 6-8. Top it with a little bit of chopped avocado. It’s really good!

It’s a proven fact that crock pot food does not look good in pictures, so no food pic on this one. Instead, enjoy this picture of my boot enjoying a Yankee game.

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I’m So Bad…And That’s Ok!

Apr 10th, 2014 in celebrities, Diet, Fitness, Recipes by AmyBlitz

I came across a blog the other day about the problem with “diet mentality.” You know, that feeling of failure and lack of willpower that comes from being “bad”at the dinner table. The declaration of a food fail or “food shaming” seems to be the way some of us relate to each other lately as we all try to squeeze into our skinny jeans.

Amy Schumer totally nailed it in her April 8th sketch on her show that highlighted this trend. If you haven’t seen it, check it out here:

Inside Amy Schumer
Get More: Comedy Central,Funny Videos,Funny TV Shows

Love her!

Does confessing our food sins really make us feel better? Or does it actually hinder real progress by constantly focusing on our failure? If we always take for granted the good things we do and only stress about the negative, then how can anyone expect to actually stick to a healthy lifestyle?

Let’s change our mindsets. Eating healthy and exercising is a reward for our bodies, not a punishment for being ‘bad’. True, it’s easier to just hang on the couch. And sometimes it’s difficult to pass by the good cupcake place without stopping in. But eventually it becomes easier to make the choice of good health. And when you do, you should CELEBRATE IT! And if on one of those days you actually go in and get the damn cupcake, don’t beat yourself up afterward.

Read the original blog post from WeightPsychology.com here: http://www.weightpsychology.com/blog.php

As for my own diet experiment with Paleo: it’s still going well. Vin and I are both cooking up some amazing food!

Paleo Crispy Buffalo Chicken with Bacon Wrapped Asparagus.

Made by Vin. Recipe at http://stupideasypaleo.com/

I had a major cheat with some pizza the other night since we were out celebrating my girl Lisa’s birthday.

AND THAT’S OK!

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Secret to a Flat Belly-Fast! (Did that get your attention?)

Mar 26th, 2014 in Fitness, Uncategorized by AmyBlitz

Now that I have your attention, I just want to complain one more time: it’s still cold. But I think that pretty soon we’re going to be complaining about how hot it is, right? In the spirit of wishful thinking, I’ve been working on my core a lot lately. I didn’t want to wait much longer to start working on my lean, mean summer body, and you shouldn’t either.

A quick note before we talk about getting a ripped six pack. Despite what the supplement companies state there is no magic pill to help you lose stomach fat. There is also no magic food that you can eat that will help in that department either. The only way to melt fat from your midsection is to eat a clean diet of lean protein, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. You should also be diligent in your cardio, (AT LEAST three days a week), and strength train your total body at least twice a week for overall tone and balance.

Try these exercises to start sculpting a tight midsection. Start now and you’ll be thanking me in June.

Crossover Crunch

Works abdominals, internal and external obliques, the “waist” muscles.

Lay on your back with your knees bent and hands behind your head. Place you left ankle on your right knee. Crunch up and moving diagonally, bring your right elbow towards your left knee. Contract your abs at the top of the motion. Lower to start and repeat on that side for 12-20 reps, depending on your fitness level. Switch sides and repeat.

Hanging Leg Raises

Works abdominals and hip flexors

This move is a advanced. Fortunately for beginners, most gyms have a captain’s chair which you can use to do this same movement. If you’ve been working out for a while, hang from a chin-up bar with your hands in either a wide or narrow grip. Before you start, pull your shoulders away from your ears. Raise your knees up to a 90 degree angle from your torso, then lower down with control. Each rep should be slow and deliberate, don’t swing through the movement. If you are having difficulty hanging from the bar, look around for ab straps, which you can place under your armpits. Try this one for anywhere between 3- 8 reps, unless you are super awesome and can perform double digit reps.

Dead Bug

Works the deep core muscles and stabilizes the lower spine.

