Why are all of the FBGs discussing green fitness stuff this week? Because it’s Fit Bottomed Earth Week, silly!

Bamboo…it’s not just for pandas! In fact, bamboo is a highly renewable source of material that’s totally eco-friendly. Read on for three unique bamboo products that you can use in your workouts—and fit life!

Filled with bamboo and charcoal, it's a natural way to get the stink out of stinky!

1. Moso Natural Moso Bag. Sick of your gym bag smelling like the guys’ locker room but don’t want to cover it up with perfume or other unnatural scents? To the rescue is the Moso Natural Moso Bag, an air-purifying bag that absorbs and filters out not only odors, but also harmful pollutants, allergens and bacteria and dehumidifies to prevent mildew, mold and moisture. Made from 100 percent bamboo charcoal, Moso Bags are a fragrance-free, non-toxic and eco-friendly air purifier that the company says will work to remove impurities in the air for up to two years. Two years!

The bamboo-filled bags are available in three colors and two sizes. The small Moso Bag ($9.95) is ideal for smaller areas covering approximately 90 square feet (bathroom, car—an extra roomy gym bag!) while the large Moso Bag ($22.95) is ideal for larger living spaces covering about 250 square feet. I’ve used a little one both in my bathroom and in my gym bag, and the little bag, which has zero smell, works!

Perfect Blocks makes a darn good smoothie. Credit: mary_thompson

We are so not into diets, but we’re also not ones to ignore good info and facts when it comes to fitness and nutrition. After all, we’re all about making ya’ll and ourselves as healthy as we can while still living a real (wine- and chocolate-filled) life. The Zone Diet—which emphasizes a balanced ratio of protein, carbs and fat in every meal—is a pretty decent way to eat.

Yes, it’s highly complicated and it does have that dreaded four-letter “diet” word in it, but over the course of the last few years, I’ve found that when all of my meals and snacks have a mix of protein, carbs and fat, I feel better and easily maintain my weight. Do I follow The Zone Diet to a T? Heck no. There’s a lot of counting involved, but the general principles make sense, especially when you’re eating really nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables and nuts.

The Zone Diet has been popular for years, but it has recently gotten even more buzz as many CrossFit coaches recommend this—7 grams of protein, 9 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fat per “block”—way of eating. (For the more serious CrossFitters, it’s all about going Paleo.) I don’t want to get into the specifics of how to follow The Zone Diet (plenty of that out there), but I do want to bring your attention to a new protein powder we recently were sent and tried: Perfect Blocks.

Review: Perfect Blocks Protein Powder

The major pro to this protein powder is that every serving of it provides a Zone Diet balanced ratio of protein, carbs and fat, making eating breakfast or a snack a breeze. All-natural with no sugar, artificial flavors or preservatives, it also has 24 vitamins and minerals, prebiotics, probiotics and fiber. Each scoop is a “block,” which has 90 calories in it. (Full nutritionals here.) While the $59.95 price tag seems high, that breaks down into about a buck a scoop, which isn’t terrible for quality protein powder.

I personally tried the Vanilla Oat Flavor and loved it. Nicely oat-y yet sweet (be warned that it does have that slight Stevia aftertaste), it’s good mixed with water and ice or—my favorite—two or three scoops of the stuff with water, ice, kale, frozen spinach, fresh ginger and a little cinnamon. When you add the greens in, it makes the smoothie awesomely green, which makes my veggie-loving heart go pitter-patter. (If you’re a Zone Diet die-hard the greens will bump up your carb count, but like I said earlier, I use the ratio loosely…)

Again, while we’re not into “diets,” if you are looking to balance out your mix of protein, carbs and fat, and need a protein powder that does the balancing work for you, trying Perfect Blocks is a no brainer. And if you aren’t concerned with following The Zone Diet principles, know that this protein powder is darn good for whatever kind of smoothie you want to make—oooh—or oatmeal for double oat-y goodness!

