Low Carb Your Life

If you haven't heard in January Team Beachbody unleashed one of the best all-around deals in fitness with their All-Access on Demand Challenge pack.  Haven't heard of Beachbody on Demand?  Beachbody On Demand All Access is our newest feature that allows you to stream every single fitness program that Beachbody has ever released plus all new releases in a 12 month period right to your phone,   iPad, laptop or any other streaming device (Roku, Apple TV, Firestick etc….). With the Beachbody All-Access Pass, you get literally EVERYTHING you need all in one place!   It allows you to customize your fitness program to your own needs on a daily and weekly basis and lets you go beyond your home to make that fitness happen. I have taken my on demand to hotel gyms, outside by the water, and my friend's back yard. It gives me all of the nutrition guides, program manuals and tracking sheets for every single program, PLUS the Fixate Cooking Show which is crucial in hel

Who says that not eating meat means that you only eat salads? Not this girl! Growing up in an Italian household meatballs were a big deal! Meatball subs were even better... This recipe was found in my new favorite vegan cookbook that you can get by clicking here !! I highly recommend this book. Every recipe I have tried is really good and she gives some great cooking tips!!  These eggplant meatball subs got almost two thumbs up and I will definitely be making the meatballs and sauce again in the near future! If you try out the recipe let me know below what you think! Enjoy!  SUB INGREDIENTS 3 Cups diced eggplant Olive oil spray  2 Tbsp. liquid aminos Salt & Pepper to taste  1/4 cup amaranth  3/4 cup vegetable broth  1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil  1/2 medium yellow onion, diced  1 garlic clove, minced 1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast  2 tsp. dried basil 1 tsp. dried oregano  1 tsp. liquid smoke 1/4 cup chickpea flour  2 mini sandwich baguettes  SPICY MARI

We all know that proper nutrition and exercise are good for your physical health, but did you know that they are also good for your mental health? Exercising regularly and having proper nutrition can have a positive impact on things such as depression, anxiety, and ADHD. These three things were major factors in my life that a healthy lifestyle had a profound impact on.  When you exercise regularly and have proper nutrition some pretty amazing things start to happen. People may notice a decrease in stress, improved memory, better sleep patterns, and an overall improvement in mood! The best part is that you don't need to be a fitness freak to benefit from the effects. In fact, research shows that people who implement health and fitness modestly can feel the effects. It doesn't matter how old you are, or what your fitness level is, we can all learn to use exercise and nutrition as a tool to feel better in all aspects of life.  Of course, physical exercise can

Who doesn't love the school lunch classic, Sloppy Joe? Why not try a vegan version? This recipe is one again from my new favorite vegan cookbook . I highly recommend getting it!! This recipe got a thumb and a half from me. It was quick and easy to make, and tasted delicious! Enjoy!  INGREDIENTS  4 Cups cooked chickpeas or 2 15 ounce cans, rinsed and drained Vegan Hamburger buns  1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil  1/2 medium red onion, diced  2-3 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 red bell pepper, diced  1 15-ounce can unsalted, diced fire-roasted tomatoes, with liquid 1/4 cup tomato paste  3 Tablespoons liquid aminos 2 Tablespoons sriracha  1 Tablespoon maple syrup  2 teaspoons dried oregano  1 1/2 teaspoons cumin 1 tsp. smoked paprika  1 tsp. dried thyme 1 tsp. liquid smoke  1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast, optional  Salt and pepper to taste  DIRECTIONS In a medium bowl, mash the chickpeas with a fork into small chunks or shreds. Set aside. Preheat the o

There are LOTS of opinions when it comes to Beachbody coaching. I have heard them all! Today I want to face some of those "opinions" head on. First, lets talk about "selling weight loss shakes". Shakeology is NOT a weight loss shake, I repeat, shakeology is NOT a weight loss shake!  Lets talk about shakeology for a moment. Although some people may promote shakeology simply as a weight loss shake, doing so really undermines what the product really is. One of the benefits of shakeology is weight loss, but it is by no means a weight loss shake. You won't drink it and magicaly drop ten pounds while still eating fast food and drinking ten beers a night. That is NOT what shakeology is about. Shakeology is actually a health and nutrition shake. When you fuel your body with the vitamins and nutrients it needs to thrive, a funny things happens...your body starts to see some positive side effects. Some of those changes might include weight loss as well as increa

Because I am lactose intolerant I very rarely eat pizza...until now! I recently got the most amazing vegan cookbook , and am loving all of the recipes! Although this pizza was delicious, it does take a little bit of work. The pizza dough was made from scratch, I roasted the garlic as well, and the macadamia ricotta is also from scratch which does take a little bit of time. I found that making the dough and ricotta in advance made the recipe much easier! Let me know what you think!  INGREDIENTS:  Roasted Garlic White Sauce  1/2 cup non-dairy milk  1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar  water 1/2 small head cauliflower, cut into florets 1 head roasted garlic   1/4 cup cashews, soaked in water at least 1 hour, water discarded 1 Tablespoon lemon juice  1 1/2 teaspoon white miso  1 teaspoon nutritional yeast  Salt and black pepper to taste   Pizza 1 bunch spinach, stems removed, leaves roughly chopped 1 Tablespoon water  1/2 batch Basic Pizza Dough Flour for rol

