Pumpkin Streusel Bars

One of my long time challengers was on a cooking spree this weekend and made these clean eating pumpkin streusel bars. After she posted about them in our accountability group, I decided I would give them a try. Even though she warned me, she was right they are dangerously delicious. Portion control went out the window with this fantastic treat. Let me know if you give this fall treat a try! Follow the directions below to create your own version.

Clean Eating Pumpkin Streusel Bars
"Nutritional Facts Below"

Yields: 38 bars | Serving Size: 1 bar | Calories: 150 | Total Fat: 7.9 g | Saturated Fat: 1.9 g | Trans Fat: 0 g | Cholesterol: 22 mg | Sodium: 83 mg | Carbohydrates: 18.6 g | Dietary Fiber: .6 g | Sugars: g | Protein: 1.6 g | 

Ingredients

§  2 cups white whole wheat flour

§  2 teaspoons baking powder

§  1 teaspoon baking soda

§  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

§  1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

§  1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

§  1-1/2 cups coconut palm sugar (I used Blonde Coconut Palm Sugar)

§  4 eggs

§  1 cup canola oil

§  1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree

§  1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Streusel-

§  3/4 cup flour (I used white whole wheat flour)

§  1/2 cup coconut palm sugar,

§  1 teaspoon cinnamon

§  1/3 cup coconut oil (melted), optional pure unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together the first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl, set aside. Add sugar, eggs, oil, pumpkin and vanilla to a large mixing bowl, beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and continue mixing just until combined.

Streusel: Add all ingredients to a small bowl, using hands or a fork, mix until well combined. (Add 1/2 cup minced pecans to streusel if desired. This option is not calculated in the nutritional data).

Pour batter into a greased 9" x 13" baking pan. Sprinkle streusel evenly over batter. Bake 30 minutes or until a cake tester is inserted in the middle and comes out clean.

Allow to cool to room temperature before cutting into 32 squares.

Teaching Busy Women How To Be Fit and Fabulous

"Because you are more important than all of the other things on that to-do list of yours” 

Okay ladies I hope your fall has started to settle down or at least that you have become adjusted to the chaos. Now it is time to focus on YOU!!! That’s right, the person who you never seem to be making time for. This month I am taking applicants for a small group of women who even though they are busy just like me, they are going to try and make their own health a priority. These women are going to gain a little more confidence and learn how to live just a little better all in 30 days. How you ask? Well you see I have a program that will literally transform your LIFESTYLE in just 21 days. I am not talking about a diet; I am talking about a lifestyle. This means that it is something that you are going to do everyday for all your days moving forward. It takes 21 days to form a new habit. With support from me and the other women in the group you will learn to break old ones and be proud of the new you.

The women who apply for this group need to want to change more than they want to stay the same. They need to be at that breaking point where they say okay enough is enough. I need to live a healthier lifestyle. No more excuses! Maybe you have been carrying around baby weight or weight from stress in your life or maybe your eating habits are just awful. Whatever your issues are, we will work together to get thru them.

No excuses. This can be your month. Wouldn’t it be great to be healthy and fit for the holidays rather than saying to yourself, “after the holidays I am really going to considering getting in shape.” Live for today, not next week or next month or next year.

If you are up for the challenge please personal message me or send an email and also fill out the application below so I can get in touch with you. Cheers to putting your health at the top of your to- do list. YOU CAN DO THIS! We start on October 20, 2014. Reserve your spot today!

Fill out my online form.

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If You Want To Test Your Will Power... Try A Cleanse

3 Day Shakeology Cleanse Recap 

Well all I can say is that was really, really hard. My willpower was truly tested over the course of the last 3 days. I had gotten off track with my nutrition during the last few weeks. My extra snacking was becoming more often, I was hitting the drive- thru at Starbucks a few times a week. Basically, I was starting to slip a little from my typical disciplined habits into my old ways that I had worked so hard to change. I knew I needed to take some time and focus back on the foods I am fueling my body with. I had done the Shakeology Cleanse in the spring and found results so I decided I was going to go for it again. I planned to start on a Sunday and end on a Tuesday. I found that hands down this is much easier to do if you are working, extremely busy or distracted. I was feeling doomed when I was home and the pantry was tempting me. My advice – keep yourself away from food as much as you can unless you want to be miserable.