Do you try to make a nice mix of protein, carbs and fat with every meal? Try to do the same with your smoothies? Tell us about it! —Jenn

Whether you’re looking to avoid dairy or simply mix up your morning smoothie with something a little different, here are two new non-dairy drinks Tish and Jenn recently tried! Yum…

Silk Fruit&Protein

Oh, Silk. You tried. You really tried. I scooped up each of these fine flavors of Silk Fruit&Protein and was overjoyed by how they tasted. Mmm, a protein drink that isn’t hopped up on lead and other problematic ingredients? I was all for filling the glass up. Then I looked at the nutrition label on the back and that’s when the Debbie Downer music started buzzing in my ears. Only five grams of protein?! This stuff should be called Silk Fruit&ALittleProtein. What’s five grams gonna do? Nothing for little ol’ me! Mama needs protein! Plus each serving size has 24 grams of sugar. Tsk tsk, Silk. Tsk tsk!

Good Karma Flax Milk

Here’s a fun fact: Did you know that during the 8th century, King Charlemagne passed a law requiring his subjects to consume flaxseed because of his belief in its health benefits? (Break that one out at your next party!) Well, turns out Charlemagne was right as flaxseeds are a superfood that may help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes. And if you’d rather drink your flaxseeds than eat them (they are tiny and hard to bite, and I’m not always a fan of ground  flax unless it’s mixed well into my oatmeal), then flax milk might be for you.

Milder than almond milk, but with a similar nutty and slightly sweet taste, I really liked Good Karma Foods Flax Milk. Free of dairy, lactose, gluten, trans fats, soy and allergens, these milks are also vegan and come in Original, Unsweetened and Vanilla. While my favorite was the Original (Unsweetened didn’t have enough flavor and Vanilla had too much flavor for my taste, but Original was just right), they all have 1,200 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids per serving, along with calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12 and phosphorus. And while there is no protein in them, they’re all super-low calorie. While Original and Vanilla have 60 calories a cup (and 11 grams of sugar), Unsweetened has just 25 calories a cup (and zero grams of sugar). Dang!—Jenn

In the case of these two choices, we give the nutritional edge to Good Karma Flax Milk. Are you a soymilk girl? Love your flax milk? Digging on almond milk? Stick with good ol’ cow’s milk? Tell us about it! 

When having to do a liquid diet, tasty smoothies are key. Credit: José Carlos Cortizo Pérez, Flickr

I have good news and I have bad news. The bad news: My week-long liquid diet (due to TMJ) has dragged out to more than three weeks, and there’s no reason for me to suspect that it won’t go a full month. Now, after the first week, I was given the go-ahead to eat soft foods, so long as I was smart about it, but I’m still getting the majority of my nutrition through smoothies and soups.

Here’s the good news: It’s not nearly as bad as it sounds. I’ve become pretty damn good at making a killer smoothie, if I do say so myself. Your suggestions on my last post were super helpful—thanks!—but I’ve found that I don’t follow many actual recipes.

I use a bit of Greek yogurt or soft silken tofu, some frozen fruit, a scoop or two of protein powder, some almond or soy milk (or juice, depending on the other ingredients) and, generally, some frozen chopped spinach, with the occasional dose of honey, cinnamon and or ginger. Sometimes there’s some peanut butter and/or banana added in. And it always, always comes out tasty. It’s like magic.

Allow me to geek out on you for a quick second here. It is strangely exciting to see just how much spinach (or kale, or other super-duper good for me veggie) I can add to a smoothie before it starts affecting the flavor. Anybody else like seeing how green you can make it while still having it be delicious?

Between this and an assortment of heat-and-eat organic soups (have you guys tried Pacific? They have a ton of delicious, creamy soups that are easy to eat on their own or mixed with veggies, Greek yogurt or fun spices), eating—at least when I’m at home—is surprisingly easy. But the most surprising part? I’m not hungry. I’m sure it’s because I’m being so vigilant about making sure my meals are packed full of great nutrition—as often as not, I’m eating better and cleaner than I would normally—but still, the lack of hunger shocked me.

