Green pancakes & a bum lift

    I wanted to share this amazing glute exercise with you...

One-legged cable glute kickback

  Attach a cable strap to the lower section of the cable machine. Grab ahold of the machine in front of you for stabilization. Slowly kick your leg back while trying to keep it as straight as possible. Once you have fully extended really squeeze your bum(in the pic above im about half  extended) Dig deep & feel the burn!

Do 12-15 reps each leg

Refuel with green monster pancakes!

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup egg whites

2 tbs plain Greek yogurt

1 tsp vanilla & cinnamon 

1 tsp baking powder 

Handful of spinach

Put all ingredients in magic bullet and blend(batter will be very runny)

Poor into hot baking pan on stove and cook 1-2 minutes each side.

Top with whatever you please :)

Banana oatmeal

   Today started out with the most amazing oatmeal I've had in a long time

First on the stove I simmered half a banana with a half a cup of almond milk

After that simmered for about 5 minutes, I added a 1/4 cup of old fashioned oats

I let it simmer for about 5 more minutes until I could tell the oats were done.

I poured into a bowl and added a couple teaspoons of cinnamon, and of course a spoon spoonfuls of whole foods fresh ground almond(this stuff is beyond amaze if you haven't tried it, do it!!)

Pure deliciousness!

Ingredients 

One ripe banana

1/2 cup of almond milk

1/4 cup old fashioned oats 

2 tsp cinnamon

Walnuts(optional)

Slice up banana and simmer with almond milk on the stove for 5 minutes.

Add the old fashioned oats to the pot and cook til the oats are done, about another 5 minutes.

Pour into a bowl and top with cinnamon, walnuts, nut butter or any other deliciousness you can think of.

Enjoy!

My favorite national holiday

hat: wal-mart, shirt: tj maxx, jacket: target, jeans: gap, shoes: target

Look who got a haircut! This is the only pic I could snap of the little nugget cause let's just say someone's a littttttle embarrassed of his new bald self. 

 I'm not sure if any of you were aware of the national holiday yesterday, it just so happens to be my absolute most favorite national day ever. January 24 is national peanut butter day....whoever thought of making it a national holiday is my new favorite person.

So, in honor of this glorious holiday I decided to do a little experiment in my kitchen and here is how it turned out

Amazing!

Dark chocolate peanut butter

2-3 cups roasted unsalted peanuts

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Place roasted peanuts in food processor and start blending away.

It will start to clump together, so stop the processor and scrape down the sides. You are going to have do this multiple times.

Once you get a peanut butter like consistency, add in dark chocolate chips.

Process until peanut butter and choc chips are fully combined.

Place in air tight container and enjoy!

Coming clean

 Ok so it's only been a couple posts but I feel like I need to come clean. I have a confession.... I am an addict, a nut butter addict. It all started with my love for peanut butter and has significantly progressed to just about any nut butter. My most recent obsession however, is the one and only almond butter. 

The other day I was at the commissary(for those not familiar with military lingo, it's the grocery store on base) and went to grab a jar of the deliciousness.  I did a double take at the price tag and almost dies $8.00!!!!  Completely unacceptable... I don't care how bad the addiction is I refuse to pay $8.00 for a 6 oz jar of that stuff. Needless to say, it forced the Martha Stewart out in me and I decided to make my own.

And let me tell ya, I am never going back.

This stuff is 832764628746 times better than any store stuff I've ever bought. PLUS you get to lick your spatula and consume about half the batch before its even done. If any of you have made this stuff you know what I'm talking about. AND there are no preservatives, sugar, or salt here...Just all natural amazingness

Here is how it went down...

2 cups raw almonds( I had already processed mine to almond flour)

After about 2 minutes of processing

Scrape down sides and repeat process of processing and scraping over and over

After about 6 minutes I got the desired consistency I wanted

Heavenly

Homemade Almond Butter

2-4 cups raw almonds(depending on size of food processor)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees 

If you want a nuttier taste, roast almonds on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes or until fragrant.

Let cool off a bit then start blending away in the food processor.

It will start to clump together, so stop the processor and scrape down the sides. You are going to have do this multiple times.

Keep blending until you get desired consistency, scrape into a well sealed jar and eat yourself sick :)

Mama's Nuts

  When I walked into my parents house over Christmas break, I walked into the most heavenly aroma of cinnamon maple sweetness. I don't know about y'all, but I found this out probably within the first month of going away to college...there is nothing like coming home. I went from being the typical teenager who could not wait to move out, to realizing there is no better place than home. I dont care how old I get there is always going to be that comfort of being at home. The same smells you will always remember, the comfy bed you slept in for 18 years of your life and of course the amazing homecooked meals I swear my Mom whips out in her sleep.

Ok, back to the deliciousness....After I walked through the door the first words out of my mouth were "what is that heavenly smell?" not waiting even .2 seconds to dig in...My sweet little innocent Mom replies "my nuts!"

Needless to say, these were made on a daily basis because yes, I would finish off a whole plate in one sitting completely unashamed.

 Here is the recipe in all its glory...

I

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2 cups raw almonds or walnuts

1/4 cup sugar free or regular maple syrup

2 tbs cinnamon 

1-3 tbs of sugar or stevia (depends on how sweet you like)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Pour into greased pan and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Depends on how done you like them. I like mine on the edge of burnt so I did 14 minutes, but if you like chewier do 10 :)

Enjoy!