All posts by Shari Lesser

Almond Flour Short Bread Cookies

Recipes

Almond Flour Short Bread Cookies

Vegetarian, Primal, Gluten Free, Legume Free, Grain Free Diet, Egg Free, Peanut free

Almond Flour Short Bread Cookies 

This almond flour shortbread is sinfully buttery, delectably tender, and oh so rich in flavor!  Almond flour is a wonderful addition to this iconic cookie recipe, adding both flavor and nutrition. It has a natural buttery and slightly nutty flavor with a high protein content, providing an ideal texture and taste that’s just divine. 

About 24 Cookies

40 minutes

1 1⁄2 cups Natural Grocers Bulk Almond Flour
1⁄2 cup Bob’s Red Mill arrowroot starch
1⁄2 cup Natural Grocers Brand Bulk Coconut Sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup organic butter, (1 stick) at room temperature (but not too soft), divided into 8 tablespoon pieces
1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
1 teaspoon organic almond extract, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 300° F.

2. Lightly grease a cookie sheet and set aside. 

3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (almond flour, arrowroot starch, sugar, and salt) until well combined. 

4. Using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut the butter (a few pieces at a time) into the flour-sugar mixture. Repeat the process until all 8 tablespoons are incorporated. At this stage, it is fine to still have some small lumps of butter not fully mixed in. 

5. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, stirring to incorporate, and then use your hands to knead the dough until all ingredients, including the butter, are well combined. 

6. With your hands, form dough into walnut-size balls, place on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and use a fork to press down in the middle of the cookies (flatten the center and shape the cookie). Place back in the oven to bake for another 5 minutes, or until golden brown. 

7. Let cookies cool completely before removing from the cookie sheet. As the cookies cool, the arrowroot starch acts as a binder preventing the cookies from crumbling. When the cookies have completely cooled, transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
RECIPE CREDIT GIVEN TO NATURAL GROCERS 

Thanks for stopping in for this recipe!

Shari

Wild Blueberry Turmeric smoothie

Nutrition, Recipes

WILD BLUEBERRY TURMERIC SMOOTHIE

Prevent inflammation and recover faster with this easy drink recipe.

Wild blueberries contain two times the antioxidants of regular, cultivated ones. “They make a great addition to your post-workout smoothie,” says Kara Lydon, a nutritionist and yoga instructor based in Boston. “Black pepper in a smoothie may seem surprising, but it can actually help increase the absorption of curcumin, the active anti-inflammatory ingredient in turmeric,” she adds.

Serves Two

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup frozen wild blueberries
  • 1 cup frozen mango
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (or ¼ teaspoon ground)
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • 1 ½ cups almond milk

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a food processor, blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy. 

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Thank  you for stopping by.
Shari

Almond no bake energy-protein cookies

Nutrition, Recipes

Almond No Bake Energy-Protein Cookies

 This recipe is vegan-adaptable (swap sugar for honey or agave about 1 cup instead of 2 cups) and less sweet. I also added almonds because I love nuts and wanted more protein in these! I feel like these could be a nice contribution to a holiday gathering and I encourage you to riff on them too, like adding coconut or sprinkles or whatever you love to the mix!
  • ½ cup coconut oil
  • 2/3 cup of honey or 1¼ sugar
  • ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder
  • ½ cup creamy, unsalted almond butter
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ cup slivered almonds
  • 3½ cups quick-cooking oats
  1. Put the honey/sugar, coconut oil, almond milk, sea salt and cocoa powder in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-low heat and whisk until no lumps remain.
  2. Increase to medium heat and bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute.
  3. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the almond butter and vanilla until combined.
  4. Put the oats and slivered almonds in a large bowl and pour mixture over top.
  5. Mix with a spoon until combined.
  6. Drop the dough by the tablespoonful or ice cream scooper onto wax paper.
  7. Cool in the refrigerator until set. 
    Thank you for trying this recipe. If you like it, please subscribe to this website and share share with your friends.
    Blissful Day,
    Shari

A quick back work out at the gym for building lean Muscle!

Exercise, Exercise of the Week, Fit Bits

This is a fun but challenging quick back work out that I like to do weekly! I will switch up the order I do these exercises as well. I also like to super set for a few reasons.  First minimal rest between sets.   This helps keep my heart rate up and increases the intensity in muscles. Second, I work on core and balance during my rest time of about 30 seconds to 1 minute before my next pull set. Perform 3-4 sets of each exercise.

One Arm Eccentric Pull Up 
Pull up with both hands let one hand go and lower down slow, then quickly catch handle pull up with both hands again, alternating each arm.

