Cinnamon Coffee Cake

I think about “daily deposits” during my day and thought I’d share this with you in case it helps you think of how to improve each day by 1% more.

When you make a decision that you don’t have time for breakfast, your commute is more important than your nutrition, that other mornings are more valued than your own, in your workouts are in the way … you put mini deposits in the bucket of your mindset saying YOU AREN’T ENOUGH, OR UNWORTHY. That you don’t deserve enough.

But the truth is, YOU DESERVE IT ALL, AND MORE.

This cinnamon coffee cake recipe is the perfect sweet treat to kickstart your day. Add this one to your meal plan!

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Serves 6

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray

1½ cups all-purpose gluten-free flour

½ cup coconut flour

2 Tbsp. brown sugar (or coconut sugar)

1½ tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided use

¼ tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)

3 cups reduced-fat cottage cheese

8 large egg whites (1 cup - I buy liquid egg whites to save $)

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 tsp. liquid stevia, opt

1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

FOR TOPPING:

¼ cup dry rolled oats

3 Tbsp. chopped unsalted pecans

2 Tbsp. brown sugar (or coconut sugar)

2 Tbsp. unsalted organic butter (or coconut oil), melted

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

2. To make coffee cake, lightly coat an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with spray; set aside.

3. Add gluten-free flour, coconut flour, brown sugar, baking soda, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and salt to a medium mixing bowl; stir to combine.

4. Add cottage cheese, egg whites, extract, and stevia (opt) to a blender; cover. Blend until smooth.

5. Pour cheese mixture into flour mixture; mix until a thick batter forms.

6. Pour half of the mixture into the prepared baking dish; use a spatula to spread evenly into corners. Add cocoa powder and remaining 1 tsp. cinnamon to a sifter (or wire mesh strainer) held over the baking dish; sift to evenly coat. Spoon remaining batter over top, using a spatula to spread evenly into corners.

7. To make topping: add oats, pecans, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon to a small mixing bowl; stir to combine. Sprinkle evenly over batter.

8. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes. Slice into 6 equal pieces.

9. Refrigerate leftover coffee cake in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Heat gently before serving, if desired.

Macros: 1 Yellow, 1 Red, 1 Blue, 1 tsp.

What daily deposits can you change? Or have already changed?

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Truffle-Like No Bake Brownies 🍫

Level up your nutrition game with high protein, or less sugar recipes, like this Truffle-Like No Bake Brownies. I promise you can sneak protein in, in so many ways and no one will notice.
Servings 12

Ingredients

12 large pitted medjool dates

½ cup clean nut butter (means no added sugar or oil)

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)

¼ cup dark chocolate chips (but no one is the boss of you :) - you measure that with your heart)

¼ tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

¾ tsp. flakey salt

Instructions

1. Add dates, almond butter, cocoa powder, and sea salt to a food processor; cover. Process until smooth.

2. Line an 8 x 5-in. loaf pan with parchment (leave a little hanging over the sides to lift the brownies out); press date mixture evenly into pan. Freeze for 30 minutes.

3. While the mixture is freezing, add chocolate chips and oil to a heatproof bowl; set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally, until chocolate is fully melted; set aside.

4. Remove pan from freezer; top with melted chocolate. Sprinkle with flakey salt.

5. Let chocolate set for 1 minute; lift brownies out of pan. Cut into 12 equal pieces.

For any wellness supplements, reach out via email for a 15% off link and free shipping! Shaklee is The Most Clinically Proven Company in the World and used by Olympians, the only cleaning products in the White House and in every NASA space launch since 1993. We hold the most patented wellness products ini the world as well. You will not find anything more backed by science guaranteed! Don’t pay for the placebo effect, or shiny Instagram fad that aren’t validated. Shop here!

