Summer Road Trip Food ideas...

Planning a quick weekend road trip, or venturing back into the world of travel?? Wherever this summer takes you, make sure that your snack game is strong so your nutrition and health can still have priority! Road, air or sea - travel always has unexpected surprises and delays!

Here’s a list of healthy, portable snack options to hold you over until your next meal. My top 5 are:

1) Hard-Boiled Eggs
With 77 calories and 6 grams of protein per egg, hard-boiled eggs are an easy travel snack you can eat with your bare hands in a pinch. Try sprinkling an umami seasoning, everything bagel salt or another flavored topping for some extra pizazz (at home), or save salt and pepper packets form gas stations or takeaway orders.

2) Jerky
Beef jerky provides protein along with micronutrients. To reduce the sodium try turkey, chicken, or plant-based options! There are so many varieties to try; this is an easy to eat, easy to pack must have and plenty of flavor! We always have this in our backpack when we hike!

3) Protein Bars
Protein bars are a quintessential travel snack, but the sugar and artificial flavoring can really kill your clean eating plans. Look for bars that have 6g of sugar or less and an ingredients list that you can actually read! (If you can’t pronounce it, you probably shouldn’t be eating it) #truth Granola and Protein Bars can be sneaky and have the nutrients of a Snickers candy bar so for sure READ THE LABEL. I love Beachbody’s Beachbars and there are 3 delicious options: Chocolate Cherry Almond, Chocolate Peanut Butter (both whey) or Chocolate Almond Crunch (vegan and tastes like a s’mores).

4) Nuts
Nuts are a nutrient-dense snack, so pack some before you go! Pistachios are a great option because they can be considered a complete protein, meaning they contain all nine essential amino acids in one little snack! If you like flavored nuts, skip the store-bought version and try making your own, you’ll thank yourself! You’ll be able to control the sodium levels and notice that a sprinkling of seasoning goes a long way. WATCH YOUR PORTIONS. Reasonable portion sizes are: 20 pistachios, 12 almonds, 8 cashews or walnuts, 10 pecans or 14 peanuts. Shocking how little right? I bet we are all thinking “woah, I had a week’s worth in one sitting”. That’s why portion sizes matter. We might not be getting results because we don’t know any better :) I’m here to help!

5) Cheese Sticks
Snack cheeses like string cheese and Babybel provide protein and calcium for under 100 calories per serving. These are great to pair with a piece of fruit to offset the sugar content. They are best, however, for short trips - like most perishable foods, you’ll want to eat cheese within two hours of taking it out of the fridge. Don’t overdue it or have this every single day because cheese can also stop you up in the toilet area :) That’s no fun on road trips.

Best advice when you travel and something I ALWAYS do - add veggies to EVERY SINGLE MEAL; even brekky! I find vegetables super hard to find when I’m traveling and I never get enough fiber (women want 25 grams a day and men, 35 grams) so if I eat then when they’re available, I don’t pay the price later when options are sparse.

What other tips do you have?

Cocoa Nut Butter Protein Balls

These are sooo easy and can be modified however you want if there are allergies!

Ingredients:
- 5 cup QUICK oats (old fashioned requires more sweetener IMO)

- 1 cup any Creamy nut 🥜 butter (just make sure it’s clean and there’s no added sugar or oil)

Yogurt, Shakeology powder, loose granola on top! 1.5R, 2Y, 2 tsp

- ¾ cup sweetener of choice (I combined local Honey🍯 and Pure Maple Syrup)

- ½ cup cocoa

- 2 scoops / packets Shakeology (any flavor and either whey or vegan will do)

** if for a kids’ class, you could switch 1 cup of Oats with 1 cup Rice Krispies for a crunch

**other modifications can be diced cranberries, nuts, coconut or chocolate chips. These will require more sweetener to make it sticky enough to hold, so instead swap out ½ cup Oats for these modifications.

Directions:
1. Mix together with a mixer or you’ll get an arm workout too. It doesn’t matter which order you add ingredients, I mix once all are in the bowl.
2. Roll into balls (24-30), or put in a 13x9 pan and make bars (yields ~20-22 bars depending on thickness).

Serve with plain greek yogurt for breakfast (see above) with 2 - 3 balls (these are sweet enough so you don’t need a sweetened yogurt like Vanilla, and then you forgo the additives that aren’t great for you anyways). You can also put additional Shakeology in your yogurt and stir together before topping with loose granola, or crumble a few balls.

