Fried avocado?? Yes, please!

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So I love avocados...except most of the time, when I eat them, they're smashed with garlic, onion, cilantro and served with deep fried chips and a margarita or 2....not exactly the healthiest snack!

I discovered this recipe courtesy of Self Magazine and let me just say...I'm making it ASAP! I've modified it slightly to put my own spin on the recipe, and you could do the same!

courtesy of SELF Magazine

Avocados are a GREAT source of healthy fat, perfect for keto or vegetarian meal plans, and they're so flexible - toss some in your salads, fish dishes, tacos, breakfast, even some desserts made with avocado are BOMB.

Here we go!

 

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

• 2 tablespoons ground flax

• 1 egg

• 2 peeled avocados

• Vegetable oil cooking spray

• Salt

• Hot sauce

 ***You could also toss in some chili powder (for a little heat), ancho chili powder (for a more robust heat), Italian seasoning or garlic powder (for more flavor), seasoned salt (like Lawry's, Tony Chachere's) - whatever you like based on your preferences or depending on what the other flavors of the meal are (Mexican, Italian, seafood, etc)

 

PREP

• Heat oven to 400°. 

• In a bowl, combine panko breadcrumbs, flax and whatever other seasonings you're using . 

• In another bowl, whisk the egg.  

• Cut avocados into 16 wedges, dip wedges in egg, press into breadcrumb mixture and transfer to a baking sheet.

• Coat with vegetable oil cooking spray. 

•  Bake until outside is crispy, 10 to 12 minutes. 

• Season with salt and drizzle with hot sauce.

I think these would be great with a ranch-y type sauce, if you feel the need to dip!

 Like I said, I WILL be making these ASAP! I'd love to hear how they turned out for you and how you made the recipe your own!

Favorite Shakeology recipe!

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Good morning and Happy Monday!

Before Shakeology came along, I was one of those "never eats breakfast" type of girl. I was just never hungry in the short time between waking up and needing to leave my house in the morning, and then once I got to work, it was GO GO GO and no opportunity to get a healthy breakfast later on in the morning.

But once I decided to give Shakeology a try (and it took a little convincing but I'm so glad I caved), I realized that I had a ready-made, superfood-filled breakfast in my cabinet!

No more starving myself in the morning only to overeat at lunch and dinner, no more carb-heavy, empty calorie foods from Starbucks that I ate just because it was the most convenient option.



And once I played around and found some Shakeology recipes I loved, I was hooked!

*I've even seriously reduced my coffee intake - I just don't need it!! Shakeology gives me the energy and awake feeling that coffee used to give me, but without all the unpleasant side effects - jitters, caffeine headaches, energy crash, etc.*

So I just thought I should share my *favorite* Shakeology recipe with you, to show you how simple it is and how yummy it can be!

And that's it!! I know this is probably not mind-blowing or anything with it's originality or complexity, but it works!

You really can't beat something that is easy to make, tastes good, uses minimal ingredients, and provides you with so much nutrition and health benefits.

Comment below if you are interested in giving Shakeology a try! If chocolate and peanut butter isn't your thing, there are several other Shakeology flavors that you can use to create your own favorite flavor! ;)

 

3 Day Refresh - again Day 2!

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  Ok Day 2 peeps!!

Day 2 weight:  185.4 (almost 2 lbs down from Day 1!)

 

Not much to report on, except that I'm feeling great, more alert and awake! Which is always a good thing :)

Had my chocolate vegan Shakeology again for breakfast, and a couple cups of hot tea at work!

Unfortunately, after I got to work I realized that I left my Fiber Sweep and Vanilla Fresh shake packets at home!!

*facepalm*

And this was my face upon that realization:

 

But I stayed strong, drank a TON of water, had more tea, and ate my lunchtime veggies like the 3 Day Refresh schedule says! I was discouraged that I left that shake stuff at home but I was not going to give up that easily - I stuck with the program as best I could  :)

Day 3 tomorrow!! 

3 Day Refresh - again!

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Hello out there!

It's been a while.

2 vacations, crazy work schedule, taking all the pets to the vet, dinners with friends...it never ends!! haha

All good things to be busy with, but stressful and time-consuming still :)

I will be the first to say that I have majorly fallen off the healthy eating wagon. A lot of the time it has been the furthest thing from my mind.