That being said, I’m also not losing much weight, and while that’s a bummer—I totally thought this would be an easy way to drop a few stubborn pounds—I’ve decided not to worry about it. I’m far more concerned with making sure I’m properly fueled for workouts and, you know, life, and if that means I’m making my smoothies a little more calorie-dense than I would if I were truly aiming for weight-loss, I think that’s probably just fine.

And, you’ll notice I said that it’s easy to eat at home. A recent three-day road trip proved that eating on the go is…well, a challenge would be putting it mildly, especially because so many soups in restaurants are made with a chicken or beef broth base, and in addition to being banned from chewing, I also don’t eat meat. Let me tell you, I’m a pleasure to be with in a restaurant these days.

Still, I’m feeling surprisingly good, and very much looking forward to the day when I can eat a bagel again without pain. In the meantime, keep the recipes and suggestions coming! I’m pretty set with smoothies, but soups and other tasty purees are most welcome.

Are you as surprised as I am that I haven’t been starving non-stop? Have you ever had to follow a liquid or a soft-food diet for a week or more? —Kristen

This was from my first batch of homemade kombucha. Pineapple flavored!

Kombucha, aka fermented tea brewed from a solid mass of yeast and bacteria? Yes, it sounds a little gross. Okay, a lot gross. But it’s not. No, really. I made it—at home. And you can, too, ’cause we’re giving a homemade kombucha kit! But I get ahead of myself…

While there isn’t much research on it, anecdotally kombucha is said to do a number of amazing things, including detoxifying the body, boosting metabolism, improving digestion, increasing energy and lowering glucose levels. It’s also said to be high in probiotics, antioxidants and polyphenols. I’ve been drinking a local brand of kombucha for almost a year now (appropriately named LocalBucha) and while I wasn’t a fan of the original flavor the first time I had it, I have since grown to love this weird little alive drink. I’ve had flavors like pineapple-cilantro, strawberry-mint, Thai basil and ginger—and they’re all awesome. A little sour, a little sweet and a lot bubbly, it’s like carbonated tea with a little bit of a bite to it.

And while I can’t say it’s been the magic elixir of health for me, I do feel good after I drink it and it’s better than a strong cup of coffee for getting things moving in the digestive department. (TMI? No such thing.) The one downside of buying kombucha though is the cost. Man, it’s expensive. I usually buy a bottle for about $3 to $4, which adds up pretty quickly. I’d looked into brewing my own kombucha at home, but honestly I didn’t know where or how to start, let alone where to get the aforementioned yeast/bacteria culture. And then earlier this year, the kombucha gods heard my plea and Kombucha Kamp sent FBG its very own homemade kombucha Brew Now starter kit!

My kit came with pretty much everything I needed to get started (minus my glass brewing “vessel,” which I bought a big ol’ fishbowl for), including the tea, the sugar, starter liquid, the scooby (the culture), reusable tea bags, cloth cover and rubberband, and a guide for making kombucha at home. And, really, it wasn’t overly hard or complicated.

But instead of telling you how my whole process went, I thought it would be more fun to show you…

This is perhaps my favorite Vitamix smoothie recipe!

Since getting my Vitamix earlier this year, I’m happy to say that my love affair with this uber blender has been steady and strong, making me realize just how darn worth it the massive price tag was. In fact, I’ve begun using it for concoctions I hadn’t even planned on: desserts, salad dressings, soups, sauces! It seriously does it all. But before I get ahead of myself, I’d like to share a little glass of heaven I’ve been serving up at home. Say hello to the Apple, Pear and Ginger Power Smoothie!

While there are tons of Vitamix smoothie recipes out there, I like to think I’ve perfected this one to be one of the healthiest and one of the tastiest. While I know the Vitamix purees all of these ingredients down into a smooth drink, I can’t vouch that all blenders will give you that same drinkable consistency that you see above. You can certainly try though! (Although it might help to really chop up all of the pear, apple and kale before going in for blending.) A little spicy and warm and sweet but not too sweet, I think this Vitamix smoothie recipe is delicious. And check out that bright green color—the power of kale, baby!

