Thursday's Trend Alert Dirt Report #74

For me, no morning is complete without my green smoothie!  Like clockwork, at 6:30a after my workout, I put a frozen banana, cashew milk, PB2, cacao powder, kale and spinach into my Nutri-Bullet.  The delicious drink (which might also include a protein powder, pending the nature of my workout) fills me up and readies me for the day to come!

With my morning routine set, I was quite devastated to hear that "a disease known as Panama Disease has spread from Asia to parts of Australia, Africa and the Middle East.  It specifically affects the Cavendish banana, which is the fruit that consumers in the West are accustomed to eating." At this point Western sales of bananas have not been impacted, nor has pricing increased, but there is a chance that in the future the bananas that we have come to love will no longer be available as a morning staple.

Rather than buying all of the bananas stocked at my supermarket, I decided to swap my banana for a different creamy ingredient in my smoothie this morning, an avocado.  The combination, inspired by this recipe, included an avocado, coconut sugar, cacao powder, maple syrup, kale, spinach and cashew milk.  

Let's just say that I may have found my Plan B (Plan "B"anana-less)!

((Photo Source:  http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-35131751))

Wednesday What Not #74

Hello my name is Kate and I'm an Avocado-aholic!  With such an addiction, it is no surprise that recipes and articles that feature this fantastic fruit control my every email/pinterest move.

Case in point, the "Why to eat avocado pits (and how)" email that was sent to me by Clean Plates on March 28th.  In the body of the email, I learned about the "most nutritious" part of the avocado; the pit.  According to century old studies, 70% of the avocado's antioxidant content can be found in the seed.  Researcher also claim that consuming the seed may lower cholesterol, mitigate hypertension, inflammation and diabetes. 

Such claims made me want to hack into the pit to make it suitable for my morning smoothie, but I first decided to dig a little deeper into this avocado assertion.  To my surprise, I found a recent blog post on foodnetwork.com that noted that it has not yet been determined whether avocado seeds are truly safe for human consumption.

Eek!  I guess I'll be sticking to my avocado's fabulous flesh for now!

((Photo Source:  cleanplates.com))

Tasty Tuesday Treat #74

While at dinner the other night, I had the opportunity to speak with some friends regarding their daily dietary choices.  One individual explained that she is forced to base her meal plans around her food intolerance, but another surprised me by saying that she eats according to her cravings. 

My response did not have to do with the fact that my friend is a mindful eater, but rather that her cravings are typically not for "comfort foods."  Case in point:  Pasta.  My friend explained that a bowl of warm spaghetti does not tickle her fancy, nor does a casserole filled with baked penne noodles.  

Since I recently cut back on my starchy carbohydrate intake, I was happy to share my recipe for Zucchini Lasagna with my "Pasta (NO) amore" friend!

((Photo Source:  http://www.skinnytaste.com/zucchini-lasagna/))

Mindful Monday Inspiration #74

Fitness Friday Fact #74

One of the many perks tied to my Personal Training Certification is the resource pool that I am provided.  With each email and article, I feel as though I learn so much about the current state of fitness and wellness.  

Yesterday I had the pleasure of reading an article written by Alex Hoffman.  Alex is an established Personal Trainer and an instructor at ISSA.  In his article, he dug deep into the issue of concurrent training.  Concurrent training, in layman's term, pertains to "getting on the treadmill and lifting weights" in the same workout session.  With many factors impacting the positive and negative effects of such training, Alex asks fitness enthusiasts to determine their ultimate goals and follow one of his suggested paths.

((Photo Source:  http://www.issaonline.edu/blog/index.cfm/2016/do-cardio-and-strength-training-actually-work-against-each-other?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Aerobic-and-Strength-Training-Together&utm_campaign=March-2016))