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!

Bikram obsession

"Strong body, strong mind, capable of most things..."

These days a little meditation has been good for my soul, evident of my most recent obsession to bikam yoga.  Thanks to John Tom Tran being a good friend (and making up for being a bad one haha) I was gifted a Groupon for 6 weeks UNLIMITED Bikram....music to my ears.  Although challenge is a healthy thing, I had to learn to be a bit more hesitant on my lower back movements as my first four classes found me with shocking pain in my lower back.  Determined to have a better posture and not to over extend myself, I have been keeping at it and getting much better.  The 26 repeated postures (1/2 of which are standing until you want to pass out or die then they give you some relief to the 'floor series') are said to systematically move fresh, oxygenated blood to 100% of your body, to each organ and fiber, restoring all systems to healthy working order.  Supposedly proper weight, muscle tone, vibrant good health and a sense of well being automatically flow throughout the body.  The addiction is definitely an odd one for me.  Its a love / hate relationship because I get excited to go - then I'm there and I want to cry - but then when it's over, I'm obsessed with that feeling of accomplishment.  I'm obsession with basically being so drenched you might as well jumped in a swimming pool and the relief that another class is completed and under my belt.  I am also quite obsessed with the coconut water, squeezed lemon and cayenne I've been enjoying after to bring electrolytes back to my body.  I do a bikram class almost daily in addition to my regular morning training or cardio sessions (making up for 18 work outs in the last 10 days...phew!)

To add to this, I would be lying if I said I didn't like the fact that I get to "ooh" and "ahh" at my new shape and form in the wall to wall mirrors in the studio.  There is something about looking at your skinny body (that you've been looking at overweight your whole life) that you almost can't get enough of.  Hey, I work hard for this and if I get an hour and 1/2 of looking at Tray and my work, all while sweating my booty off, purifying my mind and having a bit of clarity with my recent life changes.....it can't be a bad thing right?  I will continue to take the moments of clarity I have in my bikram class to help aid me through these next couple months of hard work and hardships.

Bikram College of India (The CAMP): http://www.bikramyoganewportmesa.com/
*They often times have a Groupon so if you see one, grab it!

My March...2 Days off!

So my motto has been 'sweat once a day' which of course is not the easiest thing to do when having a full time job, a home to take care of and a life outside of the gym; however, I think I've been doing quite well.  I track what I do daily in this calendar on my desk.  Don't mind the messy scribbles on the bottom, that just indicated a work convention in Houston (which, mind you - I managed to work out every day - traveling there, in the hotel gym and traveling home).  I have a feeling March will be one of the better months for me!  TWO DAYS OFF IS INSANE buuuut I love it and it definitely helped get me motivated for my Caribbean vacation!  Eeek I already have four days off in April.  I gotta make sure I don't slack and don't make April the worst month after March being the best...

My delayed Juice Cleanse results!

Hey ya'll... I'm back from paradise!  I never got a moment to report back on my juice cleanse from Ritual Wellness and I have been waiting to say so much about the wonderful experience!!  I have posted some pictures below but cannot rave how much I enjoyed their juices.  There were a lot of things I definitely learned about eating habits, my body, my love for green juices, my energy level and the lack of sodium and what it does to me.  I had no trouble with the cleanse (unlike other people I spoke to who have done a cleanse similar to this) and believe it or not - I did the cleanse over EASTER SUNDAY!  I felt as though if I was able to get through that Sunday, I was able to conquer the WORLD!

So other than dropping three lbs to my lowest weight yet on the cleanse, the other aspect I enjoyed was my body and how I saw the transformation and shape come through.  I hadn't up until this point saw as much definition in my abs and arms as I did after day two of the cleanse (which was perfect since I was headed for a Caribbean vacay and on day one enjoyed hanging out in my swim suit more than ever).

I didn't work out much on the cleanse; however, I toned abs on Saturday (day one), did a Bikram class on Sunday (low impact but a good sweat) and then my normal weight training with Tray on Monday.  I never felt light headed when working out on the cleanse.  My favorite juice was either the second one (seasonal juice - pineapple / mango) or oddly enough the last one (the almond milk) which I NEVER thought I'd enjoy as much as I did.  I found myself getting really excited for some of the juices throughout the day.

I thought I wouldn't be doing my next cleanse until later in the year but after my vacation I'm already planning the next juice cleanse.  I'm thinking it will definitely have to be sooner than later!  When I do it again - I will report back.

Time to get connected...

So it has been 8 solid months of healthy eating habits, writing down everything in my food journal and trying to maintain the social aspect that comes along with food, alcohol and calories.  Since I am leaving for the Cayman Islands in 3 days I figured it was a good time to try a juice cleanse.  I am intrigued by how this process is said to help develop a closer connection with my body (something I've been on a quest for since mid 2012).  Men's Magazine stated that this is a good way to shed light on how our eating habits have become conditioned and we can improve mental clarity, sense of well-being, weight-loss and better digestion.  It's nice to know that these days my main goal isn't just weight loss (as it may have been in the past) rather so much more than that.  I've come to realize that weight loss is actually the easy part.  The part of this process I'm most intrigued with is the connection I look forward to having with my mind and the challenge I feel it will be to drink juice for three days.  I have a feeling I will have never felt better boarding that plane on Tuesday morning for the Caribbean.  I'm picking up my juices in 10 minutes!  Stay tuned!!

Toning time...

Left = 11/29/2012   right = 3/8/2013

Interesting to see side by sides.  Unfortunately, since I didn't even realize I was going to be getting super into fitness, I didn't take a legitimate "before" photo.  It would have actually been very interesting to see myself, 40 lbs heavier.  In any event - Tray has become a fan of taking snaps of me every once in awhile and I made a Diptic of the same tricep work out from my birthday (when I hit my 29 goal) and today at 40 lbs.  So - about 3 months and 1 week later and 8 lbs.  Can you tell the difference? :)