Here is how I went about it:

7:00 am - Breakfast: Shakeology with banana in it

9:00 am – 8 oz of green tea and an apple

11:00 am – Shakeology

2:20 – Shakeology

5:30 - Large salad (3 cups of greens and 1 grilled chicken breast cut up) Non – diary dressing

8:00 pm – 8 oz of green tea

In addition to this I drank 60+ ounces of water each day. You would want to strive to drink half your weight in ounces plus some!

You would repeat this each day for 3 days.  I still worked out each day while doing it. I made sure to get it in early in the morning so I had the energy for it. I felt fatigued by the end of each day. Here are some recaps from the journey.

Sunday

I think Sunday was the easiest day for me. I did some aerobic activity that morning and spent most of the day traveling for a few hours in the car. I had my green tea and apple in the car. That afternoon I went to a party at a friend’s house and struggled a bit to not want to eat the healthy snacks she had. Went for an iced green tea and held strong. My salad never tasted so great! It felt good to eat by dinnertime!

Monday

Started Monday morning off with 30 minutes of cardio from the 21 day fix. It really got me hungry right away. My shakes were able to ward of the hunger pains for the most part that day. I about cracked twice at work. 2 different groups that I was working with had pizza delivered in. It felt painful turning it down, but I didn’t cave. After dinner that night I broke and had 12 pita chips (yes I know it’s only 12 but it was still a cheat). Green tea was my saving grace that night. I was kind of grumpy by the end of the day. Knowing you still had one more day to go was a bit discouraging, but I was determined to finish what I started and make it happen the next day.

Tuesday

The scale was showing a 2 lb loss so far. I was hoping for more right away, but I need to remember that I am thin to begin with and it takes a ton of work for me to lose any weight because I am mostly all muscle now. My body fat percentage how really dropped since I started this journey seven months ago. Tuesday felt better during the day. My body was starting to get used to it. I decided that being able to complete a cleanse is simply a mind game, a hard one at that. Tuesday night I was not able to wait until 5:30 for dinner because I had missed my afternoon shake at work so I came home ready to chew my arm right off! Talk about being ready for dinner! After I ate my salad I waited two hours and had my 9^th and final shake.

"You wouldn't know it but this picture was taken at 4:30 am after only getting 4 hrs of sleep, being hunrgy and havng a million excuses. BUT I pushed play anyways and rocked day 3 even when I didn't feel like it anymore."

Wednesday Morning

It felt good to wake up and know the I was having oatmeal for breakfast today! When I got on the scale I had lost a total of 4 lbs during the time. Not a huge deal, but I do feel lighter and my stomach looks a lot less bloated. Plus I am focused again on my nutrition! 

It felt good to be able to say I did it. It also felt good to be able to cut out my sugar, salt and carb cravings. It was also nice to have the support of my challengers in my challenge groups. Not only did they help hold me accountable but also checked in on me at work and at home. It was nice to have the support!

If you would like to learn more about the cleanse, please send me an email: S.Griffith27@gmail.com I would be happy to talk with you about your goals and plans for the cleanse and well as help get you started.

Greenberry Banana Pineapple Banana Sunrise

Banana Pineapple Sunrise 

Blend and enjoy! This was nice and tropical! 

When Opportunity Knocks... You Take It! - Beachbody Coaching

My Life As A Beachbody Coach…

In life sometimes when something so wonderful has landed on your lap the only right thing to do is to share. So, today I will share with you my journey of how I got started and what I actually do.

I started using the 21 day fix program in February when I was looking to lose a few more lbs and find a healthier approach to the foods I was feeding my family. I cooked often but I would not say they were all that healthy. In fact, my weekly meal plans usually looked like a Pinterest meal every evening, lots of fat and lots of comfort foods. I was reluctant to buy my challenge pack and spend money on the Shakeology. I was worried I would hate it and it would be a waste of money. However, I went for the investment in myself and bought it anyways. THANK GOODNESS I did. This was life changing for me. After completing a round of the 21-day fix I fell in love with the lifestyle and began to share my experience with anyone and everyone who would listen. I was like a walking infomercial for Beachbody, because I wanted everyone to feel as great as I did. That is when my coach suggested that I get into being a “coach” myself. I already have a full time teaching job and was extremely busy with grad school as well as being a wife and mother so my schedule was already very FULL. However I was enjoying this and decided to give the coaching experience a try anyways. After all you make time for what you want and excuses for what you don’t want.

