Foodie Friday!!!!

Great Holiday Treat and guess what...... NO GUILT!!!!!!!!

Flourless Brownie Cupcakes With Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients
1 (15-oz.) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed
3 large eggs
⅓ cup + ¼ cup pure maple syrup, divided use
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
¼ cup all-natural peanut butter
¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
⅔ cup Vanilla Shakeology

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Prepare 12 muffin cups by lining with muffin papers or coating with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
3. Place chickpeas, eggs, ⅓ cup maple syrup, cocoa powder, baking soda, coconut oil, and extract in blender or food processor; cover. Blend until smooth.
4. Divide batter among 12 prepared muffin cups.
5. Top each cupcake with about four chocolate chips; push into batter.
6. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Cool completely and enjoy!
8. To make frosting while cupcakes are baking, whip peanut butter in a medium bowl; beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes, or until creamy.
9. Add almond milk; beat until well blended.
10. Add Shakeology; beat until well blended, scraping bowl occasionally.
11. Slowly add remaining ¼ cup maple syrup while beating on medium speed. (If frosting is too stiff, add 1 to 2 tbsp. additional almond milk.) Set aside.
12. Once cupcakes are cool, evenly spread with frosting.

Let's Make a Bet!!!

Have you ever thought about making a bet??
I am not a betting person and I don't play the lottery and do scratch-off tickets.
BUT I am talking about a CHALLENGE!!!! 
This is a BIG ONE!!!
Here is the key...........
Ready???????
SUPER SIMPLE!!!!-----
All you have to do is 3 VERY SIMPLE THINGS!!!
*****Workout with a program- 3 days a week
*****Drink a Shakeology Shake 5 days a week
*****Post those simple activities in a FREE APP on your phone!
It does not get any easier!!!!
Beachbody (the company) is putting $2,000,000 in the pot!!!!!!
THEN-----for every Challenge Pack that is sold they will add to the pot to top out at $3,000,000!!!!
It is soooooo much fun!
Accountability is AWESEOME!
It's super simple and just a BLAST!!!!

I did this last time that Beachbody did it and I could not believe how easy it was.  The notification in the app takes let than 2 minutes and you are DONE!!!!
You Do Not Want To Miss Out!!!

It starts January 9th!
Pre-Season will start on January 2nd!!!

It's a new year!
It's time to take control!
It's time to change your life!
It's time to take back your health and do this!!!!!
I would love to talk with you and let's get you started!!
Are you READY?????  The Answer is YES!!!!!

Foodie Friday!!!!!

Mixed Berry Crumble

Total Time: 1 hr. 10 min.
Prep Time: 20 min.
Cooking Time: 45 min.
Yield: Makes 12 servings, about ⅔ cup each

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
¼ cup raw walnuts
¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp. chia seeds
½ cup almond flour
½ cup arrowroot flour (or cornstarch), divided use
2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided use
½ tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
5 Tbsp. pure maple syrup (or raw honey), divided use
2 Tbsp. solidified coconut oil
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract, divided use
6 cups fresh mixed berries (blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries)
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. ground nutmeg

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Lightly coat a medium cast iron (or ovenproof) skillet with spray
3. Place walnuts, sunflower seeds, and chia seeds in food processor; pulse to coarsely chop. Do not grind into a fine powder.
4. Add almond flour, ¼ cup arrowroot, cinnamon, and salt; pulse to blend.
5. Add 2 Tbsp. maple syrup, oil, and 1 tsp. extract; pulse to create a crumbly mixture. Set aside.
6. Place berries in a large bowl; sprinkle evenly with remaining ¼ cup arrowroot.
7. Add remaining 1 tsp. cinnamon, remaining 3 Tbsp. maple syrup, remaining 1 tsp. extract, lemon juice, and nutmeg; mix well.
8. Place berry mixture in prepared skillet. Top evenly with walnut mixture.
9. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until bubbly.
10. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Tip: To save on cost, I recommend going somewhere you can buy berries in bulk (such as Costco or your local farmers market).

2016

2016 is coming to a close.
It's almost time to ring in a new year.
Can you believe we only have a couple of weeks left and Christmas is right around the corner!