INGREDIENTS: 1 Cup warm water, heated to 110 degrees F. 1 teaspoon vegan sugar  2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast  2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil  1 teaspoon salt  2 1/2 to 3 cups bread flour, divided, plus more for kneading.  olive oil spray DIRECTIONS: Combine the water and sugar in a large bowl. Add the yeast and set aside. Let it sit and activate for 10 minutes, or until a thick foamy layer forms on top.  After the yeast has activated, mix in the oil and salt.  Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time and stir (or mix) after each addition until combined. Use your hands to knead the dough when it gets too difficult to stir. Continue to add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until you have a soft ball of dough (you may not need all 3 cups).  Lightly spray the inside of a large bowl with olive oil. Place the ball of dough in the bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and store in a warm, non-drafty place. Let is rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.  Gently punched dow

INGREDIENTS: 1 Cup raw macadamia nuts, soaked in warm water 1 hour, water reserved.  2 tablespoons lemon juice 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon white miso DIRECTIONS: Combine all the ingredients and 4 teaspoons of the reserved soaking water in a food processor. Process until mostly smooth and creamy. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Chill in an airtight container for up to 10 days. 

I got myself a bad ass new vegan cookbook and I cannot wait to share all the amazing recipes I find with you all. I love french fries, but I don't love the unhealthy part of them. Today I am not sharing your typical fry recipe. Not only are these not fried, but they aren't even made with potatoes...or vegetables at all for that matter. These fries are made with an amazing source of vegan protein, chickpea flour  and damn were they good!  INGREDIENTS: 2 cups chickpea flour 1 tsp. black salt or regular salt (I used Himalayan) 3/4 tsp. garlic powder  1/2 tsp. cumin 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika  Dash of cayenne pepper  4 cups water  2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil  Olive oil spray   Salt and black pepper to taste  DIRECTIONS: Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.  In a large bowl, combine the chickpea flour, black salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, and cayenne. In a medium pot, bring the water to a ro

There are so many options to choose from when it comes to cooking oil, but how do you know which is best?  People often ask me which oil is the healthiest to cook with so I decided to share with you all my top 5 choices. Many people believe that Canola oil or Vegetable oil are healthy choices because of their names, but they are not even close to making it on this list (I will make a post on why that is in the near future). When it comes to cooking with high heat it is important to use oils that are stable, and don't oxidize or go rancid easily.  When oils oxidize they react with oxygen to form free radicals and other harmful compounds that we want to keep out of our bodies.  Here are my top 5 choices for healthy oils to cook with! #1 Coconut Oil When it comes to cooking over high heat, coconut oil is your best choice! Coconut oil is semi-solid at room temperature and can last for years without going rancid. Over 90% of the fatty acids in coconut oil are s

If your goal is to be beach ready for the Summer months the best time to start was in January...I know, not the news you wanted to hear right? If you haven't started yet, no need to fret. The second best time to start is now!  I was that person that waited until May 1st to start working out in hopes to feel confident on the beach during the summer months. I was also that person that always had a tank top and shorts on over my bathing suit. I never understood what it took to reach my health and fitness goals until I joined my first Beachbody challenge group . Before my first challenge, I found myself walking on the treadmill at the gym only to come home and eat an unhealthy meal. I had no idea that nutrition was 80% of weight loss, and that it takes more than a walk on the treadmill to reach my goals. Luckily my coach got me on the right track.  So what was it about this challenge group that actually worked for me?  1 on 1 support from a coach Accountability

Last week I started my recipe Thursday series where every Thursday I test out clean eating recipes that I find online and let you know if they are worth trying out. This week I tested out a Flourless Banana Honey Muffin recipe that I found over at chocolate covered Katie.   Overall, the recipe was really easy to make with very limited clean up which made me happy. The muffins tasted really good, but I wish I had added a handful of chocolate chips like Katie suggested in her post. Out of two thumbs up, I give these muffins 1 and a half and almost 2 if I had added the chocolate chips. Test them out and let me know what you think! Don't forget to check back every Thursday for a new recipe!  INGREDIENTS:   1/2 cup quick oats 3/4 tsp. baking powder  1/4 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. baking soda 1/2 cup mashed banana 1 can 15 oz can chickpeas  1/4 cup peanut butter 1/4 cup honey  2 tsp. pure vanilla extract  Optional handful chocolate chips, walnuts, shredded coconut, etc. (