Yummy Raw Carrot Cake

 My taste tester gave this healthy carrot cake a thumbs up, and I'm feeling pretty good about feeding it to him. Carrots, dates, walnuts, unsweetened coconut flakes, and spices make up the "cake," and coconut milk, honey, and spices are in the glaze. With my trusty food processor and Magic Bullet making it was a snap, and I would certainly suggest it as a fun food project to do with kids. The topping was a little bit runnier than I would have liked, but I probably blended it too long in the Magic Bullet. It hardens back up when you put it in the fridge.

I found the complete recipe at http://paleogrubs.com/gluten-free-carrot-cake-bites.

The New Comfort Food

The Crockpot is my friend. This morning I filled it with 1 package chicken breast, 1 jar salsa, 1 cup quinoa, and 2 cups chicken broth. So easy, yet so yummy and filling. The chicken cooks slow and tender, so it falls apart with the touch of a fork, and the quinoa soaks up all the flavor of the salsa. When dinner time came I just steamed some broccoli, and dinner was served:)

PiYO Drench

Yikes! This one was a doozy! I love that there's so much room for me to grow in this program, but it's still doable. My legs and arms were shaking, and I was huffing and puffing. I'm kind of spoiled by Shaun T and his 25 minute workouts, but feeling really accomplished after this workout. Something inside me always makes me want to try the more advanced moves, even if my form isn't perfect or I'm really not quite strong enough yet. I think I can. I think I can... :)

Vacation temptations

If you came into the kitchen in the morning to find a tub of cookie dough and a spoon sitting on the counter would you be grossed out or tempted? Looks like my nephew didn't clean up after his late night snack. This is like an ultimate temptation for me, especially since no one was there but Trevor and me. Later, my sister came downstairs and told me about my niece's discovery of "heaven"- leftover chocolate almond cake icing on the chocolate hazelnut cookies my dad brought back from Italy. OMG! These temptations were no match for my willpower, especially since I had my chocolate Shakeology for breakfast. Timing is everything, and I haven't been perfect. I do admit to enjoying a few extra cheats during this trip. The trick is finding balance and not giving in to every temptation that comes my way, especially when I'm out of my home element and faced with the yummy goodness that goes along with a house containing hungry teens. One more day of family fun and maybe some pizza for lunch, then we are back to our summer schedule at home:)

Beach Snack

Something about the fresh air and the salt water makes me hungry! I just can't go a day at the beach without a good snack, and this girl loves her pb&j. My answer today was natural peanut butter on whole grain bread with blueberries. Yup! Just plain fresh blueberries instead of sugar filled jelly. A friend suggested this one to me, and I just might be hooked. Maybe some fresh peach slices next time? Could be good:)

 

Happy place when traveling? No problem!

People often leave their workouts at home when they travel, but I love the challenge of finding a new place for doing my workouts. All I need is a space big enough to spread my wings and my computer to play my DVD. Sometimes my travel workout spaces are even better than my space at home. My parent's deck is a good example of that:)

Want to be my accountability partner? It's free!

I got myself a new mentor:)
One big part of my success as a Beachbody coach is taking on a new level of personal development. It would be hard for me to fit in more time reading books, since I spend little time sitting still these days unless I am on the computer. My solution- listen to books on tape while I'm driving my car, especially on my commute to school during the year. So far I have listened to at least 10 books on tape, and it has really helped me to improve my mind set and create a more positive perspective on life in general, not just business or coaching.

The book that I have enjoyed most and I believe has made the biggest impact so far is The Compound Effect, by Darren Hardy. I have actually listened to it more than once, so when he offered to become my on-line mentor it was a no brainer! He's got a new program called Success260, and starting Monday I will receive an email from him every morning for 260 days with some type of tips or suggestions for success and/or growth. It's supposed to be something I can consume in three minutes or less and act on in two. So here I am making my intention public for my own accountability that I will do my best to stick with his program and see where it takes me.

