Eww greens. We've all been through that phase where anything green has, frankly, just disgusted us. I guess in terms of those super healthy green vegetables, our inner child will never die. However, it is time for you to put on your big boy/girl pants and to get over the "ickiness" of them.
Green drinks are the latest diet fads. It is a staple diet secret for many. To include this in your daily diet is completely justified because of its wide range of benefits. I try to drink one green smoothie a day, usually for breakfast. Green smoothies have been found to be a key to weight loss. There are so many varieties of green smoothies; so, go crazy with them. Add your favorite fruits, vegetables, and nuts. The green smoothie recipe I will share with you today has spinach, strawberries, a banana, almond butter, yogurt, and ice.
Haven't sold you on the green smoothie yet? Well maybe these benefits will. Green smoothies are jam packed with nutrients and minerals. You know how they say, "diamonds are a girl's best friend". Well, greens are the diamonds for your body. Green smoothies also fulfill a large percentage of your daily vegetable and fruit intake. Greens are dense in carotenoids, vitamin K and fiber. The fiber in spinach helps in digestion, boosts your metabolism, and speeds up weight loss. It also has vitamin E and C, beta - carotene, zinc and manganese. These are all antioxidants and help with high blood pressure. Strawberries are also full of nutrients and antioxidants, plus they are so delicious to indulge in during the summertime. The vitamin C in strawberries boosts immunity, prevents wrinkles, fight bad cholesterol, and protects your eye sight. Bananas are full of calcium, potassium, iron, pectin, and vitamin B-6. The calcium and potassium give you energy. aid in weight loss, and lower your blood pressure. The iron in bananas relieve anemia and boost your circulatory system. Vitamin B-6 helps to strengthen your nervous system and boosts the production of white blood cells, and lastly the pectin aids in digestion. Yogurt is a probiotic that provides your intestines with "good" bacteria, aiding in digestion. Yogurt also provides your body with calcium, vitamin B-2, B-12, potassium, and magnesium. Last but not least, almond butter is rich in monounsaturated fats, which are the type of fats that reduce levels of cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart ailments Almond butter is a healthier alternative to peanut butter.
So, let's get to it.
This recipe is for one serving size and has approximately 250 calories. The preparation time is about 10 minutes.
Ingredients:
1 cup of spinach
5 to 6 medium sized strawberries
1 medium sized banana
1 spoon almond butter
2 spoons fat free yogurt
1 cup of ice
Nutribullet or any other blender
If this is your first time trying a green smoothie, you may want to add 0.5 cups of 100% white grape juice to add a little sweetness to the smoothie. Once you become comfortable with the taste of the smoothie, you can stop using it.
Steps:
1. Thoroughly wash the spinach and strawberries.
2. Chop up the strawberries and bananas.
3. Add all the ingredients to your NutriBullet or blender and blend everything up.
4. Enjoy your smoothie.
You may want to drink your smoothie with a straw to prevent the green color from staining your teeth over time.
XOXO S
Green drinks are the latest diet fads. It is a staple diet secret for many. To include this in your daily diet is completely justified because of its wide range of benefits. I try to drink one green smoothie a day, usually for breakfast. Green smoothies have been found to be a key to weight loss. There are so many varieties of green smoothies; so, go crazy with them. Add your favorite fruits, vegetables, and nuts. The green smoothie recipe I will share with you today has spinach, strawberries, a banana, almond butter, yogurt, and ice.
Haven't sold you on the green smoothie yet? Well maybe these benefits will. Green smoothies are jam packed with nutrients and minerals. You know how they say, "diamonds are a girl's best friend". Well, greens are the diamonds for your body. Green smoothies also fulfill a large percentage of your daily vegetable and fruit intake. Greens are dense in carotenoids, vitamin K and fiber. The fiber in spinach helps in digestion, boosts your metabolism, and speeds up weight loss. It also has vitamin E and C, beta - carotene, zinc and manganese. These are all antioxidants and help with high blood pressure. Strawberries are also full of nutrients and antioxidants, plus they are so delicious to indulge in during the summertime. The vitamin C in strawberries boosts immunity, prevents wrinkles, fight bad cholesterol, and protects your eye sight. Bananas are full of calcium, potassium, iron, pectin, and vitamin B-6. The calcium and potassium give you energy. aid in weight loss, and lower your blood pressure. The iron in bananas relieve anemia and boost your circulatory system. Vitamin B-6 helps to strengthen your nervous system and boosts the production of white blood cells, and lastly the pectin aids in digestion. Yogurt is a probiotic that provides your intestines with "good" bacteria, aiding in digestion. Yogurt also provides your body with calcium, vitamin B-2, B-12, potassium, and magnesium. Last but not least, almond butter is rich in monounsaturated fats, which are the type of fats that reduce levels of cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart ailments Almond butter is a healthier alternative to peanut butter.
So, let's get to it.
This recipe is for one serving size and has approximately 250 calories. The preparation time is about 10 minutes.
