The Ultimate Morning Kickstart Smoothie Recipe

I am so excited to share with you my #1 favorite smoothie with you! I drink this smoothie as my breakfast almost every single morning and I LOVE it because it fuels energy and is full of healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and protein! 

It's chocolatey, rich, just enough sweetness, and a WHOLE lot of nutrients! 

Why start every morning with a smoothie for breakfast? A smoothie is the best way to give you all the nutrients you need in a short amount of time and with hardly any prep! It's truly the perfect breakfast option! Also, since you are eating solely fruits, vegetables, healthy fat, and nuts, you are saving your body from having to use energy to digest solid foods in the morning! Its a win/win for you and your body!

Here’s the recipe:

3 Ice cubes

1 frozen banana

1 handful of spinach

1 cup of Almond Milk

1 Scoop of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides

1 Scoop of Vanilla Vegan Protein

1 tsp Chia seeds

2 Tablespoon Cacao Nibs

Optional: 1 Tablespoon of coffee/espresso beans

Optional: 1 Tablespoon of Coconut Butter or Coconut Oil

*Blend for 30 seconds and drink up! You are fueling yourself for an incredible day!!

Snap a pic of your smoothie and share it!  Make sure you tag me in it and use the hashtag #livewellwithsmoothies so I can show you some love!

Check back tomorrow for another new recipe!
xo,

Lauren

5 Day Smoothie Challenge!

Hi Friends! I am so so excited to be doing the 5 day smoothie challenge with all of you next week! The challenge starts this upcoming Monday, March 5th and will go until March 9th! We will be making smoothies together all week long with new recipes every single day! I have been perfecting each recipe and let me tell you, they are YUMMY & super healthy and nutrient dense! The five smoothies are very unique and at the end of the week, you will be a pro at putting different ingredient combinations together! 

Here is the ingredient list that includes EVERYTHING you need to be able to make each smoothie next week! Don't worry if you can't get your hands on a certain ingredient, there will be modifications you can make! Remember, this is about YOUR health & so there's no need to stress out if you use coconut oil vs. coconut butter! ;) 

FRUIT:

- 5 bananas

-Frozen blueberries

-Frozen strawberries

-1 apple

-1 Acai packets (I get the Sambazan açaí packets from Costco!) 

-1 Lemon

-1 Avocado

VEGETABLES

-1 bag of spinach

-1 bag of Kale

-1 Celery stick

OTHER NECESSITIES

-Vegan protein

-Vital Protein Collagen peptides

-Almond Milk

-Peanut Butter

-Cacao Nibs

-Coffee/espresso beans

-Coconut Butter

-Chia Seeds

-Bee Pollen and/or flaxseed

-Coconut Water

-Cinnamon

I added links to some of my favorite items so you can easily stock-up for next week! If you are not on my wellness tribe on Facebook, join us! All of the information for the Smoothie challenge will be posted on there!! Click HERE to join!

& are you on my e-mail list yet? Get all of this info and more sent directly to your e-mail! Click here to join! 

talk to ya soon!

Lauren

The Importance of Self-Care

One of the rituals that has completely changed my life in the past few months is practicing self-care. It sounds so silly and trivial but the effects of it have been profound. Self-care looks different to everyone and to me it also looks different every day. Somedays, it looks like making a cup of tea and reading a good book. Other days it looks like giving myself a spa day, taking care of my skin, and using my body brush and body oil. Yesterday, it looked like putting responsibilities aside and having a "paint day" with one of my best friends. Heather came over yesterday morning and I made us an antioxidant boosting smoothie and we sat outside in my front yard and just painted. It was so relaxing and calming. I could've sat on that concrete floor in my lanai all day painting with my watercolors. It made me realize that the simple things can truly be the most important things. We can heal ourselves by loving ourselves. How crazy is that. 

I want to encourage you that wherever you are in your self-care journey, spend 10 minutes today doing something for YOU! Take that drive out of the way to go sit at a park, sip your favorite coffee, listen to inspiring music, do ANYTHING that makes your soul come alive. 

