Coconut Raspberry Bars....the bomb!

These are so delicious and the ingredients are most all healthy, except there is some added light brown sugar.  3/4 cups.....everything in moderation.  These are much healthier than eating a bar with butter, white sugar, white flour, and so on....I've modified all the ingredients and these are a great little dessert.  You can even heat them up.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup Oat Flour (can also get Gluten Free Oat Flour)
1 1/2 cups Oatmeal (can also get Gluten Free Oats)
1 1/2 cups Unsweetened Coconut Flakes (I can't get enough of coconut!)
3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar (can use Splenda, artificial sweetener, same amount of nutrients)
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
3/4 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
1/2 cup Coconut Milk (this has some fat content in it, but it's better than butter and I'm omitting 1.5 sticks)
1 jar of your choice of raspberry jelly or jam! (this was hard for me because I do not believe in sugar free anymore, as I have read many studies that show your brain reacts to artificial sugars similarly to regulars sugars, in most cases.  Plus, I do not know how much I like unnatural, chemicals in my body.  Now, some may argue that sugar is chemically harming your body, true, but in moderation, and if you have "A" bar, I see this as life and a reward for your hard work throughout the week.  So, I chose organic Raspberry Jam.
Unsweetened Coconut Flakes for topping...you'll end up using about 3/4 cup more.
Parchment Paper
You will need an 8x8 non stick pan.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

 Cut parchment paper on the bottom of the pan leaving an inch around each side of the 8x8 bottom, put in pan and cut at corners so you can fold and press down in pan.  Spray with EVOO spray. 

 Take 3/4 Cup of Unsweetened Coconut Flakes and spread on baking sheet and bake for about 6 minutes, keeping an eye on them until slightly golden brown.  Take a spoon or ladle and mix up every 2 minutes. 

 Mix all your dry ingredients together.  Then add in applesauce and coconut milk.

 This part was tricky.  You'll also note I'm using a larger pan, 9x13, which didn't work, which is why I'm calling for an 8x8:)   So take the dough, it's sticky....take coconut flakes and dust them on top of your dough, in the pan, and use them to pat the dough down evenly on bottom of pan, for crust. 

 Smear jelly all over crust and then dust with your coconut you baked earlier on top. 

 Cut into bars and enjoy!

 A couple of ideas.....I put them in fridge, because I like cold bars.  You can heat them up, they'd be really good that way too!

a closeup.

Detox update

Well guys, I have been doing my best for the month long detox, which is a long time to commit to and I knew going in that I had 3 family/friend events to attend in the time span as well as a vacation.  I normally eat like the detox called for (which I posted in the second post on "detox") but really had to work on caffeine.  I have been doing great on it and cut back majorly.  For me, this detox was a way to challenge me to do better than I was doing before.  I feel I really gave it a good effort and will continue to do so. 

I still have not gotten my food allergy tests back yet and when I do, you'll be the first to hear!  I have never done a detox before and with this one, loved it because I don't eat dairy anyways, I don't eat processed foods unless it's a cheat meal (but when I'm working on a goal, I do not cheat).  I have had a lot going on with tests and a personal health conflict lately (the hormonal testing/food allergy testing)...and getting all my medications so I can be more balanced internally.  I am happy to say that although this month long detox, I did not adhere to 110%, I also knew going in that this was going to be a challenge for me to get motivated to work on a new goal, less caffeine.  I feel happy with my efforts and did notice a change, more energy and less "needing" a caffeine fix through the middle of the day.  I like how I feel and in the meantime have decided that I am always going to love my black coffee, whether it's enjoying it over talk with my mom or mel, or looking forward to a nice cup of it in the morning, I don't ever want to give that up.  I know that everything can and should be monitored and controlled.   When you begin to depend on something, that is when you should begin to observe more closely your affiliation and need with that substance.   I do not feel I have many vices and so this detox for me was a motivating thrust with a positive outcome.  Although it is not over, I continue to maintain this occasional cup of coffee for enjoyment.  I believe because this is life, you should not deprive yourself of everything.  Deprivation is no good.  I have learned this the hard way....we weren't made to deprive ourselves...I believe we are supposed to eat and drink well 90% of the time and on occasion, have your cheat meal or vice.  We are all human and we need that.  Competing in shows, I realize that nothing good came after depriving my body for 3 solid months and then going back to your normal ways of having occasional cheat meals, etc.  Now, it depends on where you are with your goals as well, keep this in mind as I'm stating all this.  If you are working on fat loss, you should minimize your cheat meals, if any.  If you are really serious that is. 

