Jenistrayning Test Kitchen...

So tonight's goal was to make / bake a couple of raw fresh desserts to get ready for JENuary (more details to come on the perimeters of JENuary in a future post, but needless to say - I need to have some raw recipes in my back pocket).

I started with trying out Avocado Banana Cookies and Coconut / Date Balls.

Both turned out great but both have improvements to be made over time (oh and both take NO time at all).

Avocado Banana Cookies:

1/2 banana
1/4 avocado
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tbsp agave syrup
1 egg white
2 tbsp oat flakes
2 tbsp sunflower seeds

I put everything into a bowl mixing all ingredients together.  I actually added almond flour to this recipe because I felt it was a bit watery for baking (I would figured it would be best to add almond flour over more banana).

I put the mix on a cookie sheet with some coconut oil on the bottom to prevent sticking.  I baked at 350 for 12 minutes.  The bottom was very close to, but didn't, burn and they didn't end up having a cookie like consistency - rather they were a bit mushy (but good none the less).  Next time I will end up grounding up the oats in a food processor along with the sunflower seeds - I think this is why my mix was a bit mushy?

Coconut Date Balls:

2/3 cup of pitted dates
1/4 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp coconut flakes
1/4 cup cashews
Tiny pinch of salt

Mix everything in a food processor.  It will come out like a big glob of date coconut mix.  You have the option to add dark chocolate pieces; however I took the dark chocolate chips and added them in after.  This will open a whole new world of making energy bars.  Next up: cranberry/orange? :)  I see these all the time in the bins at Mother's and Whole Foods for a pretty penny.  They're so cheap, super raw and a good snack for a SWEET TOOTH LIKE ME!

The Holiday Gift Guide for the Fitness Enthusiast - Jenistraying STYLE!

So obviously we're nearing the end of the year - and this signifies the end of a full year of non-stop training.  This year I have hit the gym, hiking trails, studios (yoga and barre, hot and cold), biking paths, running paths, spinning asylums and numerous fitness centers in various hotels across the country.  I just took off my 30th day of the year TOTAL so one would say I have become a bit of an enthusiast.  I have put together a list of my favorite products that I've come across pertaining to fitness in case your loved one has become a bit of a fitness nerd themselves (and you're stumped for a gift).

#1 product of the year for me was the UP BAND.  I've truly enjoyed the data that comes along with the band and have been thoroughly motivated to get to my steps goal and increase my sleep.  Probably the biggest eye opener was the SLEEP portion (because let's face it, a 25,000 step day and 4 hours of sleep just doesn't add up).  In October I "upped" my UP Band steps goal to 15k a day.  This is about 8 miles.  I was REALLY nervous to do this until Tray said, "what are you worried about?  Failure?  Just change your goal already and move on with it" so - I did.  In the past week and 1/2 I had a 9 day streak of over 15k steps with my longest stride day being 27,555 on December 1st (about 13.3 miles of steppin'!)  Needless to say, this band has worked well for the competitive nature in me.

Another product that would be a great gift for your fitness enthusiast would be the SIX PACK BAG.  This is actually something I don't own - BUT SHOULD!  It's a meal planning system that allows the user to have different areas for their food for the day (including a couple blender bottle sections for their protein shakes and/or water bottles!).  PERFECT!  Why didn't I think of this?  Anyone want to gift me the SIX PACK BAG because you're awesome?

Obviously shoes are important.  This year I learned how important when Tray made me change/buy new shoes every 6 months!  By the time 6 months was up you could feel how important it was to get a new sole on those tired feet.  My personal favorite?  Nike Free Runs.  Obsessed with the colors, obsessed with the light weight and obsessed with the barefoot like feel.  I mean I'm bohemian at heart...of course I would walk around barefoot everywhere if it was possible.

  

What fitness enthusiast doesn't like to cook?   I have yet to find one that hasn't been a fan of their own kitchen (to monitor sodium intake, fat content and portion control).  One of my favorite kitchen items and a necessity was actually gifted to me by my mom.   Now I do not have a lot of experience with many different brands of hand immersion blenders but the Cuisinart CSB-77 SmartStick® Hand Blender is pretty much the raddest contraption ever.  You have three functions like a hand blender, food processor and the hand mixer all in one.  You can make awesome recipes like Spinach and Zucchini Soup or my Roasted Cauliflower Soup or even one of the best desserts ever, the Banana Almond Butter Ice Cream.  Yum Yum, it's all good...possibilities are endless when you own a hand immersion blender.  It's by far my favorite kitchen gadget I own!

 

One of the products I purchased from myself was the BALANCE BALL CHAIR through Gaiam.com.  This was primarily because I had a gift card; however, although probably used seldom in December - I really like this contraption.  I feel it keeps me alert and active while sitting (if that's even possible?)  I move a lot in the morning, I move at lunch and I move after work so slouching in my chair sometimes isn't an option.  This keeps me upright and suppppposedly burns calories while sitting - which seems like wishful thinking.  None the less, a thoughtful gift for someone who most likely wouldn't purchase it themselves.  

