Some of my favorite foods

I used to be all about peanut butter, but now almond butter is my thang. I have tried many and all kinds of almond butter, and Trader Joes RAW (they have crunchy and smooth) almond butter remains my top pick. The price is right too ringing in at $4.99!

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A bit pricey but SO freaking good! I love chocolate and almond butter so together it's like heaven. I never used it as a spread, it was more of a spoon and lick type of deal. Best dessert.

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What can I say, I go through mango strips like its my job. I used to always buy the Trader Joes brand of unsweetened mango strips but then they started tasting really chemically and weird to me. So I found "peeled snacks"! They sell them at Starbucks, but since I go through them so fast I order them on AMAZON. They are organic and are already portioned off which helps, especially when these mangos are hard to resist! What are YOUR favorite treats?

baked cod with tomatos and olives (scroll down for recipe)

lauren-91731

1. Drink water
2. Pull your shoulders back and your stomach in and up when you WALK (and then walk some more)
3. Strength train

4. Do my YouTube Videos  (Teen Vogue recently named me one of the Five Fab Fitness Gurus to follow on YouTube!)

5. Take class with me LIVE through my online studio 
6.  Eat small meals throughout the day
7. STRETCH: take 15 extra minute in the morning to stretch and get your blood flowing
8. LAUGH
9. Eat clean.Try to limit processed or packaged food
10. Set goals and reach them. BECAUSE YOU CAN!

In the comments section below, please list one thing you do to stay healthy, strong and fit.

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Ingredients:

Cod or any white fish

ripe vine tomatoes

minced garlic

Kalamata black olives

EVOO

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Wash fish place in some type of oven save dish

Rub fish with EVOO, garlic, salt and pepper (and any other seasoning you desire)

Cube tomatoes place in dish

Cut Kalamta olives, place in dish

Put dish in oven for 20 minutes (more or less depending on thickness of fish)

ENJOY!

Sneak Peek of our "Water Ballerina" photo shoot

This past weekend I worked with Lucie from Lucie Wicker Photography and stylist Keely from B. Fetching on an outside water shoot. Here are a couple of shots.

More to come, so stay tuned! I will also tell you a few secrets on how we made this shoot a success (I could not have done it without them!) and some behind the scenes shots.

Which shot do you like more?

Mashed Cauliflower

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Easy to make. Tastes Delicious. What more could you want?

My friend Liz sent me an awesome cauliflower recipe from Linda Wanger's blog. I read through the ingredient list and realized I had everything but my Almond milk had gone bad... gross! So I nixed the almond milk and changed up the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower

water - I did not measure but I would say it was about 1 cup  (while you are blending the cauliflower if it still feels too thick add more water)

2 oz of goat cheese (Linda's recipe asked for 4 oz but I did not have 4 oz)

pepper and garlic powder to taste

Directions:

I followed Linda's suggestion and cooked my cauliflower her way and it worked out great:

"I’m all about speed and ease so this is my shortcut to steaming veggies. Fill a pot or saucepan with water about 1 inch deep. Add 1/2tsp sea salt and bring to a boil. Add chopped vegetables and cook until soft, about 3-6 mins depending on the vegetable. Drain the excess water and you’re done!"

After the Cauliflower was steamed I let it sit in a strainer for about 4 minutes just to cool off a bit. I then placed the cooked cauliflower in a blender, added some water and blended away. I added the goat cheese, pepper and garlic powder and blended some more. The goat cheese melted nicely because the cauliflower was still a little hot!

The end result was yummy, but I do have to say the cauliflower has a strong taste. The taste was not a  cauliflower taste, it is hard to explain. More like a garlic taste that you can't get our of your mouth. I am not sure if this taste was so strong because I did not put much dairy? Next time I will try it with the almond milk to see if it dulls the strength of the cauliflower.

*If I were to make this again I would add something to make it a bit more creamy, whether it be almond milk or a cheese wedge!

How do you make mashed cauliflower?

Carbs, and the different types

I just got back from two weeks in the Azores and my vacation has inspired this blog about carbs. I was not really sure what to expect with the cuisine in the Azores. I assumed with all the rich land and ocean that I would eat plenty of fresh fruits, fish and vegetables. Instead I found my self surrounded by bread, boiled potatoes and cheese. Every meal consisted of cheese and bread and usually boiled potatoes, boiled cabbage, boiled kale, boiled carrots and boiled pork. I was missing fresh salads, whole grains, quinoa, brown rice and variety!! I never, however, felt deprived of fruit. There was plenty and I tried passion fruit for the first time. Delish!

While on vacation I was reading fitness magazine and ironically came across a Good Carb? Bad Carb? article.The article was helpful and I thought I would share it with you!

 Overall I survived! I limited my bread, cheese and boiled potato intake. I do not eat pork and only ate fish when I had the option of getting it grilled. I filled my plate with as many raw veggies as I could get, and the rest were boiled. Boiled is not how I usually eat my veggies because they lose some nutrients and flavor in the water. I made special trips to the (very small) grocery store and made sure to snack on nuts, fruit, and vegetables. Over all it was a good vacation, with some minor adjustments!