Move Over Kale

Those those Kale Chips?!? Me too!

If you are like me then you have to try BRUSSEL BYTES 

They give you the same satisfaction as kale chips, that nice crunch snack grab and go, yet this is their new exciting twist.  

The flavors are more inventive too...check it out

The best part is that the stats are so good, you don't feel guilty about eating the whole bag.

See for yourself. Chili Pumpkin Nutritional Facts

Head on over to my instagram and see what people had to say :-)

Protein Treat from the tub to the oven

Today is recipe sharing day!  

I want to share with you an easy way to use those tubs of protein that may be sitting on the top shelf of your cabinet collecting dust.  Protein powders, in mmy opinion aren't the best source of nutrients but we are all guilty of being in a hurry and having protein on hand to use in a pinch.  Are any of us ever that excited for a protein shake, probaly not...so thats why I decided to get crafty in the kitchen.

The best proteins to use to make your baked good taste almost exactly like the real high calorie sugary baked good is to use the flavored whey proteins.  If you want to use a less processed and more natural protein then go ahead it just might not be as close of a comparison in tsate.  To really nail and satify the decedany of your treat, whey is the way to go.  Choice is yours.

CINNAMON BANANA BAKE (whey version)

3/4 cup oatmeal

2/3 cup almond flour

1 scoop banana cream protein

2 scoops cinnamon roll protein

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 egg whites

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

2tsp baking powder

2TBS Roasted unnsalted almond butter

Bake at 350 degrees for 15ish minutes

I placed mine in a large baking dish to create a thin layer covering the bottom of the pan.  Cutting the whole sheet into 20 pieces.  

How I served this was taking two squares and placing a little almond butter in between.  Totally hit the sweet tooth without the guilt.

Vanilla Cinnamon Banana Bake (plant protein)

1.5 cups oatmeal

2 scoops vanilla plant protein

1/2 cup unsweeted applesauce

1 small mashed banana

1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (more if too thick, will depend on conistency of protein)

2 egg whites

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp cinnamon

Bake and serve the same

BECOME A GREEN GODDESS

I absolutely love green juice.  I have blogged about it before, but I can't help it...I just love it that much!

  I try and incorporate it into my life daily.  Today I want to share with you some of my favorite green juice combinations for you to try to make at home.

First lets talk about green juice benefits:

-increases nutrients

-low calorie (keeping fruit minimal)

-easy way to get more veggies into your diet

-being able to drink your nutrients, it gives your digestive system a chance to rest

-buids and replenish red blood cells aka there is a of chlorophyll in green veggies

-contains lots of antioxidants which is ideal for keeping cancer away

-boosts energy levels

-and many many more benefits

Some Green Goodies

(typical staples in green juices are spinach, kale, celery, and cucumber)

Basic

-Handfuls of Spinach

-5-6 stalks celery

-1 apple

-1 cucumber

Spicy

-handful spinach

-bunch of kale (no stems)

-juice of one lemon

-cayenne pepper

-thumb size knob of ginger

Banish Toxins

-bunch parsely

-couple handfuls spinach

-1 apple

-1 lemon juice

-knob ginger

Morning

-carrots

-OJ

-lemon

-ginger

-celery

-cucumber

The options are endless...get crazy and experiment with your greens.  Your body will thank you!

Pear Sports

If you know me, you know I love running.  When I found out that I could have a running coach and all I needed was my phone, I was immediately curious.

I recently got my wonderful Pear Training Partner and hit the pavement with it today.  Instantly I became in love.  What is Pear you ask?

Pear is a program in your phone that is simply stated a running coach.  It has many different programs you can try, whether you are running for the first time, wanting to improve race time or just needed guidance on a casual run, the pear application coaching you along in your running journey.  It breaks programs down in week segments, keeping you on track the whole way to reach your fitness goals.

As you run to your music, there is a coach talking to you letting you know how you are doing.

It goes beyond running too.  You can pick from running, to stretching, to spinning and water fitness as well as rotate between different coaches!

Check out Pear Sports to find the latest information on the programs and how to get your pear coach!

Dangerously Delicious AND Healthy

I think it is often that a lot of us find ourselves in a pinch for a snack when the hunger strikes when you least expect it to.  It happens to me often, yet I don't always have the best options surrounding me.  Due to most places surrounding us sticking to the American Standard Diet aka 80% junk it leaves less options available for those of us that want to treat our bodies right.

"You are what you eat."

