Four Ingredient Cookies

I have made these "cookies" about 4 times with the last 2 weeks. I even started making double batches! Cookies?? you say? I am supposed to be all about healthy and clean eating?? you say?

Well, these "cookies" are just about the healthiest "un" cookies that still taste like delicious, high calorie, sugar packed cookies! But are anything but! I have been looking for a recipe for clean and easy to make granola bars for the kids. There is something so convenient about just being able to grab a snack like a granola bar, but the store bought bars are full of so many additives and preservatives, even the "organic" ones! And they will break your bank! Most of the bar recipes I found were too complicated and not all that yummy. So I came across a similar recipe and tweaked it just a little and came out with these delicious little bites!

Ingredients:

2 Ripe Bananas

1 1/4 cup of Quick Oats

1/2 cup of Dairy free, Soy free Chocolate Chips (I use Enjoy Life brand)

2 TBSP of Natural Peanut Butter

Directions (it can't get any easier):

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Smash bananas, mix in oats, peanut butter and chocolate chips. Use a teaspoon to drop onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes!

So I made about 16 small "cookies" with this recipe and they were gone in 2 days! Just try to keep them longer! Oh and since they are all fresh ingredients, you will want to store them in an airtight container for no more than about 5 days. Let me know what you think!

Oh and check out my latest fitness challenge group on Facebook here!

Getting Fit Does Not Discriminate

When I decided to try out the 21 Day Fix earlier this year, I had many people say to me "You are already thin.", "You don't need to lose weight." And every time I heard that, I wanted to scream. There, I said it. It really made me crazy.

Losing pounds was not my ultimate goal. Sure, it was welcome, but it was not the reason I began on this journey. I made a decision that I wanted to get HEALTHY. I made a decision to cut out processed foods. I made a decision to add a 30 minute daily workout to my running schedule to improve my fitness. I decided to do all of this for the benefits that it would have on my cardiovascular system, my cholesterol, my mood, muscle tone and most importantly, to start setting a better example for my children. The weight loss just happened when I made these changes. And, it was a lifestyle change! It wasn't unreasonable, it wasn't unsustainable and I wasn't starving. I was learning. I did this for me.

My point is that getting fit is for EVERYONE. You might have 50 lbs to lose, you might be average weight, you might be underweight, you might be young, middle age or pushing 70! Do not underestimate the effects of what you are eating and your physical activity on your life. Your whole life. You may have no idea how great you could feel. I didn't. I thought it was normal to want to take a nap at 2 pm.

The greatest victory for me as a result of the changes I made was learning how to eat to feel amazing. I learned what foods to eat, how much to eat and in what balance to maximize my health.  And now, when I get off track, I know it. My body tells me about it. I feel tired, my skin breaks out, I'm cranky.

If there is any one change I would encourage you to make to get healthy is to take the time to learn. You might think you already eat healthy. I thought I did. Guess what? It wasn't good enough. Take the time to learn for yourself, to feel better, to set an example for your families.

I run clean eating groups all the time and have one coming up starting October 6th. You don't have to want to lose weight, you just have to want to learn about getting healthy and getting fit. If you want to get started learning how, you can join my Facebook event here.  Add me and send me a message letting me know you are ready to start learning! Would love for you to join us!

And it's not just me...this was a message I received from one of my latest challengers. This is for real.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

Happy Fall!!

Is it officially fall yet? It doesn't matter, close to fall means pumpkin everything and I am seriously in love with pumpkin!

The problem is that I am pretty much the only one in my house with this love! So, to bake pumpkin style is quite dangerous because I end up eating most if whatever it is myself!

This weekend we celebrated my amazing Mom's 60th birthday with a limo to dinner and the casino! A great time was had by all! Lots of food, drinks and cake, of course. One of my uncles has been following a fairly strict vegan diet, so he wouldn't be able to participate in birthday dessert festivities unless we brought something special along. I remembered I had come across a vegan pumpkin cupcake recipe that I wanted to try and tweaked it a little (of course I added chocolate)! The cupcakes were a hit, not just with the vegan guy, but everybody else at the table too!

I think this recipe proves that vegan desserts can actually be super delicious in a not overwhelmingly sweet way! There is no dairy, no flour, and no refined sugars. Check it out!

