HEALTHY BIRTHDAY CAKE

ONLY 5 INGREDIENTS!!! Thank you to @tastyhealth for the recipe!

150g whole almonds
1 tsp baking powder
4 Tbsp granulated sweetener of choice
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Whole eggs plus 2 egg whites

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 7" or 8" round pan with parchment paper
2. Place almonds in a food processor and run for a couple minutes until the almonds are ground to a course meal.  Put the almond meal in a bowl, add baking powder and stir well.  Set aside.
3. Whisk one egg white in a bowl until stiff and set aside.  This will take a long time by hand so an electric mixer would be a HUGE help!!
4. In a mixing bowl beat eggs plus one egg white with sweetener (I used stevia) until fluffy. Add the almond meal and stir just until evenly combined.  GENTLY fold in the stiff egg white.  DO NOT STIR!  You want to keep the air in the batter.  Pour into the pan and immediately put in the oven.
5. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until cake has risen.
6. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, run a knife along the sides and invert the pan onto a large plate.
7. When it is completely cool, cut cake in half and fill it with whatever you like!  I used mashed up bananas and Justin's Hazelnut PB (whipped with milk).  Top with cool whip or frosting!!  SOOO GOOD!! 

FRENCH TOAST (in slow cooker)

Another one of my breakfast favorites turned into a healthy recipe!!

INGREDIENTS:
2 eggs
2 egg whites
2 Tbsp of honey or agave
2 tsp of vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of almond milk (or whatever milk you prefer)
1 tsp cinnamon
9 slices of whole grain bread (each slice cut diagonally to make 18 triangles)

Filling ingredients:
3 cups of dices apples or bananas
3 Tbsp honey
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add the first 6 ingredients together in a bowl and whisk. Lightly spray the inside of the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a separate bowl, Mix all the filling ingredients together, making sure the fruit is coated. Set aside.
3. Place 6 triangle slices of bread in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Add 1/4 of the filling.  Repeat until there are 3 layers of bread.  Add remaining filling.
4. Pour egg mixture over bread. Cover and cook on high 2 to 2 1/2 hrs or until bread has soaked up the liquid.  
5. I topped mine with some liquified PB2, and heated up jam.  You could also do syrup. ENJOY!!

BLUEBERRY WAFFLES WITH CINNAMON HONEY PB

Heaven on earth!!  I love breakfast and I am always looking for ways to make healthy versions of the high in calorie classics.  Here is a good one...enjoy!

INGREDIENTS FOR WAFFLE:
1/4 c oat flour
1 Tbsp coconut flour
1 Tbsp powder peanut butter
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 Packets of Stevia
2 Tbsp almond milk
2 Tbsp unsweetened apple sauce
1 Tbsp Nonfat plain greek yogurt
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp butter extract (if you want)
handful of blueberries

DIRECTIONS:
Mix dry ingredients together.  Then mix wet ingredients into it.  Fold in blueberries.

DIRECTIONS FOR PB:
Place 8oz of peanuts (unsalted) in blender with 1 Tbsp honey and cinnamon to taste.  Continue to blend until it turns into peanut butter.  NO SALT, NO OIL, NO SUGAR NEEDED!!

STUFFED SWEET POTATOES

When I saw this recipe I just had to try it!  My mom makes the unhealthy version of this over Thanksgiving so when I tried it and showed this to her...she said I'm hired this year to make it!  Try it out and let me know what ya think!


INGREDIENTS:
2 Medium sweet potatoes, cooked (bake or microwave)
1 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Tbsp cream cheese (1/3 less fat)
2 egg whites
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
mini marshmallows
corn flakes
almond slivers or pecans

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Cut sweet potatoes in half and scoop out the middle, leaving the skin as a "shell"
3. Mix sweet potato insides with PB, cream cheese, egg whites and spices.
4. Scoop mixture back into shells.
5. Crush up the almonds and corn flakes, crumble on top and place a few mini marshmallows on top.
6. Bake for 15 minutes until marshmallows begin to brown.  Can broil for last minute if desired.

ENJOY!

21 Day Fix Results!!

This 21 day experience was pretty amazing.  I learned so so much about myself, my eating habits, how nutrition truly makes the biggest difference in results, and how food is surrounding us in our day to day lives without us even realizing it.

Week 2 was a bit of a struggle as I will flat out admit I cheated several times. The media surrounds us with food and I was weak and gave in. But week 3 I was STRONG and DETERMINED as I knew I had a trip to Florida just days away.  I stuck to it, did the 3 day quick fix at the end, did the double workouts and nailed it! It is more about what I learned than my "number" results but at the same time I am so happy with how much toning and how hard the actual workouts are. I thought there was no way a 30 minute workout could kick my ass...WRONG!