So overall, I will continue modifying the one thing I felt was missing from my life on the detox program, which was minimal caffeine....

I believe any effort to try to progress yourself, your diet, your health, your life, is a good intentioned effort.  If you make headway, hats off to you! 

Mahi Mahi on a beach in Hawaii.

Mahi Mahi, otherwise known as the Dolphin Fish.  It has a mild, sweet flavor.  It is more firm than tilapia and it's one of my favorites!

 Mahi Mahi with Mrs. Dash Caribbean Spice and coconut flakes and homemade Chimichurri Sauce.  When you take a bite, it places me on an island.  It's very citrus and coconut flavorful.   Very light and a great texture.  This is now a staple in my evening meal. 

What you do is:

1.  Thaw Mahi Mahi. 
2.  Put about 3/4 cup of egg whites in a bowl and unsweetened coconut flakes on a separate plate.
3.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and put foil down on a baking sheet.  Spray with EVOO pam spray.
4.  Dip the mahi, one at a time, in the egg whites and then place over the coco flakes.  make sure you get the coconut flakes on both sides.
5.  Place on baking sheet and bake 5 minutes one side, flip and 5 minutes other side.
6.  *after both sides have 5 minutes under the heat, I pull tray out and drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on top of one side and broil for about 4 minutes until crispy top.

For the Chimichurri sauce:

8 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon oregano, dry leaves
1 teaspoon black pepper, ground
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Finely grated lemon zest from 3 lemons (make sure you only zest top layer, do not zest once you see the white. 
4 ounces fresh lemon juice
1 bunch flat leaf (Italian) parsley
1 cup virgin olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse chop until all ingredients are approximately 1/8-inch in size.
2. Add Italian parsley and pulse chop until parsley is 1/8-inch in size.
3. Add the olive oil and blend in quickly.
4. Allow the sauce to marinate for 30 minutes before serving.

Makes about 1 1/2 to 2 cups.

Nutritional Highlights of Mahi Mahi

Mahi mahi (cooked, dry heat), 3 oz. (84.9g)
Calories: 118
Protein: 25.5g
Carbohydrate: 0.0g
Total Fat: 1.0g
Fiber: 0.0g
*Excellent source of: Selenium (40mcg), Niacin (10mg), and Vitamin B6 (0.88mg)
*Good source of: Potassium (484mg)

Monkey Business Muffins

 

http://youtu.be/7_s4tqPgeZc

MONKEY BUSINESS MUFFINS.  

THESE MUFFINS ARE A TREAT!  I BELIEVE IN EATING WELL, EATING HEALTHY AND EATING FOR ENERGY.  THERE IS NO BARELY EATING OR EATING JUST WHAT I FEEL LIKE.  IT'S ALL ABOUT FEEDING YOUR BODY THE NUTRIENTS IT NEEDS.  

THESE MUFFINS HAVE ESSENTIAL FATS (COCONUT OIL, WALNUTS), THAT ARE HEALTHY FATS YOU NEED.  

THEY CONTAIN CINNAMON, A GREAT SPICE I SAY USE ANYTIME! IN YOUR BAKING.  

I WOULD EAT THESE MORE IN THE MORNING OR AS AN AFTERNOON SNACK, SINCE THEY CONTAIN BOTH BANANA, RAISINS AND AGAVE (IF YOU CHOOSE TO ADD).  THE MORE SUGAR IN A SNACK, THE SOONER IN THE DAY YOU SHOULD EAT.  DO NOT HAVE THIS AROUND YOUR WORK OUT FOR PRE OR POST WORKOUT MEAL BECAUSE OF THE FAT CONTENT.  FAT SLOWS YOUR DIGESTION AND FOR PRE AND POST WORKOUT, YOU WANT SOMETHING MORE QUICK DIGESTING, UNLESS YOU ARE ABOUT TO RUN A MARATHON, THAT IS!

 what you'll need...
4 Eggs
2 Bananas (or 3, depending on how mushy you like it)
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
1 Tbsp. Organic Blue Agave Nectar (may omit)
3/4 cup Coconut Flour
1/4 cup Chopped Walnuts
3/4 cup Raisins
1/2 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut Flakes
 1 Tbsp. Cinnamon

 I LOVE CINNAMON.  IT'S SO GOOD FOR YOU.  SLOWS ANY INSULIN SURGE.  PAIR WITH YOUR OATMEAL AND FRUIT IN THE MORNING FOR SLOWING OF DIGESTION= LESS SURGE OF INSULIN.

