Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe
Serves 1

Ingredients

• 2 -4 tablespoons canned pumpkin
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup STRONGLY brewed coffee or 2 shots espresso
• 1-3 packets of stevia

Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium to high heat, whisking continuously, until the “latte” begins to steam.

This cleaned up version has….drum roll please…. ONLY 55 calories and 2 grams of sugar!

Looking for more clean eating recipes? Try this clean eating meal plan. 3 meals + 1 snack planned each day. Hundreds of extra recipes to swap with, too!

Lets be honest with ourselves, diets are hard. Eating clean, following a meal plan, and creating/maintaining healthy habits takes hard-work and dedication. But dieting becomes even more complicated when you are on vacation. Follow these tips to keep you on track even while on vacation.

1. Indulge-don’t forget that you are on vacation. Enjoy every minute, heck you earned it.
2. Sharing is Caring-Share meals and treats with your travel buddy. I spent this last weekend in San Francisco and wasn’t going to let a sourdough bread-bowl pass me by. But instead of consuming one by myself I shared. Satisfying all my craving without the extra calories.
3. Walk and Walk Some More- one of the best ways to explore a city is to walk it. Walk to dinner, to a different bar, or monuments you would like to visit.  The more you walk the more calories you burn.
4. Get Your Fitness on-Find the time to workout. Choose a hotel with a gym or fitness center to get in a quick workout, visit a yoga studio, go hiking or go for a swim. Just do something to keep you in the habit and kick up your energy levels. You can also try one of our interval cardio workouts to burn mega calories in a short time. 
5. Eat at Least one Clean Eating Meal- choose one meal a day that will be clean. If you choose breakfast, have plain yogurt with honey and fresh fruit or an egg white omelet. Eating at least one clean meal a day will help keep you on track.
6. Be Mindful-Rule one was to enjoy yourself but be careful not to overdue it. Chew slowly and savor every bite of the chocolate cake you can diving into but don’t forget to stop eating when you become full.

Following these simple tips will help keep you on track without sacrificing your vacation.

Health Benefits of Drinking Water:

1. Healthier  Skin-Forget about  expensive creams or beauty treatments. Drinking water is the free way to hydrate your skin, prevent acne, and prevent wrinkles. 
2. Remove Toxins-Water flushes toxins from your body especially from your digestive tract. The kidney system is dependent on water to do its work. Water also helps get rid of excess nitrogen and ketones which is important when following a high protein diet.
3. Cushions and Supports Joints & Muscles-Water makes up a large part of the fluid that lubricates joints and also a lack of water is a known cause of muscle cramps.
4. Regulates Body Temperature-Drinking water regulates the bodies temperature which is important during exercise and these warm summer days.
5. Reduces Risk of Heart Attack- A study of 20,000 healthy men and women found that those who drank up to 8 glasses of water were less likely to die of heart attack or heart disease than those who only drank two cups daily.

Weight Loss Benefits:

1. Energy Shot-Dehydration causes fatigue and headaches staying hydrated all day is your best hope to avoid these symptoms.
2. Keeps You Full-Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between hunger and thirst. Drinking 8-16 ounces of water 15-30 minutes before meals will help you know the difference and perhaps cause you to leave a few bites on your plate. 
3. Burns Fat- Water aids digestion and metabolism for these functions to work properly you must replace the water you lose daily which can be up to 10 cups. 
4. Builds Muscle-Dehydration decreases protein synthesis which is the process that builds muscles costing you energy and causing your body to store calories instead of burn them.

Is water too boring for your palate? Try these 40 Spa Waters that are sure to add a little variety to your life.

Stop Coveting

Your first step to weight loss is to compare yourself to yourself and yourself only. We all compare ourselves to the 5 foot 8 inch girl we know who weighs 120 pounds and eats BLT’s everyday. Competing with others will only hinder us of reaching out own goals. Love Yourself!

Have a Plan

Make a plan and stick to it. Plan your meals and workout to make it easier to accomplish your goals. Realize your faults and plan around them. If you always skip breakfast, make something in advanced that you just have to heat up (our egg muffins are prefect for busy mornings) or buy some low sugar protein bars to have on-the-go.

Plan Cheat Meals 

If you really want to lose weight you need to eat clean and accept that a cookie everyday and cheese with every meal is out of the picture. But for your sanity you should plan on having one cheat meal a week. Indulge in our favorite food. Try having just one to avoid overeating.

Eat Slowly 

Eat slowly, chew your food, and enjoy every bite. Eating slowly allows your body to pick up cues or whether you are full or still hungry. This is really important during your cheat meals. If you only allow yourself one a week, eat slowly and enjoy every bite of it. Check out The Slow Down Diet.

Don’t Eat After Nine 

This will vary depending on what time you go to bed at night. Studies suggest that limiting the times you eat aids in weight loss. At first try limiting your eating to 12 hours. If you have your first meal at 8a.m. make your last at 8 p.m.

Eat 5-6 Meals a Day

Eating 5-6 small meals a day keeps you satisfied so that you never over indulge. It also keeps your blood sugar levels stable insuring you have lasting energy.

Drink Water

Water is critical to all functions of your body but for weight loss it fills you up making you feel fuller longer. Try drinking one glass before each meal to help fill your stomach. Aim to have .5-1 ounces of water per pound of body weight. Check out our 40 fruit water recipes to help you drink up.

