Walk it Out!

WALKING. Almost a sigh of relief compared to running. Maybe I'm just speaking for myself when I say that, but that doesn't ruin the fact that it is an excellent form of exercise. I mean look at all the things you benefit from when choosing to take the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking farther away from the grocery so you walk farther. Simple stuff really, that you probably don't even think about. But look how you are really moving toward your goal of true health! You strengthen your muscles, improves balance, boosts endorphins for stress relief...(I know some people are listening now!) And get this, it burns more fat than jogging! NO WAY! So I honestly think this is a great way to take a break, release stress, and ignore the world for a little while.

I challenge you all to 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week. or if your schedule is too hectic, to the math to see how many minutes that is..(150 for people who don't wanna think about it) and work it around your schedule. maybe its 15 one day, or 5 the other. It doesn't matter, but get it done!
earbuds in, running shoes on, shut out the world.


*you are only ONE exercise away from a good mood!*
Rachel

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Krispies!

hey everyone! I have been obsessed with finding sweet treats on Pinterest lately, and came across this one. Never would've put all these ingredients together, and I can't believe how good it all turned out. And plus, im a huge sucker for anything white chocolate, so that was definitely my downfall. Hehehe. So since you won't be able to stop with just one of these lovely krispies, i'll be posting an exercise idea later so you can enjoy these guilt free! (Everything in moderation of course.) Hope you love these as much as I do!

Ingredients:
2 cups rice krispies cereal
2 cups dry roasted peanuts
2 cups mini marshmellows
1 cup peanut butter
2  12 oz. packages of white chocolate chips. (OH MY YUM.)


Directions:
In a large bowl, combine cereal, peanuts, and marshmallows. In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate on high for 1 minute & then in 30 second intervals until fully melted. (stir in between intervals) Then stir chocolate into cereal mixture. Let it set until firm, or if you are in a hurry, set it in the fridge or freezer. store in an airtight container. 


*switch it up!* you could use regular chocolate chips to cover it, or even maybe the butterscotch chips that are also super delicious :)


Hope you've had a great day y'all!
post in the comments how you like it, or how you maybe personalized the recipe :)

Rachel 

Perfect Pancakes!

 Good morning guys! I thought i'd introduce you to this delicious & healthy recipe. This could work great for breakfast, or as my personal favorite, breakfast for dinner! The reason these babies are so good for you, is that we use vanilla Chobani yogurt.

This is a picture of what you'll see in stores, except we obviously don't use raspberry yogurt for our pancakes, but when grocery shopping you'll wanna grab the one that says vanilla. These pancakes are super yummy, despite the fact that they are health conscious. So here is how to make them!

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 large egg, slightly beaten
- 1/2 cup vanilla chobani greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup nonfat milk. (really, any milk you use at your house will be fine:)
-vegetable oil cooking spray
-whatever syrup you love
*optional mix-ins* I absolutely LOVE adding in some cinnamon, and you could add bananas too!


Directions:
mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk egg, chobani, & milk all together. Pour wet mix into dry, and whisk until smooth. Heat skillet over medium/high heat, and spray with cooking spray.
for each pancake, scoop 1/4 cake batter onto the skillet. Flip when bubbles appear at the top, and cook until golden brown. (about 1 minute)


you can make the pancakes whatever size you want, Im just saying 1/4 so you can follow the nutrition information im providing:)


nutrition information: (per pancake)
75 calories
1g of fat
13g carb
protein 4g
sugars 2g
sodium 229g
Have a blessed day you guys, more posts are coming! Hope you enjoy these, they are an excellent way to get your healthy day started.

Rachel

Simple Weekly Workouts

Hey everyone, hope you all have had an awesome week sofar! I saw this on Pinterest when I was on earlier, and thought this was another simple alternative than going to the gym. When looking through it, you will see that everything it recommends that you do is quite simple, and requires almost zero time! For extra workout, do it twice a day if you can. so really, you're only getting 6 days, and can choose to take sunday off. blessing :)
good luck on your journey, remember: It never gets easier, you just get better!


look out for more posts coming today, I've got plenty of recipes up my sleeve!
Rachel

Magical Fruits

Hi Everyone! I wanted to get this post out before I left the house, so here are some reasons to eat fruit. Who knew that these little guys could totally boost your health, and make weightloss so much easier? Most of your daily calorie and carbs should come from either fruit or vegetables. since they are the natural sugars, plus with tons of healthy vitamins! I mean just look at the apple for instance. I guess the "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" really does come into play here! I love oranges, and I've heard several times that they're known for clearing up skin and helping eyesight. I've never had a kiwi, ill have to try that sometime......okay sorry, sidetracked:) The first photo is an excellent example of a good breakfast or snack, or any meal really! I love it, all the different flavors combined into one healthy dish is sooo good. and good for you! Having this first in the morning before your workout will speed up your metabolism throughout the day.
your journey may never get easy or easier, but don't give up! health is so worth it!
look out for more posts to come..
Rachel 

Lowfat Oatmeal Spice Cookies!

