Holy guacamole! You guys are blowing me away with your entries for my Champion Workout Gear Giveaway (yes, I have read each and every one of them so far!). When I said you had to promise to leave a nice comment, it definitely didn’t have to be about me…but I’ll still take ‘em, and proudly at that. Thank you guys, really!
Now let me fill ya’ll in on today’s workout and food because, well, they’re all pretty awesome.
Workout
A couple of months ago, Lindsay sent me a couple of her favorite cardio workouts to try when I mentioned I was in need of some new ideas. After she mentioned them again this morning, I knew it’d be the perfect day for it.
I used her Hill and Speed Interval Workout as a base for what my routine looked like. I ended up increasing a few of the speeds a bit but it was a great workout, and I loved the mix of HIIT speeds and inclines. Thanks, Lindsay!
Lunch
I am officially obsessed. Jay has even noticed my newfound obsession. His exact words today when he came home from work for lunch,
“Wow, another smoothie, huh? You must really be liking those things.”
You’re darn right, hubby. I sure do.
Today’s combo was a delicious Strawberry Almond Smoothie Bowl:
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 scoop vanilla SunWarrior
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- ~1 tbsp slivered almonds
Topped, of course, with more Quaker Oatmeal Squares + Love Grown Foods Cocoa Goodness granola.
About an hour later, I also snacked on a golden delicious apple and a piece of Banana Raisin Pumpkin bread. Yum!!
Dinner
I had a meet up with someone earlier this evening, but luckily, I had already cooked up tonight’s dinner this afternoon, so it was ready and waiting for me upon my return.
Oh my gosh, this Pumpkin Black Bean Soup is absolutely divine. Especially when it’s topped with a little cheese. I think I now may have another obsession on my hands.
I’ll be sure to share the details tomorrow, but for now, it’s time for me to relax, eat my soup, and enjoy the nice glass of red wine I just poured myself.
(FYI: Cooking with wine at 3:00 in the afternoon really tests your willpower, just sayin’)
But I was good and held off…until now.
Catch ya later, gators!
Question for the Evening:
What is your favorite soup of all time? Feel free to link up any recipes!
I LOVE Hungry Girl’s Pumpkin soup recipe: http://shannalikebanana.wordpress.com/2011/01/05/pumpkin-salsa-soup-and-beer-bread/ So so so good — and the bread helps too ;)
Best soup ever is my grandma’s potato soup! I wish I had a recipe I could send you the link to. Oh wait, it’s a good thing I don’t know how she makes it. Otherwise that would be the only meal in my diet.
I am officially obsessed with smoothies too and if it were up to me I’d have them multiple times a day ;)
I don’t have any recipes but my fav soup is pumpkin and will definitely be checking out Shanna’s link!
I *totally* wouldn’t have held off on the wine! Especially because it’s ‘Winesday’!!!! :)
After reading your blog and PB Fingers for a while, I am officially hooked on smoothie bowls too! Last night I made almost the exact same one that you had today…except I used So Delicious vanilla coconut milk in place of the almond milk and added a few tablespoons of oats to thicken. t was just about the best thing I’ve ever tasted! Almost like strawberry cupcake batter :)
I can’t wait for that soup recipe! It looks awesome :). Glad you liked the workout! I generally really enjoy the heart beef vegetable soup that my mom makes and different kinds of chili!
My favorite soup is my French Onion Soup: http://chocolate-cheese-and-wine.com/2011/03/21/hearty-french-onion-soup/
Lobster Bisque from Capital Grille is my all-time fav, but unfortunately, it’s only a once-in-a-while splurge.
On a more regular basis, I make a divine turkey vegetable soup that even my hubby begs for!
I”m not sure I would call it a soup because it’s sooooo think, with barely and broth, but my all time favorite “soup” is Testo’s pasta fazioli (or however you spell it!). I have tried to make my own version of it, but it barely came close. I”m not sure why it’s so yummy, maybe tomato paste to thicken it up, or just less broth? Not sure, but I don’t care, I’ll continue to get it at Testo’s anytime that I can!
I love the baked potato soup at Panera! I know it has to be the worst thing ever nutrition-wise, but I don’t even care! ;-)
You make such great soups. I can’t wait to move into my apartment with a fully-useable kitchen, and try some recipes!
The best soup I’ve had is my Italian grandmother’s… minestrone. It’s seriously amazing. Of course, she doesn’t have a recipe so I”ll just have to watch her make it one of these days!!