And finally (for now), the gift I gave myself, The Omega Juicer.  My juicer is the NC900HDC Nutrition Center and it's a versatile machine.  Keep in mind, if you want to buy one - buy it online (elsewhere from the Omega site).  You can find these, anytime of year, for under $300.  I got mine for Black Friday at Macy's for $220ish.  This is a masticating-style juicer which means it juices at low speeds of 80 RPMs (minimizing heat build-up and oxidation).  This particular one forces product into the tight chamber, grinding and pressing the food to squeeze out the juice.  You can also make nut butters, baby food, soy milk, almond milk, pasta, grind spices, mince herbs and garlic.  Realistically, I'll stick to juicing and MAYBE nut butters but it's become fun to play with and a way to have a very healthy way of ingesting multiple servings of veggies!  I am going to start to grow wheat grass in the new year - so stay tuned for a post on that!

Keep in mind, work out clothes are ALWAYS something that your loved ones will enjoy.  My favorites this year were the SCUBA Hoodie from Lululemon and this summer, when it came to shorts, nothing beat Nike's Womens Shorts.  You can definitely get the shorts on sale from Nike.com periodically (most likely not around the holidays) for as little as $20 a pair.  

Other great gifts are PURE BARRE GIFTCARDS or class packs for a local yoga, bikram, spin/cycle or training studio.  I know most crossfit classes will allow you to gift 5-10 classes or more.  This means you can get your loved one involved and after 10 classes they'll be hooked on the energy and how they feel!

xoxo - Happy Holidays from Jenistrayning :)

My favorite "BAR" these days is PURE BARRE!

So I've held off on creating my Pure Barre post until my 100th class - which, in the Pure Barre family is the mile stone where you're celebrated for "lifting, toning and burning" 100 times.  For me this challenge started on May 1st, 2013 and I just completed my 100th class yesterday - 11/11.  That's on average, a class every other day for 7 months or so, so yea - I'd say this is an accomplishment.  I joke that Pure Barre has been my local "bar" for the last 1/2 a year. 

What do I love about barre:  Barre is a way for me to be able to concentrate on the trouble areas - hips, thighs, seat, abs and arms all in one hour.  The class actually goes by quickly as its sectioned in different segments and you feel that you flow through the segments quickly.  I don't feel I've ever had a better ab work out then my pure barre class.  My abs are always an area that is extremely targeted.  I also have trouble with flexibility and feel that this has greatly improved in my last 100 classes.  When your legs are shaking uncontrollably you know you're doing something right.....check out a side by side - the left image is in May (before Pure Barre) - the right is from my 100th class yesterday!!

As you can see, the toning and definition is definitely noticeable.   In addition to my abs and arms being defined, my hamstrings (a serious problem area of mine and one of the reasons my back hurt so badly earlier in 2012) are so much stronger which gives my "seat" lift and definition.  There is a great natural shape to my backside purely from Pure Barre! 

The next step for my Pure Barre endeavors is the 90 minute inner thigh intensive class on 11/23.  This is free because I'm now a "centurion"!!  I'm scared but excited as it will be a good way to blast the inner thighs and get them in tip top shape!  It's expensive at times but I think the studios really give those that continue to come on a regular basis a way to pay much less than their normal 'pricing'.  There are incentive programs (like their November "20 classes in 30 days") that challenge the client to stretch their attendance in exchange for $100 off for the next month...etc. 

 

(My Facebook post from Pure Barre Irvine where you wear the tutu and get featured on the Facebook page!)

Ever considered a "cleanse"??

Confession: for the last three weekends in October I had slightly tail spinned out of control.  Yes, true - "we're only human" however for whatever weird emotional (or not) reason, I was eating my feelings through french toast, appetizers mini bites, raisins, cranberries, trail mix, chocolate, coconut and other 'healthy' items.  Sure, I'm complaining about raisins and cranberries and almonds....who do I think I am complaining when THAT'S my binge food; however, for me, when consumed in a large quantity these items are high in fat and not effective to my goals.  Quite honestly I ballooned 8-10 lbs at times, only having to work my ass off Mon-Fri to shed this excess stupid weight.  Luckily enough I never stopped moving.  I kept pushing on.  In fact, I usually ended up with more steps on during this 'dark period' (average 12-15 miles a day) than before.  My guess is that I was so imbalanced that by Monday I was trying everything I could to walk off the caloric intake I had over the weekend.  I feel it might be easier to post this here, admit to it and figure out what I can do to avoid it.  The weirdest part was that it was such a foreign land for me.  In this entire journey I have yet to have major issues with diet.  It was always pretty easy for me to eat healthy, it was actually fun to come up with new concoctions.  Therefore, when I would be in my tailspin on Sunday evening going for anything / everything I could that would "satisfy me" (nothing really did) I didn't quite know what to do but go for it on Sunday and be pissed at myself Monday. 

