Monthly Archives

May 2015

Friday Fare, Health, Healthy on the cheap, Products I love

Matcha Green Smoothie

May 8, 2015

 Mmm, matcha green smoothies. Now that the weather is warmer again, I have gravitated towards having good ol’ green smoothies again. I have been using the same green smoothie recipe for ages and feel as if I have completely perfected it. It is healthy, creamy and delicious all in one and such a good and easy way to sneak in some vegetables. And seriously, it’s hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t like them if you give them the right green smoothie to try. I clearly remember giving my husband his first green smoothie and smiling with glee at the fact that he actually liked it! He was SO sure he would hate it (“Alice, it’s green”) but even he had to admit it was “alright, pretty good.” Men, haha!

Matcha Green Smoothies

Matcha Green Smoothie

I have been on a matcha spree recently (remember my matcha yuzu mango mint popsicles?) and wanted to incorporate matcha green tea into a lovely green smoothie for you all. Matcha green tea is such a healthy and flavorful ingredient; unlike most green teas, matcha green tea powder is made from ground green tea leaves. Although normal green tea (where you steep the tea bags in tea) are great, research has shown that the amount of antioxidants in matcha green tea are at least three times higher than most other varieties of green teas. Amazing! See why I wanted to make matcha green tea recipes for you all?! I experimented by adding the lovely matcha green tea powder from The Republic of Tea in two different ways into my green smoothie recipe. Both turned out wonderfully so I wanted to share them with you all. 

Matcha Green Smoothie

Matcha Green Smoothie

Matcha Green Smoothie

Alice Williams
A delicious and antioxidant rich matcha green smoothie; the perfect refreshment or snack.
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 tsp of The Republic of Tea matcha green tea powder OR 4 matcha green tea ice cubes made by freezing 1 cup water mixed with 1tsp matcha green tea powder
  • 1 cup frozen banana slices
  • 1 handful spinach approx. 1 cup
  • 1 small tub plain Greek yogurt
  • Dash of unsweetened almond milk approx. 2-3 tbsp
  • Optional
  • 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 tsp chia seeds

Instructions
 

  • Blend all the ingredients together and either drink now or store in the fridge for later! Do not store for more than one day.

Notes

Add more unsweetened almond milk if mixture is not blending properly.
I used Stonyfield Plain Greek Yogurt
I used a Ninja blender
Matcha Green Smoothie

Matcha Green Smoothie

This matcha green smoothie is really lovely for breakfast, as a snack or as a healthy dessert. Basically, it is amazing anytime of the day, haha! I really hope you enjoy this quick, easy and healthy recipe. Healthy eating does not have to be time consuming nor does it have to be boring and tasteless. The possibilities are endless and I am so excited you are letting me help you become the healthiest and happiest version of yourself. It really means the world to me and I thank you so much for your support of my blog and my social networks!

Honestly yours,
Alice

Thank you for always supporting me! For more Honestly Fitness, check out my InstagramFacebookTwitter & Pinterest and don’t forget to subscribe!

Disclaimer: The Republic of Tea provided me with the matcha green tea powder but I received no financial compensation for this post. Rest assured that my opinions will always stay unbiased and that I would never recommend a product I don’t personally use or like.

Fitness, Kayla Itsines, Products I love

The First 4 Weeks of BBG 2.0

May 6, 2015

Wow, well that went by fast; it is already May and I have completed the first 4 weeks of BBG 2.0 (Kayla Itsines second bikini body guide)! I wanted to share with you all my thoughts regarding BBG 2.0 and to update you all on what’s happening with me in terms of health and fitness.

The First 4 Weeks of BBG 2.0

review of BBG 2.0 kayla itsines

How Does BBG 2.0 Differ From BBG 1.0?

There is quite a significant difference. Of course, the format is the same typical Kayla style of two circuits with four exercise moves each, with the circuits done a total of four times. However, the weights get increased in the BBG 2.0 and there are a lot more static movements and less jumping around (or flailing around like I do, haha!). For example, you do moves like weighted barbell squats, arm raises, weighted sit-ups and etc. There were also slight modifications to moves seen in BBG 1.0 such as jump squats … buuuut with double pulses at the bottom (it burns, oh how it burns). Of course, there are moves that have been introduced in BBG 1.0 such as walking lunges, push ups and snap jumps.

Do I Like BBG 2.0?

So far, yes I do! Well, okay let me back up a bit. I definitely have a love-hate relationship going on with the BBG 2.0. I love that there are more weighted exercises yet I am still sweating like mad, yet I hate that it is still so hard haha! But I know it is good that it’s hard because it is still challenging me … but I hate it … because it is hard. LOL. Does that makes sense, and someone please tell me they feel the same way?

review of BBG 2.0 kayla itsines

P.S. Nike and Lorna Jane make fantastic workouts clothes. Also, I broke my jump rope during some vigorous speed jumping lol!

Am I Doing Anything Differently in BBG 2.0?

Yeah, like I said, the weights increase so I am using heavier weights. I also decided to challenge myself by doing military style pushups, where I keep my arms much closer to my sides and ensure my elbows bend backwards and not outwards (form is so important). This tiny little adjustment has literally made me a beginner again, and I am back to doing push ups on my knees. Try it and you’ll see what I mean; it is SO much harder but it engages my core more and is working different arm muscles. It is critical we keep challenging ourselves and pushing our bodies to the max if we want to see change. 

healthy and easy 4 ingredient pancakes by honestly fitness

 An example of some yummy foods I have been eating these past 4 weeks!

Let’s See What The Next 8 Weeks Are Like …

So, I am currently on week 17 and ughhh, I was completely caught off guard with the elevated intensity of the workouts. How does Kayla keep doing this?! I will do another update on weeks 17-20 in 4 weeks time and let you all know how it went (unless I have suffered #deathbyKayla). For now, I want to set some goals for myself to keep myself motivated and accountable

  1. Start using Kayla’s HELP guide more strictly again. Although I have enjoyed experimenting and adjusting my macros; the HELP guide was the most balanced way for me to go about my nutrition.
  2. Focus on slowly increasing the MPH I do sprints. Yesterday, I did sprints for HIIT and my speed was 9.0MPH for about 10-12 minutes and I upped it to 9.2MPH for the remainder of the 3-5 minutes. 
  3. Strengthen my lower back by doing lower back extensions. This has helped a lot in keeping my back straight during pushups.
  4. Start practicing pull ups again! The second I move to Salt Lake City, I am buying a pull up bar and getting back into it.
  5. Do not plan cheat meals. I have found that if I have an unplanned cheat meal (because life happens), I get into this very negative state of mind which is not healthy at all. Instead of planning cheat meals, I should just let them happen based upon the context. It makes SO much more sense to have a cheat meal because you are out with friends as opposed to being home alone on a Saturday night.

That’s all folks! I hope you found this mini-review of BBG 2.0 helpful and I look forward to posting another one in a few weeks. I can tell that I am definitely leaning down slowly but surely and I am excited to see how much stronger I get in the next few weeks. It is NOT EASY, but it is worth it being able to look like a bad a** in the gym hehe 😉

Honestly yours,
Alice

Thank you for always supporting me! For more Honestly Fitness, check out my InstagramFacebookTwitter & Pinterest and don’t forget to subscribe!

Recipes

Healthy Horchata Pudding

May 3, 2015
healthy-horchata-pudding

Although I don’t really celebrate Cinco de Mayo, one of my lovely friends always throws a fantastic party for Cinco de Mayo which brings us all together to eat, laugh and generally be merry!

As such, her wonderful parties get me excited for Cinco de Mayo and this year, I thought it would be fun to create a healthy horchata recipe.

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