But I'm here to put an end to that and recommit myself to living a healthier, more active life!

So with that commitment to myself, I decided to start June off with another round of the 3 Day Refresh :)

I first tried this 3 day "cleanse" back in October and it was great! I lost a couple of pounds and felt better overall, so I figured it was time to try it out again in preparation for full-time healthy eating.


Here's where I stand:

Day 1 weight: 187.1

To tell the truth, I'm really disappointed in myself for letting my weight creep up so high. But I'm focused forward, and committed to seeing results with weightloss this summer!

*Had my chocolate vegan Shakeology with 1/2 a banana for breakfast

*Fiber Sweep shake mid morning

*Vanilla Fresh shake at lunch along with baby carrots, hummus and raspberries

*Vanilla Fresh shake for dinner with coconut veggies recipe from the 3 Day Refresh guidebook and it was SO yummy :)

On to Day 2!!

Ultimate Reset - Day 10

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Day 10!!! I can't believe I'm already halfway through this program.

So here's my info as of today:

Weight: 174.6 (almost 10 lbs!!)

I feel more alert, energetic and just GOOD. Not sluggish or sleepy like I usually do after eating sugar and carb-heavy foods. I'm really loving how my body feels at this point - but I'm looking forward to how it will feel at the end too! :)


Here is a quick shot of my breakfast - Fruit Plate

I used a lot of different types of fruit: strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, mango, pineapple, blackberries and raspberries. It was so good, and kept me full well until lunch time! :)

 

I am SO loving this program so far!! I won't lie, it has NOT been easy. The first night, I dreamed I ate a whole cake! Those sugary cravings are so real haha! But I have been full after every meal, which is not something you'd typically be able to say about a "cleanse" or "detox" program. 

Stay tuned for more as I enter the home stretch of this awesome plan!!

Ultimate Reset - Day 1

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*I meant to post this yesterday but forgot to actually press Publish :/ So where I say today, I mean yesterday*

Today is the day!! I started Beachbody's Ultimate Reset and I couldn't be more excited and nervous!

I'm looking forward to all the positive changes that will take place in my body over the next 21 days (and hopefully beyond)!!

In case you're not familiar with it, the Ultimate Reset is sort of a mix between a cleanse and plain old clean eating! So nothing scary haha.

The goal of the program is to reset, revitalize and recharge your body and get rid of bad eating habits, cravings, as well as harmful toxins and inflammation.

The program has you following a mostly vegan (after week 1, fully vegan) meal plan, full of fresh fruits and veggies - no starvation or juice fast here!

The program also comes with 5 different vitamin/nutrient supplements to help get your body back on the right track on a chemical level. Some are in pill form, and some are powders that you mix into your water - some are kinda gross but I'm hoping I'll get used to them!

Now, this is just Day 1 for me, so I can't testify to the benefits of all this stuff quite yet! But I'm sure I will be able to soon ;)

Here's my starting info for Day 1:

Weight: 182.8
*didn't take measurements, but I'll get them tomorrow!

And here's just a little sample of what the food looks like for Week 1 on this plan:

Breakfast: Coconut Quinoa, since I don't have time to cook the full breakfast of eggs, kale, toast

Lunch: Microgreen salad with 1/2 avocado, basic vinaigrette dressing - so good!!

Dinner: Baked salmon, steamed asparagus and boiled potatoes - the salmon was great, veggies were meh since I couldn't use any olive oil or seasoning on them = bland

So here's to the next 21 days of clean eating and getting this body in shape! Leave me any questions about the program down in the comments - I'd love to talk with you about it as I go along :)

Ultimate Reset - starting Monday!

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Eeeek! I'm so nervous and excited at the same time - is there a word for that?? LOL

On Monday, I'm starting the Ultimate Reset! It's 21 days of clean eating and getting your body back on the right track.

I can't wait to get rid of all my cravings for JUNK and nourish my body with the RIGHT foods - and losing a few pounds would only be the icing on the cake! mmmm cake...haha!

I've needed this pretty much ever since the holidays - I lost my healthy-eating mojo and have been struggling ever since.

