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Thursday, May 30, 2013

Chocolate Snack Cake!

Oh boy, do I have a recipe for you all! I've been MIA for awhile doing things & enjoying life so sorry I haven't updated any new recipes. However, this one makes up for lost time!



Chocolate Snack Cake {Gluten Free}

2 bananas, pureed

2 eggs

1/4 c. maple syrup

1/4 c. coconut oil, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. almond flour

1/4 c. cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1/4 c. walnuts, chopped

Handful of shredded coconut  
  
Directions: Preheat oven for 350 degrees. Puree banana, add in eggs, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, and blend until combined.  Add in the dry ingredients: almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda & powder, and salt. Blend in food processor until completely combined. Spray an 11x7 pan with coconut oil and pour into pan. Top with chopped walnuts and shredded coconut. Bake for 25 minutes. Cut into squares and ENJOY!



 

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Guacamole for Cinco de Mayo!

Hola! I thought I would place a quick recipe that everyone can enjoy for Cindo de Mayo!

Guacamole is my favorite thing ever. I am picky about it, and almost cried the other day when they forgot to put it on my Chipotle salad. It was tough. But I got over it and made some that night. It was better than theirs so whatever. 



Easy Guacamole 

1 large ripe avocado

1 medium tomato (seeded & cut into bite sized pieces)

1-2 jalapeno peppers (seeded & cut into bite sized pieces)

3 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro or parsley  

Dash of garlic powder & onion powder

Salt & pepper to taste

1 juice of a lime    


Chop up the avocado and place into a mixing bowl. Smash it until a creamy consistency forms. Add in the cut up tomato, jalapeno peppers, garlic powder, and onion powder. Squeeze the juice of the lime and stir until all mixed together. Add in the salt & pepper to taste. Cover and store in the refrigerator.  ENJOY!

 
 

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Banana Coconut Bread

Happy St. Patty's Day! 

I have been trying out some new recipes for snacks. I need snacks, like I need to eat every 2-3 hours or else I get cranky. Therefore, I have been trying to have snacks that contain both good carbs, healthy fats, and protein. So after looking around at some recipes I decided to try out PaleOMG: Nikki’s Macadamia Nut Banana Bread Squares

Typical me though I did not have the same ingredients, so I subbed a few things...

Banana Coconut Bread

1/2 c. almonds

1/2 c. coconut butter

1 banana (peeled & sliced)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (just do it, it's not weird)

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda   

pinch o' salt

2 eggs

Directions: Preheat oven at 375 degrees. In a food processor pulse the almonds until they become a flour. Add coconut butter, banana, vanilla and combine. It may seem a bit thick at this point but do not fret, the eggs still need to be added.


Add the dry ingredients and pulse until blended. Now add the eggs and process until all is combined. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan and bake for about 15-18 minutes. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container. 

 
 
 They are so easy to make and like I mentioned are a great snack to have when you need it! Slightly sweet and perfectly wonderful :) YUM
 
   

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Quick Breakfast: Berry Cherry Smoothie

There are many mornings that I literally crawl out of bed, get ready in 1o minutes, grab my lunch, and head out the door. However, breakfast is something that takes more time if I have not prepared it the night before. This leaves me with like 3 minutes to prepare something, and what better than to whip up a smoothie?

I have been on a smoothie kick for awhile, not sure why. It's typical for me to go through phases because I'm just like that (besides peanut butter which is just a pure obsession). 

 Here is one of my favorite smoothies, it's a mix of fruit, healthy fats, and protein!


Berry Cherry Smoothie 

1 medium banana (cut into chunks)

1/2 c. Very Cherry Berry Blend (from Trader Joe's)

1-2 Tb. shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2-1 scoop vanilla protein powder (amount depends on you)

dash of cinnamon

4-5 ice cubes

1 c. unsweetened almond milk   

 Directions: Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until a smooth consistency. Pour into 2 glasses or drink the whole thing if you want, it's good so drink it up! ENJOY :)



Have a great rest of your weekend! 

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Baked Eggplant Parmesan, Say What?

I made this recipe awhile ago, and meant to share it but forgot. Whoops! So today I am going to go through it, that way you can make it ASAP because I mean your going to. Right?!

