Health Coaching and the Holidays

So I realize that I have been somewhat absent on the blog front, and that is definitely not because I don't love blogging. There has just been A LOT going on. I started taking a course to become a certified holistic health coach in the fall, and I can't even begin to touch on how life changing it has been. I wish everyone had to take this course whether you want to health coach or not. It is so informational about nutrition, different ways of looking at health, and just life. Highly, highly recommended, and if you want to learn more about it give me a shout on the contact or health coaching page.

That being said, I'm not health coaching at the moment. But 2016 is right about the corner, so it's on it's way. I am reserving spots and happy to talk to anybody who thinks that they might be interested. Just give me a shout!

So did anybody realize that it's basically half way through December?! This holiday season came upon us so quickly. I had a wonderful and busy Thanksgiving, and now I'm just trying to catch up in time for Christmas. I will be trying to share some holiday-related recipes over on the recipe tab over the next few weeks. And I think I may have something very exciting coming up for the new year, so stay tuned here and on Instagram!

In the meantime, let me know what you want to see! Are you looking for a side dish recipe for your Christmas party? The perfect breakfast to keep you warm over these winter months? Let me know what gets you in the holiday spirit and what you want to read about in the comments below!

RXBAR - No B.S.

The first thing that caught my attention about the RXBAR was the packaging. I love that it flat out lists the ingredients right there. They clearly aren't hiding anything in these bars, and that is amazing given all of the processed, well, everything out there right now. These bars are non GMO and contain no dairy, soy, or gluten. They're also paleo and Whole 30 friendly. And to top it all off, they finish it off with No B.S. as one of the ingredients. So I pretty much knew I had to try them.

I decided to go for a sample pack of all the flavors: apple cinnamon, chocolate sea salt, pumpkin spice, blueberry, coconut chocolate, peanut butter, and coffee chocolate, and I worked my way through each one.

Needless to say, I am impressed. Every single flavor tastes like it's labeled. Apple cinnamon tastes like fall in your mouth, blueberry tastes like a blueberry muffin, and pumpkin spice tastes like pumpkin pie (which I'm so happy I had on Halloween), Their ingredients speak for themselves. They're simple, straightforward, and delicious. Plus they're easy and great for fueling or refueling pre or post-workout.

So who should eat RXBARs? I don't think they're a bad choice for anyone. I think they're great for athletes or anyone who works out. But they would really work for anybody as a quick on the go snack or meal. The limited, straight forward ingredients would be a good addition to anybody's (who doesn't have allergies or other ailments towards any of the ingredients) diet.  They're a great source of protein and other nutrients. I'd highly recommend them to anyone who is interested in trying them.

If you want to find out more about RXBAR, how to order them, or where to find them click here.

WrawPs - Gluten Free, Raw, Vegan Wraps

I was on a sandwich-making spree and dreaming about lunch one day when I literally thought to myself, "I wish that wraps were made out of veggies". I was so sick of either eating a ton of bread or tortillas or feeling too guilty about eating all of that bread to make another sandwich. I'm not anti-carbs by any means, but eating a lot of flour or corn products can really add up. Unfortunately, I don't really know how to make a wrap out of vegetables, but lucky for me I realized that I was following this company WrawP. That is a true story, not a very good one, but it's what happened. So of course, I needed them.

WrawPs are all natural, vegan, raw, paleo, gluten free wraps. They are made with mostly vegetables, fruits, seasonings, and other great, healthy ingredients like flax. They come in a number of different savory and sweet flavors from spicy to energizing morning to original. They are intended to replace carb filled flour and corn products. If you'd like more information about them, check out their website.

I tried one and have been hooked every since. So far I've used them for tacos, flatbreads/pizzas, burritos, wraps, and even in the place of a hotdog bun, and they've yet to disappoint. You can check out a couple of my recipes over on the recipes tab. They are really perfect for anything you'd use bread, wraps, tortillas, pizza crust, and even chips for. 

So do they really taste good? Honestly, yes. I really enjoy them. They are a great component to all of the meals I've listed above. They add a nice flavor without being overwhelming. The consistency is a bit tougher than an average wrap, but that doesn't compromise the taste at all. There are even a few flavors that are more like fruit leather if you're hesitant about the vegetable, savory ones (I plan to fill one up with some greek yogurt, berries, and granola later this week)! 

