Tis the Season of Giving

It's my favorite time of year! It's our chance to give back to those in need!
We need to get the ball rolling (since I'm running behind schedule) and chose a family!
If you know a family in need please send me an email with their information, here is what I'll need to know;

*Family Name
*Why you are nominating them
*Contact info for an adult (so I can get permission)
                   We can also do secret Santa style giving, and the family will never know who the gifts/money are from

*Family information, what ages, and how many kids etc...

Please contact me if you know a family in need this Holiday season by either commenting below, or emailing me at awoodfitness@gmail.com

Thank you

Summer Sizzle Boot Camp

If you are ready for a great summer workout join me June 10th-July 17th for the Summer Sizzle Boot Camp!
Along with 12 amazing workouts you will receive a 2 week comprehensive meal plan, a food journal, and body composition testing to track your amazing progress!
You can sign up using the Pay Pal link on this page, or you can email me at;
awoodfitness@gmail.com

Comment below any questions you might have!

March Madness!!

It's that time of year, time to set our March Madness goals!

A quick review of what that entails. You all need to set a goal, but not just any goal, here are the "rules"

*The goal can not be body composition based (ie no weight or inches lost/gained goals)
*You must be able to obtain this goal within the month of March
*It needs to be a goal that I can measure (if you'd like to do a triathlon that's great, but I am not able to put together a triathlon for you in a months time)

So... now you're asking what can I have as a goal. I'll give you a few examples. :)

-Do a handstand
-Row x meters in x time
-Run x distance
-Do x unassisted pull ups
-Do x push ups
-Bench press x lbs
-Throw a football x yards (in my case around 2...)


Our bodies are amazing, and they can do incredible things! Sometimes we just have to train them...

Please post your March Madness goals below. I will post follow up blogs on ways we can achieve our super fun, and challenging goals!

We did this last year and it was so fun! My goal for this year is something that I've been really struggling with for a few months. Hopefully March Madness will give me the extra push I need to get there. My goal is to be able to do a handstand, something as a soccer playing young girl I never learned. 
I look forward to hearing your goals, please let me know if you have any questions!

Almond Flour Paleo Muffins

I know, I'm out of control, also, remember how I hate cooking and that's all I've been doing lately... I am a woman obsessed. 

I found this recipe and wanted to give it a try, I love how flexible it is. I think the next time I make them I'll add some lemon zest *yum!* Or maybe add some almond extract.

Ingredients
2-1/2 cups almond flour or almond meal
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp fine sea salt
3 large eggs
⅓ cup unsweetened pumpkin puree, thawed winter squash puree, butternut squash puree, unsweetened apple sauce, or mashed very ripe banana
2 tablespoons honey, agave nectar or maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted) or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vinegar (white or cider)
Optional Flavorings: 1 teaspoon extract (e.g., vanilla, almond), citrus zest, dried herbs (e.g., basil, dill), or spice (e.g., cinnamon, cumin)
Optional Stir-Ins: 1 cup fresh fruit (e.g., blueberries, diced apple) or ½ cup dried fruit/cacao nibs/chopped nuts/seeds or


Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F. Line 12 cups in a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper or foil liners.
In a large bowl whisk the almond flour, baking soda and salt (whisk in any dried spices or herbs at this point, if using).
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin, honey, oil and vinegar (add any extracts or zest at this point, if using).
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until blended. Fold in any optional stir-ins, if using.
Divide batter evenly among prepared cups.
Bake in preheated oven for 14 to 18 minutes until set at the centers and golden brown at the edges. Move the tin to a cooling rack and let muffins cool in the tin 30 minutes. Remove muffins from tin.

Found this recipe here

Paleo Snickerdoodle Cookies

I found this recipe here, and was BEYOND excited. I love a good cookie, and Snickerdoodles have always been one of my favorites. I had to make a couple of adjustments, since my kitchen is not...well, up to par.

Paleo Snickerdoodles

2 cups blanched almond flour
⅛ teaspoon celtic sea salt
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup vegan shortening (I used coconut oil)
2 tablespoons honey
½ cup coconut sugar for dipping
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon for dipping

In a food processor, (I used a hand mixer, since I don't have a food processor...) combine the almond flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon
Pulse in the shortening and honey
Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough, and roll into a ball
Briefly dip ball in a small bowl of water
Roll wet ball in coconut sugar and cinnamon to coat
Place ball on a parchment paper lined baking sheet
Flatten ball with palm of your hand
Bake at 350° for 7-9 minutes
Cool and serve

When you dip the dough balls in the water try not to let them get too wet or they will fall apart.

Paleo Blueberry Muffins

I love muffins, I want to eat them everyday, but I also want to be healthy, and trim...so I don't. I mean muffin tops belong in my mouth and not on my waist. Anyway I've found several Paleo recipes and thought that maybe I should jump on the bandwagon and give them a try. Because, like I said, I love muffins. 

They do taste a little coconut-ty, but they are so good. Next I'm going to try one that is Almond Flour based. Don't worry, I'll let you know how they turn out!

I found this recipe here.