For lunch these can be a healthy carb (2-3 balls), or for snack (kids 4-5 balls, adults 2). These are heavier than my 21-Day Fix Granola Balls so I limit these to heavy fitness days like training, or days I work out for longer than 40 minutes.

Let me know how you like them! I find them very kid friendly!

The best pancakes ever!

If you’re not Vegan, sometimes you don’t take to the dairy free, egg free, gluten free taste, but these pancakes will prove otherwise. For $19.95 a bag, I was hesitant to try them in fear we wouldn’t be a fan. But the conversation about these pancakes was hilarious and told that this purchase was one I’ll be making over and over again.

My 11 yr old came downstairs and said, "Mom, what’s for breakfast, something smells good! Wait, are we eating that? How can pancakes be egg free? That doesn't even sound right?” He threw out a lot of questions before I could even respond! ha! I explained that I'm lactose intolerant so I need dairy free and since these are vegan, they're egg free too. I convinced him to have an open mind and forget the “egg-free” part and see if he liked them. Not even three bites later, he said, "Shut up and take my money. These are the best pancakes ever. Can we hide the batter in the pantry mom? I’ll want more later." So there you have it, from the mouth of babes. ;)

My takeaways: Almond flavoring was prefect and sweet enough that they didn't need maple syrup (I won’t complain at omitting sugar!). I love the macros and the protein kept me full till lunch vs most pancakes which are just carbs and you're hungry two hours later. Even “protein pancakes” haven’t had enough. I've already purchased another bag for when this one runs out! Can’t risk the pantry being empty :)

Macros: serving size 3-5 pancakes (75g) 270 cal, 20g protein, 42g carbs, 11g sugar, 3g fiber, 2g fat
Portion FIx Containers: 1R, 2Y
2B Mindset Plate-It: Great breakfast!

Strawberry Watermelon Shakeology!

There’s something about watermelon that just says summer and simple. This is the perfect way to add smooth summer vibes to your day!

Ingredients
* ½ cup water
* ½ cup cubed watermelon
* 1 cup ice
* 1 scoop Strawberry Shakeology
* 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

Instructions
Place water, watermelon, Shakeology, mint, and ice in a blender; cover and blend until smooth.

Portion Fix Containers: ½ Purple, 1 Red
2B Mindset Plate It: A great snackional or enjoy as part of breakfast!

Salted Caramel ShakeO!

I cannot resist the decadent taste combo of savory sea salt + sweet, rich caramel… with all the nutritional benefits of Shakeo! If you weren’t one of the lucky ones to get the Vegan Salted Caramel, I’ve got you covered!! We will just have to create it on our own :)

A teaspoon of caramel extract and a dash of sea salt make this simple smoothie taste like a gourmet salted caramel milkshake 😍 You’re very welcome! There are more Salted Caramel recipes here!

Ingredients
* 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
* 1 cup ice 1 scoop Vanilla Shakeology
* 1 tsp pure caramel extract
* 1 dash sea salt or Himalayan salt

Instructions
Place all the ingredients in the blend and cover. Blend until smooth.

Portion Fix Containers: 1 Red, 1 tsp.
2B Mindset Plate It: A great snackional or enjoy as part of breakfast.

7 ingredients to Yumminess!

This is one of the easiest, tastiest muffins and it’s so dense, you will be full! I love this as a side to breakfast with Ultimate Portion Fix or 2B Mindset!! it’s also a great snack during the day!

Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas, the riper, the sweeter
2 extra-large eggs (large will do, but I like the extra protein)
2 c old-fashioned oats
1 c plain greek yogurt (look at protein and sugar on the side, you want high protein, low sugar)
½ c maple syrup or honey (if you use vanilla yogurt, or extra ripe bananas then cut this to ⅓ c)
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ c chai seeds (you do not need to soak these, just dump them in)
** top with nuts, seeds, oats, chocolate chips, or nothing, they’re pretty as is. I chose chocolate chips as my topping, but once I made these, the batter was plenty sweet so I never added them. If you know me, you’re probably questioning my mental health or thinking someone took over my blog. It’s true, I passed on chocolate. Don’t expect me to do it again :)
** I wish I added Vanilla Whey Shakeology, I will in the next batch. It’ll help sweeten it if you’re cutting the sugar (which I always encourage)

Directions:
1) In no particular order, dump everything in the blender! Don’t you love that, easy as can be! Get your kids involved, this is that simple.