 SPRAY A 12 COUNT MUFFIN PAN WITH EVOO SPRAY. 

 ADD ALL DRY INGREDIENTS AND BANANAS, MINUS RAISINS AND COCO FLAKES, AND MASH.

 IF YOU MASH AGAINST BOTTOM OF BOWL, REALLY MASHES NICELY. 

 ADD ALL WET INGREDIENTS, RAISINS AND COCO FLAKES AND DOUGH APPEARS LIKE THIS. 

FILL SHEET, BAKE ON 350 40-45 MINUTES OR UNTIL DESIRED CONSISTENCY.  SOME LIKE THEIR BAKED BANANA MUFFINS/BREAD LESS COOKED THROUGH OR LESS DRY, SO JUST MONITOR TO YOUR LIKING!

ENJOY THIS HEALTHY TREAT!

Day 4 Detox

I'm excited to announce nothing is seriously wrong with me or my thryoid; however, I did learn I'm off balance hormonally, which affects more than 10% of women.  Usually without them knowing.  I will be taking some natural, non-synthetic medicine and see how that balances me out.  The verdict is:  my thyroid is sluggish.  With all my hard work on diet and exercise and me working more on less stressing and more yoga, I believe the balancing out with natural medicine will help put me where I want to be.

Day 4, I am doing really well.  Overall, I feel more in control of my choices by doing gluten-free, and am not finding myself eating carbs when I really don't need to.  Tonight we are going out to dinner, and I already plan on having fish with veggies as a side with water.



The biggest thing is, I feel less bloated than I have in over a month.  Perhaps gluten-intolerant?

Continuing on with the detox, 26 more days...

 So how do you know if detox is for you?

Are you experiencing symptoms of:

-adrenal fatigue (looking for caffeine to get you "up" and feeling highs and lows mood wise throughout the day

-not seeing weight loss results

-believe you might possibly have a food allergy, such as gluten intolerance *do you bloat after eating normal carbohydrates?

-notice you do not have much motivation throughout the day

-frequent headaches throughout the day

-skin rashes

-gas and frequent intestinal disorders

-constipation, irregular bowel movements

These are all signs of toxins in your system. 

From a site I trust, here is a small writeup on how often you should detox.  http://www.natural-progesterone-advisory-network.com/how-often-should-you-detox/


Please ask me any questions you have!  I am learning a lot and in the process, want to share with you the benefits of detoxing. 

Day 2 Detoxing my Life

So I've decided that this detox and my results that I will get back soon from the Hormonal/Stress/Food Allergy testing are going to give me a lot of answers and a fresh start anew.

Day 2 and I'm trucking along!  This morning I felt less bloated than normal and loved it!  I taught my High Intensity Class this a.m. did the workout with them without feeling tired or sluggish.

Here is what I am doing on my detox:

No sugars (except fruit--2 small handfuls per day, berries only)
No alcohol, no problem I say;)
No processed foods
No caffeine
No gluten
Drinking tons of water (half of my bodyweight in ounces which I do anyways)
Doing best to eat all organic protein and wild fish (this is hard as the organic chicken is very $$, since I don't have money spilling out of my pocket at this point in my life I am opting for Miller's Chicken, which is the closest I can get to Organic.  All natural, but not organic.  So clearly, I am not doing the cleanse as 100% as you are supposed to, but I can not maintain that cleanse for a month on organic costs.
I do most of these things anyways, but it's the no gluten and no caffeine part. 

Here are my "start" pictures.  I am retaining some water right now but I do believe that will change once more days accumulate. 

You know, what I think I've learned is that some people have to work for a fabulous, fit body and some have to work super hard for it.  I believe genetically I was not dealt the card with the fast metabolism, and even because I have been, for most of my life, "10 lbs. around the edges), that my set point does not want to move.  I still believe I can get to anywhere I want to get to, that nothing is set in stone and that with fine tuning and a detailed understanding of what's going on beneath the surface, that I will get there.  I have the work ethic, the drive and the passion and so a year of trying so many different things and not seeing much results except muscle growth here and there (which is a great thing too), I am really excited to continue trying since I will know what the underlying issues are, if any.  (I'll be hard pressed to believe something is not going on, but we'll see)

What I know about myself is I am not afraid to admit my shortcomings and am self aware enough to know if I am in denial and after admitting any shortcomings, such as having a cheat meal and then eliminating that from my diet and still nothing happening, I know I am not denying anything, conscious or subconscious.

