Turn Up the Heat Smoothie & Chili Recipes & “Hot” Walking Workout Tips

Taking care of our health and body — as well as our vein health — can be directly controlled and affected by what we put in our mouth as well as the amount and type of physical activity we engage in. 

So we love smoothies, here at Hamilton Vein Center. And, boy, have we found one that ticks a lot of our “is this healthy for me to partake in” boxes — The Red Hot Fruit Smoothie. And we don’t care if we’re still sticking to our car seats, we want some chili! We found an awesomely fall-abulously healthy one — a delicious Black Bean & Butternut Squash Slow Cooker Chili. With all that energy and feel-good mojo you get from eating healthily, turn up the benefits of your walk routine with a couple of savvy tips that put some whittle to the middle and extra calorie after burners. 

Red Hot Fruit Smoothie

So break out the blender and get ready to blow your tastebuds away!

 

What’s cool about this “hot” fruit smoothie is the unexpected ingredient list – avocado, honey, maca (What the hecka? Maca is a Peruvian root vegetable that increases stamina and energy), flax seed, and cocao powder.

 

Best of all, we love that this smoothie calls for some of our current “supervein” crushes, cocao powder and cayenne pepper! Yowza! 

 

 

 

The Ingredients

1-1/2 cups water

1/2 avocado (can substitute a banana)

1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries

1 tablespoon flax or chia seeds

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

A little honey, maple syrup, or stevia to sweeten (optional)

The Add-ons

1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

1/2 cup fresh or frozen mango chunks

1 tablespoon maca

1 tablespoon cacao powder 

Toss all of the ingredients into your blender and blend away for around 30-45 seconds or until nice and smooth. 

 

It’s Chili Time. 95 degree temperatures or not!

We can’t contain ourselves any longer.

It’s September, it’s football season, and who cares if we’re all still sticking to the car seats? We want some chili!! 

We also don’t want to hover over a hot stove making it, so break out the slow cookers and get ready for some

Black Bean Butternut Squash Chili!

Just look at these oh-so-fall-sounding ingredients, including some we have a serious crush on for their anti-inflammatory abilities.

 

 

 

 

 

The Ingredients

1 medium red onion, chopped 

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon chili powder 

1 tablespoon ground cumin 

2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder 

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes

2 15.5 oz cans black beans

1 10 oz package frozen butternut squash

1 cup water

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. (There is no need to thaw the frozen butternut squash beforehand.)

Turn the slow cooker to high heat and allow to cook for 3 to 4 hours. Serve.

Optional toppings: crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheddar, sour cream, chopped cilantro.

 

Turn up the health benefits.  Turbo boost your walking routine. 

“The Extended Calorie Blaster”

According to Prevention.com, 60-minute walks blast fat five-fold more than your “get it done” 30-minute walks. Add that little piece of knowledge to the fact that hoofing it for 60-minute burns 350 calories before you even hit the showers – and you’ve got new inspiration that sure puts some pep in the step!

 

“Whittle Your Middle” 

Anyone interested in tweaking your workout just a smidge and trimming 5 times more fat from your middle?

Again, Prevention.com suggests that all you need to do during your walking workouts is to focus on drawing your abs in towards the spine. Keep it contracted there throughout your walk – but remember to breathe! Then, imagine your legs extend above your navel. This helps twist the torso just enough to engage more ab muscles – which is always a good thing!

 

Red Hot Fruit Smoothie recipe courtesy of Healthy Smoothie Headquarters

Black Bean & Butternut Squash Slow Cooker Chili recipe courtesy of eatathomecooks.com

Walking tips courtesy of Prevention.com