Funky Monkey Smoothie

Before I started eating healthier, I never really put much thought into getting the proper nutrition my body needs. I still remember the days when I used to just eat something because I was A) hungry, B) lazy and in a hurry, or C) I wanted it, and it was convenient. All the while without giving a second thought about whether it was good for me. Those were the teenage days. At least the early ones anyway.

Boy how things have changed!

After realizing how crappy my body felt and that it was making me miserable I decided to make a big change in my eating habits and lifestyle, and focus on my health. First went the pop. Then went the rest of all the junk and fast food.

I started lifting weights and within a few months I started to see noticeable definition. I was already fairly active, but the weights made a big difference. After all, muscle burns more calories than fat!

These days I feel like the picture of health and I'm a whole lot happier for it.

I love feeling in shape and toned.

I love the way I feel after I eat something that's bursting with nutrition. Everyday doesn't need to be perfection, but as long as the overall 'big picture' is one that is balanced, I'm happy.

I don't worry about counting calories anymore or bother with products that promote themselves as fat-free or sugar-free; they are just lined with chemicals and other unnatural ingredients. Eating clean gives me the proper nutrition my body needs from real whole foods. Just eat a rainbow of real food.

I like to start my day off sometimes with a nutrient packed smoothie. If I don't get one in the morning I'll also have this for lunch. This guy is gluten-free, vegan, lactose-free, and made with Vega one chocolate mix. It has the equivalent of 3 servings of veggies (+ added fruit), 21 grams of protein, 11 grams of fiber, antioxidants, and 50% of your daily intake of vitamins & minerals. It's also low glycemic! Vega is also wonderful If you're looking to lose weight, because of it's low GI rating you keep your blood sugar low and get the maximum amount of nutrition at the same time. It's perfect for supplementing 1 or 2 of your daily meals with in addition with healthy snacks. That's exactly what this smoothie is designed for.

Love, love, love Vega! I must write a review of this stuff. I'm way overdue for it.

Funky Monkey Smoothie (serves 1)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 large tbsp natural peanut butter
• 1 scoop Chocolate flavored Vega One
• 3-4 ice cubes

Directions:

1. Place ingredient into blender in this order: frozen banana, Vega powder, peanut butter, and almond milk.
2. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add ice cubes and pulse.

It almost tastes like a peanut butter cup; my favorite cheat of all time!

This recipe is being shared at Fit and Fabulous Fridays.

Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies

I have 3 words for you.

Big. Honking. Cookies.

Now I warn you, these are probably the most indulgent treat I have posted to date. Stuffed full of huge chunks of chocolate and local sweet Bala cranberries, these cookies are the size of your face. I kid you not! If you don't believe me just look at how ridiculously big they are against the palm of my hand.

Anyone who says they don't love a good oatmeal cookie are either lying or hasn't had a real one. It's just one of those classics. But the real star of the show here is the chocolate! Camino organic & fair-trade semi-sweet chocolate to be exact. Bars of gold I tell you.

These cookies are adapted from my favourite oatmeal cookie made by Giada. The original recipe is from her cookbook Weeknights With Giada. I've seen her make these a few times now. They're hearty and delicious, and they only use a half cup of unsalted butter so they're not greasy. The cinnamon in these also give it something extra special. LOVE cinnamon!

Giada's recipe says it makes a dozen cookies, but if you want big giant ones it will only make about 9. Make sure you keep an eye on them while they bake so they don't burn. They took the full 15 minutes in my oven to be perfectly baked and golden. The hardest part was waiting for them to cool. Now where's the fun in that?!

Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies

Makes9 big cookies

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into large chunks
•  

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350* F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
4. Then add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. With the machine running, gradually add the flour mixture.
5. Add the oats, cranberries and chocolate chunks, mixing until just incorporated.
6. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, scoop slightly rounded mounds of the dough into 9 4-oz balls.
7. Arrange 6 balls of dough, spaced evenly apart, on each baking sheet. Using the back of a spoon, flatten the tops and bake until the cookies are golden around the edges, about 13 - 15 minutes.
8. Transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack and cool for 20 minutes (if you can wait that long) before eating.

*Tip* To bring the egg to room temperature, fill a small bowl with hot water and place the egg in it for 2 minutes.

Now to sit down with a cookie and a nice cup of tea for a relaxing end to the day.