I love those comfort meals that you can lighten up and have them still taste heavenly. Believe me, this is one of them...

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

2 large eggplants (peeled & sliced into 1/2 in. slices)

2 eggs or 3 egg whites

1 1/2 c. whole wheat panko bread crumbs

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

EVOO spray

1 jar pasta sauce (whatever kind you want)

1 c. part skim mozzarella cheese 

1 box whole wheat penne pasta

Directions: Preheat the oven for 415 degrees. Peel your eggplants ensuring all the skin is off.



Next, cut your peeled eggplants into about a 1/2 inch slices.

 

Now, make the bread crumb mixture by combining: bread crumbs, garlic powder, oregano, onion powder, and crushed red pepper in a medium sized bowl.


 
In another bowl whisk the eggs together. Next, prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with foil and spray with EVOO. It is  now time for your assembly line. First, dredge the eggplant in the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture. Make sure you coat both sides completely! Place onto baking sheet in a single layer. 


Into the oven they go and bake for about 10 minutes. Flip the eggplant and bake on the other side for about 10 minutes. Take out of the oven and place a spoonful of pasta sauce on the tops of the eggplant slices. Add a sprinkle of cheese on the top of that and place back into the oven for 3-5 minutes until melted.



It is now time for the good part! Place a layer of your cooked penne pasta onto a plate, top with a bit of sauce and then top that with a few eggplant slices (and more cheese if you want). ENJOY :)

 

Saturday, February 23, 2013

The Perfect Pancake (Wheat free!)

 Oh pancakes, I have a love-hate relationship with you...

I love eating pancakes.  I hate making batches upon batches of them and then only eat half. Therefore, when I want one I just make a single serving version. I am pretty sure I have perfected the wheat free version...you should try it.



The Perfect Pancake
{Single serving & wheat free}

2 egg whites

2-3 Tb. coconut milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 Tb. coconut flour

1 1/2 Tb. almond flour 

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 Tb. chia seeds 

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Optional toppings/additions:  blueberries, cinnamon apples, coconut, bananas, strawberries, almond butter, maple syrup, chia seeds, etc.

Combine all ingredients into a small mixing bowl and stir until combined. Heat a small skillet on medium heat and spray pan with EVOO. Pour batter into pan and cook on one side until bubbles start to form. Flip pancake and finish cooking.  Top with whatever your heart desires.

ENJOY :)

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

What's Your Motivation?

I get the question all the time..."Why do you think working out is fun?!" To me what they are really asking is... What is your motivation

Everyone needs some kind of motivation for everything they do!

**This may get a little wordy but whatever, you decide if you want to read it! 

 My fitness motivation started the day I began to swim in elementary school. Being a competitive person, the sport was perfect for me since we basically got to race people every single day. Swimming kept me going through high school and eventually to college.

College swimming is a whole different atmosphere. I found myself in a different state, with a different team, a new coach,   a new way of training, and a new group of wonderful girl friends. None of this was easy, but I knew without the support of my team I would have never been able to get up for those 5 AM practices.

I will also say that no one is perfect, we all make mistakes. Through my college years and swimming I found myself making some not so great decisions with my studies and training. But isn't that how we all learn??!

While injured my junior year in college, I began to research nutrition, training, and basically how the body works. I also began to ask more questions to my strength coach about our workouts and the reasoning behind the exercises we did. This opened up a whole new world for me. From that moment in my junior/senior year I knew that the body was a special and a wonderful thing we are all blessed with. 




Looking good with the snorkel! HA

This led to graduation and then graduate school where I studied kinesiology. Although at times I got frustrated with classes (I get stressed easily so what else is new?) I knew this was the field I wanted to be in. 

From then to now and being in the BIG WORLD, I have learned so much about myself and the fitness world. I have learned A LOT about people and their mentality towards working out. It's crazy to hear the excuses and I find myself asking WHY? Why are you coming in here everyday making these excuses? What is it you want to achieve? What is holding you back? I constantly come back to my own goals and need to ask myself the same questions, even if I am not training for anything. 




Basically what I am trying to say is FIND YOUR MOTIVATION! Once you find it, you can achieve so many things! I promise :)


Get after it!