Lift Ladies LIFT!

I absolutely love this article on Bodybuilding.com on why women need to lift heavy weights. If these experts aren't convincing enough, let this Mama tell you 10 reasons why I began lifting.

1. To feel stronger
2. To push myself to extraordinary limits
3. To shock myself when I figure out what my body can do
4. To feel more comfortable in my own skin
5. To start a passion and a drive for more
6. To get excited and imagine what my body can do next
7. To see a transformation and enjoy the results
8. To have more energy 
9. To lift my son and carry him without getting winded
   
   And the most important one........
10. To get rid of the WONKY BABY BELLY!!!

I telly you ladies, lift, just do it. Do it because it will make you feel better about yourself. And don't just lift 5 pound weights and be happy about it. Increase your weight so you can increase your strength! So you can increase the competition you have with yourself. Challenge yourself to do more, to be more, and to know more.


Cardio just doesn't cut it, our bodies were meant to do extraordinary things. Our muscles long to be worked hard. They want a challenge and I think we all have it in ourselves to rise up and try something new.

I love this picture of Rebel Wilson from Pitch Perfect, they are my feelings exactly. I'm not trashing cardio, I love it, all in its own moderation. Treadmills, dance fitness, and stair climbers that are paired with some good old fashioned barbells is a great marriage I think!

Lift a weight, you won't be sorry you did.
And if you are, well.....unfortunately there is no refund for quitters.

xo

Protein Cake

My newest lesson in eating clean is that clean can be delicious, but if you have preconceived notions in your head of how food should taste, then forget it, your creation will be disgusting.
When on a new clean creation adventure I try to have an open mind and think that this food is going to fuel my body; and if I'm eating it to stifle a sugar craving, then it too will help my body.
This afternoon I made something quite delicious, though it has more of flavour I have yet to fully fall in love with. That taste of 'clean', it seriously is an acquired taste!
With only 6 ingredients I made a personal sized cake, some call it a mug cake, some call it a muffin, I call it the mother of all protein cakes. This was a Tupperware cake, and clearly I used too much baking powder.

I combined all of the following ingredients into a small Tupperware container that was sprayed with a non stick cooking spray. (UGH I know, so bad for you)

1. Scoop of chocolate protein powder (leave out about 1 tbsp)
2.  1tbsp of Cocoa
3. 1/4 cup of almond milk (leave out about 1tbsp)
4. 1/4 cup of liquid egg whites
5. 4tbsp of white rice flour
6. 1tsp of baking powder (maybe too much? haha)

 

It has the perfect consistency of boxed chocolate cake before it goes in the oven, but with this creation it goes in the microwave for only 1 minute.
I actually put it in for 3 minutes and after a minute realized it had grown to be a beast.
It popped right out of the container and I was shocked at the size.

That's a large pottery mug sitting next to it for measuring purposes, I told you it was HUGE! 

 Take the remaining protein powder and almond milk and mix together to create an icing. Pour over top and ENJOY!
The nutritional information is awesome, such a great clean treat!

Calories - 311

Fat - 4g 

Carbohydrates - 36g 

Sugar - 1g

Protein - 36g

VITACOST HAUL! (And how to get your $10.00 off coupon)

My package from Vitacost finally arrived tonight, and I was as excited opening the box as I was on Christmas Day 1993 opening all my toys. I told my husband it was groceries, which wasn't all too much a lie, it was food after all ;)
I tore open all the bubble wrap and found the most lovely glass jars inside. My haul of Walden Farms products, TO DIE FOR products, might I add.

The minimum order of most of their products is 2, which really, who cares, you're going to devour the whole jar anyway, so stock up while you can. I don't know how they do it, it must be a secret like Santa Claus and Elves or something. They say it's all natural, but the kicker is that the products are....wait for it......

SUGAR FREE

CARB FREE

CALORIE FREE

FAT FREE

WHAT?! Is that possible? Like I said, it's some crazy family secret, but I bought it. And now I'm hooked. I would rather cut some costs on other groceries in order to fund my Walden Farms addiction. <cough> Healthy addiction!

The amazing thing about these products is they are actually 100% delicious and hardly taste like you're missing out on the real thing. In fact, Mrs. Butterworth ain't got nuthin' on WF (Walden Farms, because the short form is way better!)  I also thought I would try the syrup for my son, it's a great alternative to regular sugar infested pancake topper. No sugar = no toddler sugar high = happy mama.

If you're going to eat clean, you're going to have times where you need to binge. So why not binge clean? Instead of making a stack of french toast and dousing it in high sugar syrup, go for some protein waffles and WF syrup?

In my humble opinion, which clearly isn't worth a lot, I would rather extend the years of my life by eating clean and binging on these products, than spend less money on food and eat crap.

End of story.
Now off to eat my BBQ'd chicken breast before bed. Bam. Delish.

Cheers,
Em

Click on the word below to get your $10.00 coupon from Vitacost. Unfortunately the shipping is a bit much, but people, the products are worth their weight in gold. Now go now!

