Nutty Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

Good evening!  Welcome to my blog!  I am a mom who is determined to AVOID eating the Halloween candy myself this season.  Making a special pumpkin/chocolate/nutty/oat treat like this keeps me from feeling deprived yet also cuts me off from starting my slippery slope of unwrapping a single piece of what the kids are bringing home lately!  We eat clean around here but do follow an 80/20 rule.  We eat very clean about 80% of the time.  I am perhaps closer to 90% myself.  I just feel my best this way!  But we also live life in the real world and I would never want my kids to have some sort of healthy foods complex!  They have learned a lot about nutrition at ages 6 and 8.  We have been eating clean for two years now and it honestly is not a fight at all!  And for that I am deeply thankful!  They have seen huge changes in me (loss of 60 pounds and health transformed), many family members and quite a few of my friends.  I love that my daughter (approaching her 9th birthday) is busy thinking of ways to show others that healthy choices have many benefits.  

But, back to tonight's delicious recipe!!!  You have got to give this one a try!  First, I am just going to say that I SO appreciate baking recipes that do not use eggs.  I am not "anti-eggs" one bit!  We eat them often.  But with my little guy as my #1 chief kitchen helper and my own freak-out tendencies with food safety, avoiding raw eggs while cooking with him makes me so much more relaxed!  Sample all the batter you want!  Go ahead and handle it and just wipe your hand with a dry paper towel.  Under-baked a bit?  No worries!  Quite a contrast with my "hazmat!!!!" mindset in other cooking situations!!!  

Tonight I wanted to make something with pumpkin, nuts and oats.  Chocolate is always a bonus!  Especially during key times on the calendar!

 

This recipe is based upon a recipe that I found on Ambitious Kitchen.  I took a look at that recipe and just made it more "us".  My edition is found below!  And I do LOVE nuts.  So I added some!  The only sugar that we have around here is Coconut Palm Sugar.  It happens to be low-glycemic and is an easy substitution in any recipe. 

 

Nutty Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
  
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup chopped unsalted nut of choice
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, set aside a few to sprinkle on top before baking

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 9" baking dish.
2. Make oat flour: Place oatmeal in blender or food processor and blend until oatmeal resembles flour.  It will be a coarse flour and need not be entirely fine.
3. Place oat flour in a bowl. Whisk in pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves; set aside.
4. In a separate large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, palm sugar, vanilla, oil and applesauce for 1-2 minutes until the consistency is smooth and creamy. Slowly add in oat flour mixture and mix until just combined.
5. Gently fold in the chopped nuts and most of the chocolate chips.  Save a few to sprinkle on top if desired. Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean or nearly clean. Cool 10 minutes on wire rack.  Enjoy warm if desired!
   

Crock-Pot Apple Crisp

Hello!  Welcome to my kitchen!  My name is Jeanette and I am a wife and mom of two kids who are in grades K and 3rd.  

Fall is a favorite season of mine and this is my own first Apple Crisp of the year! 

 

I have been making Apple Crisp since I was a teen and my family had a bunch of apple trees...

I never thought to try it in the crock-pot?!?!

But last week I was part of a 5 Day Clean Eating Crock-Pot recipe group hosted by coaches from the Team that I lead through Beachbody.  We shared 14 recipes there and this one is from my friend Amy Pietrowski and I was so excited to give it a try!  

Yum.... I LOVE the way this all cooked so evenly in the crock-pot!  The aroma was incredible, as was the anticipation here this afternoon.  :)

I have a large crock-pot and we do not mind leftovers, so I made a double batch today!  I had faith in Amy plus there were rave reviews on this recipe as some from our FB group had been making it throughout the week!  This one is a keeper and I am pleased to be able to share it here with you!

Amy's Slow Cooker Apple Crisp

 
Ingredients:
6 cups apples, peeled and diced
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup coconut palm sugar
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
Dash of sea salt
4 Tbsp butter or 3 Tbsp coconut oil

** I added in 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts sprinkled on top!

Directions:
1) Spread the apples in the slow cooker and toss in the lemon juice, then coat in a mixture of 1/4 cup coconut sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.
2) In a separate bowl, mix the flour, oats, remaining coconut sugar, spices, and salt. Cut in butter or coconut oil until it forms coarse crumbs.
3) Sprinkle this over the apples.
4) Set your slow cooker to low and cook for 3-4 hours.

