Well here it is ….

Greens are incredibly nutritious, and yet we struggle to get anywhere near the recommended amount in

our diets. Many of us also find them hard to digest. It has been suggested that this is caused by

insufficient amounts of stomach acid, as well as not having enough jaw strength to chew them till fibrous

greens reach a creamy consistency. Blending greens breaks down their structure, effectively pre-

digesting them. Adding fruit enhances the taste, and is also a clever way of getting more fruit into your

diet, which most people also don’t get enough of.

Blending greens in a smoothie is an easy way to incorporate them into your diet. It’s also ideal from a

nutritional perspective, as it ruptures the plant cell membranes, allowing the nutrients to be released

and digested very easily.

NOTE:

Try to buy your greens organic; they’ll be free of pesticides and herbicides, and will contain more

nutrients than conventional greens. If you can only buy non-organic, please wash them very thoroughly

with a high quality, chemical-free fruit and veggie wash.

IN A NUTSHELL:

This smoothie may take you a while to enjoy, but try sticking with it every day for a week, and by the

end of it, not only will you be bouncing off the walls with energy like 5 year-old, but your taste buds will

have adapted, and you’ll find yourself craving it!

Don’t feel discouraged if you are missing an ingredient or two – simply leave it out OR substitute it for

something similar.

This particular recipe was part created by my good friend, acupuncturist and herbalist, Debbie Kim.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of Kale

1 cup of Leafy Greens – Alternate (Romaine Lettuce, Spinach, Collard Greens, Swiss Chard)

1 Apple or Pear

1/2 cup of Fresh Jicama (peeled and cut into small pieces)

1/2 cup of Blueberries or Mixed Berries

1/2 Fennel Bulb

2 stalks of Celery

1/2 Cucumber

1 scoop of Garden of Life Perfect Food Raw (Superfood)

1 scoop of Garden of Life Raw Protein

2 cups of Water (Filtered or pure Spring Water)

1/2 tsp of Stevia (or more – to taste for sweeter flavor)

DIRECTIONS:

1.Place all ingredients in a blender container.

2.Blend until smooth and thoroughly incorporated. Pour into glasses and serve.

Enjoy :0)

Monday January 3rd 2011            Day1

Tuesday January 4th 2011            Day2

Wednesday January 5th 2011       Day3

Thursday January 6th 2011          Day4

Friday January 7th 2011               Day5

Saturday and Sunday – Your days to get creative and pick some things you have learnt this week and put them into action. Have a blessed weekend.

Monday January 10th 2011         Day6

Tuesday January 11th 2011          Day7

Wednesday January 12th 2011   Day8

Thursday January 13th 2011       Day9

Friday January 14th 2011

Saturday and Sunday – Your days to get creative and pick some things you have learnt this week and put them into action. Have a blessed weekend.

Monday January 17th 2011         Day10

Tuesday January 18th 2011         Day11

Wednesday January 19th 2011   Day12

Thursday January 20th 2011      Day13

Friday January 21st 2011             Day14

Saturday and Sunday – Your days to get creative and pick some things you have learnt this week and put them into action. Have a blessed weekend. Are you ready for your final week ????

This week is about simply picking 5 of your favorite days and repeating them this week – however look back at your notes for each of the days you have chosen and see where you can improve them in any way. Get out of your comfort zone and try beating your times, taking less rests, increase weight or repetitions. Making meditations longer, being strict with food challenges.

This week is all about seeing improvements and gaining more confidence with workouts that you are now familiar with.

Have fun with this last week of challenge – January is almost over and you have already accomplished so much.

Love to you all  -  Joey

BREAKFAST –  OATMEAL WITH BLUEBERRIES, BANANA, FLAX AND HEMP SEEDS & SHAVED ALMONDS

Ingredients

1/2 Cup of Oatmeal1 cup of Water
1/2 cup fresh organic blueberries
1 medium ripe banana
1 tbsp of shaved raw almonds
1 tsp of flax & hemp seeds

Cook oatmeal, continually stirring until almost all water has been absorbed and oatmela looks almost ready  and then add sliced banana, leave until banana slices have slightly warmed up (around 30 seconds) and the serve in a bowl, add blueberries and almonds and sprinkle wit seed and breakfast is served. I like to sprinkle with cinnamon – but this is optional.

MID MORNING SNACK –  FRESH STRAWBERRIES & POMEGRANATE WITH PLAIN YOGHURT

1 cup of plain 1% Fage Yoghurt

1/2 cup of Strawberries

1/2 cup of Pomegranate Seeds

Presentaion is so important to me – I love to eat something that looks yummy – so take some time to layer it or make it look great – you will enjoy it so much more :0)

LUNCH – JOEYS POPEYE SPINACH & CHICKEN SALAD

1 4oz Grilled Chicken Breast
2 cups Organic Spinach Leaves
1 tbsp of Goats Cheese cut into small pieces
1 tbsp of crushed Macadamia Nuts
1 tbsp of dried Cranberries
1/2 and 1/2 Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar (1 tbsp of each)

Very Simple, Grill the chicken, once cooked cut into strips and place over a bed of spinach leaves and toss with cranberries,  goats cheese and nuts.
Drizzle with Olive oil / Balsamic Mixture and you have an awesome Salad ready to eat.

