almond butter

DIY – Almond Butter

Posted on by keepingupwithkate91

I decided it was time to pull out my Vitamix and use if for more than making smoothies.  I wanted to make my own almond butter and almond flour (still working on perfecting this).  It was super easy!

I just love my Vitamix - favorite kitchen tool

I just love my Vitamix – favorite kitchen tool

I got my non-roasted almonds from BJs.  I think about $10 for the bag.

All Natural Whole Almonds from BJs - very affordable

All Natural Whole Almonds from BJs – very affordable

I added 2 cups of Almonds into my Vitamix with the tamper in place.

2 Cups of Almonds in Vitamix with tamper - apparently I need to do a better job of getting the water spots off the vitamx.

2 Cups of Almonds in Vitamix with tamper – apparently I need to do a better job of getting the water spots off the Vitamix.

I turned the Vitamix onto 1 and quickly turned it up to 10 and then moved it to High (use your tamper to push down the almonds) – it is very quick – you will hear the Vitamix start to churn hard as the Almonds release their oils – which helps create the Almond Butter.  This should be done between 1 – 3 minutes no more – listen to your machine so you don’t burn it out.

Here is what it looks like in the Vitamix:

Almond Butter in the Vitamix

Almond Butter in the Vitamix

And the final product in its container.

Finished Almond Butter - yum!

Finished Almond Butter – yum!

I used a nice heaping tablespoon in my pre-workout shake along with 4 ozs of unsweetened almond milk, 4 ozs water and 1 scoop of Chocolate Sun Warrior protein mix.  I put all ingredients into the Vitamix – delicious (and made for a great workout)!

Enjoy!

Green Smoothie #3

Posted on by keepingupwithkate91

One of my goals for week 3 of the Spring Transformation is to drink 2 – 3 green smoothies. I made a batch of about 3 yesterday to store for the week.

Here is what I included:

  • 1 cup of coconut water (Organic – Unsweetened)
  • 3 cups of coconut milk (Unsweetened)
  • 3 – 4 large handfuls of fresh spinach
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 2 T raw cacao powder (Navitas Naturals) (probably should’ve added more)
  • 3 T raw almond butter (Trader Joe’s Raw)
  • 2 T Organic Flax Seed
  • 1 T natural peanut butter
  • 1 -2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 packet of Sweet Leaf (stevia)
  • Cinnamon
  • Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
  • You could add berries or a banana if you like.  Berries are low glycemic and better option than a banana as they are higher in sugar.  I didn’t add the fruit as I seem to be very sensitive to the sugar.

I use a vitamix so it does a nice job of blending.  I added the first 3 ingredients first to blend it all together.  Next I added the rest and blended until nicely mixed.  It is not a pretty color at all – I thought the raw cocoa would make it look like chocolate (it did not).

I poured into shaker bottles and stored in the refrigerator.

I had my first one today – about 12 ozs.  Since I was having it pre-workout, I did add more water, ice cubes and 1 scoop of Sun Warrior Chocolate vegan protein mix.   My workout was at 7:00 pm.  I normally have my pre-workout shake about 45  – 30 minutes before my workout.  Since there are a lot more ingredients in this smoothie I had it about an hour ahead of time.  I was a bit draggy today and I did have a good workout (I’m thinking this had something to do with it).  Guess I will see later this week as I will alternate between my normal shakes and this green smoothie.

Enjoy!

A little extra GREEN on this lovely day

Posted on by keepingupwithkate91

Today is Tuesday and Tuesday means a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout for me. They are short, but for some reason I’ve always had a challenge getting them completed (a mental thing for me). Well I finished my HIIT workout after work today! Yeah ME!!  I didn’t feel like eating a hot dinner as it is quite warm and I have errands to run later tonight.

I decided to make a protein shake that I love in my Vitamix – but I wanted it to be cold (and I’m not known for having ice at my house – small freezer).  So I added a handful of frozen spinach!  The shake isn’t the prettiest of colors – kind of an ugly green (and I love green).  It is delicious with some added veggie!  Guess I’ll call it my Mini Green Smoothie (since only one veggie in it)!  Here is the recipe (if you have a Vitamix put in this order):

  • 1 Cup of Almond Milk (unsweetened)
  • 1 Scoop of PlantFusion Chocolate Protein Mix
  • 1 Squeeze of FlaxOil
  • 2 Tbsp Justin’s Almond Butter
  • 1 tsp of Raw Cocoa
  • Handful of frozen chopped spinach

Blend together until the smooth (and you don’t see any pieces of spinach in the shake).  I started on the low variable and worked it up and of course hit the power button as well.  Enjoy!!