Dancer's Nutrition: Smoothies!

I admit I have never been a smoothie fan, but upon the request of my lovely dance students I have found a new love for them...sorta.  After perusing Pinterest and getting feed back and suggestions from my dancers, sister and husband I have come up with these two smoothies to share.  

The first is my antioxidant berry mint smoothie which not only contains fresh berries but also coconut water and tart cherry juice.  Coconut water is amazing for hydration and the tart cherry juice contains benefits that many of us can use.  Tart cherry juice contains properties to help with inflammation in joints and muscles and may also help you sleep better, making this smoothie the perfect snack for after a long day of dance classes (or a late night work out).  After the first week back to teaching dance after a long winter break, my body was feeling sore and this smoothie definitely helped.

My second smoothie contains two of my favorite things together, bananas and peanut butter.  At first I started thinking it would be more like a plain old milkshake but then my sister suggested to me to add some spinach for some extra nutrition.  I have to say I was a bit skeptical since I would much rather prefer to eat my veggies and not drink them.  However, the spinach didn't seem to alter the taste at all that much, although, I am still getting over staring at the green color as I taste bananas and peanut butter.   I also added rolled oats to my "green" smoothie making this a breakfast meal on the go.  So I guess we're all covered here on this smoothie, veggies, protein, potassium, fiber and whole grains.  Looks like drinking my breakfast won't be so bad after all and I might actually start liking smoothies.

Antioxidant Berry Mint Smoothie

Ingredients
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
6-8 mint leaves
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup tart cherry juice
1/2 cup coconut water

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.  Serve immediately.

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Ingredients
1 cup fresh spinach
2 tablespoons rolled oats
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 large frozen banana, sliced into small pieces
1-1/4 cup almond milk

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.  Serve immediately.









Note:  Place the ingredients into the blender in the order that they are listed in the recipes.  This will ensure that your ingredients will blend together better. 

Dancer's Nutrition: Snack Time

As a dance teacher and dancer myself, I am always in need of a snack in between meals and in between classes.  My sister often says I eat like a two year old because I'm always hungry and ready for a snack.  And my response to her is, the more often you eat and in smaller portions has proven to keep your metabolism up (don't worry she agrees, she just likes to give me a hard time...I think).  Keeping my metabolism up is even more important to me as I get older.  While I am usually reaching for some granola, pretzels or a piece fruit I do love a little something more filling and easy to take with me.  

I have to say I am pretty picky when it comes to hummus, especially about the texture.  I like mine to be extra creamy and full of flavor.  So when creating this lovely snack I wanted to keep the ingredients fresh and bright.  I am a lover of basil (hence, my basil-almond pesto) and a fresh squeezed  Meyer lemon is the perfect pair to it.  I know most of the country is covered in snow while I sit her typing in a tank top so I thought some bright spring flavors would boost any ones mood.  Oh, and did I mention that this hummus is healthy?  It's packed with protein, low in calories and super tasty!   

Enjoy!

Basil Hummus

Ingredients
1 - 15 ounce can organic garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and washed
1 cup fresh organic basil, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons sour cream (you can substitute Greek yogurt if preferred)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 red pepper flakes (optional)

Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.  Serve with a drizzle of olive oil on top with fresh veggies.  Makes about 2 cups. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.