LATE AFTEROON SNACK – A GREEN GRANNY SMITH APPLE

DINNER – GRILLED HALIBUT WITH GRILLED BROCCOLINI & SWEET POTATO MASH

1 x 40z piece of Halibut

1 medium Sweet Potato

3 x Broccolini Stalks

1 tbsp of Jerk Seasoning (or your favorite seasoning)

I microwave my sweet potato for about 6 minutes (turn it at 1/2 time). While that is happening I rub my seasoning onto my fish and place on the grill. Fish takes about 8-10 minutes to cook on high heat.
Broccolini  go on the grile for about 5 minutes.
Once fish is cooked plate alongside broccolini. Grab your sweet potato and mash it until smooth – no need to add any salt or cream or butter – just as is and i suggest a little black pepper.

I hope you love this as much as I do.

Ingredients

1 (3 ounce) container plain yogurt
1 cup low fat granola or muesli
1 cup fresh mixed berries
1 tbsp honey

layer, yoghurt, granola/muesli and berries and then drizzle honey over the top – yummy breakfast and great for summer

MID MORNING SNACK –  RICE CAKES WITH ALMOND BUTTER SLICED BANANA & CINNAMON

2 rice cakes (Plain)

1 tbsp almond butter

1/2 medium banana thinly sliced

1/2 tsp cinnamon

LUNCH – The TLT  (Tofu, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich)

1 tbsp dijon or english mustard
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 to 4 ounces water-packed extra-firm tofu, drained and rinsed
2 slices crusty whole-wheat bread, toasted
2 pieces green-leaf lettuce
1/2 medium tomato, sliced

Preheat oven to 475°F. Coat a baking sheet with light cooking spray.
Combine mustard and soy sauce  in a small bowl. Slice tofu crosswise into two 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel and place on the prepared baking sheet. Using a spoon, spread half the mustard mixture on one side of the tofu. Turn the slices over and spread the remaining mixture on the other side.
Bake the tofu for 15 minutes.
Spread a little of the mustard mixture over 1 of the 2 slices of toasted bread. Layer the tofu, lettuce and tomato between the 2 slices and cut in half to serve.

LATE AFTEROON SNACK – A GREEN GRANNY SMITH APPLE

DINNER – GRILLED CHICKEN WITH GRILLED PEPPER SALAD

1 x 40z Chicken Breast

1 cup pickled peppers

1 x small tomato and onion diced

1 tbsp of herbs of choice – i love to use cilantro

Very basic how to make – grill chicken and prepare bell pepper salad while chicken is cooking

3 large egg whites
1 teaspoon water
1/4 cup bell peppers
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup Asparagus
1 plum tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons shredded nonfat cheddar cheese

Whisk egg whites, water and pepper together in a bowl until soft peaks form. Toss peppers, tomato, asparagus and cheddar together in a small bowl.
Lightly coat an omelet pan or small skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat 1 minute. Pour egg mixture into pan and cook until eggs begin to set on bottom. Spread filling over half of omelet, leaving a 1/2-inch border and reserving 1 tablespoon mixture for garnish. Lift up omelet at edge nearest handle and fold in half, slightly off-center, so filling peeks out. Cook 2 minutes. Slide omelet onto a serving plate and garnish with reserved filling.

Lunch – PB & J Protein Shake Smoothie

Ingredients on my one of my previous blogs – so yummy

I had mine made for me today at the BodyFactory – but i do make it at home too – and its just as amazing – just didnt have time to go home today at lunch.

Mid Afternoon Snack – 1 Granny Smith Green Apple

Dinner – Colorful Homemade whole wheat Chicken Wrap

1 medium whole-wheat tortillas
1 40z grilled boneless chicken breasts, diced
¼ cup red and yellow bell peppers, diced
¼ cup carrot, diced
¼ cup tomatoes, diced
¼ cup fresh spinach leaves
¼ cup Feta Cheese
1 tbsp yogurt
black pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, combine feta cheese with yogurt, and chicken. Add  black pepper to taste.

Toss coated chicken with peppers, tomatoes, and carrot.

Warm tortillas to prevent cracking, then lay spinach leaves over tortilla.

Place filling on bottom half of tortilla, folding right and left edges toward the center. Fold bottom edge up and roll to wrap filling completely

Protein Shake – feel free to use any of my protein recipes – however I made one I havent yet listed on my site called The Incredible Hulk.

Ingredients:

1 tsp matcha green tea

1 serving / scoop of Vanila Protein

1 Medim Banana

1 tsp Glutamine

Mid morning snack

I normaly just juice my vegetables fresh myself – but not everyone will have a juicer so I got this juice from Trader Joes for today  - if you are getting a pre made juice – look at vital sugar and calorie content – fresh vegetble juice is what you are looking for  - wth no fruit or concentrates added – Naked juice will NOT work.