Things learned:

• I used to eat SO MUCH EXTRA food during meal prep
• I ate too much carbs
• I used to crave sweets and fruit all the time
• I would eat too close to bed time
• I didn't hydrate enough
• I worked out too much and did not match my efforts in the kitchen

After this 21 day fix, I will now take it into round two after a few days away in Florida to get some sun and relaxation time.  I will still hold myself accountable while away by knowing how much of each kind of food to eat, even when I am out to eat. SERIOUSLY those few bites of bad, unhealthy food is NOT WORTH THE GUILT AFTER! I will get my workouts in before hitting up the beach, and you better believe I am taking my shakeology with me!  I already looked up that the hotel had a gym before we booked it...have to sweat it out before putting the bikini on.

So the results.... Lost 7 pounds, 4 inches.  I am told my booty looks a lot smaller but that isn't one of the measurements I took haha so add a couple inches to that total lost! Waist is smaller, I FINALLY lost inches off of my soccer legs, and toned up my back and abs.  Beyond excited!

This program was by far the best way to learn how to eat properly.  It truly SIMPLIFIES NUTRITION, and CHALLENGES YOU IN 30 MINUTE WORKOUTS!! The color coded portion controlled containers were awesome!  If you are thinking about this program, JUST DO IT!

And always ask me Lynng258@gmail.com if you have any questions about the program!

Week 1 OVER! Heading into Week 2 of 21 Day Fix

Wow did this week go by so fast!  I was prepared for a week of starving and got just the opposite.  The 21 day fix is no joke...you are NOT starving, but instead are fueling your body with what it needs.  I was shocked that my body handled it so well.

DOWN 4 pounds so far--have yet to measure inches. But it isn't even about that, it is about how amazing I feel and how much more energy I have!

Things I have learned:

1. You can take the 21 day fix on the road!  I traveled out of state to North Carolina to visit my best friend.  I was scared because I had only been on the fix for 2 days and traveling was definitely a major concern.  Honestly, it was so easy to stay on track.  As long as your meals are packed and you are prepared then there is NO reason not to succeed!

2. WOW did I eat a lot of carbs before the FIX.  I used to eat wayyyyy to many, and crave them all the time.  I was probably over eating carbs because my body was still hungry due to lack of protein in my previous meal plans before the fix.

3. I used to eat fruit too close to bed time.  I will admit...I love my sleep. I have the habit of at least getting 8 hours a night so that I am not cranky.  Before the fix I would eat too close to bed time AND be eating fruit before bed. (Plus I was choosing the fruits highest in grams of sugar!)  All those sugars were bad for my body to break down.

 

4. 30 minutes of working out is definitely enough!  I LOVE being in the gym for hours.  Not sure if its the people interaction or what but it is fun and enjoyable to me.  But I have A LOT more time to do other things I love AND be caught up on all my work emails.  Plus working out from home is so convenient..no travel time around crazy Boston. TOTAL BONUS!



Looking into Week 2...

Meal planning was SO MUCH EASIER and I was SO MUCH MORE CREATIVE in the meals.  So excited for some of the foods this week!!  I may even substitute some healthy pancakes in for a breakfast planned!  And yes, there will be some edits for some "treats" which replace a yellow container in there twice this week because seriously those recipes in the 21 Day fix book are AMAZING!!  Here is the meal plan.

21 Day Fix Begins!

So some of you have heard about this new program by Beachbody called the 21 Day Fix.  Well yesterday started my journey on this challenge to see what it is all about.

First things first...what does it entail?

• 30 minute home workouts (with Autumn Calabrese who is an awesome motivator!)
• Portion control eating...NOT A STARVATION DIET (Color coded containers as shown!)
• Eating the right amount of different kinds of foods...based on your current weight
• Proper hydration (seriously make it exciting and mix it up a bit with some ideas shown below...live a little people!)
• Eating 5 meals a day, about every 2-3 hours

Can I Cheat?...Can I have a drink?

• Sure you can substitute one purple container for a 4oz glass of wine 3 times a week
• Autumn gives you "TREAT" recipes that you can use to substitute for one yellow container

But what about my SHAKEOLOGY?!?
Don't you worry shakeology lovers....you can still have your shake!  And personally I prefer it because it is an easy meal to "plan" and it substitutes as a protein. Protein for me is always a weak area because I just never eat enough of it.  A great tool they give you in the book is the tally sheets to make sure you are hitting all of the proper containers throughout the day. The first week was hard to plan, I will flat out admit that, but even after a day of doing it, it is so easy to follow through!







FREE FOODS....say whattttttt?
Yeah I was so excited to hear there were free foods too!  Mustards, vinegars, fresh or dry spices are just amongst a few under this category.  And thank goodness for this because I love my condiments!







What am I looking forward to the most?

• I am only on day two and yes I already lost a pound on the first day so clearly weight loss is a motivator!
• I am also looking forward to learning so much more about my nutrition.  It is crazy to me that I already realized how often I was eating TOO BIG of portion sizes.  I used to eat so much oatmeal in the morning and put minimal fruit in it where now it is the opposite way around!  
• 30 minute workouts!  I am a gym rat through and through.  I love being there, love being around people who share a health and fitness passion...but hell I can't pass up 30 minute workouts AT HOME!  I hate traveling to the gym in the snow so this will help!

 Have more questions on the 21 Day Fix?? Just ask!!