If you are not seeing results from your efforts, and I mean more than just trying one thing....and feel discouraged, do not give up.  I believe firmly in examining all routes.  Perhaps, before you spend the money on testing your hormones, food allergies, stress levels, etc, look at amping up your workouts and shocking your body, or writing down what you eat in a food journal.  I also know that things happen as you age and sometimes stress plays a huge part in it, so taking a yoga class and calming your mind and your soul also helps.  Just never give up hope and never say that you can't do or be something.  For me, this is just another road block that I am tearing down again.  No biggie.  I am just grateful to have learned the tools to not give up and keep trying until you get it.

Ash, Living Fiercely.

30 Day Detox

It's time!  I have decided to do this program with my aunt, Melissa Ramey, which she recommended.  I have been thinking and thinking about a detox for a long time as I have been at a similar weight for a long while now and have tried everything under the sun possible to shake my body from this comfort zone. 

It's more than just that though< I believe to be healthy, one must possess a healthy diet, healthy physical endeavors, a balanced hormonal structure and a stress free mind set.  Or as stress free as you can be;)  I have found lately that perhaps this is deeper than my body just doing everything it can to prevent me from getting leaner than I've ever been.  Of course, the one thing that does work for me is no carbs or very low carbs; however, I feel it's not a healthy course of action and for me, it deters me from putting the maximal effort into my workouts.

Last Wednesday, I went to a friend of the family who is a Doctor in a Hormonal/Food Allergy/Homeopathic Practice.  I finally feel like I've made a move forward, as I feel in my gut, it is something deeper than a missing link in my diet or exercise, as I said earlier.  Hypothyroidism runs on my mother's side of the family and has not missed one woman yet.  I will find out the conclusion of one part of the test this Wednesday and the other part the Wednesday after.

This detox is to detoxify my system of sugars, processed foods, gluten, caffeine and so on.  I will be updating this with how I feel along the way.

I'm inserting a picture of myself when I got to my leanest without really sacrificing most things and feeling I've tried everything.  I'd say this was the start of my plateau.  This picture was taken in February of 2010, more than a year ago.  Since then, I have always switched up my program, tried carb cycling, low carbs, have completed 2 competitions, counted calories, went mostly organic, drank 2 gallons of water per day, and had many breakdowns as to why nothing was happening.  I feel as though I have fought the hard fight and it's time to take this a step deeper. 

I am also doing a stress test, which I then send to California, where they will get back with me a week after I send it in.  I will do that this week.  Since this picture, I have had some fluctuations in weight but mostly, I get bloated easily and put on weight quickly in my midsection, a genetic malfunction;)  I try to say that positively.  Of course I'd rather have it go to my butt, but this is where it goes and it prevents me from wanting to wear tanks because I feel that is out of proportion to everything else on me.  But it is what it is and I'm doing what I can to get to the bottom of this so I have more control over it.  I don't believe anything is IMPOSSIBLE.  I believe I can get lean if I want to, it's just a matter of finding what is going on inside and then correcting it.  This is not just physical, but I want to be healthy inside as well.  The woman who tested me last week told me that stress, cortisol, adrenals, thyroid, metabolism, all works together and when one thing is off, it throws them all off.  So here we go! 

I am really excited and super motivated to work hard and detox.  I know it will be a challenge, but I'm ready and I've challenged myself in so many ways and know what it feels like to be challenged and push through to the other side for the feeling of being proud of myself. 

I am excited to share with you what I find out and see if I am right about something going on internally with me. 

I also want to inform you on detoxing and the importance of balance, not just physical achievement, but inner balance.  Stay tuned...

Mexico in May

Away to Tulum, Mexico for a 4 night stay at the Royal Catalonia Resort.  It was amazing and beautiful to say the least.  It reminded me of how much I love seeing new places and new cultures.  The resort we stayed at housed many Italians, and hardly any Americans.  It was a nice change.  The Italians kept to themselves and were somewhat clique-ish but that was fine by us.  We enjoyed a spa day, a day at the Tulum ruins and I managed to get in a Yoga Class on the beach with Stacy.  She also showed me some Pilates moves that I now am intrigued by.