I was enrolled in an online coach-training academy that did not cost me a dime and was given all of the tools that I needed to become my own CEO. The team that I am on is one of the top teams in the entire company and I am also fortunate enough to be mentored by some of the top 10 coaches out of the 200,000+ that are Beachbody coaches. Each day I am surrounded by men and women who want to teach me how to be successful and how to help me change the lives of everyone I come in contact with. I have never met a more positive group of people who are there to support you.

Each week I have optional weekly “coach calls” online that helps me keep up with the current news and happenings in the business. As well as celebrate weekly successes of the team. These weekly calls have become one of my favorite parts of my week. One of the best parts of these meetings is that that happen at night after my son is in bed and my “work day” has ended as a schoolteacher.

As a coach my job means that I host online accountability and support groups to help people learn to eat clean and lose weight. I check in with them daily and help to keep them on track. The other side of my job as a coach is that I mentor my group of leaders who have decided to join me on my team and learn to grow into a top coach. I teach them the ropes of the business and help them to develop their own team.

The beauty of this “job” is that your income potential is limitless. The harder you work, the more money you will make and the more success you will obtain. I went into this hoping to make enough to cover my Shakeology costs per month. That goal has since grown way beyond what I could have imagined and I now make close to my teachers income all while working from home on my computer in the evenings from my pajamas!! Not only is the income fantastic but the company also offers monthly rewards for sales. I have actually earned an all inclusive trip to Mexico for my husband and I this spring because of my hard work. 1 week to be surrounded by many other talented goal driven coaches - yes please! In addition, I have also earned a free ticket to the National Coach Summit this summer in Nashville. It is nice to be rewarded for hard work! I tell you this not to brag but to encourage you to give this a try too!

If you would like to learn more about creating an income for yourself or your family please allow me to mentor you. My background is in business education as well as leadership. Why not let me teach you how to be your own CEO and share my business expertise. If you love helping others and enjoy the health and fitness world, this could be for you. You don’t need to be at your goal weight or even have a business degree, you have just to want to try and give it your best effort. I'll show you the rest!

Fill out my online form.

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Introducing P90 - Yes it really is for you!

P90 – Yes it really is for you!

I don’t know about you, but I usually associate any P90x workout with a good ass kicking! I am a product of x3 and loved the workouts and the 30 minutes of it but I will say it was intimidating and I was not ready for it until after I had begun my fitness journey. Tony Horton knows how to transform your body and his last decade of programs is proof of the matter. I have exciting news for anyone who wants to give it a try but does not want the intensity of the X – today launches P90. This is a 90-day total body transformation requiring only a very short amount of your time per day. While the workouts are a bit less intense they still promise the typical P90x results! The exciting part is that it is for ANYONE at ANY fitness level.

Check out this video to see if it is something for you 

I will be taking applicants to be in the P90 test group. Please email me if this is a program that you think would be right for you. S.Griffith27@gmail.com

 I will help guide you thru 90 days of your new life transformation while teaching you the essentials of clean healthy eating.

  

There is strength in numbers. Let me connect you with those who have the same goals and desire to live better!

www.beachbodycoach.com/sgriffith27

Search for the P90 Challenge Pack

Chocolate Banana Bread Shakeology

Chocolate Banana Bread Shakeology 

Okay talk about a new favorite! One of my coaches came up with a recipe that was similar to this one, so I decided to modify with what I had at home and it tastes amazing. Give it a try and let me know if you love it too!

Ingredients:
1 scoop of chocolate shakeology
10 oz of water
4 oz of vanilla almond milk
Ice as desired ( I do about 8 oz of ice)
1 ripe banana
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
10 walnuts
1/8 of vanilla extract
1/8 of banana extract
1/3 cup of rolled oats

Directions
Mix water, almond milk, ice together and dump into the blender
Add in other ingredients and blend for 1 minute.
ENJOY!
This one will really fill you up!