Thin Mint Smoothie Recipe

Yes, you read this right: THIN MINT SMOOTHIE RECIPE.

Our mouths watered when UX3 Nutrition shared this tasty, and might we add rather healthy, smoothie recipe! The cool thing about this recipe is that you don't have to wait for Girl Scout season to gets your hands on this type of Thin Mint. Get the recipe below.

Thin Mint Smoothie
Brought to you by UX3 Nutrition

Ingredients:

• 2 cups organic spinach
• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 scoops UX3: The Body Shaping Beverage
• 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• Stevia to taste
• ¼ cup rolled oats
• 5 drops peppermint extract

How to make:
Puree all ingredients until smooth.

That was easy, right?!

Rabbit Juice

Ok, so no, this is not actually rabbit juice, but one of our reader's, Ursulline, created a pretty fabulous healthy juice drink that she named "Rabbit Juice" because it is infused with lots of vegetables, specifically carrots! So what is juicing you might be wondering? According to Ursulline, "Juicing is the quickest way for the enzymes to absorb in your body". We have always wondered what the benefit is over juicing rather than just using a regular blender and Ursulline explained that, "The enzymes go to work a lot faster and break down any toxins in your body because they are live organisms as opposed to blending which still has amazing benefits, but not with the same intensity".  Do you love juicing too? If so, then you will totally love this recipe she created as a part of her healthy drink regimen.

 You will need these ingredients to make "Rabbit Juice":

• Chia seeds
• Ginger root (1 inch)
• Large carrots (qty 4)
• 1/2 of a beet
• 1 orange
• 1/2 of a green apple
• Ground cinnamon (as desired amount)

Simply place all of these ingredients inside your juicer, one at a time, to make the Rabbit Juice drink. The best juicer that Ursulline recommends is the Omega 8006 Juicer! Keep in mind that beets have a very strong color to them so your drink will have a dark reddish-purple look when complete.

Do you have an awesome juicing recipe? We want to try it so please email your recipes to secret@thesororitysecrets.com!

Maintain a Healthy Weight (or Heck, Even Lose It!) Without Dieting

Picture taken from: Good House Keeping

Today's Big Sis Tip comes from our dear friend, Allie LeFevere. Allie has written on our site before and we just loved her amazing advice that we asked Allie to contribute to our site again. Allie gave us a couple of helpful tips as to what to do when you are trying to maintain a healthy weight.  Allie is a health and life coach that resides in Chicago, and she has other helpful tips and articles on her site! 

Thank you, Allie! You're the best! 

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Maintain a Healthy Weight (or Heck, Even Lose It!) Without Dieting

Diet.

Ugh. The word makes me shudder.  It has the same horrible ring as 'moist'.  [I can't believe I typed that.] 

I'm gonna put it out there right now.  Diets don't work.  I repeat, they DO NOT work.  Diets are gimmicks to trick you into thinking you can be lazy, eat by weird rules and still look a 10 in your skinny jeans.  You can no carb or no fat until the cows come home, but if you feel deprived, you'll be off the bandwagon quicker than you jumped on.

I get it, losing weight or maintaining a healthy one can be the pits.  Especially if you love 3rd helpings or have 2am Jimmy John's on your speed dial.  What?!  Ew, no. I like totally get a veggie sub when I order.  Right.

Well here's your pie in the sky:  weight loss should be and can be natural, easy and enjoyable.  That means fad and starvation and processed food-free.  Try these tips on for size and you'll never have to use the D-word again. 

TIME YOUR MEALS.  I'm guilty of standing and inhaling (ahem, eating). Being raised by a hairdresser Mom who ate hovered over the kitchen counter in between clients, devouring in 5-minutes-or-less became my norm.  But you're not a 10-year old girl anymore, so you've got a new habit on the horizon -- set your timer for 30 minutes.  Sit at your kitchen table or hovered over the coffee table if you live in a cramped apartment for 30 minutes and savor every last bite of your dinner.  You'll eat slower, eat less and naturally slim down because you'll give your bod time to process its satiety hormone.  

TURN IT OFF.  The cell phone, lap top, iPad, TV, pager (do those still exist?!)  Regardless, if it beeps, buzzes or could possibly distract you from enjoying your meal, then it has no place at your table. Giving your food full attention, allows you connect with and process what you're eating.  You should love every single bite, so when you tune in, you'll figure out really quick if you're truly enjoying or just shoveling in what's on your plate.  

SLEEP MORE.  An extra hour of sleep a night could help you lose up to 14 pounds in a year.  Say, what?!  That fact will get you into bed real quick.  Also, sleep deprivation can increase your appetite, causing you to graze through your snack stash. 

PINKY'S OUT.  Drinking green tea can temporarily boost your metabolism and help you burn more cals.  It's not a miracle portion, so don't go on a 9 pot bender, but it points your system in the right direction. 

USE SMALLER DISHES.  When I was a kid, I used to dump all my cereal in a GIGANTIC bowl, aptly named 'the trough' and literally ate it for hours.  Awesome idea when you're 7, but not now.  You eat more on huge dishes, so shrink their size and you'll cut extra cals and still feel full.  

EAT SMALLER PORTIONS.  Um, duh. right?  Well if you come from an Italian family like me, smaller portions is blasphemy.  So I'll tell you again -- eat smaller portions.  This no brainer is an easy way to maintain a healthy weight.  Just don't go back for a 5th and 6th smaller portion.

GO 80-20.  Most of us never learned satiety and instead we eat until we're stuffed.  So let's dig back into 3rd grade math (without cheating off Suzie Miller who ALWAYS had the right answers. Suck up.).  Try eating until you're 80% full, not about to explode. This should be a cinch since now that you're eating slowly on your smaller plates. 

And sure, these tips might help you ditch the D-word, but this isn't a magic trick.  They only help if you're crammin' healthy food on your plate and gettin' your sweat on a few times a week.  

Breakfast On the Go!

Start your day with protein (in the form of meat, seafood, eggs, nuts), carbs (in the form of fruit, veggies) and quality fats (in the form of avocado, nuts, olive oil and coconut oil). Protein will stabilize our blood sugar when coupled with a carb. Eating a carb alone will only yield a short amount of energy and spike our blood sugar (which is not good for our body); while protein will keep us going for hours, and satiate us much longer. Also, for the girls that workout, protein is extremely important for rebuilding muscle tissue and quicker recovery. 

Here are my personal favorite breakfast meals and snacks when I have:

5-10 minutes: easy to enjoy in the car or when you get ready in the morning.

• smoothie made with protein powder, almond or coconut milk, berries and banana. 
• Sweet tip: add a splash of almond extract or honey. 

time to relax and enjoy:

• eggs with shrimp, sautéed veggies and avocado, topped with pico de gallo.

mid-late morning hunger:  these quick snacks/meals are great to have in your purse, car and work desk. For easy transport, carry these items in ziplock baggies!

• fruits and veggies: apple slices with cinnamon, celery with almond butter, carrots, bell pepper slices, banana (all travel well)
• homemade trail mix: raw cashews, pistachios, walnuts, almonds and/or pecans; dried fruit; unsweetened coconut. 
• bars such as Lara, Kind, or Trio (gluten and lactose-free are ideal). An easy homemade bar recipe can be found here.

Courtney Schwagler, RD

Registered Dietician