cooking ala mel

healthy recipes and the occasional craft

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Calming Cinnamon Roll Milkshake (Dairy Free)

As I’ve been slowly getting back into working out after my broken foot, I’ve noticed I need a lot more for recovery than I used to.  This is probably because I try to do the same amount of work that I used to in my workouts, which isn’t exactly feasible when I’ve been down for the count for almost three months.  I’ve been doing shorter workouts, but my foot still hurts the next day because I pack so much power into those short periods of time.  Maybe I should take it easier on myself.  I’ve never been one to slack once I make the decision to do a workout, so this “taking it slow” is pretty hard for me.

My go to recovery smoothies always have a good bit of protein, fruit, and maybe some greens if I have any left in the fridge.  Now, I’ve been adding Natural Vitality’s Calm Plus Calcium to every smoothie, and I’ve noticed that I don’t feel as tired later on in the day like I usually do after a tough workout.  The soreness is obviously still there, since I’m working muscles that haven’t been used as often, but it’s not as bad as I would expect it to be (I’ve always been a fan of sore muscles – it tells me that I’m improving).  Magnesium deficiency causes muscle cramping, so I’m thinking that adding the Natural Calm Plus Calcium is really helping with that.
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Tomato Basil Cheddar Soup

It’s been a little quiet around here this week (this seems to be becoming a regular occurrence), but it’s mostly just because I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster this week.. because of Doctor Who.  Oh yeah.  I’ve been re-watching all of the new series, and this week marked the end of David Tennant as the Doctor.  It still made me bawl my eyes out.  And it gave me a whole new appreciation of Donna Noble (the first time ’round, I couldn’t get the hang of really any of the new companions, and Donna was no exception).  So I just sort of.. haven’t done anything.  You’ve got to mourn, you know?

This soup, though, is a wonderful bowl of comfort.  Perfect for those nights that you don’t really want to do anything but watch a certain Doctor.  It’s quick to come together and so full of flavor.  With a lot of tomato soups, I don’t like them very much – they never have quite enough flavor for me.  This soup, though, shines on its own.  It’d be great paired with grilled cheese, as with most tomato soups, but for once, I don’t see it as a necessity.  I would happily sit down with just a bowl of this soup and nothing else (and I did, with the leftovers, for lunch).  Because I don’t really have fresh basil right now (my basil plant died.. I am the worst at keeping plants), I used dried basil – I’ll include both options in the recipe below.
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Calming Chocolate Banana Milkshake (Dairy Free)

Remember when I broke my foot back in November?  I’m pretty sure almost every single person asked me if I was getting enough calcium in my diet.  Of course, working at GNC, I have bags upon bags of those caramel calcium chews you can get samples of every time you walk in the store.  So yeah, I totally take enough calcium.  It wasn’t until I learned about Natural Vitality‘s Natural Calm magnesium supplements that I realized it might have nothing to do with my calcium intake.

Magnesium is a cofactor for a lot (over 325) of enzyme reactions in our body, and while we can get it from our diet – leafy greens, nuts, cacao, etc. – cooking our food depletes a good amount of it.  Sugar, coffee, and high amounts of protein can also deplete the levels you already have in your body.  When you’re deficient in magnesium, it can cause stress, digestive issues (IBS), fatigue, migraines, PMS symptoms, etc.  As a pharmacy student, I have no lack of stress.. and being lactose intolerant, I have a good bit of digestive issues.  Migraines, too!  One of the most important things about magnesium, though, is that it balances calcium in our body.  Without enough magnesium to balance the calcium, we can actually cause osteoporosis and kidney stones just from taking calcium supplements (which I sure do plenty of).  Since I’m obviously pretty great at breaking bones (I mean, my kitten did it, after all), I’m thinking magnesium is definitely a supplement I need to regularly take.  Because I still can’t quite get off the calcium supplement bandwagon, I thought Natural Vitality’s Calm Plus Calcium was the best thing to try out first.
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