A couple of nights ago, we, as a Team, were preparing for a Team Call.  We have one each week.  A group of Coaches get together on a Zoom call and we encourage, inspire and push each other to step out of our comfort zones.  Of course we have time to laugh our heads off as well!  Well, in preparing for our call we had all listened to one of the Top Coaches within Beachbody names Melanie Mitro.  She had totally inspired us to shift the entire call and that is exactly what we did.  

The Topic- "What have you accomplished in the last 12 months?"  It was for sure a time to really stop and think.  Time to stop and be thankful.  Time to realize how much we have grown.  As we each went around and read our list, it was such a blessing and a few tears were even shed.  It was so powerful!
Why am I sharing this with you?  I'm sharing because I want to encourage you to sit down and write down what you have accomplished this year.  Be grateful for what you have done and how far you have come and how much you have grown.

I am posting my list below to give you an idea.  I'm not bragging about it.  It was actually hard because talking about myself can be very uncomfortable.  Maybe it will be uncomfortable for you but I would highly recommend it!  You may be surprised.

2016-
-The Lord led me to a Godly Spiritual Mentor
-Proverbs 31 On Line Bible Study
-UnInvited On Line Bible Study
-More present with family
-My Husband became a hospital employee instead of being Contracted
-We bought our house here in Maryland
- Kaleb learning to play the violin
-Kaleb loving school

-Completed the Fitness Programs that I started

-Insanity Max 30
-Hammer and Chisel
-21 Day Fix Extreme (Twice)
-Core De Force
-Husband lost 40+ pounds
-Made Video's on Facebook/Instagram
-Blog Makeover
-Beachbody Health Bet
-Ran multiple Challenge Groups
-Ran numerous FREE Groups
-Personal Development


Hope you enjoy this Challenge.
Share if you would like to in the comments.
Maybe at the end of the month we will share our GOALS for 2017.

Christmas Core De Force!

Well, Round One is complete so what is one to do?
DO ANOTHER ROUND!!!!!!
Yes, this crazy woman has chosen to jump in with both feet and both fist to do another round!!!!
I realize that Christmas is coming.  No problem!!
It is an awesome way to keep my health and fitness in check.
Core De Force comes with 3 calendars!  It's absolutely amazing!!!!!
Calendar 1- Basic- Learning all the moves, kicks, punches and push-ups in a million different ways.
Calendar 2- Deluxe adds in agility work with an agility ladder!!!  I can NOT WAIT!!!!!
Calendar 3- The BOD (Beachbody On Demand) Hyrbid- Toss in T25-P90X-Insanity and many more!
It's totally GENIUS!!!!!!

You absolutely Can Not go wrong.  It combines everything!!
Round 2 started today!  It worked out great!
Getting an agility ladder in the next couple of days so there will be plenty to post about that by this weekend!
Have you ever used an agility ladder?  I will confess I have been a bit intimidated by them.  Time to move over the fear and intimidation and get on with what is at hand!!!!!

FEAR!
Time for fear to move over and get out of the way of the girl who is ready for more!!!  
I'm looking for some other men and women who are ready to get rid of their FEAR in 2017 and
Go For It!!!!!
Ready to put their excuses aside.
Ready to push past the point of being afraid.
Ready to do what others tell them they can't do.
Ready to clean up their food choices.
Ready to break the bad habits.

2017 is going to be EPIC!!!!!

Foodie Friday!!!

Pad Thai!!!!!  Yes, you can have Pad Thai!  Simple change- use Spaghetti squash!!!!!  Foodie Friday!!!!!  ENJOY!!!!!

Pad Thai

Total Time: 1 hr. 50 min.
Prep Time: 20 min.
Cooking Time: 1 hr. 30 min.
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

