100% HEALTHY Dark Chocolate Chip Muffintop Cookies

OK...Here it is folks. My first origional CLEAN cookie recipe and its delicious! No guilt here. These cookies are healthy enough to serve as a pre-workout energy boost or in-between meal snack. And my kids love them, too:)

• 2/3 C natural applesauce
• 1 C agave nectar (in the sugar aisle)
• 4 egg whites
• 1 T pure vanilla
• 3 C whole wheat flour (finely ground is best)
• 1 teasp salt
• 1 teasp baking soda
• 1/2- 1 bag of dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350* F. Whisk applesauce, agave nectar, egg whites and vanilla until combined.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking soda.
3. Slowly add wet ingredients to flour mixture and combine with rubber spatula. (The mixture will be sticky.)
4. Pour in the dark chocolate chips and gently mix.
5. Using 2 spoons, scoop and drop tablespoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet.
6. Bake for 11 minutes, cool in pan for 5 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack until completely cool.

*Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies. Pin It

Commercial Break Workout

Here's how to watch your favorite show and still get a great workout in, (also a great idea for kids and teens, allow them to watch a show as long as they are in constant motion during commercial breaks:)).

There are approximately 3 commercial breaks in one half-hour TV program.

1. split jumps, prisoner squats, jumping jacks
2. pushups, bench dips (feet on floor), bicep curls (dumbells)
3. floor straight leg raises, crunches, plank



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We're changing!!

Please be patient with me as we switch from BOOTYcamp to my new company, Crave Fitness. Things are about to get awesome:)

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Full body Kick-Your-Tail Workout

It's been awhile since I've posted (I'm a TERRIBLE blogger) but recently I've had an influx of visits to my blog and Facebook page so posting my latest workout seemed like the best idea. I developed this workout to not only be a MAJOR calorie blaster, but it hits every body part in addition to burning out your core. I love the reactions I've been getting from it:)

There are 3 main components to this workout and within those boundaries, you can mix and match excercises how you'd like: 2 minutes of plyometric cardio followed immediately by 20 repetitions of a strength training excercise followed by a 30-45 second plank. Make sure to do a fairly heavy weight on the weighted excercises since you're only doing one set of each and GOOGLE any excercise that you aren't familiar with. Here's the sample workout;

1. Jumping Jacks, 2mins
2. push-press, 20 reps
3. plank, 30-45 secs.
(rest)
4. burpees, 2mins
5. superlow unweighted squats, 20 reps
6. plank, 30-45 secs,
(rest)
7. squat jumps, 2 mins
8. kettlebell swings, 20 reps
9. plank, 30-45 secs
(rest)
10. knee drives, 2 mins
11. lateral and rear hip extensions (band or ankle weights), 20 each way, on each leg
12. plank, 30-45 secs
(rest)
13. pop squats, 2 mins
14. diagonal arm push-ups, 20
15. plank, 30-45 secs
(rest)
16. lateral jumps (feet together jumping sideways over cones or dbs), 2 mins
17. excercise ball knee-ins, 20
18. plank, 30-45 secs

The good news...you can always add on another set if you'd like:) Pin It

Something to think about...

I know that this article puts me at risk for all of the Crossfit trainers to attack me, but I simply believe that people should know all that they can before they begin ANY excercise routines. I DO NOT think that Crossfit is bad. In fact, I keep meaning to incorporate it more into my arsenal. Read the article and give me your thoughts...

http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/cult-crossfit?cm_mmc=Twitter-_-MensHealth-_-Content-Fitness-_-CrossFitCult

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Spartacus Workout

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How to Eat Clean

 Here are some basic principles of clean eating that you'll need to keep in mind:


•Eat primarily non processed foods. If it comes out of a box, don't eat it. If it comes from the earth, eat it
•Eat six times a day. This is to keep your metabolism fired up and it keeps you from getting too hungry
•No alcohol or sodas. Drink lots of water and/or herbal unsweetened tea
•Never miss a meal
•Combine lean protein and complex carbs at every meal
•Avoid all saturated and trans fats
•Eat fresh fruits and vegetables

Ideas for breakfast would be:
•Steel cut oatmeal (not flakes) with berries and 1 Tbsp. chopped walnuts
•4-5 scrambled egg whites with 4 oz. potatoes mixed with red peppers and onions
•1 c. yogurt with 1 c. fresh berries, 1 slice whole wheat toast
•whole wheat pancakes  with fruit
•banana chocolate protein smoothie


NEVER, EVER skip breakfast!!!! Think about it. You've just been sleeping for 7-8 hrs. (hopefully). Your body needs some fuel after not eating for that length of time. Your mother was right. It IS the most important meal of the day!


Lunch:
Okay, here's where things get a bit more challenging. Most people are home at breakfast time. Not so for lunch. My suggestion would be to pack a small cooler the night before and just grab it when you leave for work in the morning. (This is where the planning comes in.) Anyway, here are some lunch ideas:
• 4 oz. chicken on whole wheat bread with mustard and avocado slice; green salad with olive oil and vinegar
•4 oz. chicken, 1/2 c. brown rice, 1 c. low sodium lentil soup
•1 c. whole wheat pasta, 1/2 c. low sodium marinara sauce, 4 oz. grilled chicken breast, 1/2 c. broccoli
•Mexican Egg White Scramble

Dinner:
•4 oz. salmon, 1 medium baked sweet potato and 2 tsp. olive oil
•1 turkey burger patty, 1 baked potato cubed and roasted with 2 tsp. olive oil and 2 tsp. chopped rosemary
•pizza made with 1 whole grain English muffin, 1/4 c. part skim mozzarella cheese; salad made with 1/4 c. chickpeas, 2 tsp. cilantro, 2 tsp. minced garlic and 1 Tbsp. honey-mustard vinaigrette

Snacks:
Snacks are NOT optional!!! You will need to eat 3 snacks a day, one after breakfast, one after lunch, and one after dinner. In the beginning you're going to feel like you're eating ALL THE TIME but soon you will get used to eating this way. Believe me, it beats walking around hungry all day. Here are some tasty snack ideas. All snacks should be around 200 calories.
•Larabars
•1 English muffin with 1 Tbsp. peanut butter
•6 whole wheat crackers and 1 oz. cheese
•1 c. plain Greek yogurt with 1 c. berries
•1 small baked sweet potato mixed with 1 c. plain Greek yogurt Pin It