I'm a bit nervous to try what will basically be a vegan lifestyle for 21 days - Lord knows I love me a good steak haha!

Anyone tried eating vegan/vegetarian before? Likes/dislikes about it? I'm so curious to hear what y'all think!

*And I will be posting frequently throughout the program on how it's going, what meals and recipes I like/dislike, thoughts on the supplements, and before/after photos!

 

Happy National Coffee Day!

Happy Monday! I guess this is the perfect day of the week for it to be National Coffee Day!

I think we all need coffee on Mondays a little bit more than on any other day, am I right?

I, for one, LOVE coffee. I NEED coffee.

I'm the type of person who usually doesn't even speak to anyone in the morning before I've had at least a sip of my coffee. It's serious yall.

I mean, what better way is there to start your day off that with a hot, creamy cup of coffee and fills the air with such a delicious smell??

Lately I've been struggling with having to choose between my morning coffee and my chocolate Shakeology (and let's be honest, coffee was winning 4 out of 5 times).

So I thought, well coffee + chocolate = mocha deliciousness, so why not combine the 2? #genius

Here's what I did:

-the night before, I brewed a single cup of strong coffee (I have a Keurig, so this was a BREEZE)
-I stuck that cup of coffee in the fridge overnight
-in the morning, instead of adding the usual 8-12 oz of water/milk to my Shakeology mix, I used the cold coffee instead!!

And voila - a rich, creamy mocha flavored breakfast shake!!

I realize this is INCREDIBLY simple. I don't know how it took me so long to figure this out, but I'm SO glad that I finally did!

Now I can get my morning caffeine shot in while also enjoying all the benefits of my Shakeology - vitamins, nutrients, fruits and veggies! No more choosing between the 2.

So enjoy National Coffee Day - lots of places are serving FREE cups of coffee today, so go get yours!


*Follow this link if you're interested in trying Shakeology for yourself!!

 

Trust me, you WON'T regret it. Endless flavor possibilities (5 base flavors PLUS one vegan flavor) and more vitamins/antioxidants/prebiotics than you can count!!

PLUS there's a 30 Day RISK-FREE guarantee - if you don't like it, even if you've FINISHED the bag, just call and return it for your money back!! How amazing is that??

Friday things

Goodness, can I just say TGIF!!

I'm so thankful this week is FINALLY over...it just seemed like one of those weeks that just took f.o.r.e.v.e.r, didn't it?

I'm ready for the weekend, even if my Alabama Crimson Tide have a bye tomorrow :/ There will be plenty of other college football games to watch!

Here's a few happenings from this past week:


1. Hello Fall weather! In Seattle, this means RAIN, and boy, have we had plenty of that this week. It's still coming down as I'm typing this. It makes for great napping/sleeping in weather, but not so much fun when you have to get out in it to get to work or run errands!

instagram.com/kls2686

2. I'm excited to break out the fall/winter clothing! I'm ready for sweaters, leggings, boots, scarves and jackets! I made a couple of purchases this week to get me prepared...

groopdealz.com and jane.com

3. Cooked this AH-MAZING keto dinner last night with my new Nu Wave oven that my parents sent me. It is SO fabulous! You can throw FROZEN chicken/steak/pork chops in there and it will cook up PERFECTLY - I can't think of any other kitchen contraption, including the regular oven, that can do this. It's so nice to not really have to plan far ahead for dinner - just toss some meat in there and 20 minutes later you're eating! Can't wait to experiment with more recipes in this thing!

instagram.com/kls2686

4. Anyone heard of Moon Cheese? I found these at Fred Meyer (grocery store) earlier this week and I'm in love! They're the perfect keto snack - only like 1 carb for 5 or 6 of these little crunchy cheesy balls. They're a little pricey for the size bag, so now that I've tried these, I'm on the lookout for a DIY recipe so I can make them myself :)

5. I'm glad that fall makeup is back! I've been ooohing and aaahing over wine-colored lipsticks and dark green and gold eyeshadows on Pinterest. They're all just so beautiful! I got a lovely new fall color in my most recent Julep box - Mary Lee. It's perfect for fall and I can't wait to paint this beauty on my nails tomorrow while watching some SEC football!

julep.com

Thanks for reading, and have a fabulous weekend!

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