I love Mondays

 

Today I will..
Trust the process, stay driven & make a conscious effort toward pursing the things I love.

Homemade Doggie Treats

I was back home with the family this past weekend, enjoying a big bowl of homemade popcorn while watching The Bourne Ultimatum. I look to my right and laying next to me on the couch was my sweet Bella, looking up at me with the saddest, yet adorable eyes begging for a piece of my popcorn..

I mean seriously, how cute is this face?!

Well, I woke up the next morning still feeling guilty..

Enter in: Peanut Butter Flax Doggie Treats.

 

Homemade Doggie Treats

1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup water
1-1/2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup flax seeds
1-1/4 cups rolled oats
1-3/4 cup brown rice flour
      (or any gluten free flour's you have on hand! This last time I used a combo of 3 flours, I don't think your pup will mind) ;)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a small microwavable bowl, mix together peanut butter and water. Microwave for 1 minute. Add melted coconut oil and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine your oats, flour(s) & flax seeds. Add wet mixture and mix until well combined.

On a large piece of plastic wrap, flatten out the dough into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Fold over plastic wrap to cover & pop the dough into the refrigerator for one hour.

Remove from plastic wrap and cut the dough into whatever shapes you want! Or if you want to get fancy like me, you can use cookie cutters.

Place the cutouts evenly on 2 baking sheets and pop in the oven for about an hour. The original recipe I based this off of said to put them in for an 1 hr & 45 min, but mine would have burnt to a crisp if I had left them in that long! So check them periodically and you can judge how long to bake them. They should feel firm but not browned. They firm up more once out of the oven.

Let them cool completely before sharing with your pup & you can store them in the fridge to make sure they last for a couple weeks.

Choconut "Larabars"

Is it just me or is it hard to find truly healthy & affordable snacks these days?

Have no fear, Homemade Larabars to the rescue!

 

These beauties pack 7.6 grams of protein & 5.2 grams of fiber for just 300 calories. If you want a smaller snack then make them into smaller bars or energy balls to pop in your mouth when you need a little energy boost! They will fill you up and keep you going without weighing you down. 

Guilt free yummies, here for your pleasure.

Choconut "Larabars"
{12 servings}

 

1 cup water
18 pitted medjool dates
2/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, divided
1 1/2 cups raw walnuts
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Add water to a small pot. Place on the stove top on high to bring to a boil. While the water heats up, pit your dates and set aside in a bowl. Once boiling, remove the pot from the heat and add in the dates. Let the dates soak for 5 minutes.

When the dates are done soaking, drain off all the water and add them to a food processor. Add in walnuts, cashews, salt and cocoa. Process until the nuts are roughly chopped, add in coconut, & finish processing until the mixture begins sticking together.

You could use an 8 x 8 pan to press the mixture into then cut into bars, roll individual clumps into balls or, do like I did, separate the batter into 12 equal portions and hand form them into bars, squares, "cookies", whatever shape ya want! =)

Store bars in the fridge to firm up a bit & to keep them nice and fresh!

Juicing Day 1 & Day 2 Recap

Morning lovelies!

Quick recap because I have A LOT of studying to do, unfortunately..

Day one was good. I woke up in the morning excited to finally start my cleanse, but still with a craving for my usual "solid" breakfast.

 -DAY ONE-

8:00AM- First Oil Pulling. Melted 1 Tbsp Organic Unrefined Cold Pressed Coconut Oil in a water bath over the stove & swooshed it around in my mouth for 20 minutes. It is best to do Oil Pulling first thing in the morning before eating or brushing your teeth, so I usually swoosh it around while I shower and begin to get ready to make the time go by faster.

8:20AM- Spit out the oil and rinsed my mouth out a few times with water. Never swallow the oil because one, eww.. & two, it is full of toxins that you want to get OUT so swallowing it would defeat the purpose.

8:30AM- Began juicing. Juicing does take some time and commitment because you have to wash all the veg/fruit and cut it up into pieces that will actually fit into the funnel above the juicer, but it is so worth it. Since it was Sunday I made all of my juices fresh right before drinking them. They taste best and retain the most nutrients when you drink them straight away after juicing.