Clean Eating 101 + Nutrition Fix

Hello!  Welcome to my blog!  This evening we are going to take a look at a very basic definition of clean eating.  I have been eating clean for the past 25 months and it has made a tremendous difference for me and my family!  I have more energy, my cholesterol has significantly lowered along with my triglycerides.  I have said good-bye to 60 pounds as I went from a size 18/20 to a 10/12!

Here is an excellent article that is “big picture” and will give you a feel for what clean eating is and what this could look like in your everyday life.  We will talk more specifics below.  Check out the brief article above to see how this could all work for you!

Clean Eating 101

What to avoid:

• All over processed foods particularly white flour and sugar
• All chemically charged foods
• Food containing preservatives
• Artificial Sugars
• Artificial foods like sliced cheese
• Saturated and trans fats
• Sugar loaded beverages(juice)
• Alcohol intake(very limited)
• All calorie dense foods containing little or no nutritional value
• super sizing your meals

Why is it worthwhile to eat clean?  Does the list in the image below sound like a daydream wish list?  It is not!  I spend lots of my time working with my customers along with interacting with many other coaches who share reports about their customers.  It is TRULY AMAZING to hear of all that is possible when an individual makes the decision to begin eating clean.

As with anything, the key is to see beyond the moment.  Look at the future and ask yourself if the decision that you are making right now is taking you in the direction of where you want to be?  Is it a bump in the road and a little detour?  Or will it take you completely off course and send you far from where you want to be?  There are many of us who take the approach of eating 100% clean 80% of the time. We live in the real world and it is key to find a way to make this work.  Avoid becoming so idealistic that you are bound to become frustrated and feel as though you are failing already and then you just give up on the idea.   

You know those nights where you have been busy having fun all day and then you have to make dinner and you truly have no idea what you are going to make...

Yet you are trying to stay on track with a decent nutrition plan and eat balanced/clean to fuel yourself and your family well and you are watching the spending and did out for lunch with your husband?

Yes - that was my situation this evening!

I am currently doing the 21 Day Fix as my fitness program! I did this one for 4+ months back when it was brand-new in late winter 2014. Although I have done four other programs since, my approach to balanced nutrition was shaped by the 21 Day Fix!

So, what does that look like in a day??

Am I hungry all the time? I mean, what is up with those little containers???

Do I cook one thing for myself and something else for my family?

Is it hard to find this stuff? How about cost? Is this type of clean eating food expensive? Is it all organic or something?

How do my challengers consistently lose 5-15 pounds when completing their first round of the 21 Day Fix???

HERE WE GO!  Let's take a look at each of these things!

The little "pie charts" in the image above is a print out of the nutrition tracker that I use. These little spots reflect how many servings of each category I aim for within a day. I am truly not hungry! Even though the containers appear to be small, it really is plenty of food! I have my protein container mounded up a bit as I did have some mushrooms mixed in with my beef so that meant some extra veggies in there and I still wanted to have enough of my protein count. Extra veggies are truly just a bonus in my mind!

This is what my whole family ate this evening! Corn is not usually my first pick as the highest-quality grain but when we do incorporate corn, it is an item where I do go organic and ensure non-GMO. The kids LOVE corn and it was a quick and simple side on a night like tonight. They always like ground beef and I had pulled this out of the freezer last night. That was the extent of my meal planning for tonight. Oh boy! I added in some portabello mushrooms, as my daughter loves them! I also happened to have about 3 tablespoons of salsa in the fridge so that was added to the beef and mushrooms! With that small amount spread among our dinner and lunch for my husband tomorrow, I did not "count" the salsa into my container figuring here. Our veggie tonight was cucumber and matchstick carrots with fresh lemon juice and a dash of olive oil and pink sea salt. Yum! So fresh and zippy! My son was not loving this veggie combo so he grabbed a rib of plain celery instead. Works for me!

To be honest, clean eating in general and the simple foods of the Fix ARE very much family friendly. My kids like most of what I serve around here. We do a lot of basic, whole foods and they can easily identify what is what and they appreciate that! We do not go 100% organic as wonderful as that would be. It would break the grocery budget. So we do what we can! I also like to buy local whenever possible!

The 21 Day Fix is just plain balanced nutrition! You make the most of your metabolism and energy and you incorporate a nice variety of 30 minute home workout routines with two cardio days, three strength days, a Pilates day and a yoga day plus 10 Minute Abs whenever you like to add it in to the mix! I lead challenge groups which are "secret" FB groups where we have daily coach posts and all support each other with clean eating and home fitness. My challengers do consistently see great progress and are thrilled with their results! This approach is grounded in creating a new habit in 21 Days but then implementing it for the long-run!