Hi guys! Okay, anything with pumpkin, or spice instantly reminds me of the holidays. I love it. I came across this recipe online and fell in love with it! These little cookies are super delicious, and quite irresistible. No worries, its good that they aren't actually too bad for you! love it when that happens :)
here's the recipe!

Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin (warning: NOT pumpkin pie filling. Actual cup of Pumpkin. I could only find it at target..so thats definitely the place to look!)
- 1 egg & 1 egg white
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 cup white wheat flour (could use all purpose if preferred)
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
*optional mix-ins* 1 cup pecans, walnuts, raisins, or chocolate chips :)


Directions:
preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, mix pumpkin, eggs, vanilla until well combined. In a separate bowl combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, *optional mix-ins,* baking soda, and spices. whew! Then, combine wet & dry ingredients until just moistened. The mix is fairly dry, and it works best to finish combining everything by hand to get everything fully mixed. Drop onto baking sheets by spoonfuls about 2-3 inches apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
(cookies don't really spread while baking, so they'll come out the same size and shape as were put in)
*add a special glaze of your choice for an even sweeter treat. But if you're aiming for the most health conscious option, I'd do without!*


Hope you fall in love with this recipe like I did, Its definitely one to do often! Look out for more blog posts to come....
Rachel

EXERCISE. you think i'm just gonna post all these delicious recipes, and let you just glue those to your thigh? no way, im here to help you guys all over the board. These are basic exercises that could be done at home, because most of us really have to work time in our schedule for the YMCA. (and thats not forgetting the fact that most people dread the thought of it) so here's an interesting idea....stay in your own home! who would've thought? anyways, so this is a simple 3 workout exercise that has examples on how to work your arms, legs, and abdomen. you'll thank me soon, all though after a few too many twisting crunches you may not like me so much. But you're new rockin' body will! :) hope everyone has an awesome day today, more healthy recipes and advice to come!

Rachel

PORTION SIZES, ladies and gentlemen. Now, everything in moderation is considered healthy. But for a standard meal, having an idea of what, and how much to eat, is helpful. Portion sizes are just a way for people to know a healthy amount of food to put on their plate. Now if you’re still hungry after eating whatever portion amount, than by all means, listen to your body. Here, let me say that again in case you weren’t listening the first time. Ahem… LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. That people, is the key to healthy living. when you’re tired, you sleep. (hopefully) when you know people are avoiding you because of your breath, you brush your teeth. Its common sense really, and the same should apply to your eating habits. Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full. It is scientifically proven that people who listen to those signs remain at their desired weight within a pound. If you just lost 40 pounds and are worried about maintenance..don’t feel like you have to run for 2 hours at the Y every. Single. Agonizing. Day. Just listen to what you’re body is telling you.

sleep well, eat right, exercise. you'll be content and wake up/ go to bed a much happier and healthier person. 

Snickerdoodle Blondies!

As a little girl growing up, I was never a huge fan of chocolate. I know what you're thinking..(are you even a girl?!) Im not too fantastic at anatomy, but I can guarantee that I am! But it has grown on me as the years go by, and I came across this blog, (I believe it is called Chocolate Covered Katie) who showed me this recipe. And best of all, this recipe is extremely health conscious. Can I get an Amen?
So without further ado, here is the recipe to creating these delicious blondies:

Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cup chickpeas ..drained and rinsed (or you could sub any white bean for these)
-3 T nut butter
-3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
-1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 table salt 
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 T unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/4 ground flax (or flour :)
- 2 1/4 tsp cinnamon


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend all the ingredients until smooth, and scoop into a greased (or tinfoil lined) 8x8 pan. bake for 35-40 minutes. You want the blondies to look a little under cooked when you take them out, because they will firm up as they cool. 


nutrition info: I got this info from Katie's blog, so I'm taking her word for it! It does sound accurate. 
for 3 blondies:
calories: 74
fat: 2g
sugar: 6g
protein: 2g