8:40AM- Finally enjoying my first juice! I started the morning with a Mean Green Juice consisting of celery, cucumber, kale, apple, lemon & parsley. It was light, crisp & earthy. Exactly what I was looking for to energize my morning.

9:00AM- Quick tip, it is always good to brush your teeth really well when detoxing. Since you are using juice to get the toxins out, your breath can sometimes get a little.. well.. undesirable when you're in detox mode. Juicing = always carry a toothbrush.

11:00AM- First run on just juice. Felt light & pretty decent for 4 miles. Then came home to the request of homemade pancakes from my boyfriend.. Really? I mean, really? But honestly, it is probably a blessing that I still have to make him food when I'm on only juice. It's kind of ridiculous when you notice how much time you spend mindlessly munching on things when cooking/making meals or even between meals.

12:30PM- Juicy Juice time again! The new combo: orange, beet, cucumber, romaine, spinach, carrot lemon & parsley. Beet juices are my favorite! & beet naturally has an abundance of healing powers. For example: reduced blood pressure, helps anemia due to a high iron content, helps to regulate digestive system and metabolism, etc. etc. But you're never supposed to drink it plain. I guess it can make you go temporarily blind and stuff. No big deal... ;)

2:00PM- Remember there is a company party tonight at  People's Organic.. Beginning to wonder why I chose to start a juice fast today..... Of all days.

6:30PM- Arrive at the party we get 2 tickets for wine & prepared appetizers and entree.. No thanks, I will stick to the carbonated water..

9:30PM- 12 glasses of carbonated water later.. & I am on my way home. Feeling pretty proud of myself for eating nothing at the party.  Two pats on the back for little Juju.

10:00PM- Sipping on my final juice: broccoli, loads of kale, apple, carrot, cucumber & lemon. When I was gone Alex happened to burn a cookie in the microwave.. Thanks babe, now all I crave is a cookie. Of the non-burnt variety of course..

Final thoughts on day one: Great! I wasn't hungry all day & only had one "food craving". Learning to not snack snack snack my way through the day & to drink more water. So far, so good! :)

-DAY TWO-

6:00AM- Up & Oil Pulling.

6:20AM- Eww.. Need to spit out this stuff.

6:25AM- Juicing time. This mornings variety? Lots of kale, celery, rainbow chard, lemon, beet, orange & a wittle bitty carrot. Feeling very awake & excited for another day of juicing!

10:30AM- The BF & I both happened to get out of class a half hour early so a coffee date was required, of course. Got my soy latte.. A little latte never hurt anyone right?

1:30PM- Home from the grocery store with more goodies. I still had plenty of supplies at home, but I couldn't help myself. ;) Time for Juice Two! A deep green earthy beauty she was. Flowing kale, cucumber, green pepper, pineapple, carrot, cilantro, lemon & broccoli. Can't decide if it is the cilantro or the flowering kale that gives this juice it's green greeniness.. Perhaps both.

First, flowering kale is gorgeous. Second.. I purposely picked the goofiest looking carrots.. Because I could.

6:45PM- C2 Class at CorePower Yoga! (aka- advanced hot yoga class) It felt amazing! I love me some hot yoga, but last night I felt particularly light and flexible.

Yep. Full of energy I was indeed.

8:45PM- Time to make juice 3! I am amazed with myself. I am the girl who eats on a schedule. Wake up- breakfast. Noon- lunch. 5PM- guess it's dinner time. But since I've been juicing I've been much more flexible & frankly, just not hungry a lot of the time!


11:30PM- Slightly hungry, but it is finally bed time... & I'm too lazy to make another juice.. ;)

Thoughts on day two: today was great! After my lunchtime juice my energy was skyrocketing. I felt light & powerful all day.

Now off to Juicy Juice Cleanse- Day 3!

(Pst.. For those who reeeeally want to know.. I've already dropped 4.5 pounds. Bonus!) ;)

DAY ONE: Juicy Juice Cleanse!

