Guest Blogger Sarah Jane Shares Her Almond Snow Ball Truffle Recipe

Hi everyone! I hope you are all having a start to the week so far! I am a little under the weather right now so I am focusing on getting my health back in check so I can get back in the gym. Today I have Sarah Jane on the blog to share her Almond Snow Ball Truffle Recipe with you! I seriously can't wait to make these!

xoxo - Amber

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Hi! My name is Sarah Jane and I blog over at The Fit Cookie and Fit Betty! I am super excited to partner with Amber and write a guest post for ExSoyCise today!

Wow, it’s December already! If you are anything like me, the month of December has crept up on you. I’m not sure why this happens – time is always constant. I suppose I have been busier lately and haven’t given enough thought to Christmas. I might end up being one of those frazzled last minute shoppers!

No worries! I whipped up a fast and healthy dessert recipe just for you that is perfect for the busy holiday season! Whether you need a dessert for dinner guests or need to create a last minute gift, these truffles fit the bill! Have fun with this recipe: use cashews instead of almonds, or dried apricots in place of dates, or even throw in some mini chocolate chips!

Almond Snow Ball Truffles Makes 16 Paleo, Vegan, Gluten-Free; Free of: soy, eggs, peanuts

1/2 cup almonds (I prefer oven roasted) 2/3 cup dates 1-2 Tablespoon almond butter 2 teaspoons vanilla 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut, shredded fine

1. Place almonds and dates in a food processor and process until course.
2. Add almond butter and vanilla and process again until mixed well and processed a bit more and it starts to stick together.
3. Roll the dough into 16 balls, then roll each ball in the coconut.
4. Enjoy! Store in the fridge : )

Kabocha Squash Coconut Pancake Recipe and a Kettlebell Workout

As you know I've been back on my game for the last few weeks with eating clean and training again. My motivation has been off the charts lately and I feel fab!

Over the four day thanksgiving break Chris and I worked out twice and felt really great about it! We always have really good intentions to workout over holidays and vacation but we rarely ever make it to the gym (oops!).

When Monday rolled around, I was even more stoked to get into the gym again! Monday I ran on the treadmill, Tuesday I worked upperbody and ran, Wednesday lowerbody and abs, Thursday upperbody and today I was short on time so I grabbed my kettlebell and found a total body workout on YouTube to do in my living room. It was a great at home workout and really had me sweating! I used to have an "oh well" attitude when I missed my chance to go to the gym but lately I've been getting into the habit of fitting workouts at home to make up for lost time!

Total Body Kettlebell Workout by Hotgymgirl

Last year I was cooking kabocha quite a bit until I realized it wasn't sitting very well with my stomach and made me really gassy (TMI sorry!). I spoke to a couple people and they suggested either cutting it out completely or eat it without the skin because they maybe be the cause of the problem. So at the time i just thought it was best to just cut it out. But this week I decided to give the kabocha squashanother try. I cooked up the squash with cinnamon and ate it without the skin. It tasted just as delicious as I last remembered! It still bothered my stomach a little but it wasn't half as bad as it was last year! So far I've enjoyed it in my eggs, with a side dish to my chicken and nth is morning I made a pancake with it!

Kabocha Squash Coconut Pancake

Makes 5 small pancakes - 1 serving

2 whole eggs 1/2 cup mashed kabocha squash 2 tbsp organic coconut flour 6 tbsp or 3/8 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk Cinnamon & stevia to taste dash of baking soda

I used my Pumpkin Almond Butter (aka Pumpkin Pie Fluff) for the topping.

Cook kabocha squash the day before. Remove the skin from the kabocha and mash in a bowl, mix in eggs. Once mixed add in remainder ingredients except the almond milk. Start adding the almond milk in 2 tbsp at a time until the batter is not thick. My recipe called for 6 tbsp.

Set your stove to medium to medium-low heat, preheat frying pan. Heat will vary depending on the type of stove you are working with. I have a gas stove, so my stove top gets very hot and cooks my food very quick. Once the pan is hot, toss in a small scoop of extra virgin coconut oil to coat the pan or use Kelapo coconut oil cooking spray. Pour the batter into the pan, cook pancakes for a couple minutes on both sides until golden brown brown, flipping once. Bon Appétit!

Do you workout during the holidays? What is your favorite winter squash recipe? 

xoxo - Amber

#imagreatist Ambassador!

A few weeks ago in one of my Frankenstorm 2012 posts, I quickly announced that I have been chosen to be a Greatist Ambassador. I am beyond excited and honored to be chosen out of the many health enthusiasts out there! I'm sure choosing the ambassadors was not an easy task for them. So today I want to share with you a little more about my Ambassadorship with Greatist and the letter that got me there!

If you haven't visited Greatist yet, you should zip over there right now and check them out! Greatist is all about making health and fitness easy by providing quality content to help you make healthier choices in your everyday life! They offer healthy tips, GWOD (Greatist Workouts of the Day), news, podcasts and A-Z guides on health, happiness and fitness! They've got it all!