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups Pumpkin Puree
2 Ripe Bananas
1/2 cup Coconut Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ginger
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
2 TBSP Vegan Chocolate Chips

Whipped Topping:

1 Can of full fat Coconut Milk
2 TBSP Maple Syrup
1 tsp Organic Almond Extract

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Blend first 7 ingredients until smooth, then fold in chocolate chips. Fill cupcake liners with the mixture and bake for 25 minutes.

For whipped topping, combine coconut milk with maple syrup and almond extract, blend with whip attachment until desired consistency.

Let cupcakes cool completely, refrigerate. Top with whipped topping before serving.

Adapted from: My Whole Food Life

Refreshed!

Who has done the cabbage soup diet in effort to drops a quick 5 pounds?? Yes? No? Either way, if you are looking for a quick fix that will get you started the healthy way and get you results, this is the way!

Back in June, Beachbody released one of their latest products, the 3 Day Refresh. I bought it at the time it came out and have just been staring at it on my shelf for 3 months! I have never done a juice cleanse, a cabbage soup diet, or anything "extreme" to lose weight, so anything that involves just 3 days scares me a little. But, as I talked about in my previous blog posts, end of summer took it's toll and I was quite ready to be refreshed!

So what is the Refresh?
It is a 3 day cleanse and detoxification that focuses on whole nutritious foods to help you kick cravings, rid of toxins, decrease bloat and re-energize! Unlike juice cleanses that are high in sugar, this program provides proteins, vegetables, and good fats to fuel your body, but also promotes weight loss. This way your body does not feel depleted of nutrients and you don't crash.

What is included?
With the Refresh Challenge Pack, you receive a 30 day supply of the nutrient dense meal replacement supplement, Shakeology which serves as breakfast. You receive 3 packets of Fiber Sweep, a mid morning fiber full snack, and 6 packets of Vanilla Fresh, another plant protein packed meal replacement. Vanilla Fresh serves as lunch and dinner along with plant based meals outlined in the guide. And, after the 3 days is done, you have the rest of the 30 day supply of Shakeology to keep you on track!

So what happened?!
As I said, any type of cleanse leaves me a little reluctant, but I jumped in with a positive attitude and started on a Wednesday, so I knew I would be home for 2 of the 3 days, and it didn't cross a weekend (we all know how hard weekends can be when it comes to minimal eating)! I drink shakeology on the regular (and love it) so breakfast was easy, I was able to eat some fruit along with my shake and felt satisfied each morning. The shake kept me full until time for the fiber sweep. I just mixed in filtered water and gulped it down! Not bad at all. Lunch each day was vanilla fresh with some raw cauliflower (you choose from a long list of veggies!) and hummus. And I added some organic almond extract to the vanilla fresh shake to make it even tastier. Dinner each night was a Vanilla Fresh with a giant salad loaded with greens, peppers, sprouts and cucumber with lemon juice dressing. Yum! And for a snack in the evening I had a cup of ginger green tea.

Day 1 and Day 2 were easy peasy! I wasn't hungry and felt great. Day 3 I started to feel a little hungry towards the end of the day. I had lost 4 pounds and 1.5 inches off my waist by the morning of the third day, so I cheated a little and added some white beans to my salad! Cringe! I didn't quite make it, but was super proud of myself for making it as far as I did!

Was it worth it?
Definitely! I felt so much better, bloat was gone, 4 pounds off and 1.5 inches off my waist! It really helped me to get back on track with the healthy eating and get back to where I was before summer took over my healthy habits! It was not hard because you still get to eat yummy nutritious foods, clean out your system and don't have to starve!

Would I do it again?
Definitely, if I felt I needed to get back on track!  ;).

Who is it for?
So this program is for anyone who wants to wipe the slate clean, get back on track to healthy eating, jump start weight loss, or even get ready for a big event or vacation to look and feel great! And the great part is you have another 27 days of shakeology to help you stay on track and reap the amazing benefits of all those super nutrients!

How do you get a hold of it?
Contact me of course! Would love to guide you through and make recommendations for you!

Add me on Facebook here for other fitness and healthy living inspiration!

Change of Season

I love the season changes, all of them really. But for me, there's nothing like the change from a hot, humid summer to a crisp, cool fall with cozy sweaters, jeans and boots. I love all things pumpkin, the cool weather and the crunch of fallen leaves when I run, and Buffalo Bills football, of course.

