Frozen fruit stared back at me, so a smoothie seemed like a great option.
Into the blender went:
- 1 1/2 frozen bananas (Extra bananas = Extra creamy!)
- 3/4 cup frozen strawberries
- 1 handful frozen blueberries
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 6 ounces strawberry banana G reek yogurt
- Enough almond milk to get everything going (3/4 cup?)
The smoothie was actually quite filling thanks to all the fiber and protein. It was nice and thick and reminded me a bit of soft serve ice cream which was pretty cool.
Not a bad fall-back lunch, if you ask me!
I also had a small bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios for some crunch.
I sprinkled some of the Cheerios in my smoothie and ate it with a spoon which made lunch a little more fun.
June Book Club
Ready to vote on the book for the June PBF Book Club? After last month’s intense read, I’m anxious to see what you guys vote on this month!
For those who may be new around here, the book club is open to anyone and everyone! We simply vote on a book from the books listed below. I will then post my review of the chosen book on July 2 along with discussion questions that book club participants then discuss in the comments section of the post.
Also, if you are a blogger and post a review of the selected book on your blog before July 1, please email me at pbfingers@gmail.com and let me know so I can be sure to include your review in the link up of book reviews that will be included in that post as well.
Ready to pick a book!?
Please vote on the book you would most like to read below. I will announce the winning book tomorrow.
On Monday, July 2 I’ll post my review of the book along with discussion questions for us to talk about in the comments section of the post.
The contenders for the month of June include…
- I Am Forbidden by Anouk Markovits
A family is torn apart by fierce belief and private longing in this unprecedented journey deep inside the most insular sect of Hasidic Jews, the Satmar.
Opening in 1939 Transylvania, five-year-old Josef witnesses the murder of his family by the Romanian Iron Guard and is rescued by a Christian maid to be raised as her own son. Five years later, Josef rescues a young girl, Mila, after her parents are killed while running to meet the Rebbe they hoped would save them. Josef helps Mila reach Zalman Stern, a leader in the Satmar community, in whose home Mila is raised as a sister to Zalman’s daughter, Atara.
With the rise of communism in central Europe, the family moves to Paris, to the Marais, where Zalman tries to raise his children apart from the city in which they live. Mila’s faith intensifies, while her beloved sister Atara discovers a world of books and learning that she cannot ignore. The different choices the two sisters make force them apart until a dangerous secret threatens to banish them from the only community they’ve ever known.
- Big Girl Small by Rachel DeWoskin
Judy Lohden is your above-average sixteen-year-old—sarcastic and vulnerable, talented and uncertain, full of big dreams for a big future. With a singing voice that can shake an auditorium, she should be the star of Darcy Academy, the local performing arts high school. So why is a girl this promising hiding out in a seedy motel room on the edge of town?
The fact that the national media is on her trail after a controversy that might bring down the whole school could have something to do with it. And that scandal has something—but not everything—to do with the fact that Judy is three feet nine inches tall.
Rachel DeWoskin remembers everything about high school: the auditions (painful), the parents (hovering), the dissection projects (compelling), the friends (outcasts), the boys (crushable), and the girls (complicated), and she lays it all out with a wit and wistfulness that is half Holden Caulfield, half Lee Fiora, Prep’s ironic heroine. Big Girl Small is a scathingly funny and moving book about dreams and reality, at once light on its feet and unwaveringly serious.
- Drop Dead Healthy by A.J. Jacobs
New York Times bestselling author and king of “immersion journalism” A.J. Jacobs tackles his most challenging experiment yet: a yearlong mission to radically improve every element of his body and mind—from his brain to his fingertips to his abs.
Having lifted his spirit in The Year of Living Biblically and sharpened his mind in The Know-It-All, A.J. Jacobs had one feat left in the self-improvement trinity: to become the healthiest man in the world. He doesn’t just want to lose a couple of pounds, or finish a triathlon, or lower his cholesterol.
First, he had to tackle a complicated web of diet and exercise advice, most which is nonsensical, unproven, and contradictory. Second, he had to consult a team of medical advisers. And finally, he had to subject himself, over the course of two years, to a grueling regimen of exercises, a range of diets and nutritional plans, and a brutal array of techniques and practices to improve everything from his hearing to his sleep—all the while testing the patience of his wife.
This latest work bursts with hilarity and warmth, all the while testing our culture’s assumptions and obsessions with what makes good health and allowing the listener to reflect on his or her own health, body, and eventual mortality.
Please vote below.
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I can’t wait until school is out for the summer and I can make smoothie lunches a regular thing!!
That smoothie looks like a milkshake! Mmm! I’m going to have to research these books and vote later today – interesting picks!
I just recently added Drop Dead Healthy to my list on goodreads! It looks so interesting. I’m glad it is a choice. Your smoothie looks delicious!! I always wish I could have one for lunch so I find myself eating smoothie lunches a lot on the weekends! 🙂
Please Please PLEASE pick Drop Dead Healthy!! I’m almost finished it and I promise, it will have you doubled over laughing it is so good! (A huge contrast to the ‘disturbing’ last book you read!) I can’t put it down!
i’m about a quarter of the way through it and am loving it so far. i love his writing voice. 🙂
I just finished Drop Dead Healthy! A.J. Jacobs is hilarious while being informative all at the same time. I’ve actually read all of his books because I really like his writing style.
I like the variety in the book selection! I’m always looking for good books to suggest to my in-person book club, and these all look like winners!
Love A.J. Jacobs! I hope this book is selected. I’ll be reading it regardless, but it’ll be fun to see how others like it! I love his previous books – laugh out loud hilarious, even in public places!
i’m actually about a quarter of the way through it already and am loving it so far! 🙂
All three sound like great choices!