If you are curious to learn more, just ask! This program is actually on special these next two weeks! I am doing it myself and love helping others to make the most of our fitness and nutrition!

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle

Hello!  Welcome to my kitchen!  This past week I made a double batch of this family favorite recipe!  I was making dinner for the four of us for two days, two lunches for my husband, two dinners to share with friends plus the "bonus dinner" freezer container pictured above!

In today's blog entry I will share this recipe with the way that I make it here.  But you know the beauty of soup, right??  It can be whatever you like it to be!  If you do not love (or have on hand!) the veggies that I typically include in this recipe, feel free to improvise!  It is October and in Erie, PA that means we are entering into "soup season" and I will make this recipe a couple of times each month.  My family really likes it!  It may take a bit of prep time but then you are good to go for a few days!

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle

- 1 Rotisserie Chicken pulled apart and shredded (or you may use cooked chicken breast)

- 64 Ounces Broth (we love a combo of Wegmans Organic Vegetable and Chicken - just make sure you are working with something that is low-sodium!) 

- 2 Cups Water

- 10 Ounces Shredded Carrots (1 package of Wegmans Organic makes it easy!)

- Butter or Coconut Oil for sauteing Veggies

- 1 Sweet Onion, Minced

- 3 Cups Chopped Celery (we tend to go with a good amount of celery around here and you may prefer a bit less?)

- 1 or 2 Cups Frozen Chopped Spinach (depending on how much you like!)

- 3 Tablespoons Dried Parsley

- 1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano

- Salt and Pepper to taste

- 8-12 Ounces Cooked Pasta of Choice (we go light on the pasta but you may like more?)

Directions:

1)  I will sometimes pull apart my chicken the day before, perhaps after grocery shopping.  Either way, you want to get your chicken shredded and soup-ready.

2) Place chicken in crock-pot and cover with broth and water.

3) Add shredded carrots to crock-pot.

4) Saute chopped celery and minced onions and add to crock-pot.

5) Add frozen spinach, parsley, oregano and salt/pepper to taste.

6) Cover crock-pot and cook on low for 3-8 hours.  This recipe really is flexible!  It is all "cooked" and I have also served it just after two hours in the crock-pot.  But it really does taste incredible after 3-4 hours.

7) Cook pasta and stir into crock-pot 20-30 minutes before serving.  Be CAREFUL to not over-cook your pasta and a good pasta will hold up well for left-overs.  Keep it firm!

I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!  It is one that I am always happy to share with others.  Don't hesitate to go ahead and work with whatever vegetables you have available!  This one really is flexible with the length of time that it needs to be in the crock-pot.  I personally really like the aroma and texture of sauteed onions and celery but if you are going to have this in the crock-pot for 4+ hours, you could get away with adding them raw if you prefer.  I am inclined to add a "boost" of chopped spinach whenever possible but if you think that this would be a turn-off to your family, just skip that step!  You can also season with any herbs that appeal to you and your household.  Happy soup-making!


 

Calories Burned 21 Day Fix

Good morning and welcome to my blog!  Today's post FASCINATES me!!!  Every few months, I will do something like this with whatever fitness program I am doing at the time.  What can I say??  I enjoy an experiment!  Especially when it is not "messy" -- which would define most experiments that I do with my two kids!  I am more the "let's go outdoors and do something in the fresh air" sort of mom.  But I do love to bake and really enjoy connecting with my kids in the kitchen as we experiment with new clean eating recipes!  Check out my recipe section here for more ideas on that!

But back to today's topic!  Calories burned with the 21 Day Fix!!  For an overview of the program itself - look at this blog entry from back when I completed my own first round when this program was new in early 2014.  

When you are working your largest muscle groups (hello legs!) you are going to REALLY get your heart rate going even with simple movements.  Lower Fix is a SWEATY workout, as much and more so than any cardio that I do!  Including cardio of the caliber of Insanity Max 30 with Shaun T!  And here is the GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING!  Looking at my calorie burn above - 354 is pretty great for a non-cardio 30 minute routine where you spend 1/3+ of it doing floor work.  I am good with a # like this.  BUT - 70 minutes later when I did NOTHING at all strenuous and my heart rate was 80's - 120???  How on earth did my calorie burn then hit a total of 716?!?!  SIMPLE.  Get yourself up and working hard for a little while and you are going to continue to see the benefits throughout your day.  YOU are worth this investment in yourself.  You have people in your life who need you.  Do this for yourself and for them.  Becoming more healthy does not take tons of time.  It just takes some effort with daily workouts and with clean eating choices.  I have seen the results of this first hand!!

