smoothie Archives - Her Modern Kitchen

I always enjoy reading people’s daily routines so I thought I’d share the quarantine routine I’ve settled into for the past 7 weeks.

Looking for the PB&J Low-Sugar #FabFour Smoothie recipe?
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The cactus I walk by every morning in our neighborhood

6:00am: Alarm goes off! Yep, I’m still waking relatively early. I like a slow start to my day. I wake up, drink a glass of water, down some probiotics, and make a cup of cold brew (straight-up black). Then I spend about an hour getting caught up on work things, reading the. news, or browsing some blogs.

7:00am: I’m happy to report I’ve maintained a regular workout schedule while in quarantine. I’ve been doing the virtual Camp Gladiator workouts 3 days a week and riding my Peloton 2-3 days a week (AlyssaRidesTX) paired with strength training in our makeshift garage gym.

Virtual Camp Gladiator Workout

8:00am: Doggy walk! I’ve been walking the dogs every day for at least 30-minutes while getting caught up on my podcasts. I love that we have trails in our neighborhood so I can soak in some nature. But TBH, I think the dogs are over walking.

Lucky to have trails in our neighborhood

8:40am: Speedy shower and getting ready for the day. On workdays, I’m all about showering, getting dressed, and even doing my hair before my first meeting of the day. I know some may think this is silly but for me, I need this sense of normalcy.

Fully dressed and ready for the day

9:00am: I’m usually sitting down at my desk to begin work for the day. I’m here for most of the day with some changes in scenery intertwined with all the necessary food & drink breaks.

PB+J #Fab4Smoothie

10:00am: Breakfast! I‘ve been doing intermittent fasting so I’ve been fasting for about 14-hours at least 5 days a week (mostly workdays). I usually break my fast with a smoothie — I love the #Fab4Smoothies by Kelly Leveque, who’s all about science-based nutrition that doesn’t spike your blood sugar (which typically drives cravings). My favorite is a PB&J smoothie (recipe below!). I also pair this with another coffee either hot or cold and my favorite Califia Farms almond coconut milk creamer.

My little workspace. I call this the Executive Desk

I work until about 1:30pm with breaks to let the dogs in and out then usually make lunch.

1:30pm: Lunches lately have been big salads, my go-to starts with a base of dark greens, homemade vinegar dressing plus cucumbers, tomatoes, chicken breast, kalamata olives, and hummus.

After lunch, it’s back to work! Working at the desk, working on the back patio, working on our balcony where the breeze is just spectacular. We also invested in a wifi extender so we could work efficiently on the balcony with 5G speeds.

Balcony views and some Vitamin D

5:00-5:30pm: I try to wrap up work around this time and close my laptop. I usually do some light housework like dishes, a quick mop, vacuuming, or laundry.

6:00pm: <3M and I usually end our day on the balcony with a drink (wine, cocktail, kombucha, sparking later, it all depends on the day but I’m trying to be conscious of not drinking so often). Since we really haven’t seen each other all-day (he works upstairs and I stay downstairs) we recap our days with one another then he usually checks out social media stuff while I read on my Kindle.

Happy hour snack plate on the balcony

6:45pm: Time to make dinner. We’re trying to make dinner at home 5 nights a week and limit our takeout to twice a week. Our dinners range from freezer meals and leftovers to grilling to more complicated ‘date night’ meals.

All about those one-pot meals

7:30pm: We wrap up dinner, clean up the kitchen and put the house back in order. I usually change into pajamas around this time, wash my face and sometimes head back out to the balcony and read for 30 or more minutes. There may also be a small bowl of ice cream or some dark chocolate in here to end the day on a sweet note. I love the NadaMoo & Halo Top ice cream or the Lily’s dark chocolate which is sweetened with stevia.

Lily’s salted caramel is my favorite!

8:15am: <3M and I settle down for the night and watch some TV. We recently finished the Breaking Bad series, are wrapping up Ozarks season 3, and lately I’ve been loving in the Back to the Future series. It may be some of my favorite movies ever.

10:00pm: We’re typically in bed, I may read for a few more minutes if I’m not quite tired yet then it’s lights off.

So that’s been our quarantine life on repeat. In all honesty, the day goes by pretty quickly and it’s a nice pace with lots of time for calm and self-care.

Now tell me, what’s your quarantine routine?