IMG_1361
Release hand lower down slowly catching the eccentric movement in Lat.
1 handed pull up
Wide Lat Pull Downs! shoulders stay open down and back, chest stays open to your best ability.

IMG_0945

 

Single arm bent over row
I finish with barbel bent over row and inversions.  Like hand stand push-ups  – handstand dolphin on the wall.  Hope this helps!  Have fun and please Keep lifting!

Healthy, happy blissful day!
Shari

5 ingredient skinny smoothie recipes

Nutrition, Recipes

Below you will find 6 different recipes including nutrition info. There should be something for everyone. My favs are blueberry and green tea. ENJOY!

Recipe: Green Monster Smoothie
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: None
Yield: 1 serving
Serving size: 1 smoothie

Ingredients
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 small banana, frozen
2 cups baby spinach
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
8-10 cup ice cubes

Instructions
Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender until smooth.

Nutrition Information
Per Serving: (1 smoothie)
Calories: 239 Calories from fat: 76 Fat: 8g Saturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 42mg 
Sodium: 366mg Carbohydrates: 24g Fiber: 9g Sugar: 9g  Protein: 22g

Recipe: Chocolate Banana Protein Smoothie

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: None
Yield: 1 serving
Serving size: 1 smoothie

Ingredients
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 small banana, frozen
1 teaspoon mini semi sweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons stevia (or your favorite zero- or no-calorie sweetener}
½ cup water

*If using fresh fruit instead of frozen, add 1 cup of ice cubes. Adjust ice or liquid accordingly for desired consistency.

Instructions
Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender until smooth.

Nutrition Information
Per Serving: (1 smoothie)
Calories: 167 Calories from fat: 28 Fat: 3g Saturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 42mg Sodium: 173mg Carbohydrates: 20g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 12g Protein: 17g

Recipe: Skinny Tropical Smoothie

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: None
Yield: 1 serving
Serving size: 1 smoothie

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 cup frozen tropical fruit mix
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • ½ teaspoon coconut extract

*If using fresh fruit instead of frozen, add 1 cup of ice cubes. Adjust ice or liquid accordingly for desired consistency.

Instructions
Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender until smooth.

Nutrition Information
Per Serving: (1 smoothie) Calories: 177 Calories from fat: 32 Fat: 4g Saturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 42mg Sodium: 318mg Carbohydrates: 18g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 12g  Protein: 18g

 
Recipe: Skinny Blueberry Protein Smoothie

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: None
Yield: 1 serving
Serving size: 1 smoothie

Ingredients

  • 1 (6-ounce) container nonfat, blueberry Greek yogurt
  • ½ cup frozen blueberries
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • ¼ cup water

*If using fresh fruit instead of frozen, add 1 cup of ice cubes. Adjust ice or liquid accordingly for desired consistency.

Instructions
Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender until smooth.

Nutrition Information
Per Serving: 1 smoothie Calories: 265 Calories from fat: 11 Fat: 1g Saturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 48mg Sodium: 226mg Carbohydrates: 33g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 25g Protein: 30g

Recipe: Green Tea SmoothiePrep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: None
Yield: 1 serving
Serving size: 16 ounces

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup green tea, chilled
  • 1 frozen banana
  • ¼ cup nonfat, plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon honey or agave
  • ½ cup baby spinach
  • ½ cup ice cubes (5-6)

Instructions
Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender until smooth.

Nutrition Information
Per Serving (16 ounces):   Calories: 164 Calories from fat: 4 Fat: 0g Saturated Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 3mg Sodium: 41mg Carbohydrates: 36g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 22g Protein: 8g

Recipe: Skinny Pineapple Pomegranate Smoothie
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: None
Yield: 1 serving
Serving size: 1 smoothie

Ingredients
½ cup pineapple, diced (fresh* or frozen**)
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
½ cup raspberries (fresh* or frozen**)
½ cup water
for more protein add 1 scoop

*If using fresh fruit, add ¾ crushed ice to blender. If using frozen fruit, you do not need to add ¾ cup crushed ice to blender.  

Instructions
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend all ingredients together for 30 seconds to 1 minute until mixed well and smooth.

Nutrition Information
Per Serving: (1 smoothie) Calories: 209 Calories from fat: 18 Fat: 3g Saturated Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 15mg Carbohydrates: 50g Fiber: 11 g Sugar 36g Protein: 4g

If you would be so kind to share my website with your friends, I soo appreciate it!  Feel the love. Help our place & people have healthier body’s, mind’s & friendships.

Blissful body & mind.

