Homemade Mini Peanut Butter Cups

Oh my goodness!!! Get ready for another super easy, clean recipe! You won't even believe this is real life.

The one thing I love about these homemade peanut butter cups is that you truly cannot tell a difference between this healthier version, and the version you find at the store-- well, except these are WAY better. So grab your peanut butter and Enjoy Life chocolate chips and let's go!

Ingredients:

• 1 bag Enjoy Life chocolate chips (these are soy/dairy/nut/allergen- free)


• Organic creamy peanut butter

 

Directions:

• Heat a sauce pan on low heat and melt the entire bag of chocolate chips (you may need more than 1 bag depending on the size and quantity of your PB cups!)


• Line muffin tins with a wrapper


• With a teaspoon, gently drizzle melted chocolate into each hole, just enough to cover the bottom for the "base" of the PB cup


• Then with another spoon, scoop desired amount of PB into each muffin hole


• Then pour the rest of the melted chocolate over the top of each hole until completely covered


• Stick in freezer for about 2-3 mins, then transfer to fridge. Remove and let sit for a minute before eating so it softens up.

YUMMMMMM ---> ENJOY!!!!

Improve Flexibility and Performance while Reducing Injury and Pain

If I told you that a cheap piece of foam could not only improve your performance in the gym and day-to-day activities, but that it could prevent injuries, improve flexibility and motion, and keep you pain-free for a lifetime, would you believe me? Would it be even better if I told you that you could do all of this for around $10-$30, and do it in the comfort of your own home?

Foam rolling (self-myofascial release) is an extremely effective and inexpensive way to reduce scar tissue, inflammation, pain, break up trigger points, and improve overall motion and flexibility.

So how does it work, and why is it different than traditional stretching?

If you've ever heard of the Golgi Tendon Organ (GTO), this is the important piece of the success of foam rolling. The GTO is basically a bunch of collagen and nerve tissue located where muscle fibers meet tendons (see figure below). The main function of the GTO is to sense muscle tension during a contraction, and then stimulate muscle spindles to relax that muscle. This autogenic response of "release" (sort of like a reflex action) is what restores muscle length-tension relationships, soft tissue function, improves flexibility and relieves pain.

 

Traditional stretching simply causes increases in muscle length (assuming we don't push too far and cause serious injury), while self-myofascial release on a foam roller increases muscle length and breaks down soft tissue adhesions and scar tissue, which is absolutely critical to address.

Some benefits of self-myofascial release with the foam roller:

• Improve neuromuscular efficiency


• Release tension around joints


• Release tightness in the hips


• Correct muscle imbalances


• Relieve muscle soreness


• Improves range of motion in joints

Guidelines:

This is pretty simple to do. You're just going to basically put as much of your bodyweight as you can (and eventually all of it) on the foam roller with the foam roller on the ground. Roll slowly over each area, and when you reach tender/painful spots, hold it there! This is going to hurt, I won't lie, but it's worth every minute of it. Hold it on the tender spots until the pain subsides (can take up to a few minutes, so be patient), and then move on to the next area.

In the picture below, it shows just one area you can roll (the IT band), which will probably be the most tender/sore area, but is so important for avoiding knee injuries and hip tightness, etc... (Note: if you're currently experiencing knee pain, try this area right away and see if it improves. Many times with knee pain, a common issue is simply iliotibial band (IT) tightness, which can be relieved through foam rolling)

 

As you can see, this can be a great addition to your normal routine while providing outstanding, long-lasting benefits! For a detailed instructional video of how to foam roll all areas of your body, check out this video.

Happy releasing!!

 

Chocolate Protein Frosting

A few days ago, I created a special recipe for the HealthyGrowingKids blog called "Super Antioxidant Omega-3 Cupcakes". These cupcakes are insanely delicious, and perfect for growing kids who thrive on wholesome ingredients, so be sure to check them out! And what would make them even better? Chocolate Protein Frosting of course!

I originally topped them with Barlean's Orange Cream Omega-3 for a frosting, but here is another delicious alternative. You can even put this frosting on first, and then use the Barlean's Essential Women's Omega Swirl in Chocolate Raspberry on top!!

 

Check this bad-boy out:

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="555"] Chocolate Protein Frosting[/caption]

 Ingredients:

• 0% Greek Yogurt


• One 85% dark chocolate bar

Directions:

• Simply melt the chocolate bar stove-top on LOW heat until it's thoroughly melted, then immediately remove from pan and scoop into a bowl with your Greek yogurt. 


• Mix well until the color is uniformly brown


• Viola! That's it!


• Other Options: you can add additional stevia flavors in to switch it up, or some unsweetened coconut flakes, or crushed walnuts!

 

See, I am all about simplicity when it comes to fat loss food. I can't be bothered slaving away in the kitchen, so you can be sure my recipe posts will always be simple yet delicious!

 

Let me know what you think!!

xoxo

Top 3 Butt Exercises You're Probably Not Doing

Ok, let's cut to the chase. I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't think that nice, round glutes are attractive. They may not be the focal point of everyone's workout program, but let's face it-- especially to a woman, round butts are very desirable.

