Almond Chicken Soup!

November is here, and brings with it a little nip in the air! Warm up with this hearty fall soup, chock full of every healthy macronutrient! That's why I love this soup...its a meal in a cup.  Chicken is your lean protein, yams and kale are your complex carbohydrates, and almond butter is added at the end for your healthy fat. Finish it off with a squeeze of lime and not only is it healthy, it's absolutely delicious! It's great having other clean-eating friends in your circle and I think I got this recipe from my friend Kelsey, so just in case, I give her the recipe creds :) 

 Recipe:

Almond Chicken Soup

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 onion, diced

1 minced garlic clove

1 large sweet potato, diced

2 chicken breasts, 1″ pieces(use Rotisserie chicken and shred apart for ease)

1/2 cup almond butter

1 cup chopped kale

2 tbsp minced ginger

coarse salt and pepper

1/2 lime

Combine stock, onion, garlic and sweet potato, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, add chicken and simmer 20 minutes.

In a small bowl combine almond butter and 1/2 cup of soup into a paste. Add collard or kale and ginger to soup.

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in almond paste. Season with salt and pepper. Add the juice of half a lime.

Paleo Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies

I hate to be the one to say it....but summer is coming to a close and fall is right around the corner! Costco proved that last week with their Christmas tree display :/  I'm not thrilled about it either...not like my daughter Piper who can't wait to wear combat boots and warm, cozy sweaters! Alas, there is not much we can do to slow time, but we can get into the fall spirit by making these fabulous breakfast cookies!

RECIPE:

1/2 cup almond butter

1/2 cup pureed pumpkin (not pie filling)

1/4 cup maple syrup or honey

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp salt

2-3 cups of mix-ins of your choice

Mix all of the ingredients together and spoon onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes.

Mix-In Ideas:

chopped almonds

walnuts

pecans

craisins

pumpkin seeds

currents

raisins

dates

coconut

hemp hearts

chia seeds

dried fruits

cacao nibs

Try this delicious pumpkin breakfast cookie recipe as a great grab-n-go breakfast or snack! They freeze well, though I do stack them with wax paper in between. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

"You can do it!!" ~ "Oh yeah I can!"

What a Friday! What am I saying....its more like "What a year!"

Being in the fitness industry definitely has its perks in terms of fitting the daily workout in. A few exercises in bootcamp , a warm up and abs with a client, a weekly Knox climb with another client, a few reps here and there all throughout the day and I've worked out today, right?! Or not.

I have normally been able to schedule my workouts in to my day (just like I've told my clients to do countless times), but lately, whether it be from a packed schedule, lack of motivation, no more workout partner or emotional stress (probably a combination of all four) I have been giving myself permission to just "skip it" today. To be honest, I'm not lovin' the results of that.

Today could have been one of those days. I was busy! I worked from 6am-2pm. Then errands and paper work needed to be done. I thought of stopping at the gym on my way home but I felt guilty that my daughter was home alone all morning. I feel very strongly about my motto, "MOVE DAILY". Not only for us as adults, but also to make your kids move too. Stratton was heading to the gym, Dezi was going skateboarding, but Piper was watching Looney Tunes! I said, get dressed, we're going golfing! Lol, just the golfing range...but better than sitting on the couch. Then, just by sheer virtue of being out of the house, I found some motivation. I told her that I would take her to the driving range, but that we were going to stop at the Viewcrest stairs on the way home. She was game!

I knew that I was planning drinks out with the girls that evening, and if I had missed this workout, I knew I would feel like crap the next day.

I committed to 10 flights of stairs.

I didn't WANT to do it. I wanted to just go home. However, part of the benefit of exercise, is that it increases that feel good hormone, serotonin, and the feeling we have after it is done, is AMAZING! Of course it was so much easier with my little counter and cheerleader there to encourage me. She was so cute yelling at me, "You can do it mom, one more flight to go!" 

She was right. I CAN do it.

Yeah, she also had a Slurpee ;)  Don't judge me...everything in moderation I say ;)

Here's the main point: 

You can do what you tell yourself you are capable of doing!

I LOVE it when my client Daniella whispers before a chin up or a heavy squat, "Ok, I can do this!" I tell her...yeah you can! Of course you can! Who told you that you couldn't?! 

Bottom line? Tell yourself you can, schedule in your workouts, and be kind to yourself if you mess up.

Now go MOVE DAILY.

Coconut Cacao Nib Klondike Bar! (dairy-free, Paleo)

I'm saying this on screen....I probably shouldn't have made these bars...but I did! It's my son's graduation in 3 weeks and I borrowed a Roberto Cavalli dress from a friend that I don't want to just look good in...I want to look great! So, I decided to "dial it in" with my nutrition for the occasion. Sheeesh its hard!! My meals are not the problem, we enjoy eating healthy. The issue is the treats! I've got a hankering for the sweets. Anyway, I wanted to sub out the sugar for healthier options but these bars are just too dang good. It was really hard to have just one. Moderation is the key people, even when the recipe says CLEAN. Let me know what you think! 
*recipe revised from detoxinista

Vanilla Ice Cream Bar:

1 cup raw cashew pieces, soaked in water for 2 hours
1 cup water
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Extras:

2 tablespoon coconut mana

1/4 cup cacao nibs

Chocolate Coating:

5 tablespoons cocoa powder

5 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

Directions:

 Discard water that cashews had been soaking in. In a blender, combine the first 6 ingredients and blend until smooth.

Line a brownie pan with parchment paper or wax paper. Add in your cacao nibs and coconut mana.

 Pour that ice-creamy batter into pan and freeze for 4 hours. Slice bars. 

In a separate bowl, combine coating ingredients. Take each frozen slice and dunk it into the coating. Place back on pan and back into freezer to solidify. Store in freezer.

Try to eat just one:)