Did I mention that this is free? And you can do it too! I am looking for an accountability partner or two who will join me in playing along. It would be helpful and fun to have someone to compare notes and play along with me. Here's the link in case you want to check it out for yourself. http://www.SUCCESS260.com/

Please let me know if you'd like to join so that we can help each other to improve our lives:)

PiYo Upper Define

The PiYo Upper and Lower Define Workouts are short. sweet, and to the point. I'm still working on my form and will be a little sad to see them go next week, but also ready for bigger challenges!

Notice Bundy has also decided to get in on the action. His specialty is down dog;)

Skinny shorts too big!

Once upon a time these were my skinny shorts. You know, the ones that only fit when you are at your very best. If you had asked me last fall, eight months ago, I'd have told you that I'd be happy to just fit into these shorts this summer. Now they are ready to fail my fit test. (If I can pull them off without opening the button it's time to stop wearing them.)
How did I do it? It was no quick fix and nothing crazy or extreme; I am not a workout maniac. All it took was consistency and patience. I eat clean, workout at home for about half an hour a day, and get support from my Challenge Group friends. I take days off from workouts and still enjoy chocolate cake, ice cream, or fried foods once a week. It's that simple. If you are ready to make small changes to start yourself on a similar path, I want to help you. Contact me for details on my next challenge group:)

PiYo Buns Workout

Week 3 Day 1 of PiYo- Buns!
What would you expect from a Buns workout? Lots of squats, right? Yes. There were lots of squats, along with so much more. I was sweaty, tired and also invigorated. I'm afraid I will be feeling this one for a few days. Ahhh... hurt so good:)

Perfect Baby Kale Salad

I had my cheat meal this morning and may have overdone things when dessert came- more than my share of Chocolate Decadence Cake with ice cream and Smith Island Cake from Great Eggspectations. Totally worth it, but I really wasn't feeling great for the rest of the day and wanted something super healthy for supper. Enter one of my very favorite summer salads: baby kale, strawberries, blueberries, pecans, avocado, goat cheese topped with balsamic dressing made with golden balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper. This one is great for people who are trying to add kale into their diets but not ready for the big curly stuff, plus all the other ingredients just make you want to eat it. The chicken I cooked in a little coconut oil, salt and pepper.  These leftovers will be perfect in a salad wrap tomorrow or Tuesday:)

Family Friendly Parmesan Chicken

I love this recipe! Chicken Parmesan is one of my favorite dishes, and this is one that comes pretty close. I don't often have it with sauce and pasta, because it fulfills my cravings without them. I usually have it with some kind of veggie, then use the leftovers as a pizza topping for my cauliflower crust pizza or in a wrap. Bonus factor- Bill and Trevor like it too:)

Parmesan Chicken
2lb thin sliced chicken breast
1/2 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 egg or 2 egg whites
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
back pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees
2. scramble eggs in shallow dish
3. combine dry ingredients in second shallow dish
4. Dip chicken slices in egg then dry mixture
5. Place on cookie sheet or baking dish (spray with cooking spray if desired)
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until crispy and golden.

Enjoy:)

Banana Ice Cream:)

I've seen this recipe a few times on facebook, so today I thought it would be a nice treat. I love ice cream in the summertime, and Trevor has taken a break from wanting bananas with his cereal. So I cut up my bananas this morning, 1.5 to be exact, and put them in the freezer all day. Probably a mistake. By the time I was ready to make it, they were all frozen together, and my Magic Bullet was having no part of blending them. I live in fear of burning out my Bullet, how would I make my shakes? So I put the bananas in the microwave for ten seconds. Still no luck with the blending. I added some of my trusty almond milk, and presto... perfect banana ice cream! Trevor and I devoured it quickly. Yum! Perfect summer treat with very little guilt attached to it. Next time I think I will try mixing in some PB or almond butter.

