Low Carb Your Life

I got a brand new Vegan cookbook called Vegan for Everybody  and wanted to put it to good use this week so I can prepare some foods to eat at our family reunion next week. While there is always plenty of meat and cheese options for everyone else, I find that I have to fend for myself at these events and bring my own food. This week I decided to try out that Pinto Bean-Beat Burger recipe, and it did not disappoint. I will say, I only gave this recipe 1.5 thumbs out of two because of the messiness of the recipe, and also because the burger alone didn't impress me all too much. When put together with some awesome toppings though, it was delicious.  Ingredients: Salt & Pepper 2/3 cup medium-grind bulgur, rinsed 1 large beet, peeled and shredded  3/4 cup walnuts 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves  2 garlic cloves, minced 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed 1 (4-ounce) jar carrot baby food  1 Tablespoon whole-grain mustard  1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs (I used whole w

Do you ever feel like you were meant for something huge in this world? Like you were put here for a purpose? Do you feel like you could have an impact on others in a positive way, if you were only brave enough to do so? Do you ever create a plan in your head, something amazing, something that the whole world could benefit from...but then that pesky shyness sneaks up on you, grabs you from behind, and pulls you back into that black hole of mediocrity? I get it! Know why? because that is how I felt for the first 30 years of my life! I can remember being 8 years old and having HUGE dreams, I just always felt like I was meant for something big in this world. I felt like I had the power to make a difference, but even then I was held back by a lack of confidence and overcome by shyness. I may have had all the answers in class, but there was no way I would put my hand up. I may have been able to make every shot on the court, but the fact that someone had once called me a 'hun

In this day and age there are many ways that someone can make a legitimate income from their own homes. Some people sell makeup, wine, eye lashes, and leggings and make a side or full time income doing so. Although those are all great opportunities if you are into that stuff, I have an opportunity for the people who are interested in helping to make an impact by inspiring and supporting others to get healthy and fit both physical and mentally. I fell in love with the Beachbody coaching opportunity and today I wanted to share with you all what I do, why I do it, and how you can do it with me!  Check it out!  What is Team Bstrong and what do I do as a coach? TeamBstrong coaches are people who are wanting to support and help others to make healthy changes to their lifestyle. We are a group of people are passionate about paying it forward, who all got results ourselves using the Beachbody programs and products, and want to inspire others to do the same while also earning an in

I absolutely LOVED this recipe from The Minimalist Baker !! If you haven't checked out here recipes yet, you MUST get yourself over to her site!! I loved the sweet and spicy taste of the chickpeas on the wrap, I didn't love my wrap choice because it fell apart. When I make these again I will be using a thicker flat bread instead of a wrap. Regardless of my wrap falling apart I give this recipe two thumbs up, especially if you like spicy!!  Ingredients: Dressing & Salad  1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons hummus  1 1/2- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup, plus more to taste 1 small lemon, juiced  Hot water to thin 1 bundle of kale, cleaned, large stems removed, roughly chopped Buffalo Chickpeas 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and dried 1 Tablespoon coconut oil 4 Tablespoons hot sauce, divided  1/4 teaspoon garlic powder Pinch of sea salt  For Serving  3-4 Vegan-friendly flour tortillas, pita, or flatbread Optional: 1/4 cup red onion, diced Optio

You guys know I love myself a new workout program, and Chris Downing's Shift Shop will not disappoint but that is not what has me so intrigued by the newest trainer in our Beachbody family.  I had the opportunity to test his program live at our annual coach trip to Punta Cana this past April and immediately felt a connection. Chris is a NASM certified trainer who has a huge physique and an even bigger heart. He is incredibly captivating...his words of encouragement during the workout actually had me tearing up, but that is still not the reason I am big time crushing on him.  While waiting for the workout to begin in Punta Cana the girl standing next to me turned and said, "Do you know his story? It's amazing". So I decided to do a little research. As it turns out, Chris was going through a pretty difficult time in his life when the CEO of Beachbody, Carl Daikeler, found him on youtube.  In March of 2015, Chris had been involved in a drug sting and was cha

This is one of those times where I am going to tell you to do as I say not as I do. I found this recipe over at Cake Merchant and I will start by saying that this cake was absolutely delicious. My entire family devoured it and had no idea it was completely vegan. That being said I made a few adjustments to fit my likes and also my time frame which made the appearance of the cake less than awesome. So all in all the recipe was on point but follow the directions below lol. I took shortcuts that led to my cake looking like it does above. If you don't take the shortcuts I am sure your cake will not only taste awesome but look awesome too!  Ingredients: For the cake 1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk  2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar  1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used coconut oil) 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract  2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I used oat flour) 3 Tablespoons cornstarch  3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking p

For a really long time, I hid who I really was and altered my behavior because I felt as if it was my responsibility to bridge the gap between people who didn't understand the LGBT community and "us". I thought that if I could get them to see me as a person before a lesbian that it would help them to open their minds more to our community. Although I had good intentions, I was going about it all wrong, an d it is something that is hard to admit. When I would go out with the "straight" crowd I would dress differently...I found my "girliest" outfits even if they weren't my favorite just so I could show them that not all lesbians were what their stereotypical view was. Truth be told, this was an incredible burden for me to carry. It actually did me and my community a disservice. I needed to be who I was and not alter certain parts to make other people feel more comfortable...over time I learned this... When I first joined Beachbody I n

I'm pretty sure that I am addicted to peanut butter so when the peanut butter fudge won our vote this week I was pumped. I found this recipe over at The Minimalist Baker  and it exceeded my expectations.  I did have a little trouble making the coconut butter, but it still worked out well. I give this recipe two thumbs up and will be making it again in the near future!  Ingredients: 2 cups finely shredded unsweetened coconut  1 cup creamy peanut butter (just peanuts and salt is best) 1/2 cup melted coconut oil 3-5 Tablespoons maple syrup pinch of sea salt 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract  Directions: Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a food processor add shredded coconut and blend on high until a creamy butter is formed. This should take about 4 minutes.  Add peanut butter and melted coconut oil, blend. Add 1 Tablespoon of maple syrup at a time until desired sweetness is reached.  Add sea salt and vanilla extract, blend.

There are very few things in life that one is unable to achieve. The problem lies in that actual taking of action to achieve what it is you want. Adopting a personal growth mindset is a key factor in achieving and obtaining what you want in life. It is essential for health, happiness, and overall well-being.  When we are children we start off very ambitious but over time after being put down, told we can't, and convinced by others that things are unachievable many of us developed a mindset that is opposite of personal growth. We were worried about being judged, failing, and looking stupid. These feelings were developed not because of actuality, but because of other people.  Somewhere along the line, we learned that our dreams actually weren't obtainable. That we needed to take the path of the majority because that is how life is. Up until several years ago, I had a self-limiting attitude that was holding me back from feeling happiness in all aspects of life. I let

I love falafel so I was really excited to make this quinoa falafel recipe for recipe Thursday. I will say straight out that I was slightly disappointed and here is why... First, the patties did not stay together the way that a falafel should and I did not love the taste of the tahini sauce. Also the clean up was a LOT more than I like. If there was a way to make the patties stick together a little better and had I ate the falafel in pita bread with veggies I would have liked the recipe a lot better. Overall this recipe gets 1 thumb out of 2.  Ingredients: 540 ML can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained coconut oil 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1/3 cup cooked quinoa  2 Tablespoons cilantro 1 Tablespoon ground cumin 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 2 vegan eggs  Avocado-Tahini Dressing: 1 ripe avocado  1/4 cup tahini 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice 2 Tablespoons cilantro  1/2 cup water  Directions: Blend all dressi