Healthified Banana Bread (GF,V)

Hiiiii!

I am reallyyyyyy good at keeping up with blogging 😉 … I need ideas!! What interests you? Food, Nutrition, Supplements, Workouts, Research, Life updates, Fashion, Dogs ?! lol… those are my interests haha!  Anyways– I made this healthy banana bread and had so many people on IG asking for the recipe so here it is!!

Healthified Banana Bread

• Gluten Free
• Vegan

Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten free, spelt, or oat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup mashed, overripe banana (I add 4 banana’s)
• 1/2 cup yogurt, such as daiya vegan or another plain yogurt you like
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, honey, or agave
• 1/16 tsp uncut stevia or 2 tbsp any sweetener of choice
• 1/3 cup coconut oil OR apple sauce
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional

 

* I used the baby loaf pans instead of 9×5 and cooked less time

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan. Set aside
3. Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl
4. Whisk liquid ingredients in a separate bowl
5. Pour wet into dry, and stir until all lumps are gone
6. Add chocolate chips (I added white, chocolate or whatever I had on hand :))
7. Smooth into the prepared pan
8. Bake on the center rack 30 minutes
9. Let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
10. Leftovers can be sliced and frozen for a month

And because my mom always baked banana bread when I was little I added the topping she likes. This would be for 1 of the baby loaf pan’s (no idea the size… hence “baby”)

• 1 tbsp non-dairy butter
• powdered sugar (eyeball it)

1. Melt the butter in microwave- drown the top of the bread with it (jk) just drizzle 😛
2. Sprinkle the sugggggggga

 

Nomz! Let me know how you like it!! 🙂

Happy Tuesday fraaaaaainds !

 

XOXO– Meag

Apple Cider Vinegar, Lemon Juice, & Water Benefits

Hi Friends!  Happy Wednesday!

I wanted to talk about this concoction for a second. It’s all over the internet and social media and many people do it because it’s popular but have no idea why they are doing it every morning.

Apple cider vinegar is used to cleanse, lose body fat, boost energy and help reverse disease, then adding natural detox drinks to your diet can help you improve your quality of life!

If you want the recipe it’s at the end however, I want to point out all the benefits of ACV and Lemon Juice first 🙂

Benefits of ACV:

1. Weight loss: a dose of ACV can curb cravings and help reduce your appetite.
2. Natural antibiotic properties: let’s say if you have a stomach ache, a little ACV with water can aid bad bacteria in the stomach.
3. Proactive against indigestion: it helps prep your stomach before you eat any heavy foods that may otherwise be hard to digest properly.
4. Energy boost: a shot of ACV is a great boost of energy.  ACV contains enzymes that can bring you a lift, which also (i haven’t tried this) i’ve read it can aid to a hangover because it helps relieve the build up of lactic acid in the body.
5. Aid in allergy and colds: ACV is known to help with sinus drainage and even assist in preventing a cold coming on by killing germs when you first feel a tickle in your throat, take down a shot (or gargle) with some warm water.
6. Teeth whitener: gargle some ACV to remove stains from your teeth, like right after your morning coffee.  Double win, it also is great for healthy gums and mouth in general since it’s a bacteria killer.
7. Balances blood sugar levels: It helps control high blood sugar levels so it is often used as a natural way to aid and treat those with Diabetes.
8. 8. Keeps everything “moving”(yeah I said it): aids in chronic constipation (tmi whatever!). But I don’t mean laxative status- just keeps you regular

Onto Lemon Juice:

1. Reduces inflammation: if you drink lemon juice in water on a regular basis, it decreases the acidity in your body, which is where disease states occur.  It also helps remove uric acid in your joints, which is one of the main causes of inflammation.
2. Aids digestion: main reason I add lemon to my ACV shot! It not only encourages healthy digestion by loosening toxins in your digestive tract, it helps to relieve symptoms of indigestion such as heartburn, burping and bloating
3. Cleanses your system: it helps flush out the toxins in your body by enhancing enzyme function, stimulating your liver.
4. Helps keep your skin blemish-free: the antioxidants in lemon juice help to not only decrease blemishes, but wrinkles too! It can also be applied to scars and age spots to reduce their appearance, and because it’s detoxifying your blood, it will maintain your skin’s radiance.
5. Gives your immune system a boost: vitamin c is like our immune system’s jumper cables, and lemon juice is full of it!  The level of vitamin C in your system is one of the first things to plummet when you’re stressed, which is why experts recommend popping extra vitamin C during stressful days or when you feel a cold coming on.
6. Excellent source of potassium: lemons are high in potassium which is good for heart health as well as brain and nerve function! Another one of the main reasons I make sure to get it in right away in the morning.
7. Energy Boost: it helps provide your body with energy when it enters your digestive tract and can help reduce anxiety and depression, even the scent of lemons has a calming effect on your nervous system!
8. Helps fight viral infections: lemon is easily the most effective way to diminish viral infections and their subsequent sore throats.  Plus, with the lemon juice also boosting your immune system like I mentioned before, you’ll simultaneously fight off the infection completely!

