Paleo Cashew Cream

Ingredients:

1 c raw unsalted cashews

Water

Instructions:

1. Rinse cashews; drain and place in a bowl or jar. Add enough water to cover by about 1 inch. Cover and let stand at room temperature at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.

2. Drain cashews; rinse under cold water. Place cashews in a high-power blender and add 1 cup of water; process until smooth, scraping down the sides.

3. Store cashew cream in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

New Year, New You

It's that time of year again. Time to start making our new year's resolutions and the time the most of us are most likely to focus on getting fit, but did you know that only about 8% of people that make resolutions actually succeed?! That's a pretty intimidating statistic.

So I'm challenging 10 ladies to join me for 21 days to start the new year off right and learn the healthy habits you need to stick to your resolution and be part of that 8%. No matter what your fitness level is you can find success with this group. Each workout includes a modifier and different levels of intensity to help you improve your strength, flexibility, and endurance every time you press play.

We start our 21 days on January 1st, just in time to rock those resolutions!

What's included?

>Workout program of your choice, done in the comfort of your own home!
>Simple, easy to follow meal plans
>Delicious recipes
>Superfood nutrition shake that replaces one meal a day
>Online access to my PRIVATE Facebook support group
>Surround yourself with other women on the same journey
>Accountability and support from ME!
>RESULTS OR YOUR MONEY BACK!!

PLUS Beachbody is doing it's HEALTH BET again, which means you have the ability to get fit, lose weight, AND EARN MONEY!!!

During the course of this group you will learn how to navigate your meal plan, get help setting realistic and achievable goals, have daily accountability to help you stay on track, and have access to clean eating recipes that will help you replace bad habits with healthier ones!

While this group will surround you with other women on the same journey, I would also challenge you to INVITE A FRIEND to join you. Success is not only easier to achieve with an accountability partner, but it's just more fun to have a friend with you!!

Ready to join? Click GOING on the Facebook Event Page and I'll be in touch to get you signed up with everything you need.

Let's make 2017 our healthiest year yet!!

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas, y'all!! Enjoy your day spent with family and never forget the reason for the season!

FREE Workout + Rock Your Resolution

Next month, I'll be running a Rock Your Resolution Challenge Group to help us kick 2017 off right and knock all of those resolutions out of the park. You definitely won't want to miss out on this group. You can learn more and sign up HERE.

Did you miss this month's 12 Days of Fitmas Challenge Group? Don't worry, I'm sharing the full workout with you right here!! 

Pecan Pie Cookie

Filling Ingredients:

1/3 cup dates, chopped

5 tablespoons maple syrup

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 tablespoon almond milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped

Filling Directions:

1. Cover the chopped dates in 1 cup of hot water and set aside for at least 10 minutes.

2. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the maple syrup, coconut oil, almond milk, and vanilla extract. Stir until the coconut oil is just melted and then remove from heat.

3. Drain and discard the hot water from the dates, and place the dates in a blender with the saucepan contents. Blend until smooth, pour back into the saucepan (so you don’t dirty another bowl) and then stir in the sea salt and chopped pecans. Set aside.

Cookie Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup blanched almond flour, gently packed

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

5 tablespoons coconut oil, at room temperature

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1-2 tablespoons almond milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cookie Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond meal, sea salt, and baking soda. Whisk in the coconut oil until the dough resembles coarse crumbs.

3. Stir in the maple syrup, vanilla, and almond milk. Start with 1 tablespoon of almond milk and add another tablespoon only if the dough needs more moisture to pull it together.

4. Roll the dough into balls (using about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough each) and place on the cookie sheet. Flatten the balls of dough and use your fingers to make a well (or indentation) in the middle of the cookies.

5. Generously fill the cookies with the pecan pie filling (and I do mean generously fill, otherwise you will be left with a lot of filling left over).

6. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown.