Now, let me preface this post by saying I am not going to talk about squats and lunges for a couple reasons:

1) While these exercises are great for lower glute development (specifically the glute ham tie-in), they mainly target the quads and don't really do much for the upper glutes; therefore, I want to talk about less-common exercises that you can incorporate into your glute training routine to round it out (no pun intended) :-)

2) These exercises are axial loading exercises (involve spinal compression), and people get so caught up in them because they're so popular, that they "forget" about training the glutes from all other angles. In order to really improve the shape of your butt, you've got to work it from all angles. Don't ditch the squats and lunges; just add  some others in for best results!

Enter my 3 favorite butt-shaping exercises....

 

• Hip-Thrusts:

Hip thrusts are ridiculously effective at targeting the entire glute region. They're similar to a glute bridge, except involve a greater range of motion once glute bridges become too easy. With these, you'll also  feel the "burn" more in your upper glutes along the line that connects to your lower back (erector muscles). You can do this exercise without a barbell, as a glute march, or single-legged. You want to make sure that as you come up, you're keeping your spine & neck neutral , while bracing your abs to prevent lumbar extension. Bret Contreras (aka: the glute guy), elaborates more on this exercise, here. Be sure to watch his video for excellent information on incorporating this exercise into your routine.

 

Sprints: Sprints are like the king of all exercises. I think if I had to pick only one exercise to do for the rest of my life to achieve the best possible body composition, it'd be the sprint. Not only is sprinting one of the best possible ab exercises you can do, but it's wildly effective for the entire body, including the glutes. It provides an insane metabolic after burn, increasing HGH (growth hormone) output long after you're done sprinting.  The explosiveness of this exercise is mainly achieved through glute activation when your foot hits the ground, which makes it a super effective exercise for glute muscle hypertrophy. Beginners- don't worry that you may not be sprinting "fast enough". Sprint speed is relative. As long as you're running with maximum propulsion, it doesn't matter how fast you're truly going. Your max is your max, and your max is all it takes to seriously activate your glutes! Note: sprints on the pavement, as opposed to the treadmill, will provide even MORE glute activation, so do them outside as much as possible.

 

And last but not least...

 

Single Leg Romanian Deadlift: 



This exercise is beyond amazing for all things hamstring, butt and back related -- as well as some serious sensorimotor training (ie: balance/coordination). What I love about this exercise is that you don't even need to go that heavy, and you can do this unweighted everyday and see amazing improvements in balance, coordination, and flexibility. Here is a great video showing how to execute this move. Just don't curse me out tomorrow when you can barely walk :-D

 

So those are my three favorite exercise for great glutes!  I want to hear from you: have you done any of these exercises before? If so, do you feel like they work your butt as well as squats & lunges? Don't be afraid to try new things! I'd love to hear about your results after incorporating these into your routine :)

 

 

 

 

Fat Loss Friendly Lemon Blackberry Protein Crepe

Oh. my. goodness.

→ This fat loss friendly Lemon Blackberry Protein Crepe is truly heaven. What's funny about this recipe is that it happened totally by accident (っ◕‿◕)っ it was supposed to be a pancake, but I can't flip a pancake to save life, and it broke, so I figured I will just roll it up like a burrito and stuff it with something marvelous. Anyhoo- this is how it goes...

Crepe Ingredients:

1 scoop vanilla (or unflavored) protein powder. I use Biotrust Low Carb
a lot in baking because it isn't as dry as most whey protein powders out there. Plant-based powders are also perfect for baking

1/2c liquid egg whites

2 drops lemon essential oil -OR- lemon extract

Stevia to taste (I used stevia vanilla creme drops)

*Depending on your protein powder, it may be a little too thick. If so, just add a few splashes of water until the batter is slightly thinner than regular pancake batter

Filling Ingredients (oh yes, there was filling! Look closely at the chocolate dripping out!):

1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I used Biotrust chocolate)

Slowly, on a light drizzle, add water and stir until it becomes like a pudding consistency.

Stick bowl in freezer as the crepe cooks so that's it's nice and cold

Toppings:

I drizzled Barlean's Blackberry Omega Swirl liquid over the top, & a little Natural by Nature whipped cream, which is my favorite because it's organic, grass-fed dairy, and doesn't contain any corn syrup (unlike traditional varieties). I get it from Trader Joes, but if you visit the link, there is a "locate a distributor" link that'll help you find it.


→ Cooking Technique: Simply pour the batter onto a greased pan on low/medium heat (I use coconut oil spray). Immediately swirl liquid around until it covers the whole pan and then cook all the way through (will be around 8 mins, or until bubbles disappear). If you're better at cooking than I am (& I really hope you are), you can flip it and cook the other side for 10-20 seconds before sliding off onto your plate.
Once on plate, take pudding bowl out of the freezer & spoon it into the middle of the crepe circle. Fold like a burrito, then drizzle with the Barleans & top with whipped cream. Ta Da! Now you have a fat loss meal that will make everyone around you jealous ツ