Lay on your back with your knees bent, feet on the floor and tighten up your core muscles. Extend your arms above your shoulders and your legs over your hips. Beginners should keeps their knees bent, while more advanced exercisers can straighten out their legs. Inhale, and lower your left leg and your right arm until they are about an inch away from the floor. Exhale and return your limbs to the original position. Switch to the right leg and left arm. Perform this move for 8-10 reps per side. Maintain the position of your spine throughout the exercise. If you feel this in the lower back, keep your knees bent throughout the movement or keep your arms at your sides.

Try each exercise for 3 sets. Let me know how it goes!

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Green is the New Black: New Smoothie Recipe!

Mar 17th, 2014 in Fitness, Recipes, Uncategorized by AmyBlitz

Yesterday, I joined more than 20,000 people in running the NYC Half Marathon. It was thrilling to run down the city streets–particularly Broadway,right through Times Square.

This was the first race in a long time where I had no problems with swelling in my ankle. I’m still utilizing Jeff Galloway’s run/walk/run program, but had to rely on it for only a quarter of the race. If you don’t already know, Mr. Galloway is an amazing running coach whose program got me running again pain free. Read more about him here: http://www.jeffgalloway.com/ or my original JG love letter: https://blitzyourbody.com/2013/11/marathon-envy/

Afterwards. we celebrated with pasta, green mimosas and a little dancing, which, by the way, is absolutely the wrong way to recover after a race. I should have skipped the mimosas and and instead had plenty of water and stretched my overworked muscles.

Celebrating my 7th and Ana’s 1st half!

But today is a new day! And while I didn’t aid my body with proper recovery yesterday, I can still give my muscles what they need with my favorite protein shake for breakfast. Since it’s St. Patrick’s day, I made sure to add plenty of spinach to give it a gorgeous green color. Don’t worry, adding spinach only boosts the nutritional content of this shake, as spinach is rich in muscle building iron, and bone strengthening calcium. It does not taste like spinach, trust me.

St. Paddy’s Day Recovery Shake

260 cal/5.5 grams fat/27 grams protein

Serves 1

1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder (I still like Designer Whey the best!)

1/2 frozen or fresh banana

1/4 cup lowfat Greek yogurt

1 splash vanilla extract

1 tsp honey or whatever sweetener you prefer

1 cup baby spinach

2-3 ice cubes

Blend and enjoy!

Dear Diary…Why You Should Keep a Food Journal

Feb 14th, 2014 in Fitness, Uncategorized by AmyBlitz

The 30 Day Food Journal Challenge I started in January is finally over! For the past month, my clients, friends, and I kept a detailed log of our daily exercise and food intake, using the My Fitness Pal app. So did my challenge work? Is keeping a food journal really worth the effort?

Here are some tips I learned:

Honesty is the Best Policy

A food journal can give you insight into your daily calorie intake and can help you determine areas where your diet can be cleaned up. But you must be thorough. It’s best to log right after you’ve eaten so you don’t forget. This includes the handful of potato chips you had, and that half of a chocolate chip cookie I snacked on (couldn’t help it, it had walnuts). Over a period of time, omitting little bites like those can mean the difference between reaching your goal or coming up short.

Be Consistent

Keeping a food log can work, but only if done with consistency. I recommend setting a specific time goal for journaling. Whether it is an entire month or even just a week, make a commitment to log every day for that time. Out of the 22 who signed up for the 30 Day Food Journal Challenge, about half didn’t keep up with their log, and dropped out after the first week. Everyone who recorded for the full 30 days experienced various degrees of success–from better fitting clothes, to a ten pound drop in weight.

Underestimate Your Exercise Expenditure and Overestimate Your Calories

The My Fitness Pal app, as well as the cardio machines at the gym, grossly overestimate the calories you burn while you workout. My suggestion is to under report the amount of time you worked out to get a number that could be close to accurate. As for calories consumed, if you measure your portions, you don’t need to adjust for accuracy. However when dining out, it’s always best to over estimate. Last night I searched “pizza” on My Fitness Pal and many of the entries were under 300 calories a slice, which seems highly unlikely. Especially in New York, where a slice of pizza looks like this:

If your pizza fits on a plate, you’re not in New York

Review Your Previous Entries

You can’t learn about your food habits and triggers, if you don’t take the time to look at previous entries. Did you have a bad day at work on a high calories day? Are you too busy too eat a sufficient amount of food when the baby is awake? Reflection can be key to helping you make healthy changes that can last a lifetime.

