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Healthy on the cheap

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, Healthy on the cheap, San Francisco

Vint: Affordable Personal Training in San Francisco

April 18, 2015

Sometimes I have to pinch myself at how lucky I am to live in a city full of fitness opportunities. I remember when I lived in England (and no, I was not in London); I would be so envious of people in big cities like London, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco where there always seemed to be a new and exciting workout studio that opened up. 

Luckily for me, moving to and living in San Francisco has been a dream come true in terms of health and fitness. I am so privileged to live in a city that prioritizes healthy eating and active living. It was in this amazing city that I got to try out my first pilates reformer workout, do a TRX circuit workout, and try out vegan Mexican food

How Personal Training can be affordable!

As much as I love attending group classes, I miss the experience of having a personal trainer who will tailor the experience uniquely to your goals and interests. I used to have a personal trainer and absolutely LOVED it. I reduced my body fat in a short amount of time and had so much fun, but had to stop because it was more money than I could afford long-term. This week, I was lucky enough to try out Vint, a company that connects you to highly skilled athletes to offer you small group and personal training at an affordable price. Yay! Vint is available in San Francisco and the East Bay (Oakland, Alameda, Concord, Danville, Lafayette, Orinda, Pleasant Hill, and Walnut Creek).

Vint SF makes personal and small group training affordable!

 Photo source: TeleCrunch

I chose to do a boxing session for my first workout. I am completely obsessed with boxing; I used to go quite regularly but again, that got too expensive unfortunately (story of my life) so I was really excited to get back into it. I downloaded the Vint app which showed me a range of workouts I could do around San Francisco. I chose to do a boxing session because a) boxing is amazing and b) there was an option to do a boxing workout at San Francisco State University which is literally 5 minutes drive away from me. So convenient and really nice that those without a gym membership can use Vint. I originally scheduled the workout for Sunday but forgot I already had an event that morning (oops) but luckily, I was able to reschedule the workout easily and quickly using the message feature of the app.

Vint SF lets you have personal or small group training at an affordable price

Vint SF lets you have personal or small group training at an affordable price

My awesome trainer, Daniel Martinez, got out this ladder to help me get my heart rate up with HIIT before getting into some incredibly exhausting boxing work.

Vint SF lets you have personal or small group training at an affordable price

1 Free Month of Vint!

I loved my boxing session! Daniel was really patient with me and pushed me to try harder; I definitely want to do more sessions with him before my free month is up. Speaking of free month, Vint has been kind enough to offer my lovely readers (YOU!) an exclusive opportunity to try Vint free for a month! All you have to do is download their app (can be downloaded by iPhones and Androids) and use the promo code ‘alicerocks‘. Nothing makes me happier than being able to share these amazing opportunities with you and I cannot wait to hear what you think about Vint. 

So what workout are you going to try with your free month of Vint?

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: I received a month trial of Vint but did not receive financial compensation. As always, my thoughts and opinions remain my honest own as I strive to bring you unbiased information on great companies!

Health, Healthy on the cheap, Products I love, San Francisco

Superfood Cereal and Vegan Soup

April 4, 2015

Unfortunately, this wasn’t my best week. I came back to San Francisco on Tuesday morning and started feeling ill on Thursday, which was a nightmare because I had to do a presentation that night and submit a very important assignment on Saturday. I somehow managed to get all that done and try out some good food in the process (although my stomach was killing me Friday and Saturday :()

Superfood Cereal and Vegan Soup

Superfood cereal from Vigilant Eats

 Superfood Cereal

So, on Tuesday, I arrived back home to find a gem of a package from Abe’s Market. I have been using Abe’s Market ‘Try for 2’ program for the past few months because it is a fantastic way to try out new healthy foods and products; for only $2! I’ve tried a few different superfood cereal flavors from Vigilant Eats before (Maca espresso is bae), so I was really looking forward to trying these. NOT gonna lie; I was SO intimidated by the sweet potato and rosemary thyme superfood cereal. However, I am glad I just got on with it and ate it because it was absolutely delicious. Better than the banana chia (although that was delicious too). How sad is it that I was intimidated by a cereal flavor haha?!

delicious energy ball from Seed and Salt in San Francisco

Vegan Soup

After feeling like I was on the path to recovery on Friday (and indulging with a rose-geranium macaron and honey lavender ice-cream … whaaaat, I like food!), I felt like crap Saturday morning. Which was really quite annoying because I had plans to meet up with a good friend that morning! Met up with her anyway and tried out a powerball and the vegan split pea soup with eggplant ‘bacon’ from Seed + Salt in the Marina, before having to call it a day and going home to nap. Such a princess 😛

delicious vegan soup from Seed and Salt in San Francisco

delicious vegan soup from Seed and Salt in San Francisco

Here’s hoping to a speedy recovery in time for the K2 Movement on Monday! Who else is joining the K2 Movement?

Honestly yours,
Alice

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