5-ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

This is ALL you need guys, couldn’t be simpler, yet still indulgent. I am giddy with excitement for my boys to come home and try these because I knowwwwww, they will loveeeee them! But then I have this other feeling of “where can I hide these bad boyzzzz?” Do you get me? It makes 12 so that’s 12 days of hiding ;o) I’ll cut to the chase…

Ingredients:
⅓ cup clean smooth peanut butter (I prefer dark roasted, but any nut butter will do)
1 ½ tsp honey (I always prefer creamed honey, but it made it thicker, so I wouldn’t for your 1st attempt. Yeah, I already know you’ll make this more than once!)
1 TBSP vanilla (you can do as little as 1 tsp, but I like vanilla flavoring)
1 TBSP unflavored, or vanilla flavored, Collagen Peptides (I prefer this brand for joint support as well, it is nothing except Bovine Peptides. **watch for unnecessary additives)
1 cup dark chocolate chips (or 70% Cocoa baking chocolate ~ 255 grams)

Directions:
1) Mix all ingredients together in bowl, except for the chocolate. Once creamy, put aside in fridge.
2) Put paper liners in a 12-slotted muffin tin. Set aside.
3) Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe container (at 70-80% power) in 30 second intervals. Stir in between so you don’t overheat it or burn the chocolate. You can also do this on the stove.
4) Dollop 1 tsp melted chocolate in each muffin liner and spread from edge to edge with back of spoon or spatula.
5) Follow with 1 tsp peanut butter mixture from fridge in each muffin liner. If you have leftovers, just even it out amongst the 12. Smooth layer.
6) Use remaining chocolate for top layer, 1 tsp in each, and smooth layer. Should be looking like a Reese’s Cup at this point ;o)
7) Put in the fridge for 2 hours and then remove and store in ziplock or Tupperware for up to 2 weeks. Or, share it and watch how fast it disappears.

Macros: 170 calories, 4g protein, 9g carbs, 13g fat, 7g sugar, 3g fiber
Portion Fix Containers: ½ Y, 2 tsp
2B Mindset Plate-It: Treat, enjoy it and track it!

Step 1 - everything, but chocolate

Step 4 & 5. It’s so hard not to eat it right now as is!!

Step 6 and off to the fridge it goes!

"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.

Oh you "silly carbs"

You guys, I am LOVING this program!!! Although I'm very conscious about my health and fitness, I still have cellulite I’d LOVE to lose. Well, I'm down 3.5 pounds already and we just launched!  That's a lot for me!  AND I feel AWESOME!  I haven't had this much energy in a long time!

One of the things I absolutely love about this program is that no treat is off-limits.  She calls treats "silly carbs" and they are all ok!  She teaches us to eat Fiber-Filled Carbohydrates at most meals, but if you want some silly carbs, then go for it - following her guidelines/process.  I LOVE THAT. I also love quantity and that is celebrated on this program - YES PLEASE!

There's never any deadline to join this program; however, prices ARE increasing on June 3rd.  

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

2 Ingredient Ice Cream

Ice cream can be a treat, and be delicious and be on the plan.  It is possible and add to that list, it can trick your kids.  By that I mean...this ice cream which is bananas and peanut butter is a favorite in my household.  And my household consists of two boys that HATE bananas, but they will eat this in 30 seconds flat and take down a Shakeology with banana blended in it like NOBODY'S BUSINESS.  Try it.  And feel free to laugh at overheating my blender.  Since I made this video, I slice my bananas up before freezing them so this hasn't happened again. But, my Au Pair and I got a great laugh from the video :) 

FREE CONE DAY!!! April 10th!

You are welcome for saving you $5.75 a cone!  Isn't that crazy?  While you're paying for it, YES, but while you're eating it, you're like...oh sweet friend, you are so worth it all!  Ok, maybe that's just me.  Sorry not sorry.  My favorites...A Cookie Affair, Brownie Batter, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Chocolate Fudge Brownie (I've eaten an entire pint by myself WHILE DOING TAXES before.  Don't eat ice cream and do taxes, JUST. DON'T), The Tonight Dough, Strawberry Cheesecake (and I don't like fruity ice cream - this is the ONLY strawberry cheesecake ice cream  I will eat).  Who ever hear of a picky ice cream eater?  ME!!! RIGHT HERE! If I'm going to eat the calories, I want them to be yummy and worth it.  Like VG's, Leucadia or Krispy Kreme donuts.  I WILL NOT eat any others.  You won't even tempt me, but those...I might eat till I'm sick. True story. #notproud

But, heres the kicker with all of those scrumptious flavors...they have dairy!!!  I know you're thinking...DUH!  Well, I know these things and when I have no willpower, I eat them anyways and then I, and those around me (who are usually the ones I love most) pay the price.  

