Month: June 2013

vegan protein bar2

And by CRACK, I mean protein but these little suckers are so tasty that they should be considered crack! I literally had to hide them so that I would stop eating them. So bake these in a cookie sheet and then as soon as they cool immediately cut them and put them out of reach or give some to the neighbors, they’re that dangerous.

Okay, now that I’ve got your scared and excited, here’s the recipe!

VEGAN CRACK BARS
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and get your non stick cookie sheet ready on the stove. In a large bowl combine the following ingredients and then mix gently till they are all solidly stuck together and evenly distributed.

2 cups of oats
1 cup of goji berries
2 tbsp of cashews
3/4 cup all natural peanut butter
3 tbsp of hemp seed
1 tbsp of chia oil
4 tbsp of vanilla hemp protein powder
3 tbsp of maple syrup
1/4 cup almond milk
1/2 cup mini vegan choc chips (I Love ENJOYLIFE! brand)

Next spread the whole mixture the size of the pan so it covers all corners. It should be relatively thin, maybe a 1/2 inch – an inch thick. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until the edges get toasty brown. Let cool, and you’ve been warned what to do once they’re all cooled. 😉

I don’t know about you but my schedule doesn’t always permit me the luxury of hitting up a yoga class on the daily. I’ve gotten much better at making it a priority but sometimes I just need a little yoga fix to get me moving, kick up my energy and open me up! I stumbled up this AMAZING 20 minute yoga video on YouTube from PlumTV and wanted to share it with you guys. It’s a lot of heart openers aka back bends so it really gives you a nice loving feeling throughout and provides you with a sustainable energy boost to take on the rest of your day! Give it a whirl and enjoy! Namaste.

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If you are subscribed to the newsletter you’ve already heard me riff about this a little this morning and if you’re not then SIGN UP! What are you waiting for? A weekly dose of sweet and skinny inspiration and special promotions are seconds away on the side bar! Just put your first name and email and we’ll get you hooked up!

Anyways, back to happiness!
 So often I see people letting their exercise and healthy eating attempts stress them out! It totally defeats the whole purpose of taking care of yourself. This week, lets turn our attention to happiness and focus on creating more of it! Stress kills and happiness heals! Take a moment right now and in your phone or on a post it write down 5-10 things you can do on the average day that make you happy. I challenge you this week to look at this list everyday and pick one thing every day to do! Make happiness a priority this week and your eating habits and activity will fall in line.

Be sure to comment below and let me know some of the things on your happiness list! Have a great Monday!

Come join me as I review the second week of my “May Cause Miracles” by Gabby Bernstein journey. I thought it was only appropriate I post this video today for you guys because I’m going to meet the miracle maker herself today the Hay House Writer’s Workshop and I couldn’t be more excited! Please comment, share and SUBSCRIBE! I’d love to hear your experiences if you’ve read this book!

Okay, out causing miracles and stuff, peace.

vegan mac

In reality this dish is quinoa + cheese, but it really scratches the itch for it’s naughty alter ego mac and cheese! This stuff came out creamy and amazing, it’s SUPER easy to make and a definite MUST TRY!

VEGAN “MAC” and CHEESE
1 cup of water
1/2 cup quinoa
4 slices of Daiya cheese
1 tbsp of vegetable oil spread

Boil your quinoa in the water, and stir it around until most of the water has evaporated. Now add in your vegetable oil spread, tear up the slices of daiya cheese into your saucepan and mix everything together. I even added some chopped avocado after this picture was taken to kick it up a notch but it’s pretty delicious either way!

Are you ready for the third installment of your SUMMER SLIM DOWN Challenge?! I hope so because this ones not for the weak! Make sure you watch the first two videos first and then let me know if you want to kick it up a notch on week three!

Check out more about the sugar cleanse on loving fit.com

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I have been a self proclaimed yoga-junkie since before Lululemon started making amaze balls yoga pants. I can find myself relatively comfortable in almost any class my little heart desires to step into, and I say this not to brag but to really emphasize my point here. As many of you may have noticed from following the website and YouTube videos, I have just recently gotten really into meditating. Meditating was something that I flirted with for years! I tried it off and on in college and always sat and focused on my breath at the end of yoga class but never really incorporated it into my yoga practice. I know, this might seem insane, could I really have done yoga all these years and NOT figured it out till now!? Well I’m totally calling myself out on this one in hopes that it will help you take your practice to the next level or maybe even give yoga a second try if it wasn’t your thing at first. A couple nights a go I went to the “power yoga” class at my gym, I was juicing during the day and in a very meditative mood as it was but then the instructor took a minute and spoke to us about setting an intention for our practice. For those of you that have been to yoga class, this is fairly common. However, for the first time, I really set a powerful intention for my practice. In fact, it had nothing to do with my body and wasn’t directly related to the yoga work I was doing but to the meditative work I was doing at home. I instantly felt more calm and centered in my practice, my intention gave me strength and balance. In some of the more challenging poses I really felt like I was harnessing power towards my intention. Yoga went from an amazing work out where I stretch my already uber flexible body and feel like jello when I leave to this other worldly experience, I don’t think I’ve ever been so relaxed and grounded while sweating so much! I felt empowered and balanced afterwards like I had gotten a mind massage, if you can imagine that. So I HAD to share with you guys! I will never go back to doing intention-less yoga again and I strongly encourage you all to challenge yourself this week by taking a yoga class and setting a powerful intention and just letting that experience guide you! Let me know how it goes! Comment below after class!

