Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Looking to squeeze some veggies into your kids tummies?
Try this delicious chocolate zucchini bread!
It's a hit with our kids!  It doesn't have a whole lot of sugar, and being that it's chocolate, they'll easily eat it ;)  Loaded with zucchini and super moist!

Here's how you make it:

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 1/3 cup of cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 cups grated zucchini
• 1/2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 TBSP chia seeds (optional)

TO MAKE:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease 2 loaf pans and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar.  Add in olive oil and yogurt and mix well.
3. Add in cocoa and mix with a spatula.  Stir in vanilla extract.
4. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking powder.  Stir until mixed and then stir into the egg mixture gradually.
5. Add in grated zucchini and stir just until it is coated with the batter
6. Stir in  1/4 cup of the chocolate chips.  Don't over mix
7. Split the batter into the two pans.  Top each with the rest of the chocolate chips and the chia seeds and bake for 65 minutes
8. Let cool completely until slicing.

Let me know if you try this one. Share if you know a mom that needs help with getting veggies into their bellies!

Coaching ---> 1 Year Anniversary

 

 

 

This weekend marks the 1 year mark since I had starting my 21 Fix Journey.  Shortly after starting my first round of the fix, I signed up to be a "coach".  You can read more about coaching HERE. 
 

All I wanted to do, and my goal each day, was to hopefully inspire at least one person to live a more healthy and active lifestyle.   I especially want to show other moms that you are stronger than you think, and you can feel GREAT after having your family and sort of get back taking care of yourself too! That’s why I share my progress. That’s why I share my struggles. The health posts, quotes etc, is because I hope that I’m inspiring at least one other person out there to get back to themselves and feel great! To feel and look great in your clothes again! To have more energy and get your confidence back. To get RID of those bigger clothes for GOOD! If I can do this you can to, it is possible!



I’m going to be honest, there are SO many weight loss things out there that I was a little hesitant in starting this 21 Day Fix Program in the beginning. But I was at a point that I was stuck.  I wanted the change to feel better SO bad that I was going to make the program work for me. I invested the money and I was ready to go ALL IN. The 21 Day Fix program was simple nutrition, drinking a meal replacement each day for optimal nutrition, and adding in 30 minutes of exercise in the comfort of my own home. Simple, and easy for a mom of three to fit into her day. I dedicated myself to those first 21 Days and formed new healthy habits, learned how to eat with portion control and balance out my meals, got healthy, more energy and most importantly did this alongside other people in the support group. We checked in daily, encouraged and motivated each other along the way. After the first round, I had lost 8 pounds. I got excited! Something that had FINALLY worked! I loved being active before, but the weight just stuck to me! It didn’t come off until I started following the 21 Day Fix meal plan and properly nourished myself with the help of Shakeology.

I was not at my goal weight. I was not skinny, super fit, and I wasn’t perfect. BUT I loved the program, loved my results, and wanted to share it with the world!!   Especially other moms that may have been struggling to lose their baby weight as well.

My confidence grew. I felt freakin fabulous, and got down to a size 6 over this past year. If you’ve known me for while you know that I was around size 12/14 and my comfy weight would have been around 180. It wasn’t until I lost the weight that I could see how much it was affecting me and weighing me down in a way. 

  
Enter..... “coaching”. Did I see myself as a coach? NOPE! And remember I was NOT at my goal weight yet. I just wanted to share my story in hopes that others could see that they could do it as well. I work Full Time and have three kids and when was I going to fit coaching into my life? But, I felt like I needed that support and positivity in my life to bring myself up along this journey. I gave myself a month to see what it was all about and then I was hooked. I needed to be surrounded with daily motivation, encouragement, inspiring positive people. Also, the challengers in the groups that we run are so motivating, and so inspiring to watch them change from being in a place that they aren’t happy with, and then being in place where they feel stronger and better about themselves. This is so uplifting for me to be surrounded by this every day. I needed this! Not only for myself to keep myself on track right alongside them, but just to feel fulfilled that hopefully I’m helping others, because I know what they’re feeling and the place they are at. 

If you want to join me on this life changing journey, please reach out to me and take my hand in this. It is possible because I’ve done it! Thank you to all my family, friends and my Team Believe girls, and the challengers that keep me going each day! The messages mean more to me than you know!
Thank you for all your support along the way this past year. I would not have stayed on track like I have if it wasn’t for all of you!  