But guess what this wonderful company did...the designed 4 flavors that are made with Almond Milk.  YESSSSSS!  And I tasted one yesterday, the Peanut Butter & Cookies and it's legit good y'all.  You wouldn't even know except that after I eat it, everyone is happy and stays happy.  No tummy ache at all and no bloat so right back to the beach in my bikini and didn't miss a beat.  

You need to try these on April 10th!  Yes, I teach clean eating, yes I believe it's important, yes I also believe that you can't deprive yourself of things or then you binge. I'm not saying go all week.  Go on the 10th, save some money, treat yourself and on the 11th resume daily self control.  We can't have it all the time ;) 

Trip to Sydney - Happy 40th to me!

1) Social Brew Cafe - Darling Harbor Sydney - The Deli Plate

It's no secret that I eat clean and I love food. I've been living this "clean" lifestyle for 2+ yrs now and it started all from sleeping issues, depression, anxiety (and being medicated for both) and having gas all the time.  it's my blog, I can share my TMI with the world :) I don't have it now so that's what matters right?  GI issues run in my family and I never knew how to fix it, so I tried clean eating + Shakeology and couldn't believe the radical changes in ALL OF THE ABOVE!  Sleep, energy, digestion, tooting...all way better!  But, my husband loves RICH food so that makes it hard when we travel. I've learned how to make choices and what to request so that I'm not hating life all night, and those around me aren't either.  Read this article for tips I shared.  Given in 2017 I traveled more than I was home, I got in a LOT OF PRACTICE at eating on the road, so these are tried and true recommendations.  Plus, back in my CPA days I did business travel 60% of the time so I can say...been there, done that. And gained a lot of weight trying to figure it out!  Learn from my mistakes!

Am I going to really tease you with all my photos? NO. I only saved one from each restaurant we frequented, all are mine except the waffles (couldn't be further from clean eating - wait till you see it) and the Kangaroo Filet.  That was Tyler and Travis's respectively and I nibbled on the filet, but wasn't crazy about Kangaroo. 

1) Social Brew Co.  DELICIOUS in every since of the word.  The kind of meal that you don't want to talk to anyone, you want to close your eyes and savor every bite and stab anyone that tries to take a sample of your plate.  Because I love my family so much, I shared my mushrooms & buffalo cheese with Tyler, BUT he lucked out I was feeling very generous.  My plate was empty.  I asked them to hold the bread (again, read tips on the article linked above) and wanted to go back again.  But, this was the last day, so at lease we went out with a bang!  You need to go here, not because you'll miss out if you don't, but because you'll REGRET IT if you don't!  But learn from us, bookings are encouraged :)  If you forget, they have loaner picnic blankets you can use on the lawn next to them.  We didn't realize this till we left or would have gone that route. 

2) Fishmongers, Manly Beach - Squid Salad

3) Makoto Sushi, Sydney CBD - Salmon Belly Sashimi 

2) Fishmongers. We got off the ferry and headed straight there at some local's recommendations. Yum-O.  Kids and hubby had greasy fingers and big smiles so that means it was a hit, right? I went for healthy-ish. Could have done without the teriyaki sauce, it was a little heavy for me and we left here to run around the beach and swim, so it kind of left us feeling like beached whales, but we made do. I think this is a chain because I swear we've eaten at Fishmongers in Byron Bay and I thought the same thing. 

3) Makoto Sushi. Thank you YELP!  This was a win, but also the most money we've spent in the least amount of time at ANY restaurant.  We were all hangry and it was the "conveyor belt sushi" style so we could just grab and eat and that's what we did. Over and over again so $140 and 25 minutes later we were leaving the restaurant STUFFED.  But, this was worth every penny for 2 reasons.  1) best conveyor belt sushi in my life, and y'all, I've eaten some sushi! 2) most importantly, Tyler gave up sushi for lent which is amazing to me. He's 8 and this is his favorite food in the world. He's asked for it since he was four every year on his birthday and if he died while eating sushi, I think he'd be ok with it.  He really really likes it :)  So, we wanted to treat him the day after Easter to as much sushi as he wanted.  We accomplished that :) 