The order doesn’t matter, i did bananas, eggs, oats, yogurt, seeds

How beautiful if this? I hate waiting for chai seeds to soak. Glad that’s not involved!

2) Blend 2 minutes or until it looks very well mixed. If you have some on the edges that didn’t get mixed in, you can stir it and blend again, or grab a spoon and eat it. I opted for the second options. YUM!

3) Pour in 12 lined muffin cups, or straight into silicone muffin holders. Anyone ever used these? Thoughts? I’m nervous to try, I don’t have a lot of faith in the sides not to go limp and spill batter.

I could have easily eaten this whole thing and never cooked them. No one would know expect you and I!

But, I poured 12 muffins and opted to pass on chocolate chips since it was plenty sweet. This is why it’s important to taste your batter :)

If your blender looks like this, you know it was DAMN DELICIOUS!!!

My kitchen smells good and before I had a chance to portion out breakfast for tomorrow and freeze the rest, my kids ate 4. Gone in 5 minutes flat. Glad this was simple since I’ll likely be making more in 2 days!

4) Cook at 175 celsius for 20 minutes. Stay near by so you can keep an eye on them and enjoy all the smells!
**Bananas can be replaced with sweet potatoes or pumpkin. Both would be delicious year-around, but especially in the fall.

Eat like your life depends on it!

The color of your veggies means something!

Our bodies are pretty amazing things and do so much for us, we owe it to our bodies not to fill it with crap! Did you know that the color of food actually tells you something? It’s like a fortune cookie :)

Blue/Purple: Lower risk of certain cancers, urinary tract health, memory function, healthy aging. Ex: purple cabbage & eggplant.

White: Heart health, healthy cholesterol levels, natural detoxifiers, lower risk of some cancers. Ex: Cauliflower, artichoke, garlic, onion, mushrooms, parsnips, turnips.

Red: Heart health, lower risk of some cancers, memory function, urinary tract health. Ex: Beets, red peppers, radishes, red onion, rhubarb, tomatoes.

Orange/Yellow: Heart health, vision health, healthy immune system, lower risk of some cancer. Ex: Butternut squash carrots, peppers, pumpkin, sweet potato.

Green: Lower risk of some cancers, vision health, strong bones and teeth. Ex: Arugula, asparagus, broccoli, green beans, leafy greens, spinach.

Which color do you tend to eat the most? What changes will you make after reading this?

Back to School Snacks

Whether your kids are going back to school, staying home, or you just want some awesome snack options, these are some of my go-to favorites! They keep me full for more than 5 minutes, they are super easy to prep, so I can whip up a batch on the weekend, and there are enough options so that I don’t get bored! 

I like to pick 2 and prep them on Sundays - then throughout the week I have 3 different options to choose from: my two prepped snacks or a Beachbar! And it makes fitting them into my meal plan even easier when I know exactly what my options are.

What are your go to snacks? Click here to download and happy snacking!

Meal Prep Tips!!

Meal prepping is all about creating a method to the madness that is life and making things a little bit simpler for yourself. If your days are busy or you’re always on the go, having go-to snacks that you can take to work, the beach, on a road trip… well, it’s pretty much crucial!

Here are some high-protein snacks that you can prep ahead for the week!

✨ Hard-boiled eggs - here’s a ink that shows you how to make ‘em

✨ Canned fish - yeah, you probably love it or hate it. But if you’re in the former category, grab the portable, resealable pouches so there’s basically no prep involved - just grab and go! And most have seasoning and are still “clean” so it doesn’t have to be bland like we had as kids :)

✨ Nuts and seeds - make your own trail mix, making sure to pay attention to your meal plan! It’s easy to go overboard with portion control when it comes to nuts.

✨ Hummus - try making your own and snacking with carrots or other sliced veggies:

Beachbody also shares fully-created meal plans, and they’re even tailored to calorie levels if you’re following UPF - amazing right?! My husband loves these great lunch ideas so he can save money 2-3 times a week instead of eating out. I know, who is this guy???

Don’t forget about breakfast, which “breaks the fast” and energizes and fuels us for our day. Eating within 2 hours of waking up can help minimize temptations and you’re less likely to overeat later in the day. Try these 15 healthy breakfast ideas!

What snacks do you always prep to have on hand for when life gets a little crazy?

