Baby #2 and Chia Pudding!

So, it's official! As of June 14, 2015, I became a Momma to a healthy baby boy! We are over the moon in love with this little guy. A girl and now a boy, our family is complete.

With a husband that works away for 3 weeks at a time, I need to make sure that I am more organized than ever. Luckily, so far, I have been able to prep some things like usual.

I have been looking for any and all new healthy recipes, and I stumbled upon chia seed pudding. High protein, high fiber, full of super food goodness!

After scouring pinterest for the perfect recipe, I came across a chocolate chia pudding recipe, with peanut butter. Ummm, it's kind of a no-brainer right? Thanks to www.edibleperspective.com


Chocolate Peanut Butter Chia Seed Pudding

2 cups unsweetened almond milk, or milk of choice

1/2 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, or cacao

6-8 medjool dates, pitted

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

toppings options: goji berries, flaked coconut, chia seeds, almonds, peanut butter, granola, chocolate chips, banana, cinnamon, etc.

Whisk together the chia seeds and milk in a bowl. Add in the peanut butter, cocoa powder, dates, and vanilla and stir once or twice. The mixture will be blended after chilling so no need to fully combine them at this point. You just want everything fully chilled.  Place in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.  Remove and pour/scrape contents into your blender.  Turn on and work up to high until fully smooth.  Add more milk if desired to thin out.  Add more dates and/or liquid sweetener for more sweetness.
Portion and serve immediately with desired toppings.  If not serving right away keep chilled in your fridge in a sealed container until ready to serve.
notes: If the consistency becomes too thin you can blend in 1-2 tablespoons more chia seeds and then refrigerate for 1-2 hours to thicken.  If you are unable to eat peanut butter I recommend using sunflower seed butter instead.  Any other nut butter would also work but would not impart as much flavor


I topped mine with raw walnuts, unsweetened coconut and carob chips.

It's official!!!

My love of healthy eating and fitness have been vamped up to a new level! After being a self taught clean eater, I took the plunge last February to make myself more knowledgeable as well as more creditable, and enrolled in Canfitpro's Nutrition and Weight Loss Specialist Certification course.


 


After much studying and attending a day in class with a PRO Trainer (as well as a 3 hour online exam which left me with literally 3 minutes to spare) this week I can officially say that I am a Canfitpro Certified Healthy Eating and Weight Loss Coach!!!! (Canfitpro changed the name during the time that I was enrolled in the course).

I am super excited to help people get healthier! Next up, Canfitpro's Personal Training Specialist Certification!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Unite!

Ok...so chocolate and peanut butter. Who else thinks that this is THE best combo ever?

Currently, I'm 35 weeks pregnant and have to admit, my eating isn't as clean as it was prior to pregnancy, and sadly, my workouts have had to take a back seat due to inflammation in my hips and ribs and barely being able to walk across the room, let alone complete an intense workout.

I find that I'm continuously looking for something sweet in my kitchen cupboards, and I have even reduced myself to sneaking some of my 3 year old's Easter chocolates from time to time.

In hindsight, my eating and workout habits were more regimented than anyone I know. I had taken great pride in what I was accomplishing, for myself, for my family.

All of a sudden, that's seemed to have slipped. I still prep some meals, but not like I used to, and snacks have turned from homemade protein snacks and complex carbs into an oat fudge bar and coffee from a delicious coffee house. Those oat fudge bars by the way, I've discovered are over 400 cal each!

Which brings me to the current week. Vowing to get back to the lifestyle that led before, I thought about high protein, healthy snacks that I want to feed my family as well as myself. But also ones that would feel like I didn't need to search through the cupboards for leftover Easter treats.

Enter, black bean brownies. I've made them before and really enjoyed them. But it was never a staple in my house. Quick, healthy, and made with natural, clean ingredients, but still fudgy, indulgent and delicious! And what better than brownies? Adding peanut butter to the mix! Check these out, you won't be sorry!

Ingredients

• 14 oz can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
• 10 - 12 Medjool dates, pitted
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup cacao powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter, unsalted
• 2 tbsp chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life)
• Cooking spray (I use Coconut oil)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 8 x 8 square baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Add all ingredients, except chocolate chips and peanut butter, to a powerful blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour batter into prepared baking dish and level with spatula.
3. In a bowl, microwave peanut butter until melted and smooth. Drop spoonfuls on top of batter and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Using butter knife make deep swirls, "sinking" some peanut butter into the batter. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let brownies cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish. Holding onto the parchment paper flaps carefully transfer brownies to a cooling rack and let cool for 30 minutes before slicing. Cut into 16 squares and enjoy warm or cold
Storage Instructions: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
 
Enjoy!

