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.

Just How Healthy Are Sweet Potatoes

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I look around my office filled with competitors, bodybuilders, weekend warriors, and your plain ol' average joes and I notice at lunch time, about 90% of the people are eating sweet potatoes. When you work in a health conscious environment, you start noticing the gym routines, the eating habits, and the little tips and tricks others use to live healthier. And then you find yourself adapting these new habits. 

Southwest Chicken Salad Stuffed Avocado

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If you love avocados then you are going to absolutely love the recipe in this post! Often thought of as a vegetable, avocados are a nifty little fruit that provide healthy fats the body needs along with providing other great health benefits. They support cardiovascular health, contain antioxidants, may help aid in weight loss, enhance the body's absorption of nutrients, and more!

There are many ways to eat or add avocado to your diet. You can eat fresh slices like I do, or add to your salads, add to your morning eggs, or cook it in with your chicken and salmon orzo salad for dinner. The possibilities are endless. But this is definitely a fruit that packs a huge benefit in the health and fitness arena.

Don't Have TIME to Eat Healthy? That's BS!

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Whether it's working full time, shuffling the kids around, making time for the gym, running errands, and the list could go on, we all live busy lives. Managing our ever growing to-do lists can often lead to failed diets from eating out or eating pre-made junk food just to save some time from not cooking. But, you can find healthy alternatives when your time is limited! So, no more excuses! Gone are the days you say you don't have time to cook healthy. I'm here to share some secrets on quick meals that are also healthy. The key is planning your meals ahead and stick to a strict shopping list. 

Eat This Not That Diet

Dieting is difficult, especially if you love to eat as much as I do. Often, when we think of dieting, we think we need to give up everything we love to eat, but that's not entirely true. When we completely give up all the things we love in order to shed a few pounds, we get bored or we let temptation get the best of us and indulge...in the worst way! Instead of cutting things off, make modifications.

For example, if you love tacos you can make a lot of modifications to make this meal healthy:

Welcome Fellow Fitness Fans!

Hi Everyone! Thanks for stopping by... 

I've started this blog because if you're like me, you may want to know more about fitness gear, grub and grind :) I have been active my entire life, struggled with weight loss and gain, and changed up my eating habits more often than Katy Perry changes her hair style/color!! lol This is my opportunity to share with you the various fitness gadgets, awesome recipes, and workout routines, along with some tips and tricks. 

Now you might be wondering..."Why should I listen to her?" Well you don't have to! This is my perspective on things and I hope my reviews and ideas might be able to benefit you in some way. And if you have any feedback or questions, bring 'em on! I'd love to hear from you.

Just know, I am not a fitness/nutrition expert by any means, but I consider this my hobby or passion. I'm an avid gym-goer and take my health seriously, but I'm not that super-buff, 10% body fat, 6-pack abs chick we are all envious of. I consider myself to be like most people who fight the constant battle to live healthy while trying to enjoy indulgences! And note, I do NOT believe in any miracle pills or lose-20lbs-in-a-week scams! Everything takes time and dedication, and if you want to be successful in your journey, you MUST know this.

Aside from all of the above, I actually work in the nutrition industry professionally, for about five years now. Because of this, I learn all kinds of things I never knew before and want to share them with you. 

So each entry, I will cover either a gadget, food/recipe, or exercise that I feel like talking about. So be sure to come back and check it out!