Ingredients:
1 cup of spinach
5 to 6 medium sized strawberries
1 medium sized banana
1 spoon almond butter
2 spoons fat free yogurt
1 cup of ice
Nutribullet or any other blender
If this is your first time trying a green smoothie, you may want to add 0.5 cups of 100% white grape juice to add a little sweetness to the smoothie. Once you become comfortable with the taste of the smoothie, you can stop using it.
Steps:
1. Thoroughly wash the spinach and strawberries.
2. Chop up the strawberries and bananas.
3. Add all the ingredients to your NutriBullet or blender and blend everything up.
4. Enjoy your smoothie.
You may want to drink your smoothie with a straw to prevent the green color from staining your teeth over time.
Take control of your health and join my Green Drink Challenge. By drinking one green smoothie a day, you are on your way to a very healthy, long life.
Bon appétit, mes amis!
XOXO S
We have all heard the expression, “What you put into your body is what you get out.” Although this is not a formula derived out of the labs of Einstein, it is easily forgotten. The maintenance of your health lies within you. Only you have the power to control how you want to live your life. We live in a generation where everyone is constantly on the go, from school to work to the stresses of a hectic daily lifestyle. It is easier to grab unhealthy fast food when in a rush, and believe me I know how tempting that whole ordeal is. I have fallen victim to the Crunchwrap Supreme from Taco Bell many at times. However, it is vital to have the control and tolerance to overcome the urges. Take about 30 minutes out of your crazy 24 hour day to make yourself a healthy lunch and dinner. Now, is that to much to ask for in order to maintain good health?
Personally, since I am a vegetarian, clean eating is something that I have enjoyed from even before the fad existed. One of my favorite things to eat are salads because of the wide diversity of options you can choose from. I find myself at my local farmer’s market way more than I would like to be because of all the wonderful options of fruits and vegetables. I am always experimenting with new salad recipes. Since it is summertime, one of my favorite salads to eat have a mixture of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Here is the recipe for a new salad I concocted while fighting off boredom in the kitchen today.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Materials Needed for one serving:
Most items were bought from the local farmer’s market, except the walnuts, cranberries, and apple sauce which was from Trader Joe’s.
1.5 cups of spinach
1 cup of medium sized strawberries
1 cup of fresh kale
0.25 cups of crushed walnuts
0.25 cups of cranberries
1 cup of cherry tomatoes
1 cup of mixed red, yellow, and green bell peppers
4 small radishes
10 baby carrots
1 Earth’s Best Organic Apple Sauce
Steps:
1. Thoroughly wash the spinach, strawberries, kale, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, radishes, and baby carrots. Let them sit in a bowl of water for about 5 minutes to ensure they are completely clean. Dry them once they are thoroughly rinsed clean.
2. In a bowl or plate, place the spinach and kale.
3. Then chop up the strawberries, bell peppers, radishes, and baby carrots. And place them over the spinach and kale. Add the cherry tomatoes as well
4. On top of that, add the crushed walnuts and cranberries.
5. Top it off with a serving of the Apple Sauce. This will serve as a healthy alternative to salad dressing.
And voilà! There you have it, a healthy, clean alternative to your lunchtime McDonald’s meal.
Bon appétit, mes amis!
XOXO S
When in life do we get to figure out who we are? What we want from this life? What type of person we are? Honestly, I wish I had an answer to these ethereal questions. I may not know what type of person I am, but I do know what type of person I want to be in life, which is more than what I can say about any other average twenty year old. Life has thrown many obstacles my way, and although the overcoming of them, frankly speaking, sucked, I got through them. Now, this will not be a collection of episodes of superhero type adventures, where I triumph the hardest of struggles life throws at people. I am a firm believer in that if you think positively and optimistically that positive things occur around you. That is my primary purpose of starting this: to spread positivity. I have used my love for fashion, makeup, health, hair, and writing as my escape from reality many at times. Whether it be stress from school or the drama of daily life, I have found solace in the latest Vogue magazine, testing out new hairstyles, exploring the wonderful world of youtube gurus, and writing out my accounts of everyday life. Thus, the sparks of a brilliant idea had ignited - starting a blog. Here came the birth of The Shipra Diaries. I am jumping on the bandwagon of sharing my life through the wonderful resource of the internet. I could not think of any better way to utilize the phenomenon of the internet than to share my stories in the hopes of helping others. Hopefully, my stories of health, beauty, and life inspire others to live a more round about life. I will not drop to any stereotype of the people my age of being materialistic. Yes, products will be reviewed and such, but this blog will not be a superficial retreat. My goal is to allow people to see the wonders of health and beauty to have a well rounded, simple lifestyle. So here I am, a twenty year old college student, trying to figure out life while sharing with you my escape from reality. If you are like me and enjoy reading about the newest trends and healthy lifestyles, this is the place for you. So sit back and enjoy the ride, and I can guarantee you that my unique sense of fashion and beauty will take you on a journey of escape from the monotony of everyday's troubles.
XOXO S
XOXO S
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