When I saw the post Announcing Greatist Ambassadors - Apply Today and Do Good!, I knew right away that I wanted to become an Ambassador! I too share the desire to inspire and show others that living a healthy lifestyle can be easy and fun! Plus I always enjoy reading Greatist articles on my Pulse news reader while riding the subway around town, and I follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram AND Pinterest :)

So if you haven't already seen me use the hashtag #imagreatist in my posts, start keeping an eye out for it now. There are already tons of great posts around the web by other ambassadors sharing their healthier choices via #imagreatist, so do a search now!

 This is what I wrote:

My name is Amber, I live in beautiful Brooklyn, NY and I blog at ExSoyCise.com. I would love to be a Greatist Ambassador because I have a serious passion for living a healthy lifestyle and sharing it with others. 

 My mission is to show people that living a healthy life doesn't have to be boring, it can be fun and flavorful! I hope that sharing my story will help to motivate and inspire others who may also be struggling with weight loss or who are dealing with food allergies. 

 I started the blog ExSoyCise so I would have a place to share my soy-free and dairy-free fitness journey.  I have been on a weight loss roller coaster my entire life. After many years of being on the wrong path of failed diets and trying to find that “magic” pill, I got back on the right path by eating a healthy clean diet, weight training and learned to LOVE the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle!

 Once I started planning and cooking most of my meals at home, eating 5-6 mini-meals per day, and exercising regularly, the weight started to come off naturally. Over the last two years I’ve lost about 17lbs and have gained lean muscle. Along the way, my clean diet helped bring to my attention that I was allergic to soy and lactose intolerant. I got what I call the "soy belly" any time I consumed any amount of soy. It was very hard to adapt to a soy and dairy free diet at first because they are in almost everything on the shelves these days. I found it difficult when I was out in the city and couldn't grab an “easy” on the go meal such as protein bars or a quick sandwich. These challenges helped me to realize that if I want to be successful and feel my best, I would have to cook ALL of my own food and there would rarely be times when I can just grab a “quick” bite to eat out.

 

I’ve made the most out of living soy and dairy free by creating fun new recipes such as my cinnamon pumpkin protein loaf and my banana and chocolate chip protein pancakes. I love creating these recipes because they are soy, dairy and gluten free, loaded with healthy ingredients, easy to make and last but not least they make me feel like I am enjoying a naughty treat!

 

On my blog I also share reviews of all of some of my favorite things, soy allergy information, my progress, and motivational tips and tricks that help me to stay on track.

 Besides my blog, I am very active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr and Pinterest. On these platforms I share photos of the foods I eat daily, motivational tips and tricks, videos and other fun articles that I think are interesting. I am also a FitFluential Ambassador and have participated in several events such as the Fitness Magazine FitblogNYC event, Bob Harper's book release event, Yoga in the Park, Whole Foods health events and connect with other health bloggers on a regular basis in my spare time!

 I hope you will consider me to be a Greatist Ambassador! Thank you for listening to my story!

 How will you make a healthier choice today or throughout this week?

xoxo - Amber

Checking In: Progress After 1 Full Week of Clean Eating and Workouts

So for the past week my motivation has been switched ON again thanks to the help of my accountability partners and my extreme desire to get my body back in shape like it was at the beginning of the year. My goal is to lose 5lbs by December 20th, the day Chris and I leave to go back home to visit my family in Florida. I started out bloated and Buddha bellied on Monday the 10th and within 6 days of clean eating, weightlifting and a little cardio (not much at all, really), my stomach has gone down quite a bit and I can even see where I've lost a little in my arms!

The accountability partners and motivating words from my friends on Instagram have helped me tremendously! I text with 5 my friends throughout the day and talk about workouts, foods and we cheer each other on throughout the day. It's a lot of fun and definitely keeps me in check! I now remember how it feels to be passionate about reaching my goals...it's been a while since I last felt that.

This week I was on Facebook and saw Jamie Eason posted a workout that she has been doing every morning since she hasn't really had time to go to the gym. She posted a challenge for everyone to do the workout with her every morning this week. I'm not great at getting home workouts in, so I thought this would be a good motivator for me!

So far I've done it for the last 2 days and it's a tough one! Yesterday I went to the gym a couple hours after I did the AM workout and did an upper body workout followed by 22 minutes of cardio. Today I wasn't able to make it to the gym so I did the AM workout plus 30 kettlebell swings x2 and 10 shoulder presses x2.

Thanksgiving is two days away and I've gotten all of my grocery shopping done at Trader Joe's today. I have to say it's great to be back in the groove of things especially in time for the holidays! I'm going to do my best to make my meal as clean as possible to keep some of the pounds off!

How to you stay motivated throughout the week? What are your short term goals for December?

What clean dishes will you serve at Thanksgiving?

xoxo - Amber

Frankenweather Week 2, Clean Eating, #imagreatist Ambassador, Raising Money for Sandy Victims

The last couple weeks have been a little on the crazy side, first hurricane Sandy blew through New York and last night we were hit with a Nor'easter which brought heavy winds, 3 to 7 inches of snow and temps under 40 degrees! Brrrr!!

