Coconut Oil

I have replaced all of these items in my regimen with coconut oil! I have noticed tremendous results from making this switch! Coconut oil is an ALL NATURAL way to hydrate your skin & hair.

Hair Deep Conditioner: Warm coconut oil under warm water until liquid. Add to ends of dry hair and allow to penetrate for 15-45 minutes. Rinse, shampoo and condition as normal, give it about 2 weeks of doing this 2/3 time a week and you will see the results! Shiny and beautiful healthy hair!

Shaving Cream:  I get razor burn EVERY time I use shaving cream to shave. For a while I switched over to using hair conditioner, which worked well, but nothing can compare to using Coconut oil to shave with. Try it! I promise you will love it!

Face Wash:  I really hate using medicated face washes on my face because as soon as I run out I am hit with a massive break out!?! Am I the only one that has experienced this?! Well I switched over to using coconut oil with a little sprinkle of baking soda, and my face has totally cleared up! My face is glowing, super moisturized & NO clogged pores! It is amazing <3 

Deodorant:  As a Hairstylist I am ALWAYS worried about having the dreaded "pit marks." I apply a little bit of warmed coconut oil on my underarms after a shower and it really helps keep my sweating under control! (it is a natural antiperspirant) 

Face/Body Lotion:  Coconut oil is super hydrating yet it will not clog pores! Apply and allow to soak in a couple minutes.

Eat smart...See results!

Your diet has the most impact on your body! Be smart...eat smart....look sexy <3 

Healthy Make Ahead Meals

Both my boyfriend and I are working on our bodies right now. His goal is to gain mass where my goal is to gain lean muscle and lower my body fat percentage. Either way keeping our metabolism up is priority, and in order to do so we need to be eating every 3 hours. Eating a balanced meal every 3 hours can be a real job. With that being said I have taken on the role of meal prepper :]. On Monday's (my day off) I cook in bulk and make us both meals to take to work for the week! Here are some of the healthy meals that I have been making for us. I wanted to keep the recipes super healthy, but at the same time not bland.


Recipes :

 1/2 Can of chicken, 1/2 cucumber sliced, 1 small tomato sliced, chopped Basil, 1/2 cup Brown rice (top with 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar) 

275 calories, 28g Protein, 27g Carbohydrates, 4g Fat

1 Can Albacore Tuna, 1 string cheese, 1 small Apple sliced

231 Calories, 28g Protein, 20g Carbohydrates, 5g Fat

1/4 pound Turkey burger, 1 cup Spinach, 1/4 cup cottage cheese, 1 Roma Tomato sliced (I ate with a little mustard)

335 Calories, 40g Protein, 7g Carbohydrates, 16g Fat

1/2 can Chicken, 1/2 cup Rice & Asparagus (I sprinkle with cayenne pepper & garlic)

274 Calories, 29g Protein, 27g Carbohydrates, 4g Fat

One serving of whole grain pasta, 1 small Tomato sliced, 1/4 Avocado sliced, 1/2 can of Chicken, Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and lemon wedge

442 calories, 32g Protein, 49g Carbohydrates, 12g Fat

a serving of whole grain pasta, 1/2 cup Cottage Cheese, 1/4 cup Salsa

319 Calories, 23g Protein, 47 Carbohydrates, 3g Fat

 1 cup Spinach, 1/2 can Albacore Tuna, 1/2 cup Black Beans, 1/2 Mango

228 Calories, 19g Protein, 38g Carbohydrates, 1g Fat

 1 cup Spinach, 1/2 serving whole grain pasta, 1/2 cup Cottage Cheese, 1/4 cup sliced Strawberries

228 Calories, 20g Protein, 28g Carbohydrates, 3g Fat 

Cherry Cheesecake Smoothie

This smoothie is so yummy it's hard to believe that it is super healthy and packs lots of protein to help you build those muscles so you look good in that swimsuit!!!

Ingredients:

1 tube of Chobani Champions yogurt tubes in Chillin' Cherry

1/4 cup Cottage Cheese

1 tbsp. low-fat Cream Cheese

2 tbsp. Ground Flaxseed (gives a graham cracker effect)

1/2 cup Water

1/2 cup frozen sweet Cherries

2 scoops of Sweet Cream (or vanilla) Protein

1/2 cup of ice

Add all ingredients into blender and mix until smooth! 

Relaxing Detox Bath

Lately I have been taking this bath around 3 times a week! Epsom Salt contains magnesium and sulfates, there are many health benefits to these ingredients such as:

improved circulation

aid in flushing toxins from cells

relieve stress

reduce inflammation in muscles helping to ease soreness 

improve oxygen use

improve absorption of nutrients

improve formation of joint proteins and brain tissues

*The scent of Lavender is relaxing, and I think it is really nice with a hint of lemon!

I also use this bath if I know I am going to be in a bikini soon and feel a little bloated! It really helps draw out that extra water weight! You will be sweating while taking this bath. Make sure your water is HOTT & soak for around 30 minutes!

Homemade Natural Peanut Butter

Who knew that making your own peanut butter is so easy & fun! I am so excited that I figured this out because I am addicted to PB! You only need 1 ingredient....PEANUTS!

Recipe:

16 oz. Dry Roasted Peanuts (unsalted) 

A high powered blender or food processor 

So all you do to have nice creamy peanut butter is dump the peanuts into your blender. (we used a Ninja Master Prep) Start blending up the nuts, they will go through some stages and this process can take around 12-20 minutes depending on the power of your blender...but keep blending... and blending ...and blending! Eventually the peanuts will start to release oil. If it starts to stick to the sides of the blender, just stop and scrape it off. Once the oil is starting to release you will notice that the sides of your blender are probably getting a little warm, at this point the peanuts should really be taking on the form of peanut butter.Keep blending until your butter is a texture of your liking. I like to blend mine a little longer because I like my peanut butter really creamy and fluffy! 

For some fun you can add these fun ingredients for a jazzed up peanut butter:

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (Chocolate Peanut Butter....YUMMY!!)

Honey (Honey Roasted Peanut Butter)

Salt (Enhanced Flavor Peanut Butter)

*Also this process works for any kind of nut butter your would like to make!! 

New Protein Goodies

So I have been on the hunt for a good, HEALTHY protein bar for some time now. Most of the ones out have lots of sugar,carbs, and junk ingredients. A couple of weeks ago I ran into my local supplement shop to grab some grapeseed oil, and a little display near the checkout caught my eye. It was a whole row of protein bars with so many delicious sounding flavors! Of course the first thing I did was flip one over real quick and look straight at the sugar content, I think it had 2 grams! I was shocked. I skimmed over the label and jumped to the ingredients, I could not believe what I was reading! The bar I had been searching for was right in my face. QuestBar! I am now on the "quest" of finding my favorite flavor (since they have tons) I have already tried the strawberry cheesecake (its pretty good) and the banana nut muffin (I didn't like this one that much) But after I try them all I will share my favorite!!  

NO SUGAR ADDED

NO SUGAR ALCOHOLS

NO JUNK INGREDIENTS

GLUTEN FREE

I also grabbed some whey protein because I ran out. I found this one that sounds like a winner. It has 100% pure whey isolate, this is the first protein powder I have seen with that!! I am super excited to try it out and let you know how it is!