 It's here. It's here. It's finally here!

I've been wanting to do a juice cleanse for weeks now, but for some reason or another it kept getting put off. First there was Christmas.. Then I got sick.. & there is always the reoccuring problem of me being in love with food..

But today is the day, folks.

Yesterday I hit up Trader Joes & the Lunds up the street and stocked up on all sorts of veggies & fruits. I'm an Iowa girl through and through.. But the one real benefit of living in MN for school is the fresh & gorgeous selection of fruits & veggies. I feel so spoiled up here! ;)

Yesterday's loot! All for under 30 bucks! Holla. ;)

So why a juice cleanse? For a lot of people, they look at doing a juice fast for weight loss. Though I have tacked on nine pounds.. (YES, NINE..) Since moving up to MN that is not my goal, but instead an added bonus in the end!

So, why fast?

• I have stopped listening to my body cues. I grew up with 4 boys, meaning I grew up eating like the four boys. Aka- A LOT. I love food. But there is a fine line between eating & indulging. I always eat healthfully, but I need to take a step back and reteach myself to listen to my body & how much food I should actually be consuming.
• In conjunction, I am a big snacker! Not just between meals, but when I get home and am trying to figure out what to eat for dinner I snack. So I end up eating more than I really want & need.
• I have been in a rut.. Yep, it is hard to admit, but it is the truth. I ran the Twin Cities 10 miler in October and ran my fastest/best that I have ever done in any of my races so far. I was so jacked up that I was ready to commit to doing a bunch of races in the upcoming year instead of doing my routine of 1-2 races per year. Then I was hit with some bad news during midterms week at school.. One of my undergrad courses wasn't transferable to Chiro school, so I had to drop half of my courses & retake it at Northwestern! Then I was informed I was .75 credits off of being able to receive full financial aid for my classes. So I had to get a job, adding more stress! Don't get me wrong.. I loved my job & it has been one of the best blessings and opportunities for me. But I fell out of my routine of running daily, but I didn't lose that runners appetite. You see the problem?

SO.. Now is the time to reboot, recommit & reestablish my goals! If you are finding yourself in a rut, I feel what you're going through. It sucks. But you can turn it around! Have you let a few extra pounds creep on? Are you not managing your time/priorities well? Have you taken a hiatus from working out consistently? There is no better time than NOW to turn things around. Feel free to email me if you need some advice, inspiration, whatever! (juliamolstead@gmail.com) I love to talk to others, especially when it is on the topic of health!

 

So what am I drinking today?

Juicy Juice One: 3 stalks celery, 1/2 large seedless cucumber, LOTS of kale, 1 braeburn apple, 1/3 lemon & a handful of parsley.

It was fresh, crisp, earthy.. Exactly what I wanted to kick off my cleanse!

Tomorrow I will post about the rest of my juices from today as well as the other things I am going to commit to doing during my fast. Plus I will keep you posted on how I'm feeling, the ups, the downs, errythang. Sound goodie?

What about you? What healthy choice will you commit to today?


(P.S. If you notice pictures missing where they obviously shouldn't be.. That's because they were linked to my phone, so when I deleted them off my phone.. BOOM.. They also disappeared off of my blog. So I am slowly but surely working at getting them, or most of them, back up on here! But bear with me.)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Hemp Seed Cups!

The name is a mouthful..
I know.

But how could I leave out the superpowered hemp seeds?

To those who are new to the wondrous nature of hemp seeds, let me enlighten you.

They deliver a hefty dose of omega-3's and 6's, possess anti-inflammatory properties, & also supports a healthy metabolism, nourishes your hair, skin and nails and even helps regulate hormones! & to top it off, they also add a lovely subtle nuttiness to the already deliciously nutty peanut butter cups. It is a win-win-win.

Okay, now that you are up to speed..

Man cannot live by bread alone; he must have peanut butter. 

-James A. Garfield- 

Can't say I disagree with the man.

These PB Cups are quick & easy. With just 6 ingredients, you'll be in chocolate peanut butter heaven in no time.