This week is honestly the first time that I have returned to the original 21 Day Fix since July 2014!  I had done the Fix for 4+ months solid and then switched to PiYo when it was new, then a hybrid of PiYo and ChaLEAN Extreme, then Insanity Max 30 when it was new (12/14), Fix Extreme when it was new (2/15), PiYo, Max 30, Fix Extreme, Cize when it was new (7/15), back to my ALL-TIME-FAVORITE PiYo and next I will be doing Body Beast after this round of the Fix as I prepare for the December 2015 release of the Master's Hammer and Chisel which features Autumn of the 21 Day Fix and Sagi of Body Beast!

So, how is it being back to the Fix this week?  To be honest, I am LOVING it!!!!  The routines are ALL 30 minutes in length.  The week looks like this:

Monday - Total Body Cardio (weighted cardio!)
Tuesday - Upper Fix (weights)
Wednesday - Lower Fix (weights)
Thursday - Pilates Fix
Friday - Cardio Fix
Saturday - Dirty 30 (total body strength with weights!)
Sunday - Yoga Fix
Bonus: 10 Minute Abs to incorporate anytime!!
           "Plyo Fix" which is explosive movement - cardio with jump, jump, jump!

This is truly my most recommended program as it is super-adjustable to accommodate any fitness level.  For example, yesterday I was doing the "Transverse Twist" move from Upper Fix and noted this in my workout post on FB -

"It doesn't get easier. You get better."
This move shows the versatility of the 21 Day Fix! I am using 12's and do get rather low in my twists. You could use a lighter weight and not go as low. Or go heavier and lower! As she introduces the move, Autumn gives some handy tips on form. 

I am in the middle of putting together a challenge group where you can join up with me and others who are doing this program!  This all takes place in a "secret" FB group!  

I am on the lookout for a few more busy women who want to feel better through:

FUN 30 minute home workouts

Simple nutrition with "normal" foods

Savings on getting started

Daily support with me as your coach!

Is this you? Or someone close to you? I have "Fit for Fall" up and running and we are ready for you!

Why not take a chance on better health for yourself by joining me?

 

 
Fill out my online form.

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Spending $ on Cotton Candy

Hello!  Thank you for stopping by my blog!  Today I am writing about something that I have been pondering lately.  This began with some things that I had read last week, a movie that I watched over the weekend, a few songs that I have heard and the things that you think about when it is quiet - like when walking the dog or in the shower or whatever!

I have been reading in Isaiah 55 and will include some highlights below.  This is one of those sections where God is reaching out to us and I pause to take stock of where I am right now and where I want to be.

This is from The Message paraphrase: 

“Hey there! All who are thirsty,
    come to the water!
Are you penniless?
    Come anyway—buy and eat!
Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk.
    Buy without money—everything’s free!
Why do you spend your money on junk food,
    your hard-earned cash on cotton candy?
Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best,
    fill yourself with only the finest.
Pay attention, come close now,
    listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words.

Seek God while he’s here to be found,
    pray to him while he’s close at hand."

And this is from the New Living Translation:

“Is anyone thirsty?
    Come and drink—
    even if you have no money!
Come, take your choice of wine or milk—
    it’s all free!Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?
    Why pay for food that does you no good?
Listen to me, and you will eat what is good.
    You will enjoy the finest food.

Come to me with your ears wide open.
    Listen, and you will find life.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you.
    I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.

Seek the Lord while you can find him.
    Call on him now while he is near." 

There are so many things that go into our days.  It can be hard to know where to place the greater investments of our time and energy.  Today's blog entry is NOT all about clean eating, but I had to chuckle when I read the reference to "cotton candy" in The Message.  We all know that cotton candy is void of nutritional value.  So if we are spending $ on it and expecting to be well-fueled, we are mistaken with that choice.  Yet in life we oftentimes spend ourselves on "cotton candy".  Sometimes this happens by accident!  It is easy enough to just lose track of the present and then we wander into the future without much purpose or intention.

We were watching a really sweet movie over the weekend - "Where Hope Grows" and the following quote was part of that movie and it really got me thinking...

I have some pretty incredible memories when I look back on my life. I do cherish them.  I admit that I am not much of a "dreamer".  Oftentimes it is the self-preservation and fear of being disappointed and wanting to avoid all of that.  I am for sure a go-getter and will work very hard towards a goal.  But it is not so much driven by a big dream as it is by just reaching the next rung and putting my hands to work with what is right in front of me.  