4) Celcius Cafe, Kirribilli - Super Green Breakfast (asked them to hold the bread)

5) Homemade eggs, bacon and rocket in my living room with a view of the Opera House

4) Celcius Cafe. I heart you. This is the cutest dang breakfast joint I ever did see.  It's literally on the ferry pier and super small so go early. And by early, I mean get there when they open.  Our 1st time we were rookies and didn't know this and showed up at 8:15 when they opened at 8.  We waited 30 minutes and then divided and conquered.  Matthew and mommy sat together and Tyler and daddy sat at a different table.  The option of leaving was no option at all.  Not for a second.  I got the super green breakfast and asked them to hold the bread. This avocado-lime spread was to. die. for. Everyone else's plate looked delicious too, but I was too full to nibble. 

5) Home is where the heart is, right?  Especially when you're staying water front across from the Harbor Bridge and Sydney Opera House.  We did this 3 mornings to save money, time and calories.  These breakfasts were so perfect, but they were huge portions and I was feeling uncomfortably full all day long. I know you are thinking, "well don't finish it all" and all I can say is those are silly and crazy thoughts. If you ate it, you would too! 

6) Kirribilli Seafood, Kirribilli - Fried Calamari, Grilled Platter: Baramundi, Scallops, Octopus, Calamari

7) Celcius Cafe, Kirribilii - Waffles (with peanut butter cream, fruit and edible flowers)

6) This was the most memorable dinner.  We got seafood takeaway and my first oaky Australian Chardonnay (and it was actually good!) and we had a picnic dinner. I didn't get the scenery in, but we got to have adult conversations while we watched the kids run around, play tag, and wrestle in front of the Opera House while we ate and watched the sunset.  This restaurant loans you picnic blankets which was a cool touch.  We did have veggies, I promise!  We had a Caprese Salad and a Greek Salad, but were a hit!

7) If it's not broke, why fix it, right? On our last day, it was mommy's choice. I mean, we were there for my 40th right?  Seems fair. So back to Celsius Cafe for The Vining's!  I got the exact same thing because when I like something, I could do that for days! And Tyler got this.  How beautiful is this?  Belgium waffle covered in fruit and edible flowers and topped with a peanut butter cream.  Tyler told me he didn't want that and I told the waitress "oh yes he does." haha  When it arrived Tyler as thanking me profusely.  All mouths and bellies were happy. Note, I've never seen Matthew eat so much food in one sitting.  He. loved. it. all.

8) The Rocks Cafe, Sydney CBD - Kangaroo Filet

9) Street Market Asian Tapas, Kirribilli - Salmon Carpaccio

8) The Rocks Cafe reminded me of Italy a little.  We sat outside on the cobblestone street as people walked by and there was history all around.  This was Travis's plate as I was so full from previous meals, I got a rocket & parmesan side salad and was perfectly content. It was a little gamey for me, but that plate was clean as a whistle, so that's a thumbs up I think. 

9) Our 1st meal when we arrived was at Street Market Asian Tapas.  Kids eat free for lunch and dinner, which is cool, but my kids didn't want the "kids options."  Somewhere along the road we went wrong and our kids think it's normal to order carpaccio and $20-25 entrees.  The salmon and beef were my selections and they were talked into noodles and such.  Delicious, but too heavily sauced for me.  Only place that didn't sit well for me, but the rest of the family marked this as a favorite. 

10) Fitzroy Food Co, Kirribilli Forgot to take pictures, even if you don't believe me and the menu link doesn't work, so you'll have to read and imagine.  Watermelon, Goat's Feta, Mint, Red Onion, Pomegranate, Rocket, Balsamic.  Did that do it for you?  Imagine it? It was mouth watering good and my husband ordered it for himself. He might have gotten 1-2 bites of it and I ate the rest.  

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.  

How to go on vacation without losing all you've worked for!

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Hotel gym post Upper Fix Extreme (30 minutes)

Exercise:

I try to stay on top of exercise when I travel even if it means choosing a shorter program because when you get home, it's much easier to eat right again, but it's harder to get back into an exercise routine.  After 3 straight days of no working out, it's hard as heck for me to start again. And I enjoy exercising ;)  I find it pretty easy to fit something in, whether it's in my hotel room while kids are napping, showering, while they ask the front desk a question, whatever. 