"Recipes of the Week" from Peak Physio!

I’ve recently been introduced to Peak Physio, Sports and Spine Centre, and only have amazing things to say about everyone there! Amy Goldstrom is one of their physiotherapists and she just got certified as a Function Medicinal Practitioner; yay Amy!! She created these clean, fun and delicious recipes that I’m passing along to you! If you wind up making them, tag @PeakSportsAndSpineCentre in your post and make her smile. I think I’ most excited to try the chai pudding and protein pancakes. What about you? Click on the image for the ingredients and instructions.

Help chose my business logo; vote below!!

So, I did a thing!! I got Certified as a Personal Trainer with NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) and am starting my own business focusing on nutrition (also got certified with NASM as a Nutrition Coach) and fitness. Not just fitness though, doing functional assessments (via Zoom thanks to Covid) so we can create your training program around muscles that are short and overactive; thus need to be stretched, and muscles that are long and underactive; therefore, need to be strengthened. No one program suits everyone! I’m loving this because my first four clients are already seeing weight loss and strength gains which his a double W I N !!!

My business name is following my Instagram Handle (@eatsweatpray) so Eat. Sweat. Pray Fitness. These are transparent so they can be placed on trucker hats, muscle t’s and documents / letterhead. I’d love your opinion. The ones in teal would remain that way, the ones in all black could be changed to teal writing or design so just go with design you like best. Maybe top 2?

Thanks for voting! I’ll choose a random comment to send a Herb Stripper to as a thank you! See what it is here! The kids use ours every week!

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Blueberry Greek Yogurt Protein bites

It sounds way healthier calling these “protein bites” (which they are), but they could double as dessert and no one would know they were good for them. Tell me if I’m wrong, but these look like blueberries covered in white chocolate. AMIRIGHT??? LOL My inspiration came from a Weight Watchers recipe, but in true WW fashion, it had unnecessary sugar. I’m a WW dropout, so I can say “been there, done that”. Wasn’t a lifestyle I could keep up with and model in front of my kids as “health"y”. Far from it actually. WW recipes might be low calorie, but they’re a shit storm of low fat, reduced fat, light, ingredients which basically means, CHEMICAL SHIT STORM. No thanks. Foodies here that wants to take control of what goes in my body!

Ingredients:
1 cup PLAIN greek yogurt
1 TBSP honey (although I think you can omit this if using Shakeology - it’s sweet enough for me)
1 scoop vegan vanilla Shakeology (any protein powder will do, but be careful because many taste chalky so you’ll want more sugar to mask the taste…or just get Shakeology and thank me later) ***
1 c washed blueberries

Directions:
Stir all ingredients together and then add blueberries. Divide into TBSP servings and freeze. Take out when ready to eat. YUMMMM! Share your comments below; can’t wait to hear how you like these!

I don’t count calories since doing Beachbody, but for those that do, I’ve calculated them for you.
Weight Watchers = 2 points
Portion Fix Containers = .5R, .5Y, .5tsp
2B Mindset “Plate-It” = good FFC to accompany with 2 eggs for your protein for brekky
calorie counters = 94 calories, 1.5g fat, 12.2g carbs, 7.7g fiber (based on 5 servings)

Paleo, GF, DF Lemon Cookies!

When I hear all those “free” words I think, “hummmm, what’s left? can these be good?” Well, let me be the one to tell you, YES. THEY. CAN. They are FODMAP approved cookies and my kids devoured them in no time flat. Don’t believe me? I made 14, and before I could get the picture of them straight from the oven, this is what happened… LOL 8 left!

3 ingredients and super easy so read this and then let your kids make them! Maybe they’ll even clean up, but that might be pushing your luck :)

1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup maple syrup (not Aunt Jemimas, get the real stuff!)
1 lemon zested
1 lemon juiced, seeds removed

Add all ingredients to a bwl and stir. Put in ziplock bag and freeze for one hour. I froze mine overnight so weather bland looking, but they tasted just as good. Use a fork to make texture marks if you want, adds flair :) Cook at 160 celsius / 350 farenheit for 8-9 minuets. Let them cool before removing from silicon sheet.

Makes 14 cookies, 116 calories each, 8g fat, 7.5 g carbs, 3.7g protein. Ultimate Portion Fix containers = 1 tsp, .5y

Booty gains!! Truth bomb!

