Recent Recipes & A Magic Bullet Blender Winner Announcement (!)

Happy Tuesday! I'm so excited to announce a winner for the Magic Bullet Blender today!!! I'm sure all of you who entered are getting slightly antsy so I won't delay a bit longer. I used a random name selector to pick a winner, and with that...

The winner for this little beauty is...

MKB!!! 

Congratulations! We're all happy for you, and maybe slightly jealous :P Please shoot me an e-mail at realfoodrunner@gmail.com with your mailing address and I will ship it to you ASAP.

Thanks to everyone who participated! You guys are the ones that make it fun :0)

~

Well, folks. Real life has hit me! I'm not on vacation anymore and that means my to-do list better show some progress. Yesterday was a good day I'm happy to report! Class in the morning with various chores & responsibilities in the afternoon. I was able to squeeze in a 2 mile run about mid-afternoon which I was grateful for :) It's going to take me a day or two to get back in the grove though after last week :P

{Wild blackberries picked from the woods behind our house}

Sunday night was a mix of leftovers for supper. That seems to work best- whatever is left from the previous week makes an easy supper after church. Most of us are either tired from a long week or recharging for the next and don't feel like doing much in the kitchen. It's a great way to clean out the refrigerator :-) 

So anyone looking for a healthy option to refuel after your workout? You might want to give blackberries a try! They're a great natural source of antioxidants, just like blueberries. Living in this world is hard on the body so feeding it wholesome food is important! And, since it's a berry- it's rich in vitamin C too which is crucial for health and disease prevention.

But, these particular berries? They're from the wild! So delicious & nutritious! They had a distinct tart taste leading me to believe they needed to sit out in the sun a bit longer to sweet'n up. Most anything fresh is great tasting, in my opinion, particularly fruit. I have a confirmed sweet tooth and try to satisfy it with healthy choices. Doesn't always work, but I try :P

These kale chips were a quickie that my sister Allie made last night. Delish! So simple. All you need is some coconut oil, garlic powder, salt & pepper. Here's a recipe link if you're interested in directions :-)

This morning I was up & at it bright and early. My little student and I were in for a day full of adventure! Life is full of ways to grow and learn if we just open our eyes! Even though I'm technically "the teacher", I so often feel like a student myself. (I hope I never get to the place where I stop learning, what a desperate, awful fate that would be!) Joey's a good reminder for me. Just when I think I might be getting pretty good at this-- a challenge (read: opportunity) comes up that shows me I really don't know much of anything, keeping me humble :P

Before heading out the door for work, I made mom carrot juice (a typically morning pleasure!). 16oz serving of beautiful carrot juice! I think it looks so pretty, especially when served in a mason jar! I am so grateful for the nutritional benefits of carrots, really. I think it's amazing how God can use natural foods to bring healing. I've seen it firsthand and it's mind-blowing. Ultimately, God is our healer, Jehovah Rapha, but He does use secondary means -- such as wholesome food. This fascinates me!



And, for breakfast? A new recipe! Mocha chocolate green smoothie :) Check it out!

8 oz water
1 frozen banana
1/2 to 1 teaspoon instant coffee (you can do more if you like:)
1 to 2 heaping handfuls spinach
1 scoop chocolate protein powder (plant-based)
1 teaspoon chia seeds (be sure to soak them-- they won't do you any good if you don't :P)
ice

Mix it all up and enjoy! The key to making a good green smoothie is blending the water & greens together until the greens are completely infiltrated. It can take while, depending on how powerful your blender is, so be patient with it. Then add the rest of your ingredients, saving your ice for last.

{Today's lunch with a side of cantaloupe-- A veggie sandwich on freshly baked honey whole wheat.}

Workout wise, I ran 1.5 miles before breakfast & did a short 20 min full-body workout. I had planned to go 3 miles, but ran out of time and had to cut it short. There's always tomorrow :) What have your workouts looked like recently?

Up next! Healthy frozen yogurt recipe to ward off the heat!!!