PB & J Fab 4 Smoothie

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Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

Author: Alyssa

Serves: 1 smoothie

Ingredients

1½ cups almond milk
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 tablespoon PB2 (powdered peanut butter)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
¼ cup frozen raspberries
½ cup frozen spinach, optional
4-5 small ice cubes, optional

Instructions

Put everything into the blender and blend until combined. If you like a thicker smoothie, throw in a couple of ice cubes. Pour into a glass and sip away.

Apple Pie is an iconic American dessert. And in my family, it was a regular. I have quite a few childhood memories that include making and eating apple pie with my family. It was always around for holidays, made every year for my Dad’s birthday [because it was his favorite], and was enjoyed after most Sunday night dinners.

Making the pies, at least when I was younger, was a family affair. I remember my Dad sitting at our kitchen table running apples through a hand-cranked apple peeler and watching the thin strips of skin drop to the floor. These were my apple strings were favorite part, I always loved eating the long ropes of apple skin while watching him crank away.

While Dad was peeling the apples, my Mom would begin making the homemade pie crust using her Mom’s recipe [obviously, because in our family, we just don’t do store-bought pie crust]. I remember her carefully rolling out the dough so it wouldn’t tear and crimping it perfectly around the edge of the pie pan, creating perfect edges with ease. Once the apples were peeled and cut, she’d mix the apples in with the sugar and cinnamon and pile them high into the crust, neatly topping everything with a buttery-rich crumb topping. In our family, crumb topping was the only way to enjoy apple pie. Not only did you NOT have to roll out two pie crusts but you got that extra crunch & warmth from the topping that made eating apple pie that much more comforting.

My mom would bake the apple pie an hour or so before dinner so by the time our meal was complete, we’d be able to enjoy warm apple pie – which is the only way an apple pie should be enjoyed, warm & fresh out of the oven. In fact, my Aunt Val didn’t even realize apple pie was served cold until she was in her 20’s. Some may say she was considered spoiled but I’d save she was privileges for never having to eat cold apple pie [yuck!]

Most people love enjoying a slice of apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream, and in my family, we enjoyed that once in a while but our standard was to accompany apple pie was with a few slices of sharp cheddar cheese on the side. It might sound strange, maybe even a bit “Polak” but apples & cheese are a common pair and the creaminess of the cheese and its slight bite paired perfectly with the sweet-tartness of the apple pie. My Grandma Hellert would be the to initially make the cheese request and at times, she’d simply show up with blocks of cheese whenever she knew apple pie was on the menu.

Although I have fond memories of apple pie from my childhood, my current apple pie indulgence is limited to visits home or in this past Christmas’ instance, my Mom’s visit to Austin. And honestly, I’m fine indulging in it every few years but in between these homemade treats, I still enjoy the flavors of apple pie by mixing up an Apple Pie Protein Smoothie – the healthified apple pie!

This smoothie recipe is something I came up with years later, after first enjoying an Apple Pie Milkshake during my 3rd grade class’ Apple Day celebration. The original recipe had applesauce, cinnamon, milk, and of course, ice cream. Mine on the other hand has fresh apples & applesauce, spices, almond milk & vanilla protein powder. It’s a slimmed down version of the milkshake but still delivers all the flavors of Mom’s apple pie without the fat, calories, and post-indulgence guilt. It’s great for breakfast, a mid-afternoon snack or even a late night dessert!

Apple Pie Protein Smoothie

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Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

A healthy, tasty creation to curve a sweet craving that taste's just like Mom's homemade apple pie!

Serves: 1 smoothie

Ingredients

1 cup almond milk, vanilla or original [I use unsweetened]
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
½ apple finely diced* [I prefer Fuji or Empire but I’ve also used Granny Smith for some extra tartness]
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground clove
½ scoop vanilla protein powder [I use about 40 grams]
6-8 ice cubes

Instructions

Directions:
Place everything in the blender beginning with the top of the ingredient list and working you way down.
Add additional ice cubes as needed to acquire your desired thickness.
Pour into a glass, sprinkle with cinnamon & enjoy!

Notes

Sometimes, I only add half of the apple to the smoothie and choose to stir in the rest to the smoothie after blending. Obviously, you can’t drink the smoothie but I enjoy eating it with a spoon, kind of like a soup smoothie!