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Mindful eating and my favourite Chocolate (protein) smoothie

May 9, 2014 11 Comments

A deliciously rich and creamy chocolate protein smoothie - to her core

I’ve always been quite big on snacking. Especially when I’m bored – if I’m slaving away behind the computer at work or listening to a lecture at home, you can rest assured that you will find some kind of snack near by – apple slices, a small handful of nuts, veggies sticks with dip. When the cupboard is bare, I try and be a little inventive – a spoonful of peanut butter mixed with some mashed chickpeas and a little honey – which sounded great when I thought of it but not-so-great when I tasted it. Though my snacks are usually healthy, the issue I have is that I’m not always hungry, it’s more of a habit. I snack because I always have, and though my main meals have been cleaned up and I’ve ditched other bad habits, my habit of snacking is one thing that has remained.

Lately I’ve been trying more to eat mindfully – that is eating with attention and intention. Before I reach for a snack, I ask myself if I am actually hungry or if I’m eating just for the sake of it. When you are conscious of your habits, it’s hard to ignore them. Another useful tool is keeping a food diary. Though this can be a little tedious, I definitely find that it helps to see how much food you really consume, and any emerging patterns.  For example, one day I ate in the afternoon – a chia pudding, an apple, some almonds, an energy ball and then some more almonds. That is a lot of extra food considering that I most likely wasn’t even all that hungry at the time! Thursdays are also my “rest” days, so there was no extra strenuous activities making me crave this extra food. If you are a serial snacker like I am give it a try for a week (that was as long as I lasted) just to see what you are really eating and when.

A deliciously rich and creamy chocolate protein smoothie - to her core A deliciously rich and creamy chocolate protein smoothie - to her core

My latest attempt to stop this ‘mindless’ eating is to eat four or five smaller meals a day. So far it has been working really well, and I’m able to get by with just those four or five meals and no snacks in between. I keep some fruit in my drawer in case I get too peckish, but for the most part when I am eating more often I don’t feel the need to snack as much.  I try to include fiber in every meal, plus a little fat and protein to keep me full. This chocolate shake is one of my new favorite breakfasts. It’s tasty – not too filling, but enough to keep me full until my next mini-meal and I find the chocolate makes it incredibly satisfying (because when don’t we like eating chocolate!?)

And as with the theme around here of late, this smoothie has some hidden veggies included (I promise, you won’t be able to taste them!)

A deliciously rich and creamy chocolate protein smoothie - to her core

Chocolate Protein Smoothie

1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1/3 avocado
2/3 cup milk of choice (I use almond)
1/4 hazelnuts
1 date
1/2 banana (or another date)
1/4 cup chickpeas
2 Tbsp raw cacao
Tiny pinch salt

Add all ingredients to a high speed blender, and mix until well combined.

Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg

Serves 1

 

*************************

Some exciting news – as I mentioned in my last post, I will hosting a workshop in Hobart with Briana from Crave Living looking at increasing the amount of vegetables in your diet. We’ll work through the associated health benefits as well as show participants some delicious and easy it is to make vegetable-based recipes. For further information, check out the event details here.

For those of you not in Hobart however, I also have something lined up for you as well, so that you can learn about the benefit of vegetables – and creative ways to use them – all from the comfort of your own home.

Getting adventurous with your veggies workshop

Filed Under: Drinks, Recipe, Wellness Tagged With: banana, chick pea, dairy free, date, gluten free, grain free, hazelnuts, mindful eating, protein, shake, smoothie, vegan, vegetarian, zucchini

« Sweet potato noodles with miso-tahini dressing
Paleo Veggie Crackers and how I stay healthy while travelling »

Comments

  1. Josefine {The Smoothie Lover} says

    May 9, 2014 at 8:12 pm

    I really enjoyed reading this post. I rally snack a lot too. Often so much that I’m not hungry for dinner… The lasts couple of months I’ve started to think a lot about stopping snacking that much and instead have a small “meal” between e.g. lunch and dinner. But it’s very hard stopping. I’ll definitely try the mindful eating thing. Thank you so much for a wonderful post! :)

    Reply
    • tohercore says

      May 10, 2014 at 5:50 pm

      Thank you Josefine! Yes its definitely hard to stop snacking when you are used to it! I find a small meal works well, especially when its something tasty that leaves you feeling satisfied. Good luck with your mindful eating – let me know how you go! x

      Reply
  2. Lauren says

    May 9, 2014 at 9:01 pm

    I have never had zucchini in a smoothie! This smoothie looks like it would taste of Nutella – mmmm!
    I tend to eat 4/5 smaller meals a day depending on my hunger levels :)

    Reply
    • tohercore says

      May 10, 2014 at 5:48 pm

      You can barely taste the zucchini Lauren so it’s a great way to sneak some veggies in! Yes, definitely some Nutella flavours going on – mmmm indeed ;)

      Reply
  3. Sharon says

    May 10, 2014 at 12:58 am

    Looks delicious! I am also a serial snacker. Having copious amounts of treats around from recipe testing doesn’t help! ;) I’ve done a food journal a couple of times and it really is an eye opener. It’s a great experiment if you’ve never done it.

    Good luck with your event! I wish I could attend it.

    Reply
    • tohercore says

      May 10, 2014 at 5:46 pm

      Haha, yes its very hard to stay disciplined when recipe testing, I’m hearing you! And thank you – I am very much look forward to the workshop (with some excitement, and a little nervousness thrown in as well ;)

      Reply
  4. Allison @ Clean Wellness says

    May 10, 2014 at 5:11 am

    What a cool smoothie recipe! I’ve never thought of putting all of those yummy ingredients together! And chocolate and hazelnuts are a match made in heaven! Yum :)

    Reply
    • tohercore says

      May 10, 2014 at 5:45 pm

      Thanks for stopping by and your lovely words Allison :) The ingredients work together beautifully – this is definitely my new favorite smoothie!

      Reply
  5. Katie @ Whole Nourishment says

    May 10, 2014 at 6:02 pm

    I love how you say mindful eating is eating with attention and intention. Great perspective! And yes, chocolate makes anything more special, love the hazelnut and chocolate combo here. And your workshop sounds so fun. Good luck with it! :)

    Reply
  6. lisa says

    May 13, 2014 at 5:13 am

    i don’t see anything chocolate in the ingredients.

    Reply
    • tohercore says

      May 17, 2014 at 10:11 am

      Oops – I missed the most important ingredient! Thanks for picking that up Lisa, I have added it in now :)

      Reply

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