and quite possibly....the best healthy dessert ever.

For the nights when you need something sweet (which is for me usually Sunday evening) and if you've already used your "fro-yo card" for the week - try the banana almond butter ice cream!

It's so easy and so great.  This is also a great way to save your bananas that are going bad as well.  The recipe is below!

Banana Almond Butter Ice Cream:

(calories = approx 200)

Freeze peeled bananas and place in freezer overnight

Add frozen banana to the food processor 

Add 1 table spoon of almond butter

Mix in the food processor until smooth

ENJOY!

"Abs are made in the kitchen"

So in preparation for a photo shoot I have in June (commemorating my recent accomplishments and supporting my great friends STEPHINA PHOTOGRAPHY and their new studio in San Diego) I have 1 month to continue to hone in on my goals.  Now, don't get me wrong, I feel like I can do the shoot today and feel great about the results - but since I have four more weeks, it's all about getting TONED!  I've been doing my UNLIMITED Pure Barre this month with Susie my co-worker (which my ass has been feeling all week), working out with Tray because that's my main deal and Bikram.  I've been really good on the diet as well.  

When speaking with the owner of Pure Barre in Newport Beach last night at an event for Harmony Wellness Costa Mesa (an awesome little wellness center I suggest to anyone that needs to de-stress, personalized fitness attention or just wants to be around great people) she said something that stuck with me.  I told her "well I'm trying to get really defined abs for my photo shoot!"  Her response: "my mother always told me, abs are made in the kitchen"...umph.  If only food wasn't so good!  Truth is, the 'clean eating' helps you break down the fatty tissue stored around your belly and bring out those hidden abs!  Well her saying is going to stick with me and my diet is going to be SPOT ON this month.  We'll test if this is true by the results of my June 6th shoot and my next weight goal.   In the meantime, I have some tips below on clean eating!

Some tips!

• Commit 100% to a clean eating diet.  Of course depriving yourself sometimes turns up negative as you can find yourself binging post days of no sugar/salt or something good but keep the cheat meals to a minimum!
• Cut out all processed food.  That means anything you did not make yourself, don’t eat it - Anything boxed, bagged, pre-cooked and frozen - take it out of your diet!
• Cut Out Salt / Sodium.  I LOVE Ramen (and all soups) but I realized unless I made the soup myself, I cannot eat this prior to weigh ins and this has to go under my 'I did amazing I'm going to treat myself' category.  Soup and Ramen and Pho and all that good stuff will BLOAT you!
• Add healthy fats such as nuts, avocado and oils.  There is a HUGE difference between the fat in olive oil and the fat in nachos.  Healthy fats are extremely good for you and a must have in your diet to help burn the bad fat.  These fats will help you ramp up your bodies fat burning ability and help you burn fat faster. I recently started to LOVE almonds and eat about 20 of them for a snack.  They're great for you and a non-guilty pleasure!
• Track your calories.  Weight loss is simple math:  eat less calories then you burn.  The only way to know how many calories you are burning and consuming is to track them.  I've been writing down everything I've eaten for almost a year now - it's very helpful to be held accountable, this is why the UP band has been working for me (post coming soon)
• Add more lean protein.  Foods such as chicken, fish, Greek yogurt and edamame are low in calories and high in protein.  Protein helps build muscle; a must for toned abs...it's also really good!
•  Drink More Water.  Water helps flush out toxins, excess water and sodium from your body.  Especially when you feel bloated, water is the best thing you can have.  I drink about 2 large 1 liter Smart Water bottles per a day.  One before 3:00 PM and one after (not including when I work out - so many times it comes up to 3 bottles a day)  When you're at a restaurant ALWAYS ask for water and try to down a whole glass during your meal.  Water is good for your soul!

Happy Friday!