I am a firm believer in this.  Sure we love our treats, but what if I told you there is yet another option out there giving us nutritious ingredients while tasting like we just had the biggest 'treat' of our life.  I have a sweet tooth and this has been a great option for kicking that sugar craving while satisfying that sneaky hunger strike.

My solution is: Elemental Raw Food Bars

These are all absolutely amazing.  Trust me when I say that the Peanut Butter/Dark Chocolate one is dangerously delicious.

The great thing about buying these products from the website is that they are only $29/dozen.  Free shipping over $80 and When you buy 4 boxes you get a free bag of the crumble to top on endless options.

I also encourage you all to click on the link about to read about their story and fall in love with this wonderful company.  Everything is completely raw, dairy free, gluten free but EVERYTHING DELICIOUS.

Mythbuster post: Does spinning give me big bulky legs?

MYTH

I challenge you to ask the next big buff guy you see and ask him how to achieve big bulky muscular leg.  I 100% guarantee you, his answer will not be spinning.  I give you the extra bonus challenge to ask him a follow up question...Does spinning give you big bulky muscular legs.  Warning:  He may laugh in your face.

The answer is NO.  Spinning will  not give you big bulky legs.  In fact it will do the opposite.  Spinning will creat lean muscular legs.  Next time you are in your car or walking along the beach check out all those bikers on the road bikes.  They have a very lean muscular physique.  In fact, I am a little jealous of their calves.

Don't be afraid to add resistance to the wheel next time you are in spin class.  It is the resistance that helps to build strength and work the quads the most.  The quads are the largest muscle in the body.  The more you work them, the more calories you will burn, which can lead to weight-loss...of course paired with a healthy diet.  If you keep getting bigger, chances are your diet needs a little fixing.  Now you may feel your clothes fitting differently but that is only because you are waking up new muscles and gaining strength.  Muscles are dense and weigh more than fat, but their density is what makes a muscular body leaner than a fat body.

 Blast anywhere from 300-400 calories just in one half hour of spinning class.  If that isn't speaking enough for itself then I don't know what is.  Your body can't be in aerobic and anaerobic stages at the same time.  Spin is aerobic and will melt that fat away!

Remember to put on that resistance.  Chances are your spin teacher isn't keeping you on that resistance for very long.  You'd have to be climbing up hills for days to get bulky and that is not what spinning is about.  In fact the 30/30 class is a perfect balance of cardio calorie blasting spin, paired with long lean muscle building pilates!

Happy Birthday America!

HAPPY 4TH of JULY!

Celebrating America's Birthday is a huge deal.  People get the day off of work, gatherings with friends, watching pretty firework displays, etc.  I also feel like it is a wonderful time to celebrate yourself, specially how you have dedicated yourself to happier and healthier you.  Without each and everyone of your health and happiness there wouldn't be an operating America to celebrate.  So make sure when you are celebrating to make sure you give a toast to yourself too because you are great!

Now on to the fun stuff. 

Fourth of July Food

 I want to post some beautiful looking food that you can have or bring to your BBQs.  The images I took from the web but each recipe is pretty simple with beautiful asthetics.

Red White and Blue Parfaits

-greek yogurt (dairy sensitive people try goat yogurt or any nondairy alternative)

-strawberries (or any other red fruit)

-blueberries (only option for blue fruit)

Fourth of July Strawberries

 -Strawberries

-White Chocolate

-Light Blue Sugar

Flag Skewers

-skewers

-blueberries

-bananas

-strawberries

 

Flag Deli Meat

-blueberries

-deli meat

 

Jello Stars

-This one I am leaving to the experts :-)

 

Fourth of July Spritzer (can be nonalcoholic)

-pomegranate juice  or cranberry

-Club Soda

-if alcoholic: vodka

-light blue sugar

-ice

 

 

 

Excuse Me! May I have your ATTENTION PLEASE...

(if you were looking for the rest of the Eminem song, you will not find it here...)

Instead, I am happy to announce that I have dedicated myself to more posts on the blog!  

I am excited to share with you information to support you on your healthy journey.

Glancing ahead there will be posts on:

-healthy to die for recipes

-are you over training?

-the myth of getting big from spinning

-importance of diet

-comparing sweetners

-new machines (difference in machines)

-importance of knowing the names of your pilates exercises

-did I say recipes ;-)

-staying on track while traveling this summer

-nutritional timing

-some fun non-related stuff too :-)

 -etc