TEN DOLLAR OFF COUPON :)

Quinoa and Flax Bread

So today I made my first loaf of bread, well.....first successful loaf! I tried it yesterday and it was hard as a rock! Turns out, you shouldn't use expired yeast, ha!! I had my Mom's help today and the bread came out amazing, and tasted delish! Check out the recipe below to make some great smelling, wonderfully tasting, quinoa and flax bread!

1cup Quinoa (cooked) - So measure out 1/2 cup because it doubles in size, YUM! 
2 cups Buckwheat flour, whole wheat flour, or gluten free, whatever you like!
1/4 cup Olive oil -Still trying to find a good substitute...maybe coconut oil?! :) http://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/804491/the-health-benefits-of-agave-nectar
3 tbsp Flax seeds
1tbsp Active dry yeast
1tsp Agave nectar - You can substitute for any king of sugar but I love Agave it's so good for you. It's amazingly low on the glycemic index so it doesn't shoot your blood sugar up like regular sugar does. 
1cup Warm water (almost hot!) 



1.) Start with the quinoa because it takes the longest to cook, set aside
2.) Mix together the agave nectar, yeast, and water. The water has to be almost hot, the first time I did it the water wasn't hot enough and the yeast didn't activate. Let it sit for 5 minutes or until it grows nice and foamy!
3.) Mix together the quinoa, flour, flax seeds, and yeast mixture together. Add in the olive oil. 
Knead it really well and add in some flour with your hands so it's not too sticky. My Grandma taught me to knead with the heels of your hands, just dig in and work it! I wasn't doing a good job today kneading so I know she was yelling at me from up in heaven. :) 
4.) Grease a bowl with some olive oil and put your dough in. Make sure you go all the way up the sides of the bowl so when it grows it won't stick. Grease a bit of saran wrap too before you cover it just to make sure it doesn't stick. If it does, it may deflate the bread when you try to take it out! (Little trick from my Mama!) 
Cover with a tea towel and place in the oven with the light on for about an hour or until it doubles in size.
5.) Take it back out and re-knead it, this time placing it in your greased loaf pan. Repeat the covering and oven part! 
6.) Once it's doubled and looks delicious, throw it in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees F.  Note: Please make sure the plastic wrap and towel are off first ;) 


Let it cool before you eat it because it gets all doughy when it's hot. Spread a little organic honey on a piece and ENJOY! It's SO delicious, I hope you love it as much as I love! 


Much love,
Emma 

How a Hashtag Can Save your Life

Before the social media craze of Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, not many of us had heard about "Hashtags". The "Octothorp" as it is also called, always preceded a telephone number or was used as a prompt when leaving voice mails. 

So for the non smart phone people, what is a hashtag these days? The easiest way to describe it is a connector, a way for people to find similar ideas, pictures, or things. Sometimes it gets a little out of hand when someone posts a picture on Instagram of a piece of cake and says, "#ilovetoeatcakeallthetime." Is that really necessary? Can't you just use the grammar lessons you got in highschool and type out a real sentence using good English? Don't get me wrong, I've been there, done that, but all the time is just not necessary. 

Anyways, let's get on with how a hashtag saved my life. Back to grass roots here, I'm getting off track.
I think Hashtags are amazing. They really do connect people, and most of all connect hobbies, and ways of life. I sat on Instagram some 6 months ago and somehow stumbled upon, "#girlswholift"
which to my surprise brought up over one million pictures! Mind blow!
I would have never thought that one hashtag would change my life, and catapult me into a new lifestyle change where I too became a girl who lifted.
I 'met' on Instagram a few girls who had bikini competition lifestyles, who would post hilarious 30 second videos on just about anything, they would post clean recipes, and most of all, their tips and tricks for staying on track with eating and fitness. 
I started discovering, "#cleaneats, #cleantreats," and most of all......the mother of all hashtags.....#FITAFAM.

There is a fitness family on social media that I knew nothing about, and call me crazy, but somehow using a word like 'fitfam' can connect people from around the world with the same desires and passions. 
I found recipes using these hashtags, I found people to follow and track, I found a drive to want to know more about fitness and clean eating. I had no idea there was a social media world out there that was designed to help, assist, and drive people into the same purpose. 
Since that time, I've been on a fun, frustrating, and amazing journey where I've converted my lifestyle into somewhat of a girl who lifts. I'm a part of an online fitness family even though I have an alias and people don't really know who I am or where I come from. 
That's the amazing thing about hashtags and social media. You don't need to know people's life story in order to connect with them, you just need the same purpose and the same goal. 
And this goal is HEALTH. 

I'm amazed at the transformation my body has taken especially over this past month. Call it a new years un'resolution. It's not a fad, it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change. And every day when I wake up and look in the mirror, I'm amazed at how changing your diet, your fitness routine, and your interests, can actually change your life for the better. 

So this is a huge thank you to hashtags. And an even bigger thank you to the FitFam out there including @gymgirljessie, @dallasrae, and @jazzythings. You have inspired me to be better and do great things. Now go follow those girls, because they too can change your life with their crazy awesome ideas! 

Much love,

Emma