Most places you stay will have gyms, walking paths mapped out, but bring your 80 day obsession loops & sliders, resistance bands, jump rope, frisbee, etc. that are easy to pack and get you moving.  These can be fun with the kids too.  Pack exercise clothes because if you don’t bring it, you definitely won’t do it!  None of these ideas take up a lot of space!

The following programs require NO EQUIPMENT so you don't need the hotel gym, your hotel room is sufficient:

• Insanity Max 30 (cardio / body weight)**
• Focus T25 (cardio / body weight)
• PiYo (barre)
• Core De Force (martial arts)
• Cize (dance)
• Country heat (dance)
• most abs (10-15 min)

Dining out / Road trips:

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Vacation should be relaxing and restful, but you take the vacation, your diet does not. Of course you won't be perfect, but don't bring desserts, chips, etc. from home which add fuel to the fire.  JUST DON'T! I ALWAYS take Energize and Shakeology whenever I leave home; Energize more because I feel sluggish when traveling because I'm not eating my best and need the pick me up (I don't drink coffee, this might not apply to you). I take Shakeology because I believe in it and that it's important for my body every day. I feel worse when I don't eat / drink it, crave more sweets, snack more, I'm not as regular, and it's hard to get enough veggies when traveling so I find it even more important to get those 70 Superfoods in. 

If I can drink Shakeology + exercise, I feel like I'm winning; anything else is a bonus.  Try to make food a PART of the trip, not the PURPOSE.

Stay on your "3 meals and 2 snacks" plan every day. By doing this you regulate your blood sugar which will help your metabolism.  Watch for next months' featured tip on Low vs High GI foods. 

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If you're driving, pack a cooler with these, if possible:  boiled eggs, string cheese, hummus-to-go-packs, cherry tomatoes, celery, cucumbers, carrots, KIND bars, Larabars (STAY TUNED, BEACHBARS LAUNCH IN APRIL), fresh fruit, Greek yogurt tubes (freeze and they double as ice packs), oatmeal balls (pictured), non-buttered popcorn and pumpkin muffins. They are filling and healthy.  Invest in a double walled tumbler (Yeti or the like) and your Shakeology will stay cold for hours so you could even pre-blend your shake and have lunch / breakfast / pre-party snack in the car or hotel (lots of hotels will make your Shakeology for you! Their continental breakfast has everything you need for it!).  **The 1st ingredient in a snack should never be potatoes.  They are just disguising that it’s really a potato chip by calling it “veggie straws” or something.  Read the back of the bag, not the front!

When dining out, tell them you don’t need bread or chips.  The typical restaurant chip is 25 calories and 1.5 grams of fat.  We don’t count calories, but why blow your yellows on that when you could chose wine or other carbs all day long?!  If you are starving at a Mexican restaurant, ask for a corn tortilla (~50 calories instead).

Ask concierge or travel agent for healthy restaurants (mention Paleo as a guide, even if you're not).  Although 21-day fix is not that restrictive, it’s a pretty healthy alternative and most restaurants know what that means. 

Avoid buffets if at all possible, and the free cookies in the lobby (I know they look tasty…reminds me of Otis-Spunkmeyer cookies and I can almost smell them now!)

I try to chose EITHER alcohol OR dessert, and I don't have them every day. I try to omit carbs as much as possible, not because we can't eat them, but they are everywhere so naturally I'll get them in through snacking on kids stuff (yes 😫) or save for an unplanned surprise. 

If I order a salad, I ask for Balsamic vinegar on the side, or olive oil, vinegar and lemon wedges. Restaurants typically don't mind modifications! So far, no one has spit in my food (that I know of).

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I asked them to replace the Sourdough with veggies.  Those tomatoes look way better and I won't crash afterwards from having high GI foods. Portions are always larger at restaurants so make wise choices where you can or split a dish with someone!  You save calories and money! They are willing to work with you, but you have to ASK!

Hotel:

Avoid the mini-bar. It will help your wallet and your waist! Ha!

Think about renting a condo, Air Bnb or VRBO and bring food rather than booking a hotel and eating out for every meal.  Again, gentle on the wallet and waist and allows you to splurge a little more when you really want.
 