Oh man it makes my teeth hurt thinking about your lunch – chewing + cold = :( for me. But it looks (and sounds) sooooo good! I need to start making smoothies more. It always seems like so much effort, ha! But it really isn’t…
And for good soups – I had Thai Lobster Curry at a new restaurant I found (maybe it’s not new to anyone else but we just moved here..) called Cafe Zupas. I think I’ll try to recreate this soup: I’m craving it just writing about it!
I’ve never heard of Zupas but this soup sounded so amazing I had to do a search for a recipe. Actually found one on the Livestrong site that says it’s supposed to be like Cafe Zupas. Worth a try…
http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/thai-lobster-curry-soup-like-zupas/
Oh my gosh good thinking! I’ll be making this in the very near future! Thanks :)
smoothies in a bowl is the only way to do it! that means it’s thick and delicious! I am a big ol’ fan of Black Bean Soup. I also love me a good bowl of Chili :)
i love a good corn or clam chowder…gotta have the taters though!
and i LOVE creamy wild rice soups!
Can’t wait for this soup recipe Courtney….it looks delicious!!
How do you like the sun warrior protein powder Courtney? I’m looking to purchase some protein for my smoothies and the decision is so difficult!
I love the SunWarrior! It’s one of the few proteins that doesn’t bother my stomach, and I really enjoy the flavor of it. I agree, it is a little pricey, but so far it’s been worth it for me.
Hey! I just stumbled across your blog this summer, and it’s been on my google reader list ever since. I was just wondering if you could help explain why a lot of healthy bloggers out there choose the Sun Warrior protein over other forms of protein that may seem less expensive? Does it taste better or give a different texture?
Hi Kim!
I used to use just regular Whey protein powder that I actually picked up from Walmart. As far as flavor, I actually didn’t mind them at all, and some of them were pretty tasty. Unfortunately, whey protein does a number on my stomach and really causes me to bloat up. When I first tried the Sunwarrior, I noticed that it wasn’t giving me any of the symptoms that I had previously with the whey protein. SunWarrior is a whole grain brown rice protein which is much easier for me (and many others) to digest, as opposed to the whey (I actually have a slight allergy to it).
Yes, it is much pricier than the other stuff and if I could get away with using the other stuff, I would probably mix the two. However, it’s worth it for me and I really do love the taste of it!
Hope that helps! Any other questions, feel free to ask!
I love a good tomato basil and also chicken wild rice soup is one of my favs too! And, of course they need to be served with some crusty bread for dipping! :)
Are you going to share your recipe?! Please do!
I love roasted tomato and butternut squash soup or clam chowder the most :)
I love smoothies bowls but waking up to colder weather has me sadly craving them less and less :(
Tortilla soup and pasta soup are my favorites
Yeah, I just discovered the wonder of smoothies made with frozen bananas. They are pretty fantastic.
That Pumpkin Black Bean Soup looks amazing! I’m excited for the recipe!
I am in love with butternut squash soup…I could eat it by the bucket and still not be fed up of it…so creamy and the perfect combo of sweet & salty!
Yum that soup looks amazing! I am so excited that we’re on the brink of cardigans, books, and soups and pumpkin pie! :D
**Oops that was supposed to say boots. haha I like enjoying books all year round ;p
I love soup! I could eat it all the time, that looks amazing. I can’t wait for the recipe :) My favorite soups are black bean (especially from panera) and I love carrot soup and butternut squash. Yum!
I just started reading healthy living blogs not too long ago, and yours is one of the ones I follow regularly. I can’t wait to start making some of your recipes!
Thanks, Joanna! Glad to have you reading :)
That soup looks incredible! I hope you post the recipe! :) My favorite soup roasted butternut squash soup from a local restaurant in my area. I seriously dream about that soup! I’m glad that it’s the fall so hopefully they will bring it back to their menu. I need to get my hands on that recipe ;)
OMG. I HAVE to have that recipe. My mouth is watering for pumpkin black bean soup and its 830am. :)
I love making soups! They are so easy and quick to make, and there are so many options that in my opinion, soup never gets old! I made a pumpkin black bean soup last winter, and it was awesome. Just started adding soups back into my rotation a few weeks ago, and so far I’ve made curried butternut squash soup, and creamless roasted corn chowder – SO good!
I’m a soup freak. lol. Place just about any kind in front of me and I will gobble it right up. Except menudo–that honeycomb looking stuff freaks me out and I refuse to ever try it! lol.
Love, Love, LOVE Almonds!!