Fig, Cherry & Berry Smoothie + Recent (Lots of Out To) Eats

This is the first week that I’ve truly felt “in the swing of things” in over a month. Between traveling in February and the weird snow/ice days we had, my schedule has been all over the place. This week it’s been 100% business as usual and it’s one of those magical weeks where none of my clients are traveling and no one is having to cancel due to life stuff. I have seen every single one of my clients as scheduled, which is rare! To give you an idea of what that looks like for me…I’m doing 16 training sessions this week and teaching 9 yoga classes. I’m usually more in the neighborhood of 10-12 training sessions and 9-10 classes. I recently onboarded two new training clients (something I rarely do, my book is full) so it’s upped the hours a bit.

Speaking of training and clients, I had a really amazing morning of training today. It was a struggle to get out of bed when my alarm went off at 5 a.m. but my relationships with my clients make it worthwhile. My 5:30 a.m. shared that they are celebrating his daughter’s first birthday this weekend…it feels like just yesterday that his wife was having the baby! My 6:30 a.m. is expecting her second and it’s been such a special process to work with her from being six weeks post-partum with her first baby to now six months pregnant with the second. All of our before and after pictures are going to be crazy! And finally, my 7:30 a.m. is a yogi friend of mine who started working out and strength training for the first time with me eight months ago. She has completely transformed and it’s been so inspiring to watch her feel so empowered around her body and her strength.

I’m so lucky to have such great clients who have been with me for so long. They truly become friends and I feel so honored that I get to be a part of their lives.

I just enjoy sharing little glimpses of my career with you and sharing why I love it so much. 🙂

Eats are a little all over the place this week. Lots of eating out which is rare for me during the week.

Y’all asked me what I do with the frozen figs I buy from Trader Joe’s…Surprise! I make smoothies. This week I have been LOVING this combo of figs, cherries and blueberries. Here’s the recipe.

Fig, Cherry & Berry Green Smoothie

Frozen figs (1 large if you’re using the Trader Joe’s Green Figs, 3-4 small if you’re using traditional figs)
1/2 frozen banana
1/4 cup frozen cherries
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1 date
Dash of cinnamon
1/4 cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 to 1 cup milk (almond, soy, coconut, skim) of choice (adjust quantity depending on desired smoothie thickness)
2 cups baby spinach
1 tablespoon of peanut butter (optional, I’ve made it with and without and it’s great either way)

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Yield: one smoothie. 

I have been topping mine with peanut butter granola but it’s also delicious on it’s own through a straw. Try it!

Here’s another fig smoothie combination similar to the above but with strawberries instead of cherries and blueberries. When you use strawberries you keep the pretty green color. Also topped with homemade peanut butter chia seed granola. I can’t get enough of this stuff. I have made two batches in five days!

Lunch salad with spinach, goat cheese, maple turkey, apples, avocado, spiced walnuts, dried cranberries and a balsamic dressing from Trader Joe’s.

Leftover turkey, black bean and butternut squash chili. If you want the recipe, I based it on my Butternut and Bean Vegetarian Chili and added ground turkey. I only used one can of black beans instead of two cans of mixed beans and chicken broth instead of water.

And now we get into the eating out. I had lunch at Panera on Tuesday. I tried one of their new broth bowls. This was a lentil and quinoa bowl and it came topped with an egg. It was full of kale and tomatoes and had a nice lemon kick to it. I can’t say it was my favorite thing in the world but it was a good lunch for a rainy and cold day.

My one and only home cooked meal happened on Monday night. Chicken breast with a fajita rub, roasted carrots and mushrooms and roasted broccoli.

On Tuesday night I had dinner at Napa on Providence with some friends. We started with this gnocchi for the table. It was awesome. The gnocchi was so soft and pillowy.

I ordered an arugula and roasted beet salad and asked for it to be topped with fish. The server suggested steelhead trout. I honestly don’t know if I have ever had it before but it’s crazy similar to salmon but I did some research and it’s a variety of trout and although it has a lot of the same qualities of salmon, is a different fish. Read about it here.

I went lighter on my entree because we shared lobster mac and cheese for the table. Every time I took a bite, I closed my eyes and said “mmmm.” Not really…but it was that good. 🙂 For whatever reason I have had a fierce mac and cheese craving lately and this definitely took care of it!

On Wednesday night I had dinner at Vivace to celebrate a friend’s 40th. I started with this salad…let’s talk about the photo first. I have all but quit taking my DSLR out in public and just grab quick iPhone shots of my food. The lighting in the restaurant was kind of bad but this salad was too good not to share with you. So what I’m saying is that I realize this is a terrible photo but I don’t care! This is the Tuscan kale salad and it featured pancetta, pistachio, caprino, fig balsamic vinaigrette and tried figs. I loved the way they cut the kale and it was served slightly warm so the kale was a little wilted and not so tough. Another friend ordered it as well and we agreed it was one of the best salads we have ever had and are planning to return ASAP to eat it again. I could have just had this for dinner and been happy.

But…it didn’t stop with the kale! I had roasted salmon for my entree and it came with brussels sprouts, pancetta, apples and a cider vinaigrette. It was also excellent. The portions were really generous. I could have shared both dishes with someone else and been totally satisfied. I have been to Vivace a lot over the last few years but I think this was my favorite dining experience ever.

And we must end with a sweet treat! We were all delivered a chocolate chip cookie dough cupcake to end the meal…they’re from Cupcake Delirium and they’re the birthday girl’s favorite! I will NEVER say no to a cupcake.

Time to head back to the gym for a meeting and then to the yoga studio to teach two classes! Hope y’all are having a wonderful day.

Do you eat out much during the week? 

Have you tried the new Panera Broth Bowls?

Have you tried steelhead trout?