I take my coffee iced.

I cannot believe it, I am on my 28th day of the 30 day Bikram yoga challenge!  I actually missed a day last week (which is allowed), so I have to take two classes today to make up for it.  9am class done… now it’s time to refuel and prepare myself for an afternoon class.

Normally I am so not a coffee drinker, but for some reason after class the idea of coffee sounded so good to me.  Maybe it was that Starbucks I walked by on the way home… Anyway, I knew that buying a soy latte was probably the worst thing to do after a 105 degree yoga class, so I decided on the next best thing… a slushy Coffee Smoothie in a Bowl!  Here’s what I used:

• 1/2 a very large banana I had in the fridge (frozen would be even better!)
• 5 ice cubes
• handful baby spinach
• 1 date (pitted) – to add some extra sweetness
• 1 tsp instant decaf coffee (I use Mount Hagen brand)
• 2-4 drops vanilla extract
• a pinch salt
• 1 tsp psyllium husk (to add a little fiber for fullness factor)

Using my Vitamix and the handy temper tool, I blended everything until it was the consistency of soft serve ice cream and scooped it in a bowl.  Normally I use frozen bananas to make it more like ice cream, but since I had none on hand I stuck my bowl in the freezer to firm up a bit while showering.  So, so good – it brings a whole new meaning to “iced coffee”.   😉    

Well guys, I’m going to relax for a bit after my tough class this morning.  I always have more trouble in morning Bikram classes because I’m all stiff from just waking up.  It’s totally worth it though because after it I feel energized, yet so calm and ready to face the day.  Especially after doing so many days in a row now, I just feel as though my energy levels have gone up so much – not making me hyper though – just making me feel like I can never tire.  I love it!

Vegan Coconut Ice Cream

Happy Daylight Savings!  I always get kind of mixed up around this time… is it really 11 or 10am?  Maybe it’s partly because I got waaay too much sleep last night!  Whenever I sleep 8+ hours I always feel more tired than I did in the first place.  My long night’s sleep made my stomach extra rumbly this morning!  I wasn’t quite in the mood for my standard morning options though, but wanted something fruit-centric so I figured “why not ice cream?” 😉

I know it doesn’t sound healthy, but I promise you that this version is fit for breakfast or dessert!  No sugar, no dairy, no artificial stuff… how could you go wrong?  You could even add a little baby spinach for some added nutrition like I did in my Earth Day Ice Cream.  There are so many different variations you could try based upon this recipe, but this morning I wanted plain ‘ol coconut.

Coconut Soft-Serve (makes 2 large portions)

• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 4 drops coconut extract
• 6 ice cubes

If you want something a little sweeter, you could add stevia or something, but I love this as is.  Just throw everything in your vita mix and blend using the temper to push all of the ice cubes into the blades until soft, but not too long or it’ll be all melty!  I decided to make it extra decadent and mixed together a little coconut milk, raw cocoa powder, agave nectar and a pinch of salt for a rich chocolate sauce.   

That’s what I call a good reason to get out of bed in the morning!  Off to yoga now… I’m on day 14 of a Bikram 30-Day Yoga Challenge right now.  30 yoga classes in 30 days, and while you can miss up to two days, you have to make up the classes by doing two doubles (ie. 3 hours of HOT yoga in one day).

I’ve tried this once before, back in September, but I had to bow out after day 19 because I had missed three days and only made up on of them.  This time I’m hoping to get through straight through without missing any days – wish me luck!

Just like 31 Flavors!

Oh. My. Gosh.  So this morning after my bikram yoga class I decided to make a smoothie as usual, but was bored of my normal flavors.  So what did I do?  Hopped over to my girl CCK’s blog to test out of of her milkshake flavors.  The choice was easy… mint chocolate chip ice cream was allllways my fav growing up (even if I did have to eat lactaid pills before I could eat it).  These days though I’ve shunned dairy altogether due to allergies and well just not liking the whole process behind how it’s produced.  This smoothie brought me right back to my childhood though!  I made a few small adjustments off the original recipe based on what I had on hand.  I also wanted more of a pudding consistency so I could eat it with a spoon, so I added in a healthy dose of xantham gum and some psyllium husk.  Here it is pre-blending:  

And then post blending!

I love, love love this!  And it’s even a little sinful bc I was out of cacao nibs so I added some Rice Dream dairy free chocolate chips 😀  So sinfully delicious (ok, it’s actually not sinful at all) it could almost be dessert!  Here’s my tweaked recipe:

Mint Chocolate Chip Pudding (since it’s probs too thick for a straw)

• 1/2 banana
• 1 c. unsweetened coconut milk
• tiny dash salt
• tiny dash stevia powder
• handful of baby spinach
• 1-2 tbsp dairy-free chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp xantham gum
• 2 tsp psyllium husk powder
• 2 ice cubes
• 2-3 drops peppermint extract
• 1-2 drops coconut extract (I LOVE coconut)

So so easy – just put it in the blender and blend until smooth!!  I actually put mine in the freezer to chill while I dried my hair and cleaned up a little.  Oh yah… and don’t forget your spoon!   😉       

By the way guys – in light of the recent Tsunami in Japan, I wanted to pass along a link to Americares.  I really love this organization because they donate almost 100% of their profits to their causes, keeping operating costs under 2% so that you know your money is going to where it’s needed and not someone sitting behind a big desk.  I sincerely urge you all to think about donating here:  DONATE, please!