7. Allow the cookies to completely cool on the cookie sheet (otherwise they will fall apart).

Double Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup dates, packed and pitted (soaked in warm water for 10 minutes, then drained)

1 medium ripe banana (approx.. 1/2 cup mashed)

2 Tbsp salted creamy peanut butter

1 cup almond meal

1 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup peanut butter chips

1/4 cup dairy free semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Add dates to a food processor and pulse until small bits remain.

2. Add banana and peanut butter and mix again until combined, scraping down the sides as needed.

3. Next add the almond meal and rolled oats and pulse until a loose dough is formed. It will be kind of wet and sticky. That’s OK! You’re on the right track.

4. Scrape your dough into a mixing bowl. If it feels too wet to the touch to form into cookies, add another few Tbsp of almond meal and/or oats and stir. I added another few tablespoons of each until I was able to form them into cookies without them sticking too much to my hands.

5. Add in chocolate and peanut butter chips, then chill dough for 10 minutes and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

6. Scoop out 1 Tbsp amounts of your cookie dough and form into loose discs, then arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. They won’t expand so pack them closer together (but not touching).

7. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown and somewhat firm to the touch. The good thing about these cookies is a little under-baked is OK since there’s no eggs and they’ll ultimately just be a little more moist.

8. Remove and let set for a few minutes on the pan, then carefully transfer to a plate or cooling rack to cool. Serve immediately.

Skinny Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:

3/4 cup ww pastry flour or white flour (See below for notes on a gluten-free option)

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt (just under level)

1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 and 1/2 tablespoons almond milk

1/4 cup vegan butter (i.e. Earth Balance)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 330 F.

2. Combine dry ingredients and mix very, very well.

3. In a separate bowl, melt the butter of choice, then stir in vanilla and milk.

4. Pour dry ingredient mixture into wet and mix again.

5. Form balls. For true snickerdoodles, roll each ball in a mix of cinnamon and sugar (either equal parts OR two parts sugar to one part cinnamon.)

6. If you want soft cookies, you’ll need to get the balls very cold. (So roll the balls, cover in the cinnamon-sugar, then fridge until cold.)

7. Bake for 9-10 minutes. They’ll look way underdone when you take them out, but that’s okay.

Paleo Peppermint Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

2.5 c almond meal

2 tbsp coconut flour

2 tbsp cocoa powder

½ c coconut sugar + ¼ c coconut sugar for rolling

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 large eggs

¼ c coconut oil, melted

¼ c dairy-free chocolate chips, melted

1 tsp peppermint extract

                         

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine almond meal, coconut flour, cocoa powder, ½ c coconut sugar, baking soda and salt.

2. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, coconut oil, chocolate chips and peppermint extract.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined.

4. Cover bowl and place in fridge for one hour (or overnight) or in freezer for 20 minutes. Dough should harden. DO NOT SKIP!

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

6. Scoop out 1 tbsp worth of dough and roll into a ball between palms.

7. Roll each ball in ¼ c of ground coconut sugar to coat.

8. Place balls on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

9. Remove from oven and let sit on tray for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack. Do not try to remove before 10 minutes as they will be too soft.

10. Dust with any leftover ground coconut sugar for a more “snowball” like effect.

Guilt-Free Breakfast Recipes

Meal planning always seems so easy when I'm planning lunches and dinners, it's always the breakfasts that throw me off. I often find myself rushing around in the morning and it's easy to forget about breakfast, convince myself I don't have time, or just grab something quick that's definitely NOT on my meal plan.

Today I want to share some of my favorite breakfast recipes with you. If you would like more recipes like this, please take a second to subscribe and you'll have them delivered straight to your inbox!

Guacamole Toast & Egg

Ingredients:

½ avocado

1 tsp lime juice

1 egg

Coconut oil cooking spray

All-natural sea salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Mash the avocado in a small bowl and season with all-natural sea salt, pepper, and lime juice.

2. Put toast in toaster or toast in oven until toasted to your liking.

3. Heat a small nonstick skillet over low heat, spray with cooking spray and gently crack the egg into the skillet. Cook to your liking.