Who should buy WrawPs? I'd really say everyone. Do I think it's bad to eat bread or standard wraps? No, but I think it's great to have a healthy alternative that packs in a lot of nutrients, vegetables, and fruit. They're great for anybody, and they're definitely fun to play around with.

Let me know if you've tried WrawPs in the comments below and what you thought of them! 

Kura Lifestyle CORE Sweet Mint+Berries Review

Last week I was fortunate enough to receive a few samples of Kura Lifestyle's CORE Sweet Mint+Berries powder. If you don't know what this is, it's a dietary supplement that is packed with vitamins, fiber, antioxidants, electrolytes, and plant-based protein. It's key ingredients include super greens, camu camu, and eleuthro root. For more information about the product and their story, feel free to check out their website.

On the bottle it says to mix with water, yogurt, granola, and oatmeal. You just don't want to cook with it so that it doesn't lose any nutrients. I decided to go with just putting it in water first to really test out the taste.

It instantly changed the water to a really dark green color, so I was a little nervous that the flavor would be overwhelming. But I was completely wrong. The powder added just a mild and delicious berry flavor. It wasn't gross or overpowering in any way. I could easily drink the whole thing and had to stop myself from chugging it because it was pretty darn good. 

Now that I knew the taste, I knew that the powder would be a great addition to some of my foods without compromising the flavor. I decided to create this  blueberry pie overnight oats recipe, and the powder was a perfect compliment. I think it would also be great with yogurt (like they suggested), so I think I will be adding it to my Greek yogurt next time around.

So would I recommend this product? It depends. I am no expert on supplements. I don't know the cost of similar supplements or powders. I also generally try to get most of my vitamins and nutrients from the food I eat.

I DO think this product is worth a try if:

1) You're taking multiple supplements or pills all of the time. You just add a scoop to food or water which, in my opinion, is much easier than taking 10 pills. 
2) You don't feel that you're getting the nutrients your body needs from the food you're eating. I would really recommend looking at the root of this problem first, BUT I don't think trying this product is bad option. There's nothing wrong with adding in some super foods.
3) You struggle to drink enough water. Plain and simple, this product tastes good. It makes your water taste good. If you don't feel like you drink enough water, try adding a scoop of the powder. You'll want to drink more.

I hope this review helps! Let me know if you do try Kura Lifestyle's powder and what you think of it in the comments below. Also feel free to subscribe for e-mail updates.

Stairway to Heaven

This past weekend I started off my hiking challenge by heading up to Vernon, NJ for the Stairway to Heaven trail. The trail is a total of 7.4 miles over a mile of it being a steep incline.

I am by no means an expert hiker. I've done about 5 trails throughout New Jersey, and this one was definitely the toughest. It was a tough but totally worth it. I do think that anyone who sets their mind to it (and paces themselves and listens to their body) can complete this trail.

The trail starts out on a board walk and is a very easy walk for about 2 miles.

The boardwalk is about 2 people wide and surrounded my mostly tall grass and some water and swampy areas at points. We saw a number of turtles.

The picture above was taken very close to the beginning. You can see the mountain that we climbed to the top of far off in the distance.

You cross over a couple of bridges on the way towards the mountain including "Lovers Bridge". The boardwalk also get much skinnier and becomes 2 beams as you get out of the marshier area. You end up crossing over railroad tracks and going through a pasture where you can see some cows.

Finally you make it to the mountain.

You head into the woods, and follow the trail. It starts to become rocky, and that's when you know you're almost at the beginning of the climb.

Once we actually started to climb, I limited the picture-taking. It was a lot of climbing, and you could definitely feel it all over your legs and butt. We took a couple of quick breaks to catch our breath and enjoy the scenery. Finally we made it all the way to the top which is actually past the look out point. At the very top, there's a mailbox with a book that you can sign, so of course I did. Then we headed down just a little to the lookout point.

What a view! You can see the pasture you walked through, and the beams look like little lines. There also happened to be some sort of music event going on below, and we could hear the music all the way from the top. The huge tent looked like a little square.

After enjoying the top for a good 15 minutes, we headed back down and did the trail in reverse. All in all, it took about 4 hours including our rests, picture breaks, and 15 minutes at the top. It probably would've taken about 3 1/2 hours had we not stopped.

It was totally worth it. The varying elements of the path, different scenery, and amazing view from the top. What a great hike! Highly recommended if you're up for the challenge!

For a full overview and description of the trail click here.