Paleo Snickerdoodle Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 15

What you'll need: 

2 cups almond flour

2 tbsp honey (use agave for a vegan recipe)

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup softened palm shortening

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp sea salt

(for dipping: 1/2 cup coconut sugar, 1 tbsp ground cinnamon)

1. In a food processor, combine: 

2 cups almond flour

1/8 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp baking soda

and 1 tsp of ground cinnamon

2. Then gradually add 

1/4 cup softened palm shorting 

and 2 tbsp honey

3. Grab 2 small bowls

4. In one bowl, add 1/2 cup coconut sugar and 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

5. Fill the other bowl with water

6. With about 1 tbsp of dough, create round shape 

7. Lightly dip ball into bowl of water

8. Roll ball in bowl of cinnamon and sugar

9. Repeat and place balls on parchment paper

10. Flatten balls slightly 

11. Bake for 7-9 minutes at 350

12. Allow to cool and EAT!

A Holiday Wish List for the Healthy Girl

I thought I'd save you the time (like Santa did in Miracle on 34th Street) and just tell you what to buy/where to shop for you healthy friend/family member. Here are 30 ideas, as well as stocking stuffer ideas for a healthy girl. Perhaps she already has a healthy lifestyle, these tools will just help her on her journey, or perhaps, she's declared that 2017 is going to be healthiest year yet, no matter what the circumstance, get to shoppin'! She deserves it!

Give her a planner to plan successful days. 

Buy her a new yoga mat (found here). I've found a ton at places like Marshalls and Ross for a cheaper price tag. HOWEVER, my favorite mat of all time is made by Gaiam and it's foldable, so I can travel everywhere with it.

Give her a yoga mat carrier (if you're feeling fancy) - found here.

Apple fan? Buy her an Apple Watch to track your time, sleep, workouts, and schedule. Buy her an iPad to stream her workouts, to check in with others, and to be inspired. 

Maybe she's not to into Apple, go with a fitbit (found here).

Don't let her leave the house with a shaker cup (with container for powders) - found here.

Meal prep will be her key for health success! 

These containers are needed for healthy foods and prep (found here).

Give her the gift of cozy.

She'll need motivational tanks to go under said cozy gear.

I bet she believes yoga pants are pants! She'll need them for those workouts.

Stylin' shoes to go with her ensemble!

Don't let her forget to get her water in!  These fun bottles are all the rage right now (found here).

Snag some headbands to keep her hair out of the way.

Speaking of hair, dry shampoo will be her BFF. Be sure to grab her correct hair color.

Tea is my magical means of fighting late night snacking. 

This manaTEA can totally be her pal (found here).

A recovery roller to make sure those muscles are getting treated well after 

being worked so hard (found here).

Strength slides to maximize her workouts (found here).

Save her time. Give her the tools to workout at home. I fired my gym 3 years ago and I haven't looked back since. To see success stories and join an accountability group, click here. 

Don't want to buy her a full workout program, why not try them free? 

I use Beachbody on Demand to stream my workouts daily, whether I'm home or traveling. The coolest part is that there is a 30 day FREE trial (found here).

My favorite tool in the kitchen. Skip the pasta and eat more 

greens with this spiralizer. (Found here)

The Fixate Cookbook to help find healthy, filling, recipes for foods 

she already loves (along with portion containers) - found here.

Buy her a weighted sandbag to push harder in those workouts. By adding this to workouts, she can add an extra level of resistance - up to 20 lbs. This will help sculpt her whole body. She can adjust the size and weight be removing or adding sand.  

Give her the gift of health with essential oils. Young Living is our 

favorite because they're the most pure we've found. 

Give her the gift of relaxation! Stuff a mask in her stocking, give her some relaxing bath salts. Epsom salt is key for those sore muscles (found here). 

I use my Ninja daily. If you're going to get her one, be sure to get one with a the traveler cups. Literally throw a few things in, hit the on button, throw the lid on, and run out the door. Time saver! (Found here)

Give her books that won't just motivate her, but that will help her grow! Personal development books have changed my life and have made me so much more positive! Click here to check out my faves. 

She'll feel more healthy, more energized, have better digestive health, get her greens in, lose weight, and have a super easy meal-on-the-run drink once a day with Shakeology. 

To find out more, click here.

The IRONMAN motto is 'Anything is Possible'. Do you believe that to be true? Every single day, I push play and get my workout in because short, at-home workouts have changed my life. The Beachbody Performance Line (sponsored by IRONMAN) makes my workouts count even more. My favorite of the group is Energize. She'll be so grateful that she can take her workouts to another level. She'll be grateful for more energy, better focus, less soreness, and faster recovery times!

  Click here to find out more. 

Get her some motivational jewelry so that she can remember why she is doing what she is doing to stay healthy every single day!

Don't forget her stocking! Skip the candy aisle and opt for more whole foods to nourish your girl!

Now, what are you still doing here? Get out and shop!

Butternut Squash & Cranberry Quinoa Mix

Butternut Squash and Cranberry Quinoa Mix

Time needed: 40 minutes

Serves: 4

What you need: 

3 cups chopped butternut squash

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1.5 cups water

1/3 cup dried cranberry

1/3 cup chopped red onion

salt & pepper

To make: 

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Toss the olive oil and squash into a bowl

3. Season with pepper and salt

4. Arrange squash on a baking sheet with one layer

5. Roast for 25 minutes (until squash is tender and lightly brown)

6. While squash is roasting, rinse quinoa under cold water (water should appear clear)

7. Place quinoa and water in medium sized sauce pan

8. Bring to boil, reduce to a simmer until absorbed (about 20 mins). 

9. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, squash, cranberries, and onion into a large bowl

Ta-da!

An Invitation to Healthy Holidays

Discipline, commitment, persistence...not exactly words I want to discuss at Christmastime....but freedom, energized, and confidence are words I don't mind discussing AND that's why I'm committing. Meal plans, Christmasy recipes, at home workouts, and accountability. Are you in?

This is my 3rd Christmas season committing to my healthy lifestyle. Do I completely skip on cookies and holiday-themed foods? No way, but I've found not only balance, but also great, healthy, holiday recipes to make sure January doesn't come and I'm struggling to get back to my normal routines that I've built. We recently moved, so we travel quite a bit. I've got travel tips to sticking to your plans and goals and a secret little ingredient to my healthy lifestyle ---> one-on-one, daily accountability! A strong community is the only way to do this (in my opinion). 

Skip the: 

STRESS

SLUGGISH FEELING

WORRY

DESIRE TO HIDE BEHIND THE CAMERA

FREAKOUT COME JAN. 1st

Create more: 

ENERGY

CONFIDENCE

FREEDOM

CALMNESS

SELF-LOVE

So, if you're ready to join forces and feel INCREDIBLE through this holiday season,

just join by clicking here. 

Spiralized Zucchini Noodles

This is a simple recipe and you gluten free-ers will forget you're not eating noodles. 

Prep time: 30 minutes

Serves: 2

What you'll need: 

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 4 chopped garlic cloves

- 6 tomatoes

- 1 tbsp chopped basil

- 1.5 large zucchini

- pepper & salt

First, cut tomatoes in fourths

Add 1 tsbp of olive oil to pan and turn on high. 

Cook the garlic until brown and soft. 

Add tomatoes and lower to a low heat. 

Add chopped basil.

Cover and let simmer.

While the tomatoes cook, spiralize zucchini. 

Add remaining oil to pan. 

(Be sure to check on tomatoes, they should be soft, but be sure they don't overcook.)

Cook noodles on medium for 5 minutes.

Serve together.

Add salt and pepper to taste.