Blueberry Vanilla Chai Smoothie

Today is the quintessential Southern California day: clear, blue skies, warm sunshine, a cool breeze blowing off the ocean. It’s perfect.

As soon as Travis left for work on this sunny Sunday (oh, the perils of owning your own business!), I headed out on the 8.5 mile loop that takes me from my front door to the ocean and back. When I made it to the water, I just had to stop and take it all in. Today is one of the most beautiful days we’ve had in a while. It’s hard to believe it was raining and thunder storming on Friday.

Standing on the bluff above the sand, I watched the surfers ride the waves as a pod of dolphins played about 30 yards offshore. There was a surfing competition going on and lots of people around walking their dogs in their tank tops and flip-flops. Ohhhhhhh it was so perfect! I wish I could show you a picture, but I don’t run with a camera or my cell phone. I like to be unplugged. 😉

Here are the stats from my run:

Miles: 9

Time: 1:09:45

Pace: 7:45/mile

My Garmin got all messed up somewhere along the way. I think I forgot to restart the time after stopping at a traffic light so when I got back home, my watch showed that I had only gone 7.5 miles. I kept running until it said 8, but then I came home and mapped my route on Map My Run just to be sure. I actually ended up running 9 miles instead of 8.5. I took a guess at my average pace. I ran the last mile at 7:50, and it definitely felt like my slowest mile, so I settled on 7:45 as my average pace.

I dreamt up a new recovery smoothie while I was running. It was pretty warm out and I wanted something cold! I also wanted something that would help my muscles recover and keep the inflammation down.

Blueberry Vanilla Chai Smoothie

Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg all contain natural anti-inflammatory properties, among other amazing health benefits, and the added protein powder helps to repair micro tears in muscle fiber. This spiced smoothie is refreshing way to recover from a long run. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 scoop Sunwarrior Vanilla Protein Powder (or your favorite protein powder)
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup frozen blueberries
• 3 ice cubes
• pinch of xanthan gum (to thicken, optional)
• Sprinkle of ground flax (optional)

Directions:

1. Place ingredients into blender in order listed.
2. Blend until smooth
3. Pour into a tall glass and garnish with a sprinkle of ground flaxseed, if desired. Serves 1.

(175 calories, 4.5 grams fat, 21 grams carbohydrates, 18 grams protein)

 

Love that color!

 

This smoothie was so delicious and refreshing after my long, sunny run. I only wish I made double the amount because I drank it so quickly!

Now it’s time for Sunday chores, and hopefully a long walk along the ocean later on when Travis gets home.

Happy Sunday to you.

-Lou