 

*the main reasons I take it in the morning, on an empty stomach, are to help prevent indigestion and the energy boost!

To make:

• 1 bottle of Bragg’s apple cider vinegar (you can find it at the grocery store as well)
• Lemon juice from lemon OR 1 bottle of Lemon Juice (you can find this at grocery store as well in organic section)
• WARM Water (easier on the stomach)
• Optional: honey and tumeric

If you are just starting out I recommend these measurements:

• 1 tbsp ACV
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup warm water (or more if it’s too sour for you to start)

Where you want to get eventually:

• 3 tbsp ACV
• A splash of lemon juice (1/2 tbsp)
• As much water as you need

The more ACV the better!

When to take it:

Take it on an empty stomach, before breakfast

BUT if you workout in the morning, don’t take it before you workout if it’s on an empty stomach because it’ll make you a weeeee bit nauseous.  Take the shot after you workout, even if you’ve had food, you’ll still reap the benefits!

 

Anyone have any questions??! 🙂 Happy to help@

~Meagan

 

Workout & Progress

Hi All!

So I’ve been focusing my 2017 on fitness. I lost some weight in December after having the stomach virus 4x in a row!!! AHHHH It was terrible. So I’ve been at the gym 5x/week lifting! I’m so excited to see some progress of muscle back in my arms and legs… it’s a process that you have to be patient with but keep at it and time will tell!!

 

 

Here’s your workout of the day:

• Preacher curls : 4×15
• Rear Delt raises : 4×10
• Close Grip Bar Pull Down : 4×15
• Smith Machine Rows : 4×12
• Seated Ab Crunches : 50
• DB Side Crunches : 50
• Pull Ups : 2×15
• Tricep Kick Backs: 4×12

 

Have a great Sunday! 🙂

 

xoxo-Meag

Arm Workout- Day After Christmas

Arms baby :

• Skull Crushers : 3 x 15
• Lat Pull Downs : 3 x 15
• Upright rows : 3 x 15
• Tricep Extension : 3 x 15
• Hammer Curls : 3 x 15
• Shoulder bombs : 3 x 15 ( google it because you might hurt me for making this workout with this included )
• Bench dips : 3 x Failure

 

K bye. Have fun

 

XOXO- Meagzzzzzzzzzzz

Salmon & Veggies Recipe +Workout

And it’s been awhile
Since I could hold my head up high
And it’s been awhile
Since I first saw you

• Staind

Wow, I am lame.

I don’t post often because, honestly… I haven’t been busy. LOL (got ya there- another lame comment…fail). I’ve been sleeping. 🙂 However, I am posting because I’ve been sick in bed for almost a week and I’m running out of Netflix Christmas movies. But come January 2nd I will be VERY busy. Changed jobs and will be fully engulfed in my job just like I always am. I’ve taken some time off to re-group, catch up on the sleep I’ve missed for the last 4 + years, hit the gym like I used to, and spend time with people I care about. So here goes nothin– here’s the latest recipe I created along with a workout!

1 pan dinner: Ingredients:

• Wild Salmon (because it’s way better for you duh)
• FRESH sage
• Garlic
• Garlic Powder
• Lemon
• Yellow Squash
• Asparagus
• Olive Oil
• Himalayan Salt
• Pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. If frozen salmon- thaw it in the fridge for 2 hours.
3. Peel the paper layers off the garlic and discard. Use about 4-5 cloves and finely dice.
4. Chop up the sage.
5. Slice the yellow squash into 1/2 inch rounds
6. Cut 1 inch off the asparagus.
7. Put thawed salmon on large foiled baking dish.
8. Add the asparagus and squash anywhere on the foil spread out.
9. Lightly use the olive oil to sprinkle on salmon and asparagus.
10. Sprinkle the garlic and sage over the salmon (I add a little bit of garlic over the asparagus as well)
11. Sprinkle garlic powder over the squash.
12. Put lemon all over salmon and asparagus (I’m a little addicted to lemon so I add more after its done as well!!)
13. Add himalayan salt(this kind of salt HYDRATES you instead of dehydrates so you can use as much as you’d like) and pepper to everything to your liking.
14. Pop that baby in the oven for 10-12 minutes and VOILA!!! Nomzzzz