Apple, Pear and Ginger Power Vitamix Smoothie Recipe

It all goes into the Vitamix...

Ingredients
1 c water
1 Bartlett pear, cored and quartered
1 Golden Delicious apple, cored and quartered
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger paste
3 c kale, chopped and rinsed
honey to taste (optional—I think it tastes good without adding any, but I also like to eat kale raw so…)

Directions
1. Add ingredients to your Vitamix in the order stated above (water, then pear, then apple, etc.)

2. Turn Vitamix on and slowly increase the speed. Switch power to high and blend for 30 seconds or until smooth.

3. Pour in a glass and drink it up!

While good any time of year, I suspect this will be especially delicious in the fall. What smoothie recipes are you sipping on? (And, yes, I’m sharing this one with FBG Kristen!) —Jenn

Three smoothies a day? Or three smoothies a year? We wanna know! Credit: khawkins04

Is it just me or are smoothies really blowing up? And I don’t mean in the literal explosion sense (that would be messy!). I mean in the popularity sense. After reading through the awesome comments and smoothie suggestions on FBG Kristen’s recent post (poor thing’s on a liquid diet!), it seems that almost everyone has a “favorite” smoothie or two that they like to make. And that we all have our personal preferences when it comes to the fruits, veggies, powders and extras we put in them. While this makes me crack up even more at our Sh*t Fit Bottomed Girls Say video (“You know what would be really good in that? Kale.”), I got to wondering, how many smoothies do you make and drink in an average week? So let’s put it to a poll!

Can’t see the poll? Click here to tell us about how often you make smoothies!

As always, share details in the comments! And if you haven’t shared what your favorite smoothie is, feel free to do so! —Jenn 

The following is a post sponsored by Egg Beaters. For our sponsored post policy, click here.

You know how much we love our smoothies up in here. And you know how much we love our natural lean protein. So combining the two? Pure genius! In the video below, we’ll show you how to make a Raspberry Protein Smoothie that is a cool frothy treat that works as a breakfast, a snack or even a fruity dessert.

In less than 10 minutes, you can blend up a filling smoothie that has just 262 calories, 1 gram of fat, 201 milligrams of sodium, 5 grams of fiber and 15 grams of protein, along with 58 percent of your vitamin C needs for the day and 28 percent of your daily calcium needs. Oh, and did we mention it’s delicious?

When trying it, I seriously had a moment…or two…or three…

Can’t see the video? Click here to learn how to make your own Raspberry Protein Smoothie!

We love how you can use Egg Beaters 100% Egg Whites in uncooked foods because they’re pastuerized—it seriously opens the door to so many smoothie possibilities! You can get the full Egg Beaters 100% Egg Whites Raspberry Protein Smoothie recipe here and more fun recipes by following Egg Beaters on Facebook.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more fun protein-power recipes and posts, and be sure to hop on the Twitter and use the hashtag #EBProteinPower to tell us about your experience making this smoothie! We imagine a little spinach or kale would be pretty good in it… —Jenn

I know, I know. The best way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is with a green beer (or a Guinness!), a string of Shamrock beads, a t-shirt that says “Kiss Me I’m Irish” and a parade. But if you’re looking to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this weekend without quite as much public drunkenness—or are just looking to Irish-ify your morning—we have the perfect idea: Baileys Coffee Creamers.

While the real deal of Baileys in your coffee is awesome (no doubt there—even if you don’t have a drop of Irish in ya), if you’re looking to get your leprechaun on before a reasonable time of day, this is the perfect compromise. It’s all of the deliciousness of Irish coffee and the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day without the booze. Offered in quart- or pint-size bottles, Baileys Coffee Creamers are available in seven original flavors, including French Vanilla, Hazelnut, The Original Irish Cream, Caramel, Crème Brulee, Toffee Almond Cream and Chocolate. In addition, there are two new fat-free flavors for your drinking pleasure: The Original Irish Cream and French Vanilla.

