Athleisure Lovers Rejoice!

The Gods have opened up the gates and have granted the one wish we  women have all been praying for: athletic wear is now socially acceptable to casually wear in public (yes, this includes yoga pants!) Add these two topics of discussion together and you have one of the fashion industries’ most talked about topics, #Athleisure – and man oh man am I loving it!

If you have ever been to college, had a full-time job or just naturally enjoy being comfortable, yet presentable, your level of excitement is probably just as high as mine. Coming home from your daily grind, rolling out of bed to head to class or if you ever left the house thinking “I’d rather not wear colored jeans, a blouse and heels to run to the grocery store” then you know exactly what I am talking about.

So let’s break this down. First and foremost, this isn’t a new concept. Women everywhere have turned to this style daily, at various times of their life. However, what makes the whole idea even better is that yes, that fashion industry is indeed turning it into something to talk about, but we no longer have to rely only on those “sporty” brands to make our athleisure purchases (Nike, Reebok, Adidas etc.) That’s right, casual-wear brands and more are turning to athletic lines that we females have turned in to something more than just articles of clothing to wear while we burn those cals. Brands like Free People, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie even Lilly Pulitzer, are all trying to work their way into this market to fit the needs of athleisure lovers everywhere. We also can’t forget about the the brands that have already been in the game for quite some time like, Lululemon, Athleta, Patagonia and more, while also remembering that for every great athleisure outfit comes a cute pair of sneaks, try these or these. And like every other clothing trend accessories are important; watches, headbands and other accessories are all necessities.

So athleisure lovers rejoice! If you loved it before, you’ll love it even more now.  The market for this trend is continuing to grow – which from my perspective is phenomenal! Women of all ages embrace this look and I hope this is a trend that never goes out of style (if it does I will carry it on!)

Personally, I turn to athleisure quite often. Obviously when heading to a workout, but now even to run errands, hangout with friends or lounge around the house. I am not afraid to admit that I am also very jealous of those who work in an environment where athleisure is acceptable – at my office, not so much, but a girl can dream. So once again athleisure lovers, rejoice! We can live a cute, casual and comfortable life in our athleisure clothes and enjoy every minute of it!

For related articles check out: this, this, this, and this.

Mexican Turkey Wraps

Mexican food has got to be one of my absolute favorites – tacos, fajitas, queso, chips and salsa and we can’t forget margaritas! Mmmm, all of those listed and more are my favorite dishes to indulge in. So, when trying to tackle this new diet of mine I knew that food with at least a Mexican twist was going to be something difficult to cut out – which is why I didn’t (: I have seen various recipes for lettuces wraps and decided to add a little Mexican twist to make for a healthy single serving meal.

With very few ingredients it’s a quick meal enjoy by yourself or for a whole group. The recipe has no added sugar, grains or dairy. It’s a stripped down favorite with all of the Mexican flavors – enjoy!

• Olive oil
• 1 medium onion (sliced)
• 1 green pepper (sliced)
• 1/3 container of ground turkey
• 1 tsp. Chili powder
• 1/2 cup organic salsa
• 3 large lettuce leaves

1. Saute onions and peppers in large pan. Brown and fully cook ground turkey.

2. Add salsa and chili powder to cooked turkey. Stir thoroughly.

3. Add ground turkey to peppers and onions. Stir thoroughly.

4. Distribute ground turkey mixture evenly on lettuce leaves.

 

PB Fit Cups

My most recent adventures in the kitchen have consisted of a great deal of “fit recipes” – ultimately finding creative ways to include protein in to recipes, as well as healthier versions of my favorite sweet treats. Yesterday, I took a shot at breaking down my absolute favorite food combination, chocolate and peanut butter, and my favorite piece of candy – a peanut butter cup. With the variety of “healthy” peanut butter options now out in the market this recipe was not that difficult to come up with. I was looking for something high in protein and low in fat and sugar.

I promise it is simple and easy to make. An entire batch will provide small treats for an extended period of time and as you crave something sweet throughout your week pull one of these out the freezer and walk away completely satisfying your sweet tooth.

The inspiration behind this recipe also came from Kaylyn at Peanut Butter Paradise. We recently connected and after checking out her blog (which I promise you’ll love) it was quite clear that her passion for PB was just a strong as mine. So whip up a batch of these PB Fit Cups and then sit back an explore Kaylyn’s blog. If you find yourself getting lost in her posts be sure not to over indulge in the PB Fit Cups! Enjoy!

• 1 cup of Nestle dark Chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp protein (I used peanut butter cup PEScience)
• 3 tbsp  SimplyJif
• 1/4 cup PB Fit (peanut butter powder)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1. In a small bowl combine, protein, peanut butter, peanut butter powder and almond milk – stir until smooth

2. In a separate bowl, melt chocolate. I microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat this until completely melted.

3. Place a thin layer of melted chocolate at the bottom of each baking cup. Place in freezer for 10 minutes.

4. Remove from freezer. Place small ball of peanut butter mixture in each baking cup. Cover and top with remaining melted chocolate.

