Summer favs.

Summer time = smoothie's for me. I love having healthy smoothie's all summer long. I usually work out every morning so a post work out smoothie is a must for me. Here is my favorite smoothie recipe right now:

1 cup almond milk
1 scoop plant based protein (I use presidents choice brand from superstore)
1 tablespoon of shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup frozen mango
a half of frozen banana

Delicious. I've also started having smoothie bowls. Basically you put your smoothie base in a bowl and then add whatever healthy food toppings to it. Things like granola, fruit, chia seeds, coconut etc.

I also love having overnight oats. You make them before you go to bed, put them in the fridge overnight and they are ready to eat as soon as you wake up. No morning prep needed at all. At first I was apprehensive about eating them cold but I actually quite like it. I also found that using steel cut oats was better because they didn't get as mushy. As a food texture freak that made all the difference to me. Oh, and doing them in a mason jar is the best too. Here is my favorite recipe:

1/4 cup of steel cut oats
1/3 cup almond milk
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice (I use real lemons)
1 tsp honey
1 tsp chia seeds
1/2 scoop of a plant based protein powder

mix it all up in your mason jar, put the lid on and stick it in the fridge. Then in the morning I just add whatever fruit I have to it.

One of my favorite snack's right now is a greek yogurt parfait (Hayley call's it a yogurt cafe) which is basically greek yogurt topped with whatever you want. I usually do granola, ground flax, berries, shredded coconut, and sometimes a few chocolate chips (dark or cacao would be best but sometimes I have to have a little milk chocolate). Or I also love greek yogurt, apples, and cinnamon.

You can also do the same with a chia seed pudding. Chia seeds are loaded with fiber, protein, omega 3 fatty acids, and various micronutrients. They are a whole grain but are naturally free of gluten. I do mine in a mason jar as well. Once the seeds and the almond milk sit for a bit the texture kind of becomes thick and kind of like a gel. Here's one of my fav recipe's:

1/4 cup of chia seeds (I got mine from the bulk barn)
3/4 cup of almond milk
1/2 cup of plant based protein powder
1 tablespoon of oats
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
any other sweetener you want to add (stevia, honey, pure maple syrup) just if you want it a little sweeter

Then you put it in the fridge for 8-10 minutes to allow it to "gel" up. Then add whatever fruit to it. I love blueberries and bananas. A great afternoon snack.

I saw this online and had to try it.

A watermelon dessert pizza. slice your watermelon, then I added a whipped coconut cream, shredded coconut, and some berries. It was so delicious and all the kids loved it too.

I am just loving summer. It has been so good for my soul and my belly :)