I had the pleasure of trying the fat-free Original Irish Cream, along with the full-fat version and Hazelnut. I brewed myself some French press coffee, and got my non-alcoholic St. Patrick’s Day drink on. I’ve had enough “experience” drinking regular Baileys and coffee to feel pretty confident in saying that this stuff is tasty. Both original flavors tasted just like the real thing, and while the full-fat version was creamier, the fat-free version was far thicker and richer than I expected. The original Hazelnut was, in fact, like Baileys with a strong hazelnut flavor. (If you’re a Baileys and hazelnut fan, you’ll like it.)

Now let’s talk nutritionals. While they do contain natural and artificial ingredients—and the ingredients list is harder to pronounce than I’d like—these really aren’t as bad as I thought they be. I mean, it’s hard to call any flavored coffee creamer “health food,” and as a treat, these certainly fall within our “all good things in moderation” rule.  All of the fat-free flavors have 25 calories per one-tablespoon serving and no trans fat. The original flavors have 40 calories and no trans fat, too. All are also gluten-free and don’t have a significant amount of lactose to cause probs in tummies who are bothered by dairy.

I found that, in a normal-sized cup of coffee, a tablespoon was enough to turn my java into that nice caramel color—so much so that I was inspired enough to sing a bad rendition of “You’re So Vain” (clouds in my coffee, clouds in my coffee…). So, yeah, not a product I’d use every day, but when I’m ready to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, sing some Carly Simon or simply want to add a little treat to my coffee without boozing at 9 a.m., it’s an Irish-inspired tasty treat.

Do you use coffee creamer? Like Baileys? Would say screw it and break out the real stuff? Tell us about it! —Jenn

It’s pretty much impossible for me to review a lassi drink without making either a lassie (a little girl, Scottish slang) or a Lassie (dog) joke. So here goes…

Question: What do you get when you cross a cantaloupe with Lassie?

Answer: A Meloncollie!

Ha! Ha! Ha! Okay, not funny? How about a Lady and the Tramp reference?

Jock: “What he’s tryin’ to say, Lassie, is, Darling is expecting a wee bairn!”

Okay, now that that’s out of my system, let’s talk lassis, for reals. If you’ve ever been out for Indian food, you’ve probably had a lassi (and if not, go out for one, foo—they’re delicious!). Mango lassis are my personal favorite selection, and the yogurt drinks are a tangy yet sweet and fruity addition to any meal (especially good when eating spicy foods!). Well, we recently got the chance to try a brand of lassis that you can get for your fridge: DAHlicious Lassis. (DAHlicious? Get it? The jokes keep coming!)

Made from all-natural ingredients—Indian-style yogurt blended with fruit and natural sweeteners like cane juice—there are about 120 calories in a single-serving bottle, 2 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein and 20 percent of your daily calcium needs. Oh, and because it has a unique combination of five active cultures, grown slowly at a low heat, there are 15 billion naturally occurring probiotic cultures in each bottle. We love our probiotics these days, don’t we?

And the best part of all? They taste good. While the fruity flavors—Alphanso Mango, Ecuador Banana and Oregon Strawberry—were good, I was partial to the Bourbon Vanilla and Wild Maine Blueberry. This might be mostly due to the fact that I like bourbon and blueberries, but those flavors just seemed to pair really well with the creamy and slightly tangy yogurt base of the DAHlicious Lassis. And those of you who are lactose intolerant take note; these lassis are low in lactose, so most can drink them without ill effects (Stop the rocking! Stop the rocking!).

At about $2 a lassi, I probably won’t make these a daily addition to my diet, but an occasional treat that’s good for my belly with fruit? Definitely worth sipping on! And it gives me another chance to make lame lassie jokes and movie references. Hehe.

Want to try DAHlicious Lassis yourself? Leave a comment with a lassi/lassie joke of any kind, and we’ll select one lucky U.S. reader to win a sample pack! And, please, tip your waitresses… —Jenn