5. Freeze for an additional 15 minutes. (at a minimum)

6. Enjoy! (I keep them stored in the freezer until I am ready to eat. Allow a few minutes to thaw before indulging.)

Raspberry Protein Thumbprints

I am always on the look out for a simple, sweet, delicious and of course, healthy treat. And as an avid Quest Bar baker, this recipe was a no brainer. One of my favorite bars, chocolate brownie, and a sinfully sweet berry makes for THE perfect protein packed treat.

As a perfect pick-me-up and naturally fitting in my macros, I promise you that this is one you will be turning too whenever that sweet tooth is screaming.

Ingredients:

• Chocolate brownie Quest Bar
• Raspberries

1. Unwrap and divide the Quest Bar in to four even sections
2. Microwave one section for five seconds.
3. Roll in to a ball and microwave for six more seconds.
4. Immediately press your thumb in to the ball to make a thumbprint. Place one raspberry in the thumbprint.
5. ENJOY!

Photo Guide:

Chocolate Banana Protein Pancakes

With the many changes I have made in my life over the past month or so – comes the ability to really get creative in the kitchen. Almost everyday I see delicious stacks of protein pancakes and have always wanted to try one of the recipes. So, my best friend Chelsea, and I decided to have a #bakedate on Friday night after our favorite spinning class to try one of our very own recipes.

I researched several recipes, because there are honestly hundred of flavors you can go with when making these, to determine what flavors and style of pancake we wanted to go for. For our first time we wanted to keep in simple – we both LOVE chocolate, we wanted to tons of fruit and obviously packed full of nutrition and protein. With this is mind we decided to make our very own Chocolate Banana Protein Pancakes.

The recipe is so unbelievably simple and the outcome is so unbelievably to die for! Chels and I go in to our workouts together pretty pumped and after we killed our spinning class Friday night – I hate to say it, but I think we were even more excited when we got to indulge in our stack of pancakes. Enjoy!

• 4 eggs (you can also us egg whites 3/4 cup)
• 2 bananas
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 scoop – chocolate protein
• 2Tbs – cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• strawberries
• bananas
• blueberries
• honey (we used cinnamon honey)

1. Combine eggs, banana, oats, protein, cocoa powder, cinnamon in a blender. Pulse until completely blended and looks like liquid.

2. Use a 1/4 cup to scoop and place in medium to low skillet.

3.Top your stack of pancakes with strawberries and place banana and blueberries around. Drizzle with honey.

Photo guide:

This recipe is SO easy. Literally just throw all the pancake ingredients in a blender – we didn’t chop, slice or reduce anything.We found that it was much better to keep the pancakes small – much easier to stack that way!We placed sliced strawberries on top of our pancakes and saved the remaining fruit to disburse along the plate – these are a good fork pick-me-up while you are eating!

To top it off, what makes baking/cooking/eating/working-out/ whatever you are doing so much better – good friends!

 

Log What You Eat, Love What You Eat.

I have always been a healthy eater. In the past I would indulge occasionally and now even less, but healthy eating has always been a good habit of mine. Yet no matter what, I still felt like I could do better. What my problem was is just over eating.  I was eating all the right food, but again just too much.

I tried plain and simple eating less but found I was not holding myself accountable. It wasn’t until I used simple resources around me that I found myself on the perfect health and fitness track.

First, I changed my style of workouts. Before I was working out alone everyday. Now, I am working out with others, along with doing my own works and taking a one rest day throughout the week. This was a great new method for me. It was through working out and sharing my health and fitness journey with others that I was able to learn of great resources that I am constantly surrounded by, but never thought to utilize to benefit my health. Naturally attending multiple group fitness classes each week has really helped! From spinning, Insanity, Circuit Training, Ballistic Core, PiYo and more – the variety of workouts I am doing has now greatly increase. With such great motivation from those I see at our workouts on the regular basis (#fitfam) I am now even more motivated to hit the normal gym by myself. Both my cardio and weight training intensity has increased!

Second, my phone. Sounds a little strange but, oh man is technology useful! I downloaded the MyFitnessPal app. This has become very useful now that I am tracking my macros, as well as eating more portion controlled meals. It allows me to track my food and nutrient intake – which is vital for the #IIFYM eating habits.

Another tool that I am using on my phone is my camera. Now I have been known to be somewhat of a #foodie, but good or bad, I have taken it to another level. And while I am not posting everything I eat on social media I have my own library of meals. On top of the easy to use MyFitnessPal app, I take photos of my food. Think about it, taking a look at an app and reading ” 4 oz. chicken breast” is not nearly as fun or effective than looking at a picture of a 4 oz. chicken breast. It has allowed me to enjoy healthy eating even more. Taking the photos and tracking my food has become a habit, it works well for me, and it is something I enjoy. Below are two examples 

Breakfast – my morning shake and handful of blueberries.

Lunch – 1 1/2 cups lentil, vegetable, bean soup

Afternoon snack – Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup blueberries, 1/4 strawberries, 1/2 teaspoon of chia seeds, 1/4 cup granola.

A specific workout, eating and life plan is different for everyone. This has not only been working for me, but is making me feel absolutely great! What resources, apps or tools work for you?