If you need help developing your self-care routine, here are a few of my favorite products that I use regularly to show myself a little extra love! 

Aztec Healing Clay- I use this stuff to soak my feet in. (many people use this on your face but it can be too strong for it so be careful! If you need a great face mask, use this one) Bentonite clay is great for detoxing the body from radiation (which we get from our phones & computers every day) and for just giving your feet a little extra love! 

Body Brush- If you add only ONE thing to your self-care routine, it should be a body brush!! Use this to gently dry-brush your body before you shower to stimulate circulation & to shed dead skin! After I body brush, I exfoliate in the shower with this amaaaazzing microdermabrasion scrub and my skin feel so amazing and smooth afterwards! 

Rooibos tea- I have a cup of Rooibos tea every evening. No exception. This tea is a part of my night time routine every night and I absolutely love it. Not only is it warm & the most comforting caffeine-free tea your can drink but it has proven to have anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties that will boost your immune system! Its heavenly. Try it. 

Sesame Oil- On days when I need to give my skin some EXTRA love I will use put this oil all over my body after I use my dry brush. Sesame oil is great because its a warming oil but won't clog your pores. I put this all over my body and then hop in the shower and so when I get out of the shower my skin will be hydrated and soft but not oily! 

I would love to know, what is apart of YOUR self-care routine? Let me know in the comments! 

xo

Lauren

2018

I've been reading so many "2018" blog posts recently talking about "new year, new me" and the "10 things to do in 2018" and I have found it all completely uninspiring. We are halfway through the first month of the year and I have spent more time reflecting than ever before on the direction my life is going in and if I'm happy with it. What I've found is that I'm more than happy with it. I'm thrilled. I'm ecstatic. Of course I have goals and intentions for the new year but this year it just feels different. My goals are less concrete and are based more on the way I feel. Am I doing something I am passionate about? Am I loving others? Am I doing work I'm proud of? Is the direction my brand inspiring and uplifting? Those are the things that matter to me this year.

It seems like for so long I was been searching for "my thing" to do in life. What I've found, though, is that "my thing" isn't out there for me to find. I am supposed to create it. I am creating it. I love health & wellness & helping people feel confident in their skin & encouraging other entrepreneurs. I also love taking pretty photographs, riding my bike at sunset, dropping all responsibilities for the day to be present, & the occasional glass of wine. My personal & professional life are completely interwoven. There is no balance. There was never meant to be balance. Somedays I work 10 hours. Somedays I leave my phone on airplane mode. I just decided to stop focusing on reaching this unreachable expectation I had put on myself for so long and start focusing on LIVING. It's been working out much better for me. 

I want to encourage you to stop trying to fit in a mold. Create your mold. Just do what you love & keep doing it! Don't stop. It will lead you to where you need to be eventually. 

Here's some photos from last weekend, on a beautiful boat, with beautiful friends, exploring our beautiful home. Some were taken on my iPhone and others were taken by my incredibly talented friend, Heather. 

So here's to 2018! May you live & love well! 

Weekends

Weekends have always been a time for relaxation & rejuvenation. but recently, weekends have taken on a new meaning for me. Weekends are a time to reconnect with my husband after a long week of barely seeing each other. The army life is not for the faint of heart, I'll tell you that. During the week while Danny is working, I spend my time working from home and connecting with friends, but our weekends are sacred. Over the weekend, we get to put our distractions aside, unwind, and get out into nature. I love our simple days of going to the farmers market, surfing or riding our bikes around the neighborhood. We love eating Thai food, playing with our cat, and having game nights with friends. This weekend, Danny had to work on Saturday but we still made the most of our Sunday! Danny surfed, we went to our favorite coffee spot, checked out the view at Kaena Point, and hiked Ehukai pillbox. It was simple & perfect & just so "us".  I treasure these weekends and any time we get to spend together. I never want to take It for granted. The nature of military life is hard & unstable & ever-changing and so I will hold onto these weekends and be thankful. I am so thankful. 

-Lo