I am reading Gabrielle Bernstein’s amazing book “May Cause Miracles: A 40 Day Guide Book to Subtle Shifts for Radical Change and Unlimited Happiness” and thought it would be a great way to kick off my Skinny Chick Book Club Playlist! Gabby takes you through 40 days of ‘lessons’ with each week having a specific topic or intention. My hope is that through my journey and experience you can not only pick up a few tips for yourself but also make an educated decision about whether this might be a good book for you! Please, like, subscribe and comment! I love hearing from you!

Join me each week for June’s Summer Slim Down challenge! Every week I’ll be giving you 3 tips to incorporate into your routine to help you create a slimmer, sexier body this summer! We’ll pile on the tips a couple at a time so that you have a chance to incorporate them into your routine and really master them before adding on! Comment below, commit yourself and let’s get sexy and slim together this summer! I hope your enjoying the journey and love the challenges week two brings!

amy'slightandlean

I’m excited to announce that I have added a new category to the menu bar up top! In case you haven’t noticed, when you place your mouse over “Skinny Talk” one of the sub categories that appears is “supermarket skinny”! I decided to add supermarket skinny to the mix because I feel like it is something I’ve been over looking in the past but is an essential part to creating a happy, healthy life you love! You need to know about AMAZING products out there that can make your sweet and skinny journey even easier. I love cooking but even I have those days where I just want to run to the supermarket and grab something I can heat up quick or stick in the oven and I thought why not share my favorite healthy finds with you?! I think we could all use a break every now and then and with the scorching hot days of summer ahead of us we might not want to be slaving away over the oven for an hour all the time!

So here is my first find, Amy’s Light and Lean Vegetable Pizza. This is a great yummy treat when you want to indulge a little with out derailing your diet and healthy habits! Amy’s makes some absolutely fabulous stuff and I am all about the new “Light and Lean” line because although all their stuff is organic and some of it’s vegan and gluten free, it still has calories and fat and you really need to read your labels when buying pre-made or frozen food. Just because it seems healthy does not always mean it is! Be savvy! This individual veggie pizza was exactly what I needed after a long day and wanting something a little naughty and quick. It’s nothing terribly fancy, kind of like an adult Elio’s pizza (if you remember those) but it satisfied the craving and I felt completely guilt free about my indulgence! Amy’s Light and Lean Vegetable Pizza gets my skinny star of approval! 🙂

Do you constantly find yourself saying that you don’t have enough time to exercise or to prepare healthy meals for yourself? Well this video is for you! In connection with your Summer Slim Down Challenge, I hope this video helps you through those struggles and creates a breakthrough for you to step up your healthy, happy living game! Enjoy and please like, comment and SUBSCRIBE to the channel if you haven’t already!

fruity french lentils

I LOVE LENTILS! Seriously. In the winter lentil soup is one of my favorite comfort foods and now that it’s hot outside I needed to find a lighter, more summery way to enjoy my lentils! Inspired by a recipe I found in The Kind Diet, these Fruity French Lentils are the perfect way to enjoy my favorite beans all year round! Enjoy these at home with some Cauliflower Steaks and salad or bring them to a barbecue as a great vegan/vegetarian alternative dish. They are sure to be crowd pleasers!

FRUITY FRENCH LENTILS
1/2 cup of lentils
1 cup of water
6 large strawberries, cleaned and chopped
2 tbsp of fresh chopped basil
2 tbsp of fresh chopped parsley
1/2 cup orange juice (I made mine fresh with a juicer)
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
a pinch or two of salt

In a saucepan, combine the lentils and water and let boil, mixing the lentils until all the water has evaporated. Chop the strawberries and place them in your orange juice while your lentils cook. When the lentils are finished, drain out any excess water and add in your basil, parsley and OJ’d strawberries. Gently fold the berries in and top it off with your balsamic and salt before your ready to serve. This a delightful light lunch on its own or side dish but can also be combined with some tofu or seitan if you would like something heartier!