(I may have added a few chocolate chips after the photo was taken.)

Summer Kale Obsession

If you know me, then you know that I have become obsessed with kale. From what I've read, it's probably one of the healthiest things you can put into your body, aside from Shakeology;) I created a "Summer Kale Challenge" to try to build a little buzz for this under appreciated veggie, and have been looking for new ways to enjoy it every week.

This summer I'm also doing the new PiYo workouts and using the meal plan as a guide for my menu planning. According to this plan I'm supposed to be eating four servings of "Primary Vegetables" which are listed with the healthiest at the top. You guessed it... Kale tops the list!

My super yummy kale experiment today was my mid-morning snack of kale sautéed with olive oil, pine nuts, and raisins alongside some leftover salmon and steak from my cousin Rachel's birthday celebration at the Lebanese Taverna. I wasn't able to join her, but am still enjoying the spoils:)

Lunch Date

My handsome hubby asked me to a last minute lunch date today at Great Eggspectation. I will rarely say no to that one, but it does raise a concern for many- What to eat when eating out?

 My choice was a salad with spinach, berries, almonds, cheese cubes, and grilled chicken. It came to the table and was so pretty! I wanted to dig right in but then I noticed that it was covered in dressing. Bummer! I had asked for the dressing on the side. Often times we think we are making a healthy choice with a salad, but the dressing is usually a deal breaker on that note. So I asked our server to please take it back and bring me one with no dressing. That was hard for me to do. I was once a server, and I really hate to be the difficult diner. But I had been very clear about my request, and I didn't want someone else's mistake to get me off track. The replacement salad that he brought back to me somehow wasn't nearly as pretty as the first, but it tasted just as good. Even better since it was just how I like it. I just had to remind myself, "Don't get mad; get what you want," which was a good strategy. We both enjoyed our lunch and had a nice date. Even thinking about a return trip on Sunday when we have a friend visiting from out of town:)


And then when we were heading back to the car and waiting for the elevator the strangest feeling came over me. I felt so good that I just had the desire to bust out a PiYo move! Crazy right? Lucky for me, Bill is a good sport and agreed to take my photo. This is really the best I could do while wearing flip flops, but I wasn't taking my shoes off in that garage. Ha ha!

Sandwich Anyone?

Today's cooking adventure was plantain sandwich rounds. They are very simple and easy to make, also kind of fun if you like the feel of play dough in your hands. My initial idea was to use them as a bun for a turkey burger, which would have been great, but I used my turkey last night and was challenged to find something to put between them. It didn't take long for me to revert to an old favorite- pb&j. Yum! For me that is something that I will never outgrow. But back to the sandwich rounds. They came out white on one side, golden on the other, and firm enough to handle a burger or some type of chicken salad. The texture was a little chewy, but not overly so. The flavor was very mild, maybe because my plantains were not super ripe. I had two with my sandwich and honestly wanted to eat more. I held off since I'm trying to keep my portion sizes under control these days and filled up with some zucchini and humus instead:)




































Here's the link for the recipe.
http://theprimitivehomemaker.blogspot.com/2014/06/simple-sandwich-rounds-aip.html

PiYo CORE

Oh gosh! Today was the first day of PiYo that I really felt out of my league. This doesn't mean that I couldn't do it, but it wasn't pretty. Thank goodness for the modifier. The fact that I struggled makes me happy though. It means that I'm going to continue to push myself physically and mentally and improve. I admit that I'm a little afraid of what lies ahead in PiYo, also a good thing;)

Double Chocolate Cookies. Yum!

How perfect is this double chocolate cookie? It's almost 100% clean, except for the chips. I followed the recipe pretty closely, but used regular size dark chocolate chips instead of mini and finished with 10 cookies. That seems like a good amount, some to enjoy and some to share. You don't want to have too many of these babies around. Too tempting for me!
http://paleomg.com/soft-chewy-double-chocolate-cookies/