I decided to share this video with all of you that are following me, to show you how far I've come and to show you that a mom of three can do it, you can too!  You can feel GREAT in your clothes!  You can have confidence!  You can wear whatever you'd like from your favourite store!  You can have dynamite energy and have a more fulfilling life.  I have taken more time to make healthier meals and MAKE time to exercise each day.  Thank goodness my coach reached out to me, or else I would still be where I was.  Bigger, unhealthy, no energy for my kids, and feeling sorry for myself.  When I got rid of my excuses I found my results.  I had the tools right in front of me, a fitness program, meal plan and support!   I ask you, are you ready for a change?  Are you ready to stop making excuses and start feeling and looking better?  Lets get you moving!  Lets get you motivated, and lets get you results! 
If you think you're ready to commit 100%, start with filling out this application to get into the next challenge group next month!  I'd love to have you join me in this journey !

Are you READY yet?

Southwest Scrambled Eggs

SOUTHWEST SCRAMBLED EGGS

Serves 2

You'll Need:
6 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, finely diced (if you enjoy hot)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 test black pepper
juice from a 1/2 lime.
1 avocado, sliced lengthwise, pitted and peeled
cooking spray
6 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix first 8 ingredients together in a small bowl and stir gently to combine. 
You can also store your salsa for future use in the week by keeping it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

After home made salsa is made up, cut avocado in half and slice into thin slices.
Heat up your skillet and whisk the eggs with your salt and pepper.  Add eggs to skillet and cook them up until they look wet but not runny.  Approx. 5-7 minutes

This recipe serves two, so divide eggs onto two plates, top with avocado and spoon on salsa. 

Add some berries on the side for a complete, healthy and clean breakfast.

Pork Loin with Apple, Sage and Root Veggies

 

THIS dinner tonight was AMAZING!!

I have been struggling to make some different dinners.  Feels like we're eating the same things over again over again, week after week. 
Last week on my Facebook page I had shared a link to One Pot Dinners.  I made sure when I went to meal plan this weekend that some of these new dinners were included.  
Good news too -- they are all Fix Approved and Healthy meals that anyone can enjoy so you can't go wrong.

First one up to try was the Pork Loin with Apple, Sage and Root Vegetables. 

This was so tasty and flavourful.  The kids even enjoyed this one because of the roasted apples in it.  The kids love carrots and potatoes and I was able to chop up the onion pretty small making this one was a family WIN !

I omitted a bit of the ingredients, because some we just didn't have in the house.

Another change I made to it was that I had put the glaze on top of the vegetables instead of on the pork just to sweeten the veggies up for the kids.

You can check out the original recipe found in the link above or see below for how I sort of threw it together tonight.  This is also a good dinner that you can prep before hand, keep in the fridge for the day and just throw in the oven an hour before dinner time.  No need to baby sit it or stir anything.  Just put it in the oven and wait for the amazing smell !!

Ingredients

1-1.5lb pork tenderloin

 

Rub

½ tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp garlic salt

½ tsp black pepper

 

glaze/sauce

3 tbsp applesauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp dry mustard

roasted vegetables

4 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 medium apple, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced

12 baby potatoes, quartered

1 tsp olive oil

⅛ tsp salt

⅛ tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
2. Mix up the rub using the ingredients listed above.  Lay out pork loin in 9x13 pan and rub mixture overtop.  
3. Cut up all the vegetables and place in a large bowl.  Toss with some salt and pepper to taste and arrange vegetables around pork in the baking dish.  (I had actually placed in two dishes because my husband.... he's a hungry man!  Then place in oven.
4. While it's cooking you can go ahead and mix up the simple sauce.  
5. After the pork and veggies have been cooking for 30 min pull it out and pour the sauce over the veggies.  Stir around and place back into the oven for about 20 more minutes.
6. Remove from oven when the pork has cooked thoroughly.  Let it sit for 5 minutes for juices to soak in. 

 

Like I had mentioned before the kids LOVED this meal.  I think because of the apples mixed in with the veggies makes it sweet.  You can also serve with some apple sauce too to dip their pork into :)

 

 

Let me know if you like it! 

~~ HEALTHY Peanut Butter Cups ~~

 

YES, it's true!!!!

Finally !  Your two FAVOURITE things put together in a little cup of greatness!!!

I'm talking about Peanut Butter & Chocolate!! 

AND it's a treat you can have that you don't have to feel guilty eating.


Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

You'll need:

4 tbsp. coconut oil

1 scoop chocolate Shakeology (vegan or regular)

2 tbsp. natural peanut butter (I use Kirkland found at Costco)

What you're going to do is in a small bowl, melt half the coconut oil (2 tbsp.) in the microwave.
When melted mix in 1/2 the scoop of chocolate Shakeology.  When all stirred and mixed together pour into two small bowls or containers (this will form your cup)  Put those in the freezer for about 5 minutes until frozen.

Pull out of the freezer and scoop out approx. 1 tbsp. of the peanut butter into the center of each cup

Again, mix up 1/2 a scoop of shakeology with 2 tbsp. of melted coconut oil.
Pour over the two cups and put back into the freezer to cool for another 5 minutes. 

These are DELICIOUS!!!