Sometimes I think that I do need to dream a bit more... yet I balance this with some advice from Proverbs which has been a mainstay in my life!!!  I continually bring my heart before the Lord and ask Him to direct my path and my desires and to correct my course where I am not following Him.  There is an area where I have had to be on high-alert lately.  My husband and I are just not on the same page with some steps toward the future and sometimes I just have to HALT and drop to my knees and pray for the Lord to help me to move forward in a way that honors Him. 

Isaiah 26:3-4 has been on my mind so much lately and it was a neat bonus to open my Bible Gateway app early this morning and to see that today's verse of the day is also from this chapter.  Here are the words that I hold on to in my everyday life...

"You will keep in perfect peace
    all who trust in you,
    all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

Trust in the Lord always,
    for the Lord God is the eternal Rock"

So where does all of this lead me??

I am asking myself what I am "spending myself" on today.  I do not want it to be cotton candy!  Time to look forward and step fully into a next chapter.  It is good to dream a bit and keep on asking the Lord to guard my heart that I will dream the dreams that He has for my life.  I find peace when I keep my thoughts and heart fixed on Him.

There is a song that I keep coming back to over and over again during this time in life - when I look back on autumn 2015, this will be part of the soundtrack of this chapter!  Check out these words and melody.  And here is another one that I have been turning up lately!  We have so much to celebrate!  

My Return to the 21 Day Fix!

Hello!  Thanks for coming to visit my blog!  My name is Jeanette.  If we were sitting across from each other right now, you may notice that I am quick to smile, I love to laugh and I really enjoy people.  I am a nature fan and am a country girl at heart.  We live in Millcreek Township, which is part of Erie, PA.  We are very close to Presque Isle State Park and have been here for the past 9+ years.  I grew up down in Elk County in rural PA (about 2.5 hours SE of Erie) and I moved away from home at age 18.  I traveled around and worked different horse jobs and then went to Bible college near Rochester, NY when I was age 20.  After graduation I worked at the college in the Events and Communications department.  Then I headed back to horse world and worked as an instructor and rider at barns in the DC area, the Eastern Shore of MD, NY and CT.  I met my husband in 2004 and he had always lived in CT.  We dated for a couple of months, were engaged for 11 months and were then married on my parents' farm on a warm summer evening in late-July 2005.

July 2015 was our 10 year wedding anniversary and September 2015 marked my 2 year anniversary of taking steps to change my life by improving my health through clean eating, home fitness and being part of FB-based accountability groups!  I became a coach in March 2014 in order to share these things with others! It is an honor to work daily with those who are making personal progress as well as leading a team of coaches who are doing the same!  Looking back on the past two years, I am filled with a variety of emotions. I can't help but think... what if I had not taken a chance on myself? 

Without taking a chance on change: 

I would still be 60 pounds heavier and likely more...

Rather than dropping to a size 10/12, I would probably still be in my 18/20 or higher.

My cholesterol and triglyceride levels were becoming a concern and who knows where they would have climbed without change?

And the thing that takes my breath away?? What would I have missed out on doing with my husband and kids these past two years because I did not have the energy, ability, confidence or desire to put myself out here and try it??

I have now completed six of the Beachbody home workout programs and I have my sights set on "Hammer and Chisel" (with Sagi and Autumn) which will be released in December 2015!  I am also going to do Sagi's "Body Beast" for the first time during the month of November!  BUT-- as posted on my FB page earlier this morning... I am going to do a round of the 21 Day Fix before launching into Body Beast!!

 

The 21 Day Fix is seriously the most adaptable program ever! It was the 2nd program that I ever did - I spent 4 months with it back when it was first released in early 2014.  Check out this blog entry for more details on the 21 Day Fix program!

For example, today's routine is "Total Body Cardio". This one uses weights! Back when I first began, I remember using 5 and 8 pounders on this one. When I finished my months with the Fix, I was using all 15's in this routine! Today I started back in with my 12's. Some of my clients begin this routine with no weights at all and that works as well!

The 21 Day Fix has the most clear-cut nutrition plan of all. You may have seen those color-coded containers?  The routines are all 30 minutes in length.  You have two cardio days, three strength days, a Pilates day and a yoga day plus 10 Minute Abs. I tacked that one on here today and it was honestly exciting to see how much stronger I felt in the movements then when I first did the program more than a year ago. 

If you are looking to create some new habits and really see PROGRESS in 21 Days, join me!!!! My challenge group is in prep week this week and Day 1 kicks off next week!

I just want to say that you will not regret this. If you would like to join me you can message me on FB or complete the application below!

 
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