Chocolate Shakeology Pudding

If you want the taste of a chocolate dessert without the guilt, try this healthy chocolate pudding recipe made with Shakeology. Bananas and avocado make it creamy just like traditional pudding!

Chocolate Shakeology Pudding

Recipe - Chocolate Shakeology Pudding IG

Total Time: 1 hr. 5 min.
Prep Time: 5 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1½ scoops Chocolate Shakeology
1 ripe medium avocado
1 medium banana, cut into chunks
1 cup unsweetened almond milk

Preparation:
1. Place Shakeology, avocado, banana, and almond milk in blender; cover. Blend until smooth. (If too thick add additional almond milk.)
2. Pour into four dessert cups; refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until set.

Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories: 231
Fat: 9 g
Carbohydrates: 29 g (Fiber: 8 g; Sugars: 12 g)
Protein: 10 g

Resource Library Banner

Strawberry Vinaigrette

This sweet vinaigrette made with fresh strawberries will add gourmet flair to your summer salads (like this one!). It can also be made with thawed, frozen strawberries.

Strawberry Vinaigrette Recipe

Strawberry Vinaigrette

Total Time: 10 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar (or white balsamic vinegar)
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. raw honey
¼ tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
1⅓ cups sliced fresh strawberries

Preparation:
Place vinegar, oil, honey, salt, pepper, and strawberries in a blender; cover. Blend until smooth.

Try it on the Spinach and Berry Salad!

Nutrition Facts (per Serving):
Calories: 47
Total Fat: 3 g
Total Carbohydrates: 4 g (Fiber: 1 g; Sugars: 3 g)
Protein: 0 g

Spinach & Berry Salad

Topped with fresh blueberries and strawberries and dressed with a tangy, homemade vinaigrette (recipe here!), this salad tastes like summertime!

Spinach and Berry Salad Recipe

Spinach & Berry Salad

Total Time: 10 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
8 cups fresh baby spinach
1 medium orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh blueberries
½ cup sliced fresh strawberries
¼ cup slivered almonds
8 Tbsp. Strawberry Vinaigrette

Preparation:
1. Combine spinach, bell pepper, blueberries, strawberries, and almonds in a large serving bowl; toss gently to blend.
2. Drizzle salad evenly with Strawberry Vinaigrette; toss gently to blend.
3. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts (per Serving):
Calories: 107
Total Fat: 6 g
Total Carbohydrates: 13 g (Fiber: 4 g; Sugars: 8 g)
Protein: 3 g

Spicy Shredded Pork Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

Sweet pineapple and crunchy radishes go perfectly with tender, slow-cooked pork loin in these mouth-watering tacos.

Spicy Shredded Pork Tacos Recipe

Spicy Shredded Pork Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

Total Time: 4 hrs. 30 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 4 hours
Yield: 4 servings, 2 tacos each

Ingredients:
1 lb. raw pork loin, boneless, visible fat removed, cut into 4 large pieces
1 (7-oz.) can sliced jalapeños (optional)
1½ cups tomatillo salsa (or salsa verde)
½ cup finely cubed fresh pineapple
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
¼ tsp. ground cumin
8 corn tortillas (or 6-inch whole wheat tortillas), warm
½ cup thinly sliced radishes

Preparation:
1. Place pork loin, jalapenos, and tomatillo salsa in a slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, or until pork is no longer pink and shreds easily.
2. Remove pork from liquid. Cool for 20 minutes. Shred pork, discarding any visible fat.
3. Combine pineapple, shallots, lime juice, and cumin; mix well. Set aside.
4. Top each tortilla evenly with pork, salsa, and radishes.

Nutrition Facts (per Serving):
Calories: 301
Fat: 7 g
Carbohydrates: 31 g (Fiber: 5 g; Sugars: 4 g)
Protein: 25 g

Resource Library Banner

What Should You Eat Before Your Workout?