Yes! Journaling Does Work!

Finally, some people would be above printing a letter of praise from a happy food journaler. I, however, am not one of those people! Read Shannon’s letter below to see how keeping a food journal helped her break through a plateau:

Hi Amy- I just wanted to thank you for starting the 30 day food journal challenge . It was just the change I needed to shed a few more pounds, which I’d been trying to drop for months. I was basically stuck at the same weight and just figured that was it for me…but then I started journaling and bam, 5 lbs in 30. days!!! It’s incredible the difference those 5 lbs have made I am beyond ecstatic at how I look and how much more defined my muscles look now. I truly appreciate and just love people like you who start these sorts of things and are always looking to help those around them. You are a great inspiration!! Thank you thank you thank you!!! Xoxoxo

Oh and I plan to continue journaling, I’m addicted –Shannon

Thanks Shannon! Glad to hear that you love how you look and, more importantly, how you feel!

My Gift To You: A Workout…and an Eggnog Protein Shake!

Dec 12th, 2013 in Fitness, Recipes, Uncategorized by AmyBlitz

This month DO NOT Blitz Your Body. Instead…Blitzen Your Body! To honor my favorite reindeer, I have created a quick and easy-to-remember circuit, that will get you in and out of the gym in 30 minutes. You’ll burn calories, boost strength and endurance, plus get your endorphins flowing right in time for the holiday. And then, once the New Year comes around, you will already be ahead of the workout game.

Oh, and as an added bonus, I have included a special EGGNOG PROTEIN SMOOTHIE recipe at the end. Try it after your workout to aid in muscle recovery.

5 minute warm up

1/4 mile treadmill run at moderate pace – Don’t like running? That’s fine. Substitute any treadmill running portion of this workout with a treadmill hill walk, 5 minutes of stairmaster, or 1 minute of jumping jacks combined with 1 minute of mountain climbers and another 30 seconds of jumping jacks. This is the cardio portion, so just get your heart rate up for at least 2.5 minutes.

15-20 push ups: Works chest, triceps, back and core muscles.

15 side lunges (per leg) Works glutes and thighs

15-20 of any type of row. I love TRX rows, but you can also do a bent over dumbbell row. Works the muscles of the middle back and biceps.

Plank for 30-90 seconds. Works the core stabilizing muscles and shoulders.

50 bicycle crunches. Works the obliques and abdominals

10-20 Forward lunges with a bicep curl AND an overhead press. This is the move that will get your heart pumping again after the core work. Grab a set of light to moderate weights. With the dumbbells in both hands, step forward into a lunge. With your back knee hovering above the ground, do a biceps curl, ensuring that you keep your elbows close to your torso. Flip your grip so that palms face forward and perform an overhead press. If you are a beginner then just perform the curl. Lower your arms and step your back leg forward. Repeat on the other side. Works legs, glutes, biceps, shoulders, triceps and core muscles.

Rest for 1 minute or more if necessary. Go back to the treadmill or the cardio of your choice. Try to increase the intensity of the cardio portion by either going a bit faster or increasing the incline/resistance. Repeat weight circuit.

Do this circuit 2-3 times. If you have extra time at the gym, add some small muscle group exercises like triceps extensions and lat shoulder raises at the end.

And now for the NOG!

Blitzen’s Eggnog Protein Smoothie

1/2 cup Silk Nog (this will provide the eggnog taste without the egg nog fat and calories)

1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 TB chia seeds (optional)

1 scoop Designer Whey Vanilla Protein powder

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 banana (frozen is best, but if you only have a fresh one, add more ice)

1 dash ground cloves

1 dash ground nutmeg

1 dag ground cinnamon

2 ice cubes

Combine Soy Nog and almond milk in your blender. Add chia seeds. Allowing the chia seeds to soak in this liquid for a few minutes will make your smoothie extra thick. Add the rest of your ingredients and blend, adding a bit more almond milk if it becomes too thick for your taste. If you need more sweetness you can add a bit of honey or liquid stevia, just adjust calories accordingly. I like it as is.

Serve over ice.

Serves 1. With chia seeds: 300 calories. 7 grams fat. 11 grams fiber. 7 grams sugar.