Fitness Friday Recipe: Healthy Snacks

#TGIF #FitFam! Just because the weekend is almost here, don't forget all of your hard work this week to accomplish your fitness goals! While the weekends typically mean more going out, more snacking, and overall more calories, don't let it get the best of you. Here are a couple really easy, really quick, and really cheap snack ideas to help you stay on track the next couple of days. These are personally my favorite #CleanEating snacks. 

Love ice cream but don't indulge because the calories and fat just aren't worth it? Here's a healthy alternative... Frozen Nutty Banana Nibblers. This delicious-tasting treat is just over 160 calories per serving and offers 4.1 grams of fiber and 3.7 grams of protein, so you can feel good reaching for an extra nibbler or two. For an added bonus, they are a cinch to whip up, and since you can store them in the freezer, you'll have a go-to healthy dessert whenever your sweet cravings kick into high gear. 

Ingredients:

5 medium ripe bananas

1 tbsp. all natural creamy peanut butter

2 oz. nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt

1) Peel one banana and mash it with the peanut butter and yogurt.

2) Peel the other four bananas. Slice into half-inch thick slices.

3) Smear the banana, peanut butter, and yogurt mixture on half the banana slices and top with the other halves, making banana sandwiches.

4) Place on a wooden cutting board or a plate and freeze for at least two hours.

These Apple Sandwiches may look like a kid's treat, but trust me, adults will love it too! Especially if you are dieting and want to eat items that are packed with vitamins, minerals, protein, and good fats. Now don't get me wrong, if your kids love this snack then that's great too! Much better alternative to those french fries at McDonald's!

Ingredients:

1 apple-sliced into thin rounds

1-2 tbsp all natural peanut butter or almond butter

Handful of raisins

Drizzle of honey

Chopped walnuts or almonds

Cinnamon

1) Thinly slice the apple into 8 rounds.

2) Top 4 apple rounds with peanut butter, raisins, nuts and drizzle with a little honey.

3) Top each round with the other 4 apple slices and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Green Coffee Bean for Weight Loss

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We live in a world where thin is in and every wants to lose weight and look great. And to help you shed those unwanted pounds, there are weight loss supplements that can aid in your success. But when you go to the store and find the right one for you, the shelves are packed with CLA, Raspberry Ketone, White Kidney Bean Extract, Garcinia, Yerba Mate, and now Green Coffee Bean. So how do you know what to choose? 

Plyo for Power

Ever heard of plyometrics? If you haven't, then you definitely want to acquaint yourself with it. Plyometrics, plyo for short, is a great workout for both men and women. It just so happens to be one of my favorites. Check out the p90x Plyometrics CD for an awesome workout! 

Originally developed for Olympic competitors, plyo is a training technique designed to increase muscle power and explosiveness. These moves help improve the function of muscle, tendons, and nerves to allow you to run faster, jump higher, and hit harder.

Are Raspberry Ketones Really a Miracle Fat Burner?

 

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While Dr. Oz has touted Raspberry Ketones as a "miracle fat burner in a bottle" in February 2012, there have been no human studies that show raspberry ketones burn fat or benefit your weight loss to date. However now, there are interesting studies performed on rats. One study gave male rats raspberry ketones, which resulted in an increased secretion of adiponectin, a protein used by the body to regulate metabolism. As a result, the rat had less fat. Another study fed rats a high-fat diet with varying amounts of raspberry ketones. The rodents that received more raspberry ketones burned more body fat and gained less fat tissue. A third study found that the raspberry ketones stimulated the breakdown of the fat cells after fat cells were exposed to raspberry ketones in a test tube.