Dec 2016 | Aug 2015

I only put this picture here to show what almost a year of NOT lifting weights does to you… I was training for a half marathon from November 2015- April 2016 so I held off on weight training and focused all my attention on running.  I might do that half-marathon again this April 2017 but I will incorporate weights into my running routine if I have to because I have never felt so weak in my life than I do now.  The squat rack is NOT my friend currently.  I am strong in other ways like my endurance ( when not sick..)  but I want a well-balanced routine of both strength and endurance. So here’s to new goals and getting back at it in the gym !!

Workouttttt time: Shoulders/ Tri’s

• Arnold Press : 4 x 10
• Lateral Raise Catch : 4 x 15
• Bottoms Up Kettle Bell Press : 4 x 10
• Kettle Bell Upright Row : 4 x 12
• Dumbbell Front Raise + Row : 4 x 12
• Z Press : 4 x 8
• Bench Dips : 4 x 12
• Cable Rope Extension : 4 x 12

Hope everyone had a good weekend full of holiday cheer and joy while I’m crawled underneath my covers searching for more Netflix shows and movies 🙂

XOXO~Meag

Want to Get Naked?

By all means, get naked, take your clothes off but do yourself a favor and don’t by into this Naked drink.

Naked- bare, undisguised, uncovered…

See what this smoothie brand owned by PepsiCo did there… ?  This “All Natural” drink is far from actually being all natural.  It is mislabeled and PepsiCo had to pay 9 million dollars to settle a lawsuit on this smoothie (USA Today)

Let’s pick this baby apart.

On the bottom of the bottle it states “No Sugar Added” … this is deceiving.  No CANE sugar has been added but let’s look at the ingredients.

The first thing that jumps out at me is the 1st ingredient! APPLE JUICE. Not Apples, not apple puree, APPLE JUICE PEOPLE! The juice that contains all that sugar! Pineapple JUICE! What is in puree? Sugar? You got it! When it says fruit juice and puree, they add concentrated fruit sugar without the benefit of the fruit’s fiber.

Let’s look at the grams of Sugar in this beloved drink.

28g Sugar x 2 PER BOTTLE = 56g Sugar…  I thought the bottle said “No Added Sugar” ?  (key in Thinking Emoji)

Fifty-Six grams is equivalent to 11 teaspoons of sugar. Might as well go have a Coke instead – same size container of Coca Cola has 41 grams of sugar. Just kidding. Please don’t…

Go have a Snickers instead at 29 grams of sugar. HA!

And the protein… 2 gram. Really? I hope you aren’t drinking this for the gains!

Whip this smoothie up instead my friends!

• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (I use unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze)
• 1 frozen banana (chopped) (or another frozen fruit)
• 1 scoop protein powder
• A handful of spinach
• 1 tsp chia seeds

Blend until smooth!!! YUM – about 280 calories and delicious !

What’s your favorite smoothie combination?

 

-Meag

 

Weekend Highlights :)

My weekend was full of adventure! 🙂

Let’s recap in pictures!!

 

Emoji 🙂

I dressed up as a UNICORN onesie for my work Halloween potluck… Not going to lie… I love that onesie.

I had a little paint night with my bestest frainddddd … And I changed the look a few times. I wasn’t happy with it until I put GOLD on it!! YAY!!

      

LOVE this hike!!! It was a new one for me! (Rare!) And I had to keep going past the “Closed” & “Stop” signs (sorry trail popo) in order to get to THAT VIEW!! AMAZING!

After the hike on Sunday (and I ran 10 miles in the morning at a race!) I meal prepped for the week! Spaghetti squash, lean ground turkey, broccoli, and goat cheese on top! YUM!!! I’m sure my coworkers are getting the picture now of a day in my life in terms of lunches lol #spaghettisquasheverydamnday

Hope everyone had a great week!!

What did you do this weekend? Any fun plans for this week?!

 XOXO

-Meag