The answer depends on two factors: your overall diet and how intense your workout is. If you eat small, balanced meals every few hours while you’re awake, you don’t really need a pre-workout meal strategy. Your body should have ample fuel to get you through any workout around an hour or less (longer workouts have specific needs).

However, if you go longer than 3 hours without eating, you should determine your needs based on a few things. First, how hard is your workout? Easy aerobics and other work where your heart rate doesn’t exceed 140/150 bpm (easy yoga, slow jogging, cycling, hiking, etc.) don’t use a lot of fuel (blood sugar and its back-up, glycogen) and can be done effectively on a fairly empty tank. Good hydration (water, water, water) should be all the fuel you need.

What Should You Eat Before Your Workout

Harder workouts have an anaerobic interval component which burns your limited stores of glycogen. Your body stores glycogen until you need it, but when your diet is very lean, you will almost certainly deplete these stores before the end of your workout if you haven’t eaten in a while. This condition, called “bonking,” causes your performance to instantaneously plummet.

Here are some options & general rules to avoid the dreaded “bonk.” Pick the one that best suits your day.

3 hours prior to a workout: Eat a well-rounded, light meal. As long as it’s not too many calories (more than 500-ish), most of it will be turned into fuel by the time you begin. Almost any of my meal plans fit this mold, as you have ample time to digest.

2 hours prior: Eat a light snack that’s mainly carbohydrates (4 parts carbs to 1 part protein with little fat will ensure there’s time to convert it into glycogen). Energy foods, like granola with yogurt and fruit, are ideal.

1 hour prior: Eat very light, no more than 200 or so calories at around a 4:1 carb to protein ratio. Low-fat, plain yogurt with a little fresh fruit thrown in is ideal. Any extra protein and fat will hinder your workout. It’s similar to the 2 hours prior snack, but since your body can only convert 200 to 300 calories into energy in a given hour you’ll want to keep the portions smaller.

Less than 1 hour: Try not to eat during the last hour before your workout. If you haven’t eaten in hours, liquid fuels, like juice, or easily digestible carbs, like half of a banana, will digest fast enough to help you during the later stages of the workout when your glycogen would otherwise run out. This is also a good time for targeting caffeine intake for ergogenic benefit.

Peanut Butter & Banana Ice Cream

July is National Ice Cream Month! Make your own guilt-free ice cream with Shakeology and peanut butter. Yum!

Peanut Butter and Banana Ice Cream Recipe

Peanut Butter & Banana Ice Cream

Total Time: 4 hrs. 5 min.
Prep Time: 5 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 5 servings, about ½ cup each

Ingredients:
1 cup nonfat milk (or unsweetened almond milk)
2 scoops Vanilla Shakeology
2 medium frozen bananas (cut into chunks before freezing)
2 Tbsp. all-natural smooth peanut butter

Preparation:
1. Place milk, Shakeology, bananas, and peanut butter in high-powered blender (such as a Vita-Mix); cover.
2. Blend on low for 5 seconds; increase power to high and continue blending for 30 seconds until smooth.
3. Pour mixture in a large glass bowl; cover.
4. Freeze for 4 hours, stirring every 30 minutes, before serving.

Nutrition Facts (per Serving):
Calories: 148
Total Fat: 4 g
Total Carbohydrates: 20 g (Fiber: 3 g; Sugars: 12 g)
Protein: 10 g

Resource Library Banner

Green Coconut Shakeology

Popeye would love this mighty spinach shake lightly sweetened with coconut water.

Green Coconut Shakeology Recipe

Green Coconut Shakeology

Total Time: 5 min.
Prep Time: 5 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients:
1 cup coconut water
1 scoop Greenberry Shakeology
¾ cup packed fresh spinach leaves
1 cup ice

Preparation:
Place coconut water, Shakeology, spinach, and ice in blender; cover. Blend until smooth.

Nutrition Facts (per Serving):
Calories: 169
Fat: 1 g
Carbohydrates: 21 g (Fiber: 4 g; Sugars: 13 g)
Protein: 18 g

Watermelon and Tomato Gazpacho

Watermelon is a unique twist that makes this chilled gazpacho soup even more flavorful and refreshing. This tasty recipe requires no cooking. Just put everything into a blender and push the button!

