Today we’re sharing four fabulous, (mostly) vegan/dairy-free healthy smoothie recipes, all of which can be made ahead so you won’t be late for your tennis match or work, or wherever you need to be. Each one of these healthy AND delicious smoothies has no added sugar, which means no juice, no maple syrup, no honey…nada. Just the natural sweetness of the fruit in the smoothie!

Prepare the smoothies ahead of time:

You can use freezer bags, but mason jars are perfect since they are reusable. Jars do require more space in your freezer to store, and they collect frost faster, so it’s best to prepare the smoothies no more than 2 weeks prior to drinking them.

• Place the frozen fruit chunks at the bottom, and follow with your add-ins: extracts, flax, chia seeds, spices, etc. are all totally fine to add in!
• Top the jars with any greens like kale or spinach (great nutrition and fiber that you CAN’T taste!!), and seal with the jar lids.
• NOTE:  DON’T use fresh fruit as any moisture will freeze the fruit to the jar itself, making it difficult to get out of the jars.
• These smoothies will keep for about 2 weeks in the freezer.

The Tropical Turmeric Smoothie

This smoothie is PACKED full of anti-inflammatory promoting ingredients including the turmeric, pineapple and leafy green spinach (or kale). And you can’t taste the turmeric or the leafy greens, just pure tropical bliss! This makes a perfect post-match or post-workout treat as the anti-inflammatory properties help your body to recover more quickly.

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Michelle Bell

Serves 1  |  Total calories: 305  |  Total protein: 5g  |  Total carbs: 49g

INGREDIENTS

• 1-1/4 cups almond milk
• 1 cup kale or spinach, packed
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• pinch of black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1-1/2 cups frozen pineapple chunks

PREPARATION

Rushing the net happens more often in doubles tennis, and occasionally you’ll come across a team in which not just one, but BOTH partners will not only serve and volley, but will also come in to the net with their returns. EVERY. FRICKIN. TIME.

Uuuuugh! It’s so frustrating! They move in to the net and mentally slap you with intimidation, putting you in defensive mode, forcing you to think fast and make a passing shot.

But DON’T FALL INTO THEIR TRAP. Only the very best volleyers cope well at the net, and even though they might seem they can handle it, the odds are strongly in your favor that they can’t. Matter of fact, sometimes this intimidation is merely masking some other weakness.

Don’t get me wrong, if you’ve got a solid ground stroke, you’ll get it by them a few times. But sooner or later (no doubt sooner), your opponent will be reading you like a cheap romance novel.

So what can you do?

You’ve gotta change up your game – and often. Call your opponent’s bluff and make her work for the point! These are some great things you can do (other than your passing shot) that will help neutralize your net rusher:

• hit deep – keep your groundies low and close to the baseline, which will keep them back.
• lob – force the net rusher back by lobbing over the head of the person already at net. Both players should then move back, which will allow you and your partner to take control of the net.
• hit a dipper – using heavy topspin, hit a short return to the net rusher’s feet as she’s coming in, which will result in her hitting a shorter, higher and softer ball, thus setting up your passing shot.
• get aggressive – give the net rusher a taste of her own medicine. As she’s coming in, hit the ball as hard as you can, keeping it low and aiming for her abdomen – and move in. At best she’ll only be able to block the ball back, setting up your passing shot.
• mix it up – keep you opponent guessing by dishing out all of the above.

If you succeed in discouraging a net-rusher, you often find that all their ammunition miraculously disappears!

I’ve been playing with the Babolat Pure Strike 16 x 19 3rd Gen Tennis Racquet for a month or so, and what sets the Babolat Pure Strike series apart from many others is its wide range of styles for all play levels. The Pure Strike 16 x 19 has an 11.4 oz strung weight and 98 in² head size, making it very appealing, indeed.

The Babolat Pure Strike 16 x 19 is perfect for all-court players who want a well-balanced tennis racquet that performs consistently across a wide range of strokes.

Babolat Technologies

Babolat’s Pure Strike 16 x 19 utilizes a number of key technologies that give tennis players a competitive boost on the court.

Woofer

Babolat’s patented Woofer Technology is the first dynamic system that makes the frame and the strings interact when striking the ball, allowing for a more generous sweet spot, additional power, and less shock.

Hybrid Frame Construction

The frame uses square and elliptical shapes in strategic locations, offering a highly responsive blend of control and power with excellent feel and precision.

FSI Power

Babolat also uses its patented FSI Power technology to increase the spacing of the cross strings. This results in more power, spin, and comfort when striking the ball.

C2 Pure Feel

New to this 3rd generation racquet is a thin rubber material applied at the frame’s three and nine o’clock positions. This technology creates a softer, more dampened feel.

What I Love About the Babolat Pure Strike 16 x 19

Based on my evaluation, here area few of the Babolat Pure Strike 16 x 19 attributes I loved the most.

Maneuverability

The Pure Strike 16 x 19 is easy to maneuver at 11.4 ounces and 327 swing weight, making it effortless to bring the racquet back for groundstrokes and transition for volleys at the net.

Groundstrokes

With its 98 in² head, the frame delivered plenty of power while its 16×19 string pattern helped produce crazy spin. Additionally, its flexible frame offered great control.

Returns

This highly maneuverable racquet delivered fantastic performance, especially when returning fast and deep serves that require you to react quickly and pull your racquet back fast.

Volleys

The Pure Strike 16 x 19 is unique because it also maintains high marks up at the net with volleys. Its light weight makes bringing the racquet head up for a quick poach a breeze!

Who is it best suited for?

Me! I’m a 4.5+ player who plays a little on the aggressive side. The Pure Strike 98 is for advanced players who like to play aggressively and go on the attack. The high swing weight makes it more suitable for players ranked NTRP 4.0 or above.

You can purchase your very own Babolat Pure Strike 16 x 19 3rd Gen Racquet from Do It Tennis, or many other tennis retailers. And if you like my dampener with ‘tude, you can purchase it (and many other other styles) on Amazon!