I love ice cream. Like... love. And my favorite ice cream? Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey. It is to die for and I can honestly say nothing compares to it. Unfortunately, Ben & Jerry's can be pricey.

For some reason, a lightbulb literally went off in my head and I was just like "wait a minute... I can make this myself". I love banana ice cream and I already knew how to make it, so adding a few simple extras completed the bowl giving me the perfect homemade Chunky Monkey - dairy free, might I dd!

Ingredients:
2 ripened bananas
1 tablespoon of dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup of walnuts

Directions:
In a blender, mix together your 2 ripened bananas. Put you mixture into a small tupperware container, add in your chocolate chips and walnuts, stir the mixture up, and pop it into the freezer. Let it chill for about 45mins-1 hour or until frosty (don't let it freeze completely or else it will turn into more of a sorbet-ice mixture than a creamy ice cream).  Scoop into a bowl (or eat it out of the container- I won't judge!) and that's it! Super easy and only 3 ingredients!

Have you ever made banana "ice cream"?

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LMJ

Protein Smoothie Bowl

I recently mentioned in my last Monday Musings post that I had made a delicious smoothie bowl. The more I thought about how decadent it was, the more I thought "wow Lauren, put this on your blog." And here we are! I'm putting it on the blog!

What you will need:
13g of vanilla protein powder of your choice (I use this kind!)
1 cup of raspberries
1 ripe banana
8oz of plain vanilla yogurt (greek or low-fat)
3-4 ice cubes
handful of granola (I substituted with Special K cereal this time)
8 almonds (for decoration)

Directions:
In your blender, first combine your protein powder and yogurt - this will avoid clumping. Then, add in 3/4 of your banana and your cup of raspberries. I like to add my ice in last, but you could totally add your ice in with your fruit- it's a totally personal choice. Remember that this is going into a bowl & you won't be drinking it so it's okay if your smoothie comes out on the thicker side.

To finish:
Pour your drink into a bowl (revolutionary, I know). Then, with the last 1/4 of your banana, garnish your bowl. I cut my pieces and then placed them down the center. To the left of my bananas, I added my Special K (granola tastes good too!) and some almonds. My almonds were salted, so it was a nice balance of savory and sweet.

What do you like to put on top of your smoothie bowls? 

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LMJ

Active Wear Favorites

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With spring here and the temperatures heating up, I have been all about the active wear! Maybe it's just me being lazy and realizing that running tights are way more comfortable than jeans, but I love dressing in my active wear for class and heading to the gym right after! Here are my favorites right now!

This quarter zip would be perfect for early morning/late evening runs across campus 

Nothing like a tank to bring you a little sunshine

Perfect for the gym and for a night out

I live in these leggings

The coolest tights you'll ever see

Stop traffic in this tank

Keep it all together with this headband

A little bit of edge to spice up your workout

Add a fun twist to your gear

These are just a few examples of the styles/clothes I like to wear to the gym or on my runs!

Where do you like to get your workout gear from?

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LMJ