Flying:

Drink 1 glass of water for every hour of flight to prevent dehydration and jet lag.  For every 1-hour of travel you lose 1 pint of water.

Cruises:

Fill your plate with 50% vegetables, salad, etc. and only for back for seconds for steamed veggies.  

Ask them to prepare a sack lunch for your day excursions. Boiled eggs and fruit are usually an option.

Ask to order from the Spa Menu, which is smaller portions, and tell them you don’t need to see the dessert menu. (Seeing the choices is all that much more tempting) 

Chose a ship that offers lots of activities.  The average person gains 15 lbs. on a week cruise.  YIKES! Think of coming home to all!  All tan and bloated??!  No thank you.

If you don't ask, you won't receive.  This is your vacation and coming home feeling like crap and sluggish is no fun and harder to get motivated to jump back in.  You are paying for it so gain control of some of your daily choices.  You'll thank yourself at the end :) 

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.

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownies

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You're welcome. :) A non-clean recipe that will make your mouth water just by reading it I'm sure!  This might just be THE Valentine's Recipe that wins your date's heart!  

I like to take shortcuts here I can and when it won' the noticed and change the results.  So, I start with Ghiradelli Triple Chocolate Brownies.  For this you just need 1 egg, ⅓ c vegetable oil and ⅓ c water.  I modify this and encourage you to do the same; YOU WILL NOT NOTICE!  Instead of ⅓ c vegetable oil I do 1/2 unsweetened applesauce and 1/2 olive oil. literally pour both in the same ⅓ cup so it's whatever portion you want.  You could even do ⅔ of it applesauce and less oil.  This is plenty rich that you won't notice and I personally prefer brownies less oily.  Bake as instructed on the box and set aside to cool. (Instead of spraying the pan, I line it with aluminum foil or parchment paper so the brownies come out seamlessly, but DO NOT life out till they've completely cooled or they'll crack / break).

While this is cooking you can start making the peanut butter cookie dough. 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup clean creamy peanut butter (why add oils and sugars you don't need)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix together and spread on top of COOLED brownies. There are no eggs in this cookie dough so if some jumps in your mouth, you're all good :) WHEW, that might have happened to me!

Now it's time to make the fudge topping.  When I made it, I had no cream so it was a little watery and messy.  I had low fat 1% milk which was not ideal, but still tasted AMAZING! 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon granulated white sugar

Microwave these ingredients together for 30 seconds at a time so you don't burn the chocolate.  Not only would that be a sin, it is so hard to clean up and wasted chocolate.  I'm just not ok with that, so if it happens, don't tell me! Lets agree on that :)

**If it's more watery than you'd like, add more chocolate chips, but you won't need more richness so try to use cream and this turns out perfect!

Yuuuummmmyyyyy!  These are really delightful!  And they freeze well.  This portion on the plate was good for 4 boys, 2 dads and 2 moms.  It's 13 in total and I froze the rest because my husband's rule is I can't give ALL baked goods away.  He wants to have some the next night too.   My goal is always to GIVE ALL OF IT AWAY because I work from home and DO NOT want to get caught eating the other 3 we had left over :/

Cadbury Chocolate factory

Ok. This post is NOT. ABOUT. CLEAN. EATING. It's all about CHOCOLATE!! Such a fun experience touring the Cadbury chocolate factory in NZ (which is closing in Jan 2018 - so go while you can). 

1) Cadbury has 8 factories in the world and they all use local milk so no chocolate bars will taste the same. New Zealand & Australia don't export their chocolates. 
2) you can smell amazing chocolate for a full hour. I wonder if Heaven will be like that?? I bet 🙌🏻
3) no pictures or holding your child during the tour because an American dropped their child into the factory and ruined it for everyone.
4) you each got a shot glass to fill up with chocolate from a spout. White, milk, dark. Might have been the most amazing dangerous thing ever. Then, they had a topping bar. I grabbed bananas for mine to, you know, be healthy. LOL. No pics to prove it since no cameras allowed. 🙋🏼🤗

This was the bag of chocolates they passed our AFTER we all had sampled about 8 bars and gave away 5 bars to friends.  It is crazy!  The rest of these will be given away or all my money will go to the dentist for fillings!