So I decided - nearing my 30th birthday party and in a true effort to get my shit back in gear, to do a 5 day juice cleanse.  This cleanse actually ended up being more of a 6 day because I had received some complementary juices, avoided number 5 one day to save it for day 6 and purchased 2 additional juices.  For me it was less about "detoxing the system" (I had a bit of black coffee on day 3 and 4...shhh!) and more about having a controlled caloric intake and 6 solid days of clean eating, good vitamins and non-processed sugars.  It was also about setting out to do something and sticking to it.  I was having such a hard time with my diet.  I would start the day in this "ok I'm going to be good!" phase and end up being terrible and getting down on myself.  Through this whole journey I never beat myself up; however I was finding myself doing this often so my cleanse was to A) avoid succumbing to temptation B) to stick to my juices and most importantly C) to be good to myself --- 100%, inside and out, good to myself.  I can say overall, I feel great.  A bit bummed it's over but I feel awesome.  I am making some additional juices at home with a co-workers juicer to have for the weekend.  I am now going to attempt to get through this weekend being active, healthy and binge free.  Wish me luck!!

My results: 6 days, 8 lbs and a whole lot of bloat

Sometimes Accidents can be a Good Thing!

I am in LOVE with this soup so I had to make sure to post it to my blog for ya'll to try it out.  I think one of the main reasons I enjoy it is because it's SOUP'er healthy and SOUP'er easy.  Get it?  See what I did there?  :)

I also enjoy this soup because I veered off from a recipe I found for a cauliflower soup and tried a couple different things, making the outcome a wonderful coconut flavored curried cauliflower soup than the traditional soup that was on the recipe. 

I have deemed this the:

Accidental Cauliflower Coconut Curry Soup

What you'll need:

2 small heads (or 1 large head) of cauliflower
2 onions (medium sized)
2 tablespoon of coconut oil
2-3 medium carrots
2 cloves of garlic
2 cups of water or vegetable broth
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of coconut milk
pinch of salt and pepper

Directions:

I happened to roast the cauliflower - not necessary but bueno none the less.

Cut your cauliflower into florets and place on a baking sheet lined with foil.  Drizzle in olive oil and bake at 350 until golden brown. 
Meanwhile in a deep pot cook your cut up onions and carrots in a tablespoon (or a bit more, as I did) of the coconut oil).  Cook the veggies for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add your roasted cauliflower to the concoction as well as your brother (or water) and bring to a boil.
Once boiled for 5 minutes, turn heat to low and let it simmer for about 30-45 minutes (until veggies are tender)
With a hand immersion blender (and if you don't have one, a regular blender will do - however the hand immersion blender is AWESOME) blend everything up
Add in slowly the 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut milk.

What you turn out to have is a SUPER healthy, SUPER fresh vegetable stew that nixes your craving for Indian food because it has an almost curry like taste due to the coconut mixes with the carrot, onion and cauliflower.  This is why it's OK to add a bit more coconut oil if desired.

 For lunch today I poured the soup into an avocado middle, eating a little soup with a little avocado.  I kept refilling my avocado middle as I ate the soup with avocado.  Totally recommend!

 

Coconut Date Shake!!

When shopping at Whole Foods the other day I found a couple "young coconuts" and decided I was going to cook them the way I did in July.  As I was looking up some cooking tips and suggestions I found this amazing recipe.  This is so good and will definitely be a go-to for a low(er) carb and not too bad for you drink that makes you feel oh-so-good.  It will, as the recipe I read online said, 'knock your socks off'...

Ingredients:
one young coconut
5 dates (pitted!)
two tablespoons of almond butter
ice
1/4 cup water

How-to:
Put the coconut water and the coconut meat in the blender.  The young coconuts' meat is really easy to spoon out (vs. an older coconut that is literally impossible)
Spoon in 2 tablespoons of almond butter
add 5 dates to the blender
add ice (I personally grab my ice from Sonic Drive-Thru, weird...I know - but AMAZING and one of the best kept secrets ever.  It makes this shake frothy and SMOOOOTH!)
Blend blend blend. 
Serve in a cute mason jar and garnish with a date or almond because it's all about presentation

Make one and you'll be thanking me later.  One coconut (this recipe) will make three mason jars filled.  If you put 1 or 2 away for later it will still be frothy the next day - or at least with the Sonic ice it will.  Oh yeaaa!

Abs really are made in the kitchen.....and ruined in the living room :(

So the below photo shows 17 days of aggressive clean eating and paying attention to diet.  It's the difference of 10 lbs and a whole lot of belly jiggle gone.  If this doesn't make you realize that abs are made in the kitchen, I don't know what will.  It's sad, but true.....we are what we eat. 

LEFT: September 17th, RIGHT:  October 4th

Like Miley says: can't stop.  won't stop.