Shari

The Science behind how we loose body fat

Exercise

We’ve heard it many times, phrases like “burn your fat” and “melt your fat.”

Does this mean that we burn fat to ashes or melt it to a liquid form?

If so where does the end product of this action go?
Does it convert to muscle? OR… Does it get excreted during your regular morning routine?

There’s a lot of misinformation about what happens when your body loses fat. This causes misconceptions about weight loss and leads to fad diets.

Today, I’ll share with you some science behind fat loss, so you understand why you do what you do for weight loss!

You breathe out lost fat!

Yes, that’s the end product of fat burning or fat metabolism in our bodies.

Fat is a combination of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen.

So, when you break down fat, the molecules arrange themselves as:

Carbon dioxide – CO2 (one carbon with two oxygen atoms)

Water – H2O (Two hydrogens and one Oxygen atom)

A researcher from the University of New South Wales and a Physicists had the answers. They published their findings as an article in British Medical Journal.

According to the findings:

To oxidize ten kilos (22 pounds) of fat you need to inhale 29 kilos (64 pounds) of oxygen. This produces 28 kilos (62 pounds) of carbon dioxide and 11 kilos (24 pounds) of water.
This means, at a resting state when you breathe at a normal pace, you consume less oxygen. When performing exercises like running, pushups, or brisk walking, you inhale more oxygen. This makes you breathe out more carbon dioxide.

So, if you exercise daily you tend to lose fat.

*The water that is also one of the end products of burning fat goes out as urine and sweat*.

That is why you need to exercise for weight loss!

Now you know why staying active is so important.
So, at a resting state, a person weighing 70 kg (154 LBS) exhales about 200 ml carbon dioxide per minute. This is the basal or resting metabolic rate of a person.

When you replace an hour of rest with exercise the metabolic rate shoots up to 7 times that of the resting rate!

Researchers quote in their article,“Losing weight requires unlocking the carbon stored in fat cells,”

How to make sure you breathe more oxygen in and carbon dioxide out.

Breathe well: Maintain a steady breathing pattern while exercising. This ensures your muscles are getting enough oxygen.

Always breathe through your nose and not through your mouth. This makes a huge difference in oxygen intake.

Try aerobic exercises: Aerobic exercises makes you inhale more oxygen than Anaerobic exercises. Such exercises are intense and you need to generate energy faster to meet the demands of the exercise.

Does that mean you need to spend hours on the treadmill or elliptical machine? Absolutely not! Short bursts of aerobic exercise are what I recommend.

My go-to is a good H.I.I.T workout (high-intensity interval training). Those that know me see me do this all the time in the gym. Outside running stairs is also great.

In one study, participants who engaged in HIIT lost six times the amount of fat as those who performed steady-state aerobics.

You get the message! Keep your body moving and stay active for a healthier body weight.

If you liked this article, would you be so kind to share with your friends and family. Also leave a comment below.

Article from Danette May

Blissful Healthy day!

Shari

GF Apple-Chia Crisp

Recipes

 

Apple-Chia Crisp with Salted Maple Yogurt

Serves 10 to 12

FOR THE CRUMBLE

  • 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • ¾ cup almond flour
  • ¾ cup melted coconut oil
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup slivered almonds
  • ¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
  • ¼ cup roasted salted pepitas
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

FOR THE FILLING

  • 5 Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
  • 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

FOR THE YOGURT

  • 1½ cups unsweetened coconut or Greek yogurt
  • 1½ tablespoons maple syrup
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Yumm great recipe

Let me know what you think! If you would be so kind to share with your friends, I appreciate you and your time to visit here.

Thank you Furthermore & Equinox for the recipe.
Shari

 

Let it snow with time for your self this holiday season!

Inspiration & Quotes

Make time for you too this holiday season.

I enjoy the holidays with friends, family and smart choices in healthy nourishment.  The number one thing I do not skip on are my work outs. They are important now more than ever.  I don’t know about you but for me it can get a little crazy with all the errands. Shopping, taking kids where they need to be, grabbing something quick to put in my lunch box and holiday parties. It all goes so fast and before I know it there no time for me.  I have made an appoint over the last few years to fit in 20-60 minutes  of movement a day.  Try yoga, meditation, a fun class, HIIT work outs, walking,  or decompressing in a infa-red sauna .

Studies show there is more depression and drinking during this time of the year. Please make time for you! Giving your self-love will help your mind and body ease through the holidays with less stress and better food choices. Who doesn’t to ward off those extra pounds and stay in a routine?

Merry Christmas and a wonderful safe 2018 New Year!
Lots of love 
Shari & the girls