Watermelon and Tomato Gazpacho Recipe

Watermelon and Tomato Gazpacho

Total Time: 15 min.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 4 servings, about ¾ cup each

Ingredients:
1 medium tomato, chopped
4 cups cubed watermelon
½ medium cucumber, chopped
1 medium shallot, chopped
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp. chopped Italian parsley (reserve a small amount for garnish)
½ tsp. sea salt
Thinly sliced carrots (for garnish; optional)
Thinly sliced radishes (for garnish; optional)

Preparation:
1. Place tomato, watermelon, cucumber, and shallot in blender; cover. Pulse until chunky.
2. Add vinegar, oil, basil, parsley, and salt; pulse until chunky.
3. Remove ⅓ of tomato mixture; place in medium serving bowl.
4. Blend remaining tomato mixture until smooth. Add to serving bowl; mix well.
5. Divide into 4 serving bowls. Garnish with carrots, radishes, and parsley if desired.

Nutrition Facts (per Serving):
Calories: 90
Fat: 4 g
Carbohydrates: 14 g (Fiber: 1 g; Sugars: 11 g)
Protein: 2 g

Resource Library Banner

Spinach & Avocado Salad

Yum! I love the sweet and tart dried cranberries paired with creamy avocado in this delicious salad. Poppy seeds give it extra texture and peppery flavor.

Spinach and Avocado Salad Recipe

Spinach & Avocado Salad

Total Time: 10 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. finely chopped shallot
¼ tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. poppy seeds
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
8 cups fresh baby spinach
¼ cup dried cranberries
2 Tbsp. sliced raw almonds, toasted
½ medium avocado, sliced

Preparation:
1. Combine vinegar, shallot, salt, pepper, and poppy seeds in a small bowl; whisk to blend.
2. Slowly add oil, whisking continuously, until blended. Set aside.
3. Combine spinach, cranberries, and almonds in a large serving bowl; mix well.
4. Drizzle salad evenly with dressing; toss gently to blend.
5. Top with avocado; serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts (per Serving):
Calories: 129
Total Fat: 9 g
Total Carbohydrates: 11 g (Fiber: 4 g; Sugars: 6 g)
Protein: 3 g

Chicken and Veggie Fajitas

It’s officially summer… and today is TACO TUESDAY! Let’s celebrate with this Mexican-inspired delicious restaurant favorite that is easy to make at home! Our fajita version is healthy and packed with a rainbow of vegetables.

Chicken and Veggie Healthy Fajitas Recipe

Chicken & Veggie Fajitas

Total Time: 53 min.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 7 min.
Yield: 4 servings, 2 fajitas each

Ingredients:
1 tsp. chili powder
1 dash sea salt
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. olive oil, divided use
4 (4-oz.) raw chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into ½-inch strips
½ medium green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
½ medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
½ medium yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow (or orange) carrot, sliced thin
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
8 (6-inch) whole wheat (or corn) tortillas, warm
½ cup fresh tomato salsa (pico de gallo)
Lime wedges (for garnish; optional)

Preparation:
1. Combine chili powder, salt, cumin, garlic powder, and 1 tsp. oil in large re-sealable plastic bag.
2. Add chicken; mix gently to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Heat remaining 1 tsp .oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Empty contents of bag into skillet; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add bell peppers, onion, and carrot; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender-crisp. Remove from heat.
5. Add lime juice; mix well.
6. Top each tortilla evenly with chicken mixture and salsa; garnish with lime wedges if desired.

Nutrition Facts (per serving):
Calories: 326
Total Fat: 9 g
Total Carbs: 32 g (Fiber: 3 g; Sugars: 3 g)
Protein: 28 g

Want to stay updated & receive more fitness guides, tips, & healthy recipes? Sign up here for my monthly newsletter!