Courtesy of my brother with a few healthy upgrades.

Ingredients:
-8 cage free organic eggs
-1/2 cup shredded jack cheese
-1 teaspoon sea salt
-1 tablespoon coconut oil
-1 tablespoon butter
-1 pound of chopped asparagus
- 3 tablespoons of chopped cilantro








Directions:
Heat the broiler to HIGH setting. 
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cheese, and salt. 
In a large over proof skillet, heat the coconut oil and butter on medium-high heat. When it  foams, add asparagus and cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro. Reduce heat to low, pour in egg mixture and cook until mixture is firm. Place pan in the oven for about 5 minutes (or until slightly brown as seen in the picture above.)

Crust:
-1 small head of cauliflower chopped (a food processor works best to do this
-1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
-1 egg
-1 tablespoon oregano

After cauliflower is chopped up, it needs to be fairly dry. You can do this one of two ways, the second way I've found, works best. 1. Put cauliflower in the microwave for 8 minutes and then pour onto and dry with paper towel 2. spread cauliflower out onto a baking sheet and allow to dry for a few hours out on the counter. After it is dry, mix cauliflower with egg, mozzarella and oregano. Press mixture evenly out onto baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. 

Add sauce, pizza cheese (I use mozzarella and parmesan), and toppings of your choice to the crust and bake for an additional 10 minutes. The pizza in the picture has mushrooms and ground turkey on it. 

This pizza is an awesome source of good fats, protein, and fiber and therefore very filling! Eat as much as you like and don't feel guilty :) 

This workout is for those of you who workout at a gym. Best of luck. This is a killer but your butt and arms will thank you :)












16 min. AMRAP (meaning do as much of this as you can in 16 minutes)

50 cal. row
20 pull-ups
40 back squats (do whatever weight you can pound out 40 reps with)
20 pull-ups
30 front squats (same rule as back squats)
20 pull-ups
20 overhead squats
10 pull-ups

Ingredients:
-3 avocados
-1/4 cup cilantro
-1/4 cup onion
-1 minced garlic clove
-1 jalapeño pepper
-1 roma tomato
-dash of sea salt

Directions:
Chop all veggies or throw in a food processor to chop up (not including avocados. Peel and pit avocados and place in a bowl, add chopped veggies and mix together. Add a little sea salt.

This picture represents my guacamole wrapped in turkey bacon. Sometimes I get creative ;) Don't add salt to the guac if you plan on doing this. It will be too salty. Also, some people add lime to their's, it's your choice.

HIIT treadmill workout for those of you who can stand treadmills.... Yuck! haha










-1 minute sprint 
-90 sec recovery (just hop off onto the sides of the treadmill)
-1 minute sprint at 3% incline
-90 sec recovery
-1 minute sprint at 6% incline
-90 sec recovery
-1 minute sprint at 9% incline
- 90 sec recovery
-1 minute sprint at 12% incline
-90 sec recovery

Repeat 3 times. Cool down with a 5 minute moderate walk at 1% incline.

*FYI- Never walk on a treadmill below 1% incline, it is very hard on your knees. 

Ingredients:
-2 cups of nuts of your choice (unsalted)
-1 tsp cinnamon
-3 tsp coconut sugar
-1 tablespoon coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add everything, except the nuts, together in microwave safe bowl and put in microwave for 45 seconds, or until coconut oil is completely melted, stir. Add nuts to this mixture, put the lid on the container and shake it like a polaroid picture ;) Pour nuts out onto a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.  
Coconut oil and coconut sugar does not make things taste like coconut.

I thought I would do a post about some questions I have been getting in private messages as well as questions I had when I started making the transition to healthier eating.









1. Are you on a diet? It sounds a lot like that paleo thing that crossfitters do....
Yes and no. The poor word "diet" has now been used for those fads we see on TV and programs that cost way too much money just to tell you to stop eating junk. If this is a "diet," everyone reading this now owes me $19.99. I chose to change my individual diet to reflect healthier choices This was not as easy as it seemed and that is why I chose to start a blog and help others clear out the misconceptions. 
PS- it's not paleo either, I eat and love dairy! 