Ingredients
⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons coconut flour
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons raw honey
½ cup coconut milk, full fat
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
3 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup fresh blueberries

Instructions

Using a rubber spatula, mix the coconut flour with the baking soda in a bowl
in a separate bowl, whisk together the honey, coconut milk, coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla extract
add the coconut flour mixture and mix to form a batter
fold in the blueberries
pour batter into paper lined muffin pan cups and bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes or until tops start to turn golden brown. Wait until they are completely cool before removing from the pan.
I made 24 mini muffins

Breakfast Cookies (Vegan and Gluten Free)

A couple days ago I got together with some girls in my community and helped them prepare (and eat) a healthy dinner. The goal was to show them how easy it is to prepare a meal, and how much better everything is with fresh ingredients. I think it was a huge success! We made chicken fajitas with brown rice and the amazing cookies whose recipe I'm posting today. 

Chopping Veggies 

This cute girl practically made the cookies by herself. 

She did a great job!

Since the girls were doing the baking we did not flatten them out, just plopped them onto the pan.

I adapted the recipe from here.

Ingredients
1 c unsweetened applesauce
1 c mashed banana(about 2 large)
2 tbsp maple syrup
½ C dried cranberries
¼ C roughly chopped almonds
¾ – 1 C fresh strawberries finely chopped (since strawberries are out of season I just doubled the dried cranberries)
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp sea salt
1½ C old fashioned rolled oats(certified gluten free if necessary)

You can also add some peanut or almond butter, or if you want to just spread some on the cookie before you eat it it's super YUM!

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare one baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking sheet and set aside.
In a bowl stir together the applesauce, mashed bananas and maple syrup. Add in the dried fruit, nuts and fresh fruit. Sprinkle the cinnamon and salt over the mixture and then stir in the oats. When completely combined, drop 12 – ¼ cupfuls on the prepared baking sheet. They do not spread so place as closely together as possible without touching. Pat the cookies down to about ½” thick and 2.5″ around, being sure to press anything that has fallen out of the cookie as it will not hold together. Place cookies in the oven and bake for 30 minutes till golden, rotating the sheet around half way through baking. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies rest for 5-10 minutes before gently removing them and placing them on a cooling rack.

The finished product!

Special thanks to Ashlee for letting us use her amazing kitchen! 

5 Ingredient Paleo Fudge (Primal Fudge)

I love rich chocolate, love, love love it! It could be a real problem, if it were not for healthy recipes like this. 

Primal Fudge! Gah I love it! Also, I am no chef, so the easier the better!  I found this recipe here. As you'll see in the end mine did not turn out as pretty as hers did, but I'm sure they taste just as yummm! 

Alright here is what you need. 

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup high quality cocoa powder
1/2 cup smooth almond or peanut butter
1/4 cup raw honey or maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla


Melt coconut oil. Blend all ingredients together in a food processor or blender. If coconut oil is warm enough you can just stir ingredients with a fork until smooth.  Pour into paper-lined muffin tin cups or silicon muffin cups and fill half-inch full. Chill for 30 minutes or freeze for 10 minutes. When firm, remove. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. I recommend freezing them, just because they taste so good frozen.

I mean it's pretty hard to go wrong with coco and honey.

Like I said, not the prettiest (I might have to invest in some silicone muffin tins) but man were they good! 

Wellness Tea

It's that time of year...still. Between breathing in Utah's nasty inversion air and the dry dusty air pumped out of heaters my sinus passage takes a beating over these cold months. I drink lots of herbal tea, lots , but sometimes I need something a little stronger.

I tried this "sick tea" at a local coffee shop and loved it. The spice from the pepper clears out my sinuses while the local honey coats my dry scratchy throat, and the lemon, can we talk about lemons?

I decided I could probably throw some together at home, after all I have all the ingredients, and I know how to boil water. 

Here is my home brewed recipe for the sick tea that I prefer to call wellness tea (after all I never get sick, I stay well...) 

 Few cups hot water (I boil mine, so hot I can't drink it for a while)

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Teaspoon of local honey (more or less to taste)

A few sprinkles of ground red pepper (more or less depending on your spice tolerance, mine is low, very low)

Pour all these into a large mug stir a bit and drink deeply. 

Lemon

Lemon Basil Garlic Chicken

A client recommended this recipe to me. I thought it sounded pretty great. I decided to make a couple of changes to it. Here is my amended version of this amazing dish.

Ingredients

4 Boneless, Skinless chicken breasts
1/2 C chicken broth
2-3 T Coconut oil
3-4 cloves of garlic, diced (I used the stuff in a jar...)

Zest of 1 1/2 Lemons (zest makes everything better)
Juice of 1 1/2 Lemons
1/4 Sweet onion (or dried onion flakes) Use to taste

Dried Basil

Dried Parsley

Fresh Ground Pepper

Garlic Powder

I did as little prep as possible (see also: I hate cooking) I sort of just threw everything in the crock pot, here are some more specific directions.

Place chicken breasts in crock pot

Wash lemons, then zest them onto the chicken in the crock pot.

Sprinkle in the dry spices and onion, I just put in a couple of shakes of everything.

Juice lemons and pour into crock pot, add chicken broth and coconut oil.

Put lid on crock pot and cook on low for about 6 hours. 

If your chicken breasts are frozen, or larger you may need to cook it a bit longer, or hotter. 

Soak in the yummy lemon garlic heaven that will be your home for the next several hours.

I like to shred the chicken with a large fork while it's still in the crock pot, but you can dish it out however you'd like. 

Enjoy! 

How To Be Successful

Success is a funny little thing that seems to elude some and be given abundantly to others. Unfortunately there is not one trait that differentiates those who are wildly successful and those who wind up quitting/failing every project they take one.

I love this info graphic showing some of the habits that can help you be more successful!