However, this year, fall has a whole new meaning for us Robisons. We have a kindergartener! New clothes are purchased, backpack is packed, and I've got lots of ideas for healthy lunches. It appears we are ready, but are we really "ready"? I guess in so many ways we are ready. Nate is so smart and active and has so much energy and loves school. I feel that I can no longer keep him busy enough at home and know that he will learn and grow so much from being in a classroom and surrounded by other children his age. He loves art and science experiments and writing his letters and he will get all of that and more at school!

In other ways, I'm not sure we are ready. It's kind of like having a baby. Are you ever really ready? You can't possibly be. There are so many adjustments and changes that are made when that baby comes, and you learn and grow as things come along.  I have been lucky enough to work part time since Nate was born and got to spend days at home with him playing, reading, zoo trips, music classes, all kinds of things. I don't know where the time has gone. People say that time just goes by faster and faster, and they are very correct. I am grateful for the time I got to spend with him at home and will miss him, but at the same time, I have enormous pride that he has grown into such a smart little man and know he is going to do amazing things.  It's a really big step watching your little one get on such a big bus, by himself. I'm not sure how I will handle it, but know I will be wearing sunglasses.  I know every Mommy survives this moment, so I will take comfort in that, and look forward to him coming off those bus steps later that day to tell me all about his first day of kindergarten! So, just like with a brand new baby, we will learn how to deal with all the wonderful and scary things that come with a child headed off to school, and then eventually, high school and college! Oye!

The other change that I am about to embrace this fall is getting back on the healthy track! The summer really reeled me in when it comes to snacking, ice cream, and skipping workouts because we were so busy. And, I have to say that I did not get away without paying a price. My energy is down, my skin is icky,  a few pounds crept back and I just haven't felt as good.  That's the wonderful thing about making this change earlier this year! I know what I should feel like, not bogged down by simple carbs and processed foods, and I know how to get back.  So enough about the bad, let's talk about the good!

I have a half marathon coming up in October and my running was at it's best when I was in the thick of the 21 Day Fix. On the meal plan (simple, whole foods, portion control), the daily workouts, plus the daily Shakeology to help keep me full and a delicious treat to curb my cravings. The great news is that there is an amazing sale on the challenge pack this month! The whole program plus a 30 day supply of your choice flavor of Shakeology for only $140. This is less than $5 per day for a meal replacement supplement (about the same cost as your Starbucks coffee), a proven meal plan, a variety of daily workouts and, of course, ME and the support of a group of people on the same mission that you are! So if you are ready to get out of that summer haze of picnic food and party drinks, I am here to get you started. Follow the link to join my Event, add me on Facebook or private message me! Can't wait to help you "Fall into Shape"!

Facebook Fall into Shape Event

These are my before and after with 2 rounds of the 21 Day Fix!

Classic Hummus

Hummus is one of my favorite foods to have on hand for the week for a dip for veggies or bean chips or an addition to a veggie wrap! It is so easy to make at home and you can save money and avoid some extra processed ingredients that come in the store bought versions! This is a recipe for a plain hummus, but you can add in other veggies, herbs or spices to mix it up.  I like to add a small beet or 1/2 of an avocado!

Ingredients:

1 can of chick peas (rinsed thoroughly!)
1 heaping TBSP of Tahini
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 small clove of garlic
2 TBSP of olive oil

Put all ingredients into your blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  You can add a small amount of water if you prefer your hummus to be thinner.

There is so much you can add to hummus to make it interesting: fresh basil or parsley, jalapeño pepper, or fresh spinach!

Whole Wheat Raspberry Muffins

These were a huge hit with the kids and hubby! Great for breakfast, snack or a lunchbox treat!

Whole Wheat Raspberry Muffins (Makes 12)

1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp baking soda
Zest of 1 lemon

1 egg
1/2 cup of organic coconut oil
1/2 cup milk of choice (cow's, almond, etc.)
1/3 cup of pure maple syrup
1 tsp of vanilla
1 cup of raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients in small bowl.

Cream coconut oil with mixer. Add egg, milk, maple syrup and milk. Mix until smooth. Add dry ingredients slowly to moist ingredients. When combined, gently fold in raspberries.

Use ice cream scoop to fill muffin cups, Bake for 20 minutes.

These came out super delicious and the coconut makes them so moist!