cooking, fitness

One-ingredient ice cream (Fitness Friday)

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Okay, it’s not really ice cream, since there’s no cream or dairy products of any kind. But I promise you, that it’s as creamy as “real” ice cream, healthy, and tasty. Unless you hate bananas; in which case, I got nothin’ for ya.

When I first heard about one-ingredient ice cream, it seemed simple to do. Freeze a banana, then run it through a food processor. Voila! Frozen banana with the same creamy consistency as ice cream. So I tried it, and just about froze my hands off trying to peel and then slice a frozen banana. Don’t do it that way. This is what you should do–

One-Ingredient Ice Cream:

Step One: Gather your bananas. I like to use 1-1.5 medium sized bananas a person. Slice your bananas into pieces about an inch thick.

Step Two: Lay your banana slices flat in one layer on a cookie sheet or pie tin or casserole dish, and then place in the freezer.

Step Three: Let your bananas freeze for 4-6 hours*, and then remove from the freezer.

*You can freeze your slices overnight if that’s more convenient, but you may want to let them defrost for 20 or 30 minutes before putting in the food processor. The first time I used banana that had been frozen for 24 hours, I was afraid I was going to break a blade on my food processor!

Step Four: Place the slices in your food processor and blend for 2-3 minutes. You may have to stop a couple of times and use a spoon to remove banana slices off the blade**.

**If at any point the mixture starts getting too liquidy, pop it back in the freezer for 20 minutes. You can also do this after blending but before eating.

And that’s it! You’re ready to eat your delicious, healthy one-ingredient ice cream!

Flavor Suggestions:

If one ingredient is too boring for you or you’re ready to be adventurous, try mixing in peanut butter or Nutella or berries or some ground cinnamon. My favorite flavor combination is one banana, one tablespoon of cocoa powder, and one tablespoon of freshly ground peanut butter.

Looking for other ideas? Check out this list of five one-ingredient ice cream flavors from TheKitchn.com.

Fitness Friday:

Well, the last couple of weeks have been a little rough. I’ve been exercising and gotten a few good workouts and runs here and there, but I haven’t been pushing as hard as I should, and I’ve been missing too many days. I need to prioritize better.

The good news is that my foot hasn’t been bothering me as much. It’ll still get sore here and there, usually after I’ve put in about 4 miles, but occasionally just from walking around in unsupportive shoes. I did purchase new running shoes, and I know that has helped.

My diet has been mostly good, but there have been a few days where I just ate a lot of junk. That’s not typical of me, but I think we all struggle at one point or another, right?

I’ve been keeping upbeat about it, and I’m just determined that next week will be better. Health/fitness is a life-long journey. Sometimes my path is going to dip downhill for a bit, but as long as I get back up again and continue the climb, that is a success.

The Link-Up:

If you’re a blogger, I invite you to join up with me every Friday at JillConyers.com and We Have It All. Share your fitness and/or weight loss goals, successes, and failures. Have a healthy recipe? Share it!

Not a blogger? You’re welcome to let us know in the comments below how you’re doing with your goals, so we can support you.

How was your week? Were you able to get out and be active? What yummy foods did you eat this week?
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fitness, giveaways, Review

Review: Skinny Blend Weight Loss Shake

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Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

I received a one-week supply of Skinny Jane’s “Skinny Blend Weight Loss Shake.” Since it’s a weight-loss shake, usually one week would not be enough time to review that aspect of the product. With that in mind, I was asked to review how well the powder mixes, suppresses my appetite, and increases my energy.

As I’ve gotten into more strength training and weight lifting, I’ve been seeking ways to add more protein into my diet. Of course, I can always eat more beans, eggs, nuts, chicken, etc. And I have been, but it’s just not enough. It would really simplify my life if I could just mix up a protein shake and BAM! give my body what it needs. As I researched protein powders, I realized I’m looking for a powder that tastes at least bearable (if not good) and isn’t filled with questionable ingredients. So that’s why I wanted to review the Skinny Blend.

I didn’t receive the regular packaging, since I just had the 7-day sample, so I had to look the nutritional info up online. Each serving of the banana Skinny Blend has 100 calories, 1 gram of sugar, 3 grams of fiber, and 12 grams of protein. Of course that would be in addition to whatever ingredients you add to the blend.

My 7-day sample of Skinny Blend

Some of the ingredients sound “scary” (you can read them off the product photos on the Skinny Jane website), but I looked up the ones I’m unfamiliar with. Most of the ingredients provide protein or bond the protein ingredients together. Nothing raised any red flags.

The Skinny Blend is available in chocolate, vanilla, or banana, and I chose the banana flavor. It really does taste good! If you don’t mix it in really well (and you should), it has a slight powdered milk taste to it. When mixed or blended, the Skinny Blend just tastes like milk and banana. It’s not grainy or clumpy, and there’s no strange aftertaste. Just make sure you use a shaker bottle or a blender. I attempted to just mix it with almond milk once with a spoon, and it was grainy.