It hurts. MY BOO-TAY HURTS! Confession...my whole life, I could sit on concrete or wood and be totally comfortable where all my friends were like "this is so uncomfortable", "why do we have to sit on something so hard" etc. 😮 and I'm like...Girl, I brought my own cushion in the back. I don't even feel the ground 😂🤔🤣
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But thanks (I *think*) to 80 day Obsession, my booty is shrinking and I'm finding myself complaining now that the ground feels hard. 🤗 My lulu shirt is too big and I used to have rolls over it. I haven't stepped on the scale since my 3 day refresh last month because I'm not focused on scale goals, I'm working on toning, building strength and endurance (non-scale victories).  
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I have 2 boys that I need to keep up with and beat in soccer ⚽. Soon they'll run circles around me. Autumn is working me hard so that doesn't happen! Who else wants to see some booty gains, fat loss, lean muscle and learn how to eat! I thought I knew already when I was living by my Fitbit and Garmin steps counters and my, My Fitness Pal calorie tracker and I just can't even.  
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Y'all, get your life back! Life is too short to not maximize your efforts in the time you have! We all have a few minutes and that's all it takes! Promise, I'm busier than a one-legged man in an as$ kicking contest, and I don't find the time, I MAKE THE TIME. 😍👩‍🎤

The easiest way to make an ice cream cake!

I've never made an ice cake before, but my son really really wanted a Baskin Robbins Ice Cream cake and I didn't feel like paying $69.95 for it, so I decided to make it.  All in, the ice cream cost me $16 and the cake mix $4, candles $3, and icing ingredients (because my hubby CANNOT buy store bought ice cream - whatevs) $5.  So $28, vs $70 and my son was so proud because we "made it".  We will take that win to the bank any day :)  

For the record, I believe some things are better from a box.  This isn't clean eating so buying a cake mix causes me no guilt or uncomfortable feelings, I secretly do a jump in the grocery aisle thinking (1) it will turn out and (2) I'm glad I'm not THAT MOM that has to make homemade cakes from scratch because see #1 above.  It won't turn out, I. Just. Know. It.  I digress.  

Here's what I did and the beauty of this is you can do it days ahead, it actually turns out better so no stressing the day of the party (as long as you have a freezer handy. if not, stress away and think of Plan B). 

Step 1: Chose your favorite ice cream and partially defrost it.  Line the pan you chose to use (I'd stick with brownie plan 8x8 or 9x9, or a round pan like this, similar size).  Line with parchment paper or seran wrap so you can easily pull it out without cracking or breaking the layer.  I had 2 pans so I made both ice cream layers at the same time.  As you're spooning the ice cream into the pan and pressing it down, it will smooth out and fill in all the holes. If it still seems lumpy, maybe you have too much and need to eat some.  I kid.  Not.  When finished, put in the freezer and let re-freeze for a day

Step 2: Make your cake.  I wanted to do 2 layers ice cream and 2 layers cake, but that would have just been too much cake and we'd have it leftover for months, so I stuck with 3 layers total.  the top looks thicker because of the vanilla frosting.  Once you make your cake as instructed, let it cool completely and put it in the freezer.  I lined the pan with aluminum foil so I could take it out easily and it could go in the oven.  Parchment paper would work too, but I find it crinkles in the oven sometimes and I wanted my cake smooth. Once completely cook, put in freezer for a few hours, or up to one day.

Step 3: Remove all layers from their respective pans and stack together.  You need to use freezer-friendly icing which is really hard to find in here, so we made whipped cream frosting and it was perfect!  Ice it VERY QUICKLY, remember you're dealing with ice cream here and it's no longer in the mold and will lose shape and form fast!!  Put in freezer once you're done and let it all come together.  The icing can fill in any defects so no pressure to have each layer perfect. You could ice between the layers, but for my first cake, I didn't want to risk timing and the ice cream melt on me.  That experiment is for cake #2 :) 

Step 4: Add any toppings and store in freezer till ready to serve.  At this point, I'd put it on your fancy cake platter and be ready to serve it.  We have 3 of these and have moved them from CA, to TX, to Australia and used them NEVER!  NOT ONE SINGLE TIME. We forget and this happens and we are screwed!  Thus, remember to transfer before the party starts. You're welcome :) 

This served 8 boys and we 12 pieces still leftover!  It makes a lot!!! To store leftovers, slice it completely and put in freezer-safe tupperware and you could enjoy for weeks to come. My family will eat this in 4 nights (3 people * 4 nts = 12 pcs) GONE!  