Move & Groove 

Regular workouts improve your overall health, confidence, and calorie burning. The more lean muscle, the more calories burned resting. Try 3 sessions a week.

Sleep

Getting the right amount of shut eye is critical. Sleep regenerates your hormones. Without enough, your body can’t properly function. Aim for 7-8 hours a night.

I spent this past weekend and earlier this week in Portland, Oregon visiting friends in family. Four days spent in beautiful weather was just the thing I needed to recharge my batteries. Although, fun and exciting vacations can also be difficult and exhausting. During a vacation, it is hard to stick to your diet and workout routine and if you are anything like me, you love routine. Normally, I stress about keeping my diet strict and finding time for long workouts.

I decided to approach this trip a little differently. To let loose, enjoy the trip, and get back in routine when vacation was over. I enjoyed every bit of vegan chocolate and every bite of a black bean burger I put into my mouth (it was Oregon). I didn’t forsake all workouts either. I attended group fitness classes and went bouldering. Bouldering is a form of rock climbing without the use of ropes and harnesses. I spent a couple of hours in the gym and boy was I sore in the morning. Read more about bouldering in this book Bouldering: Movement, Tactics, and Problem Solving. Just some of the benefits of bouldering include:

1. Improves Cardiovascular Health
2. Improves Balance and Coordination
3. Improves Strength
4. Tones underused muscles

My forearms almost fell off the next day and I felt pain in places I didn’t know were there. Trying a new workout challenges your body and muscles, beats boredom, and can help conquer a plateau. I was able to enjoy my vacation to the fullest, spend time with friends, and get in great workouts. Taking a break from my normal routine was just the kickstart my body needed and trying something new was equally as challenging to my body and mind. I am ready to get back to my training and clean eating to accomplish my goals. Don’t wait until your next vacation to try something new and reap the benefits.

Stay tune for vacation-ready workout. Little to no equipment required.

Image curtsey of The Circuit: Bouldering Gym in Portland, Oregon.

Or maybe 30 minutes fits your schedule. This fat blasting, tone-up circuit fits in any schedule. One round is exactly ten minutes and will get your heart moving, tone your muscles  and blast 100 calories. If you have more time, do the circuit multiple times and watch your fat cry! Do each exercise for one minute followed directly by the next exercise. Ten moves completes one circuit. If you are doing multiple circuits, rest one minute in-between. Use a Gymboss Interval Timer and Stopwatch to help keep track of time.

**Calories based on a 150 pound women.

Another way to track how many calories you’ve burned or how high your heart rate has gotten during a workout, or how long you’ve worked out is by using a heart rate monitor watch. There are many varieties out there. Some way more expensive than others. With the cheaper ones you might not be able to trust the accuracy. Here are a couple options that I recommend. Click the image to find it in Amazon.

Polar Women’s Heart Rate Monitor Watch – currently about $102 on Amazon with free shipping!

Oregon Scientific Se331 Gaiam Zone Trainer – currently $29.95 on Amazon.

Fitbit Zip Wireless Activity Tracker – currently $49.95 on Amazon. Measures every step you take during the day.

New Balance Life Trainer Calorie Monitor – currently $47.19 plus free shipping on Amazon.

Delicious 70 calorie Protein-Packed Lemon Bars 

Clean eating lemon bars – that taste just like the naughty lemon bars you love!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites
• 8 oz fat free cream cheese
• 1/2 cup instant nonfat dry milk
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 3/4 cup low-fat vanilla protein powder
• 3/4 cup stevia
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. whisk egg and egg whites in a small bowl
3. combine cream cheese and all the remaining ingredients in a Ninja Professional Blender .
4. When mix is smooth, add eggs and blend.
5. With nonfat cooking spray, spray a 8 x 8 Pyrex Square Baking Dish.
6. Pour batter into pan and place in preheated oven
7. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick come out clean

Looking for more clean eating recipes? Try this clean eating meal plan. 3 meals + 1 snack planned each day. Hundreds of extra recipes to swap with, too!

Making your own popsicles is an easy and healthy option to store bought products with artificial ingredients, colors and sweeteners. Check out this awesome cookbook for making many different types of popsicles at home. All you’ll need usually is some Popsicle Molds and a freezer. You might also need a Ninja Blender, it’s the best – most powerful blender you’ll ever own! The best investment. I promise. Check out the book here for tasty & healthy Popsicle Recipes
.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk 
• 1 scoops chocolate protein
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter (optional)

Instructions:

1. Blend all ingredients in a Ninja Blender (it’s the best!). You must blend them otherwise you will have cocoa and protein chunks. 
2. Pour mixture into Popsicle Moldsleaving about 1/2 inch room (as the mixture expands it will expand).
3. Freeze or at least eight hours.
4. Enjoy

There is a beginner or a more advanced option to choose from in this challenge. In the beginner challenge, you will start at 3 pushups and work your way to 20 consecutive. The second option you will start at 8 Push-Ups and move up to 40. To improve your strength even further try do multiple sets two days a week. For example on Mondays and Fridays, do 2-3 sets of pushups. Remember, keep your body tight and move through the movements slowly.