I think I had the servings off slightly. I was using the powder while Baby J and I were visiting Hubby in Florida, and I didn’t have any of my measuring spoons or cups or my kitchen scale. I had to “wing it.” A serving should be 1/4 cup. Either they sent me more than a week’s worth, or I really don’t know how a 1/4 cup should look. As you can see below, I tried the Skinny Blend 8 times (and still had some left in the package).

Ways I’ve tried the Skinny Blend:

  • Skinny Blend, frozen fruit, water, baby spinach, and kale
  • Skinny Blend, frozen fruit, apple cider, baby spinach, and kale
  • Skinny Blend and water (gross)
  • Skinny Blend and almond milk
  • Skinny Blend, almond milk, whole milk, and ice
  • Skinny Blend, almond milk, banana, and ice
  • Skinny Blend, almond milk, 1/2 banana, and ice
  • Skinny Blend, orange juice, banana, and ice

If you’re trying to lose weight, definitely use the Skinny Blend as recommended. That said, my favorite way to use the Skinny Blend was blended with almond milk, 1/2 banana, and ice. It was the perfect after-dinner snack that kept me full and awake for several hours until bed, and with just over 200 calories.

My favorite combo, right before I blended it
And blended

I actually did lose weight the week that I used the Skinny Blend (about 3 lbs.), which surprised me. I can’t say for sure the weight loss was from the powder, especially since I didn’t use it as a meal replacement. I used the powder in addition to my regular diet. I’ve been lifting heavier weights and doing more strength training exercises, so I guess my hard work is finally showing, and I lost a little body fat (woohoo!).

Overall, I really, really, liked this powder. It tasted good, blended well, and wasn’t grainy. Is it the shake for me, the one I’ll add into my workout regime and diet? I’m not sure. My only hesitation is Skinny Blend doesn’t provide as much protein as some other protein powders on the market. But to be fair, Skinny Blend is meant to be a weight-loss shake, not necessarily a muscle-building shake.

To learn more about how the company got its start, visit SkinnyJane.com. Also, follow them on Facebook and Twitter for tips and motivation (it’ll get you a head start on the giveaway too).

GIVEAWAY CLOSED- Congrats to Aleya B. for winning!

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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fitness, Review

Resistance Bands- Perfect for fitness on the go (Review)

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Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Baby J and I are spending three weeks with Hubby, and we’re living out of what is, essentially, an extended stay hotel. When you’re traveling, it’s nearly impossible to pack up your free weights and bring them with, especially if you’re flying! That can be problematic for someone like me, who’s trying to build muscle.

Even when I’m at home, I don’t always have gym access and many times I end up working out in our living room. There’s not a lot of space. Resistance bands are great because they’re lightweight and small, but still bring an extra oomph to your workout by providing resistance during strength training. They’re also inexpensive. The band I’m reviewing is currently on sale for $14.99.

Resistance bands are made of rubber with handles on the ends. The DynaPro ProGrade resistance bands are 100 percent latex dipped. The idea is this makes their bands more durable than standard bands. A durable band means the resistance during use is more consistent, and the band itself is less likely to snap.

The band I’m reviewing is the medium band, which provides a resistance of 20 lbs. DynaPro also sells 10 lbs. and 30 lbs. bands.

If you’re not sure how to use a resistance band, a quick Internet search will result in dozens of exercises to help you workout your whole body. Here are a few photos of me in action, in our hotel room. If I look like my form is wrong, it might be! I’m new to resistance bands.

Left: squat with overhead press (It’s not a very low squat, I know…I was in the process of squatting when Hubby took the photo!) -Top Right: Lunge with biceps curl -Bottom Right: Row

One thing I’ve really been trying to do lately with my workouts is mix things up. I have to, or my body will “plateau,” and I’ll stop seeing results. I like that the resistance bands open up a plethora of workout possibilities that I can rotate through. It also keeps me from getting bored. 🙂

The handles are very comfortable, and the band also features adjustable attachment (see photo below) that allows you to adjust the length of the band.

If you’d like to know more about these resistance bands, visit DynaProDirect.com. You can purchase the bands directly from (affiliate link>) Amazon.

Flash Giveaway:

Want to win a resistance band from DynaPro? Enter this flash giveaway below! US only. Ends March 18 at 9pm Central Time.

This giveaway has a very quick turnaround, so I’ve included a mandatory entry that asks for your name and shipping address. This information will ONLY be used if you’re the winner. It will be given immediately to the sponsor, so they can ship your prize. If you don’t feel comfortable submitting that info, that is fine, you can let me know, by typing that into the box. However, if you’re then selected as the winner, I will send you an email, and you will only have 12 hours to respond, or I will randomly select someone else. So if you prefer to not share your details with me unless you’re the winner, I understand…but stick by your email once this giveaway has closed!

Make sure you agree to all the terms and conditions that are outlined in the widget.

Note: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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