Flourless Banana Bread Muffins

Anyone else get caught up in the great deals at Costco and buy way. too. much. freaking. stuff?  I just did that with bananas and got like 15 GREEN bananas.  I thought I could use a few in smoothies till the rest were completely ripe and get through the batch.  W-R-O-N-G.  We left our blinds up overnight (which is a no-no in our house, the morning sun just bakes our fruit basket and there's no where for it to hide) so I woke up the next day to 15 BROWN...like no yellow to be found, bananas and tons of fruit flies.  

My family loves bananas and I have a lot of healthy repines pinned on Pinterest, but I wanted to mix it up a bit, so I searched 21 day fix recipes + banana bread and found this.  Now, I want to caution you on this...Beachbody does not publish these recipes so you're at the mercy of whoever writes these and hoping that they understand 21 day fix and aren't just trying to get hashtag search results.  A lot of the recipes I've clicked on aren't even key ingredients y'all.  It's a little humorous, but mostly sad. 

I modified this recipe quite a bit because I wanted more protein, a few more carbs (yeah, I said that) and less sugar.  I know, eye roll, but y'all, I got plans and sugar gets me 110% derailed.  One taste and I'm addicted all over again!

Here's what I used in mine:
2 eggs
3/4 c quick oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 bananas, the browner the better
1 TBSP honey
1/4 c creamy nut butter (any will do) 
2 TBSP ground flaxseed
1/4 c almond flour / meal

Portion out evenly to fill 8 pre-sprayed muffin tins. If you want to add nuts or chocolate chips, go for it, but my container counts are for only the ingredients above. You could throw all this in a blender and just pour, super easily, but I already had the bananas in the bowl when I thought of that :/ Bake 375 for about 10 minutes, but watch since all ovens are different. I made these in Australia using celsius so this is my best guess for American oven conversion :) 

Yields 8 muffins, 2 muffins / serving.  21-day fix container counts are 1P, 1Y, .5R, 4 tsp

BEACHBAR snack bars ARE HERE!!!

Do you love snack bars like my family does?  They are SUPER convenient and a filling snack, so often we find ourselves grabbing one as we run out the door to soccer, beach, run errands, etc.  Since I'm allergic to coconut, my options are very limited, but for my kids, I usually buy RX bars, Kind bars, Larabars or Clif Bars (FYI - I've found the kids version to be the same as the adult version.  It's just more expensive when you say it's specialized for "kids" - smart marketing ;) ) 

But, y'all, they are LOADED with hidden sugars and definitely aren’t considered whole foods or clean eating. I’m stoked Beachbody is launching their OWN line of nutrition bars, called the BEACHBAR!!  YAYYYYYY!!  They are packed with 10 grams and protein, only 150 calories, no artificial flavors or preservatives, and they’re gluten-free.

BEACHBARs will be offered in two flavors: Peanut Butter Chocolate and Chocolate Cherry Almond. And my customers are most excited that they work with our Portion Fix containers - .5 R, .5 Y, 1 tsp.  I am way to excited about these and I'm not the only one. I bet these will sell out in the first month!!

BEACHBARs are a crunchy, chewy snack bar that is protein dense, fruit base packed with nut pieces, nut butters, real chocolate chips, and whey protein crisps – but only 5-6g of sugar per bar. That means they have a better protein-to-sugar ration that most other leading snack bars! Whoo-hoo!! 

INGREDIENTS:
--Nut Butters – protein, fiber, and adds a creamy texture
--Dried Cherries – dietary fiber & phytonutrients
--Whey and Pea Protein Crisps – 9 of the essential amino acids
--Real Chocolate Chips – phytinutrients known as flavonoids, but y'all...CHOCOLATE (need I say more about this???)
--Diced Peanuts & Almonds – beneficial monounsaturated fats, protein, and fiber
--Pomegranate Juice – tart, fruity sweetness

Who will enjoy BEACHBARs?

• People with a busy lifestyle, eat on the go, have lots of surprises in their day and find they might skip meals
• People who want more protein and fiber in their diet, while reducing their sugar intake
• People who are GF, have a sweet tooth, snack between meals, or follow the Portion Fix nutrition plan

Do ANY of these sound like you? I can relate to almost all of them except that I don't eat GF.  Beginning of April, you can order these, so let me know now which flavors you want to try and I'll place a pre-order as soon as they launch! Each box contains 15 bars and you will be able to purchase bundles of 1, 2, or 3 boxes through ME!  As long as we are connected, they'll be linked you your customer account and I'll remain your coach and accountability leader.  