Strong is the New Skinny

Why do YOU workout? Is it to lose weight? To be healthy? Is it just a healthy hobby that you have?

Personally, I use fitness to be healthy, not to lose weight, but to have my body in the best possible shape and condition that I can. I also use it as an outlet to de-stress at the end of the day when I could really use some me time, some time just to work on myself and clear my mind of any chaos from the day.

Right now, I'm doing Body Beast and let me tell you, it's intense weight training, more intense than I'm used to. Weights that I could lift with ease in other programs have suddenly become heavier and I really feel the burn. and no, it's not because I've been on a fitness hiatus.

I gauge my fitness level and strength my different postures that I can hold and for how long I can hold them. Plus, I gauge progress by how much I'm able to lift.

I have been determined to master the crow. Some yogis may feel, "wow! piece of cake!" But I haven't had enough upper body strength (until now) to hold it for too long without falling flat on my face! Last week, I was able to do the crow and hold the pose for about 2 minutes. Which was huge for me! I didn't fall on my face, I merely let myself down out the pose, just because I didn't want to get overconfident and end up with a broken nose!

Every day is a new opportunity and a new accomplishment in my fitness journey. I will continue to get stronger, more confident in myself and in my abilities, and to be a healthy example for my child.

Have a wonderful day!

Freezer Meal Swap!!!!

Ok...So lately, slow cooker freezer meals have kinda become my "thing." I LOVE prepping foods for the week to make life simpler and convenient, but I don't want to skip on nutrition. I have already added many meals to my repertoire of freezer meals, but I'm looking to expand my list. We all like variety, it is of course, "the spice of life" :P

I want to add CLEAN meals to my weekly meal prep, that are flavourful, that are slow cooker friendly, and are FREEZEABLE prior to cooking.

Please share with me in the comments below what YOUR favorite slow cooker meals are. We'll all be able to take away some great new recipes!

.....AND GO!!!

Meal Prep Addition

So, I love Pinterest! Who doesn't right? I get a lot of my clean meal ideas from there for sure.

I have tried different breakfast quinoa recipes and haven't really been a fan....until now! I have to admit, as much as I truly want to be in love with this super food, I just cant even think about eating it alone as a side dish or the protein portion of a salad.

Why not mix it with peanut butter? Peanut butter makes everything better. I got this recipe from The Lean Green Bean and have to be honest, I WAS hesitant to try them. But, they were amazing and quite filling when paired with fresh fruit.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 cup white whole wheat flour (or chickpea flour for gluten-free)
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 cups oats
• 2/3 cup nuts, chopped
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds
• 2/3 cups peanut butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup craisins
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional

 

Instructions

1. Combine applesauce, vanilla, eggs, peanut butter and honey in a small bowl and mix well.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until just mixed.
3. Spoon into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 375 for 20 min or until golden brown.
4. Let cool and cut into bars.
5. Store in the refrigerator

 

Enjoy!!!

Clean Eating Sesame Chicken and Noodles

I have been asked to post by a few people the "recipe" for a meal that I posted on Facebook. I got this from a fellow coach of mine and did my own variation based on what I had available in my kitchen at the time. In Shanti's recipe, she uses Bragg's liquid aminos, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, zucchini and whole wheat pasta.

I didn't have, nor could I even find liquid aminos, so I just used low sodium soy sauce.

There's really no recipe to this one. I just basically threw whatever into a pan and that was it! The outcome, was great! I love the taste of sesame oil!

Ingredients:

Brown rice noodles
Boneless, skinless chicken breast
Sesame oil
Olive oil
Red pepper flakes
Red pepper (or whatever veggies you like)
Soy sauce
Dehydrated onion



Here's what I did:

I browned some cubed chicken breast with olive oil and dehydrated onion and sautéed red peppers with it. In a separate pot, boil brown rice noodles.

Once the chicken is browned, I added basically splashes of sesame oil and soy sauce, enough to coat everything evenly ( I used more sesame than soy) and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Add your pasta and mix everything together!

Super easy, super quick! Enjoy!