CPB Hemp Seed Cups
6 perfect little cups

shell:
3/4 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
1 tsp raw coconut butter
1 tsp cocoa butter

filling:
1/3 cup peanut butter (i used crunchy!)
2 tbsp hemp seeds
1 spoonful of pure maple syrup (approx. 1/2-1 tbsp)

6 muffin tins/liners

** I did not officially "measure" any of the ingredients other than the chocolate chips, so feel free to add or subtract a little of an ingredient if needed!

Pour chocolate chips, coconut butter & cocoa butter into a microwave safe bowl. Mix together the chips and butters & place in the microwave. The coconut and cocoa butter melt quicker than the chocolate does, so by pre-stirring the mixture & stirring it periodically during the melting process you will keep from scalding your ingredients! If you have a "melt" or "chocolate" setting on your microwave, use those appropriately or set your microwave to one minute and keep an eye on the chocolate as it melts. Set aside to cool.

In a separate bowl, mix together the peanut butter, hemp seeds and maple syrup until evenly incorporated.

Pour a small even layer of chocolate into the bottom of each of your 6 muffin liners. Spoon a dollop of your peanut butter filling into the center of the chocolate layer. Using the bottom of a spoon or clean fingers, spread the peanut butter out into a more flat layer, keeping it from spreading out to the edges of the cup. Use the remaining chocolate to evenly cover the tops of each of your cups.

Pop the PB cups into the freezer until the chocolate hardens & you're ready to devour! :)

Store the cups in the freezer (if you have enough to willpower to have leftovers..)

Okay.. Back to studying it is.......

Simple Truths..

FINALLY!

It is November.

My birthday month.

The best month of the year. ;)

This month.. I will remember to not get overwhelmed & always be sure to make ME a priority.

My non-negotiables this month..

1.] I will.. consume no foods that have any ties to factory farms.  (Aka- dairy, meat, eggs, & the likes..)

2.] I will.. guzzle down that H20! Did you know that your brain is made up of 90% water!? Proper hydration is key for feeling energized, upbeat, thinking clearly and for keeping you skin/cells vibrant and healthy!

3.] I will.. eat a salad a day! Nom nom.. Spinach. Kale. Chard. VITAMINS. MINERALS. ANTIOXIDANTS. PHYTONUTRIENTS. Love me some leafy greens!

4.] I will.. breathe in & accept every situation that saunters my way. I am not a victim in my own life. Every trial & every triumph happens for me, not to me. Breathe in the positive, exhale the negative.

5.] I will.. weave in 15 minutes of yoga a day, minimum! There are a plethora of benefits of yoga beyond gaining strength and flexibility. (Though for me, flexibility is one of my top priorities! My flexibility is reminiscent of that of a long wooden plank.. Lacking, at best..)

6.] I will.. do an inversion a day! Inversion.. say what? Headstand, handstands, shoulder stands, etc. Whichever you choose.. inversions reverse the flow within your body, sending a flow of nutrients and oxygen up to your face & scalp, refreshed blood to your pituitary and hypothalamus glands, increased circulation & digestion.. should I keep going?

7.] I will.. radiate love! Make eye contact. Smile at people I cross paths with. It is so easy to just be kind, yet most people get too caught up in the things they need to get done to remember how impactful these simple actions can be. Everyone likes to be seen & acknowledged. The least you could do is say a quick hello or shoot a stranger a smile.

8.] I will.. be my own hero. Be true. Be real. Be me. I will not hold back from being myself and expressing my values in fear of what others might think of me. I will let the things that drive me & are important to me fuel my inspiration.

9.] I will.. just breathe. (this one is my fav!) Take time for me. Take time to release all inhibitions & just breathe. Ahh... Remaining conscious of my breath keeps me grounded & present, while also acting as an important reminder to be grateful for just being alive.


10.] I will.. remember that when the world fails me, as it often does, I can ask for divine help. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking & prayer. Never lose faith.

11.] I will.. speak the truth. Speak the truth. Speak the truth!