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Easter Eggs

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I'm not trying to be a debbie downer, but at Easter, I feel like sugar becomes the focus very easily!  There are mollies, chocolate and Peeps everywhere.  How gross are those marshmallow things?!?! I try to limit their sugar and focus on the reason for the season.  Yes, we do egg hunts, and sometimes 3-4 in a weekend, but I fill them with tattoos, erasers, and various non-sugary items that make the kids equally happy!  I promise! My kids are not deprived and there's no mis-behaving or sugar crashes an hour later so we all win!  These are a fun way to indulge a little without eating a sugar stick and festive too.  I switched some of the ingredients to keep it clean. 

Ingredients:
2 ½ C quick oats
3 TBSP peanut butter (keep it clean, should be just nuts and maybe salt)
¼ C maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
5 TBSP unsweetened almond milk
¼ C mini chocolate chips, opt (I prefer Dark Chocolate)
Sprinkles for decoration
Plastic eggs, wash first

Directions: 
In a medium bowl mix dry ingredients and set aside. In a large bowl add maple syrup, vanilla, milk and peanut butter. Stir until mixture has been combined, add the dry ingredient to the large bowl and mix with hands.  Once combined, add chocolate chips. Place in plastic eggs and let set in the fridge for 1 hour. Once done, gently open them from the plastic eggs and decorate with sprinkles.

Happy Easter!! The Lord has Risen Indeed!

Paleo Creme Eggs

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OH MY WORD, AMIRIGHT???? I have got to have these…

Ingredients:
For the chocolate shells:
150g cacao solids (a.k.a. cacao liquor/paste)
150g cacao butter
4.5 tbsp raw honey or maple syrup
¼ tsp vanilla powder (optional)

For the white creme filling:
25g cacao butter
80ml coconut cream
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp cashew butter (or coconut manna/oil)
1 tbsp vanilla extract

For the yolk creme filling:
4 tbsp of the white creme filling
½ tsp maca powder
½ tsp ground turmeric

Directions can be found HERE.

Pumpkin Muffins (from WW)

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Let me start by saying, I "try" to make clean food as much as possible, but there are times when you're at a crossroads... semi-processed at home, or completely processed at the store.  This recipe allows you to still bring a homemade treat with similar, or better, nutrients than the store and your house will smell delicious in the process.  And it is SIMPLE - only three ingredients!  Get ready for this...cake mix, water, canned pumpkin.  Bam. Easy right? 

I prefer Duncan Hines SPICE cake mix.  I love the flavor it brings out and it's always a hit.  But, Duncan Hines doesn't state that they are a nut free factory so if I'm making this for a party or school, I always use Betty Crocker who I've been told, is safe for nut allergies.  **My family only has coconut allergies so I'm going off what I've been told.   

US version:
1 box Duncan Hines spice cake mix
1/2 c water
1 15 oz Libby's canned pumpkin

Australia version:
1 box vanilla cake mix
1/4 c water
1 15 oz Libby's canned pumpkin
1-2 TBSP Pumpkin Spice***, to taste (the batter doesn't have eggs so you won't get sick tasting it, but don't eat it ALL! speaking from experience here) ;)

*For a party, sift powdered sugar on top for that extra WOW factor. You could ice them, but I find them sweet enough and powered sugar really is impressive enough without hiding the flavor of everything else.

**I usually double this recipe when I make it because my kids seriously go through this super quick and I can spread the love to teachers, neighbors, church morning tea, etc. or freeze them.  They are great frozen and then reheated once they thaw. 

***if you don't have Pumpkin Spice on hand, save your money and make it. It's super simple and I make it in large batches so it lasts for month.  I use it in a lot of things so it's handy to have around and no need to spend $4-5 on a small jar: 1.5 TBSP ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground allspice, 1 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp ground cloves. 

DO NOT MISS THIS!  You do not make the recipe with the instructions on the box...disregard that, you only use water and canned pumpkin so this is egg free, nut free, butter free, and oil free too.  Also, this is not 21-Day Fix approved, but again, one of those splurges where you want to bring homemade, have people talk about you for days and make everyone in your house think you are AMAZING!