Looking forward to joining the book club!!
I wasn’t going to select drop dead healthy – except I totally remember hearing about the year of living biblically and ALWAYS wanted to read that book (only read an excerpt) so I bet it won’t be super militant. 🙂
No chocolate or peanut butter in the smoothie?!
I’ve been wanting to read Drop Dead Healthy for awhile now! It’s been on my list of books to read in my free time. This is the first book club I’ll have participated in since finding this blog about a month ago!
I know it’s not on the list but I just finished and thought of you. The Selection is an awesome read. It’s dystopian like The Hunger Games and the Divergent Trilogy but if you like the Bachelor (like you Julie!) You’ll L-O-V-E it!! I did 🙂 Try it out!
oooh! that sounds right up my alley! thanks for the recommendation, shannon!
I loved The Selection too! And, of course, I’m a huge Bachelor fan 🙂 Can’t wait for the sequel!
I’ve never heard of Drop Dead Healthy. That’s sounds really interesting.
I had a smoothie bowl for breakfast this morning and I am still full!!! Sometimes they do the trick for me and other times I am left HUN-GRY!!
I have my Nook ready and waiting to order the next book club selection. Can’t wait to see which it is!!
Hi are ppl voting more then once or is that how many ppl we have in the book club? 🙂
there’s a cookie installed, so people can only vote one time. 🙂
🙂
Frozen bananas in smoothies are the best, if you want extra creamy you have got to try avocado! You can’t taste it, and it gets extremely creamy!
i NEED to try that!
Looking forward to Drop Dead Healthy. It seems like it will be a good, informative read for food and fitness freaks!
Have you ever tried putting nutella in your shakes? I put that and peanut butter in my protein shakes and I LOVE the combination!
I have never heard of Drop Dead Healthy, but really want to read it now!
My english teacher used to talk about how much she loves A.J. Jacobs. Someone told me all about his book Year Living Bibically, and i LOL’d. Kinda wanna read all his books. Since i enjoy healthy eating and exercise, I suppose I may read his Drop Dead Healthy!
I’m totally going to participate this month. No matter which book!
Yaaaaay!!!! Thanks sooo much Julie for taking my suggestion for “Big GIrl Small.” It was one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in a long time. The last amazing book I read was “Room”–and was feeling in a rut lately with books until I found this one! I just fell in love with the character of Judy. She is honest, real, and one who everyone can relate to–from her dreams, insecurities, and sweet but sarcastic voice! I hope it gets picked–but even if it doesn’t–you should read it! I think you’d really enjoy it!
Drop Dead Healthy sounds great!!
Drop dead healthy looks awesome! Definitely want that one!
Yum, that smoothie looks great! I had a really delicious smoothie today with whey protein, skim milk, blueberries, and mango. Yummm!
I think i might read drop dead healthy if its the book for the month or not, sounds interesting and im looking for a new book to read!
I can’t believe how white that smoothie looks for the fruit you put in it, I’m not a big fruit smoothie fan, I prefer chocolately ones, I made one for lunch today and It kept me full for hours!
Ahhh everyone is voting for the third!!! I’m a fan of novels, not so much informational. Granted, I’ve been proven wrong every other month of this book club!
I am jealous you can have smoothies whenever you please. I work full time so I don’t have the chance to make them for lunch but I feel like that would be a healthier option to lunch rather than having a deli sandwich from subway. Have you ever frozen them and eaten them later? Are they still as good?
I also wondered how you can tell if they are actually healthier for you. i LOVE to put peanut butter in mine but my husband always tells me that is not a good thing because it makes it higher in calories when i actually think they are less and healthier than other options I could choose for a meal. Is this true? How else would I make it thick? I love the taste of peanut butter so that is a bummer as well.
Love reading your blog!
I work full time too and I make my smoothies the night before and then just grab it in the morning and put it in the fridge at work and it’s still great!
Honey nut cheerios are my fav snack!
Okay..so I started a new job this past week that leaves me with zero energy at the end of the day so I have resorted to working out in the morning which requires me to wake up at an ungodly hour. What time do you wake up to work out? I know you’ve mentioned it on the blog but I am desperately wondering so I don’t feel alone and crazy 😉
I’ve never read before in the book club but I would TOTALLY read Big Girl Small with y’all!
I definitely vote for Drop Dead Healthy. I read his last book, and it actually had me laughing out loud! Plus, I already requested it at my local library. 🙂
I’m always excited when it’s time to vote for a new book. I’m going to go ahead and put Drop Dead Healthy on hold at the library – I hope that’s the selection 🙂 Btw, I love that first picture of your smoothie; I can practically taste it through my computer! I’ve got some bananas ripening on the counter which I can’t wait to freeze for some future smoothies.
have you every made a bad smoothie? it would be interesting to know what combos did not work for you. i made the worst smoothie of my life today but you and gina always seem to do well with yours…
your smoothie looks delish!
Thanks for the great reading list even if my book isn’t chosen! And as always, the smoothie makes my mouth water!
Drop Dead Healthy sounds great. I might actually force myself to sit down and read a book with that selection!
Looking forward to following along with the book selection this month!
Smoothies are always great for a last resort meal 🙂 And I’ve never participated in the book club before, but I hope to be able to this month!
drop dead healthy looks amazing!
These all look great, but I’ve been wanting to read Drop Dead Healthy!
These all look like great selections this month! I voted, but I’d really be excited to read any of them! Great picks Julie!
Hey Julie- when does the next bookclub start? I would love to join for next month!
we’ll be selecting the july book this week!! 🙂
I’m late to the book club, but I’m going to have to read this one!! Sounds great!