2. Do calories matter?
No. Stop counting them. Stop wasting your money on devices and apps that count them.
Example: An avocado has about the same amount of calories as a candy bar. But which one will turn to fat the instant I put it in my mouth? The candy bar. So calories mean nothing. Ditch the Fitpalbittrackercounter 2.0, stop watching that meaningless number on the treadmill, and lose the pedometer. You need to get your heart rate up to burn fat and you will never gain weight eating a diet that is rich in healthy fats, protein and fiber. I dare you to even try to eat as many avocados as you can candy bars in one sitting. It is impossible because the calories in veggies are much more dense than those in sugar and carbs and our body will use that food up as pure energy whereas the candy bar will instantly be stored as fat. (I repeat myself, I know.)


3. Do you use a protein supplement? Are they necessary?
Yes, I drink a protein powder daily. No, they are not necessary if you don't like them or want to. You can obviously eat protein rich foods and be fine. If you do opt to try out a supplement, make sure it is %100 whey protein powder that contains no additives or sugar. Most organic brands will advertise this right on the front and are your best option. DO NOT eat protein bars! They are so loaded with sugar! I seriously don't know how they get away with selling them! 


4. How do I meal plan?
See my post below on Mea Planning 101. Eat your veggies! 


5. I can't believe how much added sugar I see in things now! 
Yes! It was so eye opening to me too! Especially when it comes to dairy products. Maybe I was in the dark, but I had no clue that "low-fat" products carried way more sugar than full fat products, plus this fat is good for us! Ah! I hope you're all reading those labels and have made some changes in your bad carb and sugar intake! 


FACT: Women should stay under 20 grams of added sugar per day, and children even less. 
When they say "added" sugar, it means that the sugar has been added to the food's natural state. Ex: low-fat cheese or chocolate skim milk. 


6. Do you ever cheat and eat sugar or bad carbs?
Yes! But it is starting to make my stomach feel terrible which is a good sign that I've detoxed some of the crap out, according to the research I've looked up. I cheat about once a week, but don't desire it like I did when I started. I don't feel sluggish anymore either, which I am so grateful for! 

7. Does the type or cut of meat matter?
No. You can eat any type of meat or cut. Our healthy ancestors didn't just eat the breasts of the chick and throw out the rest and you shouldn't either. You can also eat the animal fat and skin on the meat if you choose. The most important thing is making sure your meat is grass-fed and not grain fed so that you are eating protein rich meat. 

Please feel free to post more questions in the comments section as I am starting to realize that a lot of you are asking the same things :) 

This recipe is from the book, "I Quit Sugar" by Sarah Wilson. 

Ingredients:
-1/3 cup frozen raspberries
-1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut or coconut flakes
-1/3 cup coconut oil
-5 tablespoons salted butter
-2 tablespoons raw cacao powder or cocoa
-2-3 tablespoons brown rice syrup

Directions:
Line a dinner plate or baking pan with baking paper. (I used a flat bottomed medium glass Pyrex bowl and didn't need the paper). Scatter berries and coconut on the baking dish. Melt oil and butter in a saucepan or the microwave, then stir in the cacao powder and syrup. Pour over berries and pop into the freezer for 30 minutes, until firm. To serve, either break into shards or cut into wedges. 

I didn't have salted butter so I sprinkled sea salt on the top before freezing and they tasted great! Staying true to these ingredients prevents any added sugar to this recipe. These ingredients are natural sweeteners.

This one of my favorite breakfast recipes because the leftovers heat up well in the microwave so I can eat this for breakfast the entire work week and it is so easy.

Ingredients:
-6-8 eggs
-1 tsp. heavy whipping cream 
-1-2 cups of any two veggies of your choice (I have used broccoli with a little onion in the picture)

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Use coconut oil spray or equivalent to grease muffin pan
-Chop up veggies and fill each muffin slot about 1/2 full
-Whisk together eggs and heavy whipping cream
-Use a measuring cup to pour egg mixture into each muffin slot to the top

-Optional: put shredded cheese of your choice on top of each egg muffin
-Bake for 15-20 minutes or until eggs are slightly brown

This recipe is a great source of fiber, protein and healthy fats which will stabilize your blood sugar and keep you fuller longer. I can usually eat 2-3 of these for breakfast, add my coffee, and I am good until lunch. 

 3 ROUNDS OF:
10 hand-release pushups
20 box jump-overs (use a stair if you don't have a box)
10 kettlebell swings
20 burpees

Try to finish in 15 minutes. 

*If you ever don't know how to do an exercise, simply YouTube it.