After a very restless night’s sleep, Ryan and I awoke bright and early to head to the gym. We completed 20 minutes of side-by-side cardio before separating for our respective weights workouts.
Since I hadn’t taken a BodyPump class in a week, it felt good to flex my muscles and feel the burn again. If Ryan and I ever move out of Orlando, I am going to do my best to join a gym that offers BodyPump classes because they really do give me a much better workout than any weight lifting routine I could personally complete on my own.
Once BodyPump was over, I met up with my friend Merri to take Sadie on a 40-minute walk around the lake near our apartment. Having a friend to keep me company on my morning walk with Sadie makes the time pass so quickly. Merri and I were chatting away through the whole walk and if I didn’t have that silly job thing to attend to, I gladly would’ve circled the lake a couple more times with her.
Breakfast
When our walk was over, I was ready for breakfast. Something cold and chocolaty sounded good to me, so I whipped out the blender to make myself a chocolate covered strawberry smoothie bowl!
Into the blender went:
- 1 c. frozen strawberries
- 1 1/2 c. almond milk
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
- 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 handful fresh spinach
- 3 large ice cubes
- 1 pinch xanthan gum (for thickening)
Just like Thursday’s strawberry smoothie bowl, this baby nearly overflowed!
I actually looked at the cup measurement on the blender once I was done blending this smoothie bowl and it made 3 1/2 cups! I ate every last bite and loved it all. Chocolate craving = Satisfied!
Off to work!
Of Possible Interest
- Make Ahead: Sunflower Cranberry Oatmeal (WomensHealthMag.com)
- Nine Famous Actresses Who Decided to Go Vegan (FitSugar.com)
- Healthy Breakfast Ideas for the Family (WebMD.com)
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I feel the same way about BodyPump. My gym in the city doesn’t offer it, but thankfully they have a few other really awesome classes that take its place. Whenever I’m at my parents’ though, I take as many BP classes as possible. Love it!
I’ve been loving those smoothies!! Two chocolate breakfasts in a row – yum!
What a delicious breakfast! I think it’s so nice that you have a chance to catch up with your friends (well, Merri in this case) so early in the day when you walk Sadie. I really need to find time to see my friends more often.. maybe I need to get a dog to walk! 🙂 Have a great day Julie!
I have no xanthan gum, but I’m going to make this smoothie later. I get huge chocolate cravings that I usually satisfy with a handful of chocolate chips. This seems healthier. 🙂
Totally agree about BodyPump! It definitely gets me to do all those things I hate doing by myself (ie – squats and lunges). And it’s almost…fun? 🙂
That bowl looks ridiculously delicious…
Great, now I’m going to be craving chocolate all day! 😉 I just talked about how I’ll be taking my first Bodypump class today… so it’s good to see that you enjoy it so much. I’m actually a bit nervous!
you’ll love it! it goes by so fast. just go light on the weights during your first class until you get the hang of it!
Thanks for the tip… I already envision myself standing there with a look of pure confusion haha hopefully I’ll learn to love group fitness!
I should really make more smoothies…yours always look so yummy! 🙂
Yum!!!! I’ve been doing smoothies for breakfast a lot more lately but have been sticking with all fruity flavors. I need to venture into chocolate territory!
Your smoothies look delish! My blender broke down the other week so I’ve been smoothie-less… it’s heartbreaking.
Have a great day 🙂
Now that is what I call the best SIAB ever! Yum!
Yum! This looks great!
Yum!! Looks delicious! I’m joining a new gym in a few months and guess what.. They have BodyPump!! I’m so excited to try it after reading your blog! Have a great day 🙂
I’m definitely no expert AT ALL in the whole fitness area, but I would suggest trying things outside of the gym at first. Ask him to go on walks with you, throw the frisbee for 30 minutes and run around trying to catch it, kick a soccer ball, go swimming and challenge him to see who can swim across the pool the fastest. Then, once he feels how good it feels to be active, mabye he will want to join you in the gym one or two days a week! As long as you make it fun and something you can enjoy doing together, I think that would help a lot 🙂
i think you meant to post this in response to the comment below. 🙂 i like your advice though!
HAHA yep. Sorry!!!!
Recently I’ve been taking a boot camp class. While I’ve never taken a body pump class, they seem similar. It’s such a great workout. I agree with you that being in a class motivates you to work harder.
Does your husband take the class with you? I’ve been trying to convince my boyfriend to workout with me but it never seems to work. I know it seems like an odd request but do you have any suggestions? I don’t want to hurt his feelings but the two of us gained an abnormal amount of weight in college and I’m the only one who is trying to rectify the situation. Ah, that makes me sound so awful but I think it would be good for the both of us.
i actually did a post about this! just in case you’re interested: https://www.pbfingers.com/2010/04/14/gettin-him-to-the-gym/
Oh awesome! I just recently found your blog. I suppose I should’ve searched first. Thank you!