Lunch – Home made chicken salad

1 4oz grilled chicken breast
2 cups mixed green salad
1/2 chopped broccoli
1/2 carrot shredded
1/4 cup of chickpeas
2 tbsp Balsamic Low Cal salad dressing

I’ve learned something about making individual salads for future meals.  Stacking the ingredients is key to keeping it all fresh looking.

Using a tall containe Fill the container in this order:

salad dressing
meat
shredded vegetables
chopped vegetables
lettuce/mixed greens

When it’s time to eat, turn contents over straight onto serving plate and toss.  The salad will be as fresh as if you had just tossed it together.  Keeping the dressing on bottom and away from the fresh greens helps prevent wilting.

Afternoon Snack :  Greens Protein Bar

Any good nutritional bar thats not too high in sugar will do. But the bar i had today was from Garden of Life and so yummy

Dinner – Home Grilled Salmon & Asparagus

4oz Salmon

5 small Asparagus stalks

Black Pepper

Grill together – doesnt take log to cook – like 8 minutes – enjoy !

No night time snack for me tonight – wasn’t craving anything xxxxx

BREAKFAST –  SPICED PB AND APPLE OATMEAL

1/2 cup of Oatmeal

1 cup of Water

2 tbsp Chunky Apple Sauce

1 tbsp Almond Butter

1 tbsp Raw Walnut pieces

Honey to sweeten

Cook oatmeal, continually stirring until almost all water has been absorbed and oatmela looks almost ready – add 1 tbsp to oatmeal and stir until almond butter has seeped into oats, add 2 tbsp of the chunky apple sauce, stir – allow about 30 seconds for apple sauce to heat up a little and then serve into a bowl sprinkling walnut halves and drizzling with honey and there you have a bery yummy and exciting breakfast that not only tastes delicious it also will keep you satisfied till next meal/snack time.

MID MORNING SNACK – RAW UNSALTED ALMONDS

This doesnt really need much explaining a small cup or a handfull is plenty

LUNCH – SPICY TUNA SUSHI ON BROWN RICE

IF YOU ARE VEGETARIAN – YOU COULD GO FOR A VEGETABLE ROLL TO STAY WITH THE SUSI THEME OR SWITCH OUT THIS MEAL ALL TOGETHER.

LATE AFTERNOON SNACK – SMALL BANANA

DINNER – JOEY SUPER HEALTHY HOME STYLE CARROT SOUP

6 Medium / Large Carrots

1 Medium Onion

1 tsp vegetabke stock granules

2 cups of Water

Boil water in a saucepan, add granules and stir till de-solved – cut carrots and onion in half and add to water, cook for just 4 minutes. Then place soup ingredients into blender until blended to a pulp. Pop back in the saucepan for 2 more minutes and then serve.

EVENING SNACK – COTTAGE CHEESE DELIGHT

1 tbsp Cottage Cheese

1 Tbsp Plain Yoghurt

1 tsp cinnamon flaxseed oil

1 tsp cacao Nibs

1 tsp Hemp Seeeds

Honey to sweeten   –   Very simple – no special order to mix – throw it all together and it should look something like this …..    Enjoy x

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup peeled and chopped ginger root
2 TBS vanilla
1 TBS lemon extract
1/4 tsp stevia concentrate powder
Carbonated or sparkling water

Instructions:

Rapidly boil ginger root in water for 10 minutes. Strain and place liquid in a jar. Stir in vanilla, lemon and stevia. Cool and store in the refrigerator.

Here are a handful of protein shake recipes that I just LOVE !!!!
In my experience of making so many shakes – I would strongly recommend slicing and freezing your fruit in small sealed containers – this will make the flavors of the shake more prominent and this way you will not need ice.

Ultimately – the only things you need in order to make a protein shake is a Blender, Fruit and Protein Powder. Here are the Recipes …

Blueberries and Banana Cream Delight

Vanilla Protein (1 or 2 scoops)

Frozen Blueberries (1 Cup)

Frozen Banana (1 Medium Banana)

Almond Milk or Soy Milk (1 Cup)

Cinnamon Apple Pie Crumble

Vanilla Protein (1 or 2 scoops)

Frozen Apple Slices ( 1 Medium Apple)

Frozen Banana (1 Medium Banana)

Graham Cracker (1 Cracker)

Cinnamon (1/2 Teaspoon)

Almond Milk or Soy Milk (1 Cup)

Peanut Butter and Jelly Shake

Vanilla Protein (1 or 2 scoops)

Frozen Blueberries ( 1 Cup)

Frozen Banana (1 Medium Banana)

Peanut Butter / Almond Butter (1 Tablespoon)

Almond Milk or Soy Milk (1 Cup)

Healthy Cake Batter in Cup

Vanilla Protein (1 or 2 Scoops)

Source of Life ( 1 Scoop)

Ice (1 cup)

Almond Milk or Soy Milk (1 Cup)

Banana Chocolate Chunk

Vanilla or Chocolate Protein (1 or 2 scoops)

Frozen Banana (1 Medium Banana)

Walnuts / Almonds (1 Cup)

Coco Nibs (2 Tablespoons)

Almond Milk or Soy Milk (1 Cup)

Ice (1/2 Cup if Needed)