1 medium spaghetti squash (about 3 lbs.)
2 Tbsp. tamarind paste (or rice wine vinegar)
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. raw honey
2 to 4 Tbsp. water
12 oz. extra-firm tofu, cut into small cubes
3 Tbsp. cornstarch (preferably GMO free)
8 tsp. peanut oil, divided use
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
¾ cup fresh bean sprouts
4 medium green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 Tbsp. chopped peanuts
Lime wedges
Cilantro sprigs
Crushed red pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Place squash on a parchment lined baking sheet. Poke squash 2 or 3 times with a fork. Bake for 60 to 80 minutes. Cool for 20 to 30 minutes. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Remove seeds. Scrape flesh into stringy noodles. Set aside.
3. To make sauce, heat tamarind paste, fish sauce, honey and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes. Add additional water is sauce is too tart. Set aside.
4. Coat tofu in cornstarch in a small bowl; mix well.
5. Heat a large wok (or skillet) over high heat.
6. Add 2 tsp. oil, swirling to cover surface of pan. Add tofu; cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until all sides of tofu are brown. Remove tofu from pan and place on a large plate. Set aside.
7. Add 2 tsp. oil to pan; cook, over high heat, swirling to cover surface of pan. Add onions; cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until onion are light golden brown. Remove from pan; place on plate with tofu. Set aside.
8. Add 2 tsp. oil to pan; cook, over high heat, swirling to cover surface of pan. Add eggs; cook over medium heat. Do not stir. As eggs set, lift edges, letting uncooked portion flow underneath, creating a very thin omelet. When eggs are set, cut them with your spatula. Remove eggs from pan and place on plate with tofu and onions. Set aside.
9. Add remaining 2 tsp. oil to pan, swirling to cover surface of pan. Add garlic; cook, over medium-high heat, for 1 minute.
10. Add spaghetti squash, spreading squash into a single layer; cook for 30 second, stir and make another single layer. Repeat this 3 to 6 times, cooking for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until squash is warm and golden brown.
11. Add sauce; mix well.
12. Add bean sprouts and green onions; mix well.
13. Add tofu mixture; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until well mixed and heated through.
14. Transfer to a large serving platter. Top with peanuts, lime wedges, cilantro, and crushed red pepper. Serve immediately.

Tips:
• If you can’t find tamarind paste you can substitute rice wine vinegar.
• Thai fish sauce is Nam Pla, but you can use another kind if you have it.

Motivation Monday!

So we are heading into Christmas and the decorations are coming out in our homes if they haven't already.  We all know that the decorations have been out at the stores since they put away the back to school stuff.
I love Christmas decorations.  I have ornaments that are about 28 years old and then I have the ones that have just been made this past Saturday night!.  It's amazing how looking at old ornaments can bring back so many memories.  Some are from places that we have lived,  Some are still packed away because they are to fragile to hang because they may not make another season on the tree.
I am sure that you have those as well, especially if you have children.

What in the world you may ask yourself does this have anything to do with Motivation Monday.  This is about motivating you.  Motivation to what?  Well, motivation to be better than you were last year.  Does that mean you are not good enough at the present?  Absolutely not!!!!!
****Maybe you want to have a different Christmas and a different New Year.
****Maybe you want to be healthier because you had a health scare this year.
****Maybe your closest family member had a diagnosis this year that they didn't see coming.
****Maybe you are tired of being the picture taker and you want to be IN the picture instead of hiding behind the camera.
****Maybe you want to do something about your cholesterol and be healthier for your children. ****Maybe you have been advised that if you don't make some changes, your personal health could be in jeopardy.

I want to Motivate you on this Motivation Monday to start planning and do something about those "Maybe's" listed above.  The longer you put it off, the harder it gets! I can promise you that.  I'm speaking from experience!!!  Don't wait!!!  You can do this!  You can do it with exercise, clean eating and water!  Those 3 things can change everything.  Throw in a group of people that can motivate you and keep you accountable and you have a win-win.  We are right here for you!  We want to see you succeed.  We want to see you win your "Maybe's" and turn them into "I DID IT!!"
Now is the time!

This is not something that I just "talk about".  This is something that has saved my life literally!!!!  I have no doubt in my mind and heart that if 3+ years ago, had Danielle not reached out to me living in Mississippi I was headed backwards.  I had lost a lot of weight after having Kaleb and I was slipping. We had moved and I was struggling.  I saw a picture of me and thought to myself...."I have got to do something".
Understand that these were my factors staring me in the face.......
**Coronary Artery Disease
**By-Pass Surgery
**High Blood Pressure
**Diabetes
**Breast Cancer
**Best Friend Diagnosed with a blood cancer
**Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
**Depression
**Stress
With these things staring me in the face- It was time!!!  So my question?  What is staring you in the face?  What needs to change?  Let's do this together!  You can do it!  Join me soon and let's GO DO THIS!!!!!!!!