4. Place mashed avocado over toast, top with egg, and enjoy!!

Gluten Free Waffle & Fruit

Ingredients:

¼ c coconut flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill brand)

¼ tsp baking soda

1 tbsp apple pie spice

¾ c egg whites

½ c almond or coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Coconut oil cooking spray

Fruit of your choice (I love it with strawberries)

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients with a hand mixer.

2. Heat waffle iron and spray lightly with cooking spray to prevent sticking.

3. Drop waffle batter into center of iron, fill about ¾ of the area.

4. Waffle is ready when it easily separates from the iron, about 3-5 minutes.

5. In a small skillet, sauté the fruit of your choice for a few minutes to get them warm and soft.

6. Top waffle with warm fruit and enjoy!

Clean Eating Raspberry Crepes

Crepe Batter Ingredients:

½ cup oatmeal

2 eggs

½ c almond milk

¼ c water

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp coconut oil

Raspberry Filling Ingredients:

1 c frozen raspberries

1 tbsp raw honey

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Put the oatmeal into a blender and pulse a few times until it turns into flour.

2. Add the rest of the crepe batter ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.

3. Heat another teaspoon of coconut oil in a frying pan, then pour ¼ of the batter into pan. Swirl the batter around the pan so the crepe is very thin.

4. Cook until the top surface starts to look dry, then flip over and cook the other side.

5. Your crepe should be golden brown when done.

6. Add filling ingredients to a small sauce pan and simmer until thick and bubbly.

7. Fill crepe with filling and enjoy!!

Paleo Gingersnaps

Ingredients:

¼ c coconut oil, melted

1 c coconut sugar, lightly packed (+ more for rolling)

1 egg white

1.5 c + 1 tbsp almond flour

¼ c + 1 tsp coconut flour

1.75 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 tsp ginger powder

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp + 2 tsp molasses

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, beat together the melted coconut oil, coconut sugar, and egg white until well mixed. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, stir together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon. Stir until everything is very well mixed and there are no little clumps of flour.

4. Stir the flour mixture, along with the molasses into the oil mixtures and stir until a slightly sticky dough forms. Place the dough into the refrigerator for 10 minutes, just to allow the coconut flour to absorb some of the moisture.

5. Once the dough has chilled, roll 1 tbsp sized balls and roll the balls around in coconut sugar. Place onto the prepared baking sheet and slightly flatten down.

6. Bake until the edges begin to go darker brown and the top is nice and crackly, about 19-20 minutes. The cookies will feel very soft, but they will crisp up a lot once cooled.

7. Let cool completely on the pan before digging in.

Vegan Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

½ c vegan butter (i.e. Earth balance), softened

½ c organic cane sugar (+extra for topping)

¼ c brown sugar

¼ c pumpkin puree

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1.75 c unbleached all-purpose flour (+extra for rolling into shapes)

½ tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1-2 tsp almond milk

Directions:

1. Add softened butter to a large mixing bowl and mix with mixer.

2. Add sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, pumpkin puree, and beat for 1 minute.

3. Set your sifter over something that will catch the falling ingredients and add flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Use a spoon to briefly stir, then sift over butter and sugar mixture.

4. Mix until incorporated, being careful not to over mix. Then add almond milk and mix until you’ve formed a soft dough. If dough gets too thick, switch to a wooden spoon. If it appears too wet, mix in a bit more flour.

5. Cover and freeze dough for 15 minutes or refrigerate for 30-45 minutes (up to overnight).

6. Five minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and position rack in the center of the oven.

7. Scoop out a heaping 1 tbsp amount of chilled dough and roll into balls. Alternatively, roll out between two pieces of wax paper lightly flouring the bottom layer, remove top layer, and cut out shapes. (NOTE: for shapes, to ensure they keep their form while baking, freeze them on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before baking.)

8. Arrange cookies on a clean baking sheet 2” apart to allow for spreading. If you’ve rolled the dough into balls, dip a glass into cane sugar and gently smash down into a disc to help them cook more evenly.

9. Bake on the center rack for 10-20 minutes or until very slightly golden brown.

10. Remove from oven and let rest on pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.