Soft serve for breakfast! I covet your breakfasts day after day. I wish I had time to be more creative in the mornings!
Glad you & Merri are getting lots of quality time in before she moves! 🙂
YUM! I need to try out this smoothie! It looks delicious and I’m always up for chocolate in the morning!
I just started taking a kickboxing class and that class is really fun! A great way to get an hour of cardio in without feeling like you are spending an hour doing it!
I want to try BodyPump — but my gym doesn’t offer it, and nearby gyms who have it only offer it at strange times that don’t work with my schedule.
That smoothie looks delicious — I can’t believe those ingredients made 3.5 cups!
Your smoothie looks awesome. What time do you wake up in the morning? It is hard enough for me to get up, hit the gym and get ready for work in time, let alone walk the dog and make a smoothie 🙂
you may see my morning routine here: https://www.pbfingers.com/2010/04/30/streamlining-your-morning-routine/
Looks like a wonderful breakfast! I am loving the smoothie bowl!
that smoothie looks perfect for a sunny morning after a workout 🙂
Can’t wait to get some fresh spring fruit for smoothies!
Chocolate for breakfast- now that’s what I’m talking about!
That smoothie bowl looks awesome! I need something like that here! 😀
That smoothie bowl looks amazing! Chocolate and strawberries sound like the perfect breakfast to me! 🙂
I wanted a smoothie for breakfast this morning as well…but it’s too cold in Baltimore!! Something warm was definitely needed instead. Yours looks delicious though!
HOLY SMOOTHIEVILLE! that is a whopper- i love IT! sounds like I need bodypump! im not good at pushing myself through strength workouts!
I love this and want to get into the habit of making smoothies! I need to start preparing them at night though, I wake up much earlier than my roommates. Any suggestions on over-night smoothies?
Also, does anyone else find that if they eat something resembling chocolate, or containing some sugar, they set themselves up for sweet cravings all day?
I always make smoothies way too big…I don’t know how not to! Silly weak blender of mine 😉
Ahh!! I need a blender, seriously! I want to make smoothies (that look like ice cream) for breakfast, too!
I love how you link articles at the bottom! You should do that more often. Some how I always miss out on some really interesting stuff when I skim the sites myself!
Those links were awesome – I absolutely adore Natalie Portman, and it’s even more awesome that she’s vegan!
You always have good brekfast treats. I have been trying to make myself breakfast every day, but it’s hard! I am at work at 7:00AM and I usually have an iced coffee and a Luna Bar, mostly because it’s so easy and fast. I admire your breakfast meals!
Everyday i put on my sweater im jealous of your tank top!!
I love that you have been craving your sweet tooth with healthy substitutions!
You can’t go wrong with strawberries and chocolate! Btw, where do you buy your xanthan gum from?
This smoothie looks great! I love how you eat them out of a bowl too! Makes it seem like ice cream 🙂
That smoothie looks fantastic! Can’t wait for it to get a little warmer here in Colorado and then I will copy you 😉
I get jealous every time I read about people doing Body Pump. It sounds like such an awesome class, but none of the gyms near me offer anything even remotely similar.
Wax on, Wax off!
That is my kind of breakfast!
That strawberry smoothie recipe looks absolutely amazing. Makes me feel like I should put that lonely blender in my kitchen to some use! Thanks for sharing 🙂 Can I find xanthan gum anywhere?
Hmm, sounds good! Does it taste of strawberries at all?
Btw Julie, I just wanted to say – I’ve been reading your blog for a couple months now & I love it. Ive commented a few times before but ive recently started working out & I feel I need to thank you. It’s very inspiring to read about your workouts & healthy habits.
So thanks Julie! 🙂
I do love love love the volume that is produced when you make smoothies!
I wish I could feel full on just a smoothie… even when they’re large it’s just not as satisfying as chewing something. Looks yummy though =)
im a little late.. but CONGRATS on your vita mix! isnt it soooo awesome! hummus is so great to make with it too! and dough! shoot.. everything is awesome to make with it!
That smoothie looks amazing!!!
I have a sister who lives in the Orlando area right now, so every time I read your blog I think of her! 🙂
YAY for big smoothies!!!
Your smoothie bowls always look so good!!
Smoothie bowls sure are the popular thing nowadays. Maybe I need to break out the blender and make something other than mudslides. 😉
Chocolate for breakfast is always a good idea 🙂
Omgosh that smoothie looks PHENOM! I love strawberries and I love smoothies… (… oh and I LOVE chocolate, but i’m sure thats a given ;-)). Therefore, I think I need to try this STAT.
Coco Powder = a sweet you loose 😉
I’m making your smoothie bowl for my afternoon snack tomorrow! 🙂