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A Healthy Mint-Chocolate Chip Milkshake

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(photo by Chocolate Covered Katie)

We all know milkshakes are not by any means healthy for us. But, sometimes, don’t you just want that ice-cold yummy treat anyways?

Well, here is a super delicious healthy mint-chocolate chip milkshake recipe for you!

The recipe is from Chocolate Covered Katie’s healthy dessert blog (which I definitely recommend checking out).

All you need this particular recipe is:

  • a blender
  • frozen bananas
  • cacao nibs
  • peppermint extract
  • milk (of your choice)
  • spinach. (I know it doesn’t sound good, but trust me it is!)

Here is the link to the recipe: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/02/24/raw-mint-chocolate-chip-milkshake/

Now you can enjoy this treat without feeling guilty and meanwhile you are even getting some good nutrients in your system ☺

BEWARE! Though this recipe is healthy, it doesn’t mean you can have these all the time. As with everything, moderation is key. Use this recipe as a trick up your sleeve when you are wanting something sweet and need a quick fix! ☺

Enjoy!

Coloring to improve your health

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How do you keep yourself calm throughout the week?

As we all know by now, stress is one of the leading factors to so many of our health problems…weight gain, diseases, cancers, mood disorders, and so much more.

So, one of the keys to keeping healthy is to have strategies to reduce stress.

I just added coloring to my list.

I’m sure you have been seeing the adult coloring book fad that has been going on lately. I must say, it really is calming. It is a fun way to feel kind of like a kid again. Plus, it is a great way to get your creative juices flowing.

What’s on your list for stress reduction strategies? Need some more ideas?

Here are some of the things on my list:

  • coloring
  • running
  • working out
  • the ocean
  • listening to music
  • taking a walk outside

Everyone is a little different, but I challenge you to make a little list of healthy ways to keep calm and reduce your stress. Then, when you need it, you’ll have a list of ideas.

It could be the thing that saves your life.

Beautycounter

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Late last year, I decided to join forces with an amazing company called Beautycounter. It’s an amazing personal product company whose mission is to get safe products in the hands of everyone.

Did you know…

  • The united states has not passed a federal law to regulate the ingredients used in personal care products since 1938.
  • The European union has spend the past two decades banning or restricting more than 1,300 ingredients, the US has only banned 11 to date.”

At Beautycounter, we’ve banned more than 1,500 ingredients setting a new health and safety standard—all while our products perform.

All that this company represents really resonates with me. Me and my loved ones have spent the last 6 years learning about all of the toxic ingredients in the food industry. We’ve switched to organic whole food eating to avoid as much of these toxic chemicals as possible.

Little did we know, the shampoos/conditioners, body washes, lotions, makeup, face wash, etc. were loaded with super toxic and health concerning ingredients (even in the products that promote themselves as healthier alternatives).

When I cleaned up my diet, my body felt and performed so much better. Now that I started using these clean products, my skin and body really feel so much cleaner and healthier.

I went through on and off spells of dandruff and since using their shampoo and conditioner my scalp has never been happier and my skin is much more moisturized. Looking back, I realize how harsh the ingredients really are in the personal care products I was using before.

The best part of all is that these products really perform! Not only do I feel confident that I’m putting safe ingredients on my body, but I feel like I just went to the spa every time I use any of their products.

Personal care products seem like such a silly thing to be concerned about. But think about how many products you use on a daily basis.

We are now finding out that 1 in 2 people are getting cancer. Believe it or not, ingredients that are in your personal care products are a contributing factor to this!!

I highly recommend checking out their products and as a consultant for them I would love to help you out – whether it’s about buying products or just getting involved in the company as a consultant.

Most importantly, we need to spread the word! The more we talk about this, the more people we can save from harsh chemicals and the more we will be able to make a change in the industry itself.

No time for lunch? — Using mason jars

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Do you find yourself buying junk food while you are out and about running errands? Or during your lunch break? Or between dropping off the kiddos at school?

So many times I find people saying they didn’t have time to pack a lunch or to prepare a good meal. But thanks to this handy little trick you won’t be able to use that excuse anymore!

Just like anyone, the last thing I want to do when I get home from work is spend a bunch of time cooking dinner. So I started using mason jars to help cut cooking time way down.

The trick is to pick one day (I usually do it after I get back from the grocery store) to prep your food for the week. Cut your veggies and store them in a mason jar. The veggies will already be ready to be used in any of your recipes throughout the week. You can easily toss them into a salad, sauté them, roast them in the oven, etc. It is also helpful because they will be ready to snack on during the day if you find yourself needing a mid-morning or late afternoon pick me up.

You can also cook your beans or your rice/quinoa/any grains you need for the week and store them in the mason jars as well.

Mason jars are also great for lunch. You can make salads for the week (or any grain mixtures, etc). When you are walking out the door, all you have to do is grab the jar and a fork and your lunch is ready to go. No more excuse of not having time!

If you need an idea, here is a great mason jar lunch recipe from The Kitchen Skinny.

The mason jars will keep everything fresh for about 5-7 days.

We even started making double batches of our green smoothies and storing them in mason jars so that we don’t have to make a whole new batch every day. Though I wouldn’t really recommend storing green smoothies for as long as your veggies/grains. (Usually about 2 days is the max on freshness for a smoothie.)

There are endless possibilities using these mason jars. It is a great trick and if you find yourself using the excuse of time, then you definitely need to try it out!

99 workout challenge

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Are you getting into a rut with your workout routine? Need a change? A new challenge? Try this 99 workout this weekend!

It’s a completely bodyweight-based workout. So, no equipment needed and you can do it anywhere! It’s a total body workout that will get you burning a ton of calories. I also love it because it is very simple and easy to remember.

All you have to do is:

Set 1: 99 jumping jacks, 99 crunches, 99 second wall sit, 99 leg lifts, 9 push-ups
Set 2: 88 jumping jacks, 88 crunches, 88 second wall sit, 88 leg lifts, 8 push-ups
Set 3: 77 jumping jacks, 77 crunches, 77 second wall sit, 77 leg lifts, 7 push-ups
Set 4: 66 jumping jacks, 66 crunches, 66 second wall sit, 66 leg lifts, 6 push-ups
Set 5: 55 jumping jacks, 55 crunches, 55 second wall sit, 55 leg lifts, 5 push-ups
Set 6: 44 jumping jacks, 44 crunches, 44 second wall sit, 44 leg lifts, 4 push-ups
Set 7: 33 jumping jacks, 33 crunches, 33 second wall sit, 33 leg lifts, 3 push-ups
Set 8: 22 jumping jacks, 22 crunches, 22 second wall sit, 22 leg lifts, 2 push-ups
Set 9: 11 minute run

It does take a while to get through the whole thing, but I promise you will feel so accomplished when you complete it! And, if you can’t get through it all, that’s okay! Just keep trying until you can make it all the way through.

Try it out this weekend!!

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