Besides all of the crazy weather, I'm about a week and half into my program at Integrative Nutrition. I'm trying to stay focused on my course work but it has been challenging since I haven't been in the comfort of my own home due to the subway by my house being closed since the storm hit. But regardless of location I am learning a lot and connecting with so many amazing students from all over the world as well as many in NY. I have scheduled a few study groups with some fellow students in Brooklyn and Manhattan and really looking forward to meeting them in person! One lovely gal in my class has been a follower of my facebook page for quite a while, so we feel as though we already know each other! You've gotta love social media!

During the first week of Sandy I was eating all kinds of junk food: Thai, Mexican, pizza, cookies, ect...definitely not anywhere near my normal diet as most of you know. I don't know why this keeps happening but I keep losing control! But since Monday I've gotten back on track (AGAIN), I'm eating a clean diet and feeling better. When I gain weight it goes directly to my stomach and arms, almost immediately after I eat bad food, it's nuts! I get so many complements on facebook from friends saying they don't notice the weight I've gained and that I am looking great, but they aren't the ones that have to see my big Buddha belly when my shirt is off. Ha! Since I'm back on my game with clean eating, my stomach is starting to go down again. I'm also back in the gym and lifting heavy, that always makes me feel great!

On Tuesday I received some amazing news, I was chosen to be a Greatist Ambassador! You will now start to see the #imagreatist hashtag on my twitter posts as I tweet my healthy lifestyle! I will blog more about my Ambassadorship this coming up week!

In the meantime these will help:

"Greatist. noun. [gray-tist] a person who makes healthier choices

Greatist Ambassador. super noun. [gray-tist- am-bass-a-door] a person who makes healthier choices and inspires others to do the same"

Here are a few photos I took yesterday when the storm first started blowing in!

The Stella & Dot trunk show to raise money for Hurricane Sandy victims is still going on until Sunday! 10% of sales will be donated to help victims.

As you probably already know from watching the news this new storm has rolled into NY and all of the people who were already without water, power or heat are now in even worse off conditions because it is FREEZING here, so we are really trying to get the word out to and raise as much money as we can for them!

This is the perfect time to do a little holiday shopping while helping those who are living without.

Right now when you spend $50, any of the five pieces in the flyer above will be available for purchase at 50% off!

Once you have purchased $50 in retail product a banner will appear that you have qualified for the offer.

Visit http://www.stelladot.com/ts/wyal5

Here are a few of my favorite things From Stella & Dot...

La Folie Necklace $49 - Great for layering!

Suzanne Cocktail Ring $39

Vintage Stud Earrings $29 - So simple and beautiful!

Look Good While Doing Good - Stella & Dot Trunk Show to Support Sandy Victims

Sandy really did a number on the Northeast last week, there are constant reminders of the damage she caused in NYC and the many lives she has affected. It is so heartbreaking when I walk down my block and see cars lined down the street for hours on end waiting to get gas from a station over a mile down the street and as I hear of families who still do not have running water, electricity or gas.

With so many people affected by Hurricane Sandy in the last week my sister, Amy, and I wanted to be able to do something for the victims. So this week I am hosting an online Stella & Dot Trunk Show, and for each sale of the very affordable Stella & Dot accessories we are donating 10% of our trunk show sales to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

The show will run from November 6 - 11th

There are so many cute pieces of jewelry and other accessories that are affordable and make GREAT gifts for the upcoming holidays! My sister gave me and adorable silver spiral bracelet about 2 years ago and it is still beautiful as ever! One thing that I love about Stella & Dot is all of the jewelry pieces are lead and nickel free, this is a major plus for me because I am allergic to most all costume jewelry.

To kick off the event we are going to send the first person who spends $50 or more a $20 Stella & Dot gift card!

Please share the link below and invite your friends and family to help us to support the Sandy victims!

 Share to help: http://www.stelladot.com/ts/wyal5

xoxo - Amber

Vlogtober Day 29 - Frankenstorm Watch 2012

Yesterday we spent most of the day inside as Frankenstorm aka Hurricane Sandy rolled into NYC. At first she didn't seem like much, there was barely a drizzle up near Chris's apartment in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, but as the day went on the rain came down harder and the wind picked up a bit. We watched a couple of movies, ate some naughty treats, drank coffee and stayed updated with the news. I also did some studying for school as yesterday was my very first day at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition! What a memorable first day of school that was!

I still wasn't impressed with this storm because as a native Floridian I've been through many hurricanes, that was until Chris and I decided to walk down to the banks of the East River. As we walked down 72nd street the winds became very strong and blew us around the sidewalk. We made it down to the water and noticed we weren't the only crazy New Yorkers out in the storm! The water had risen and was starting to wash over onto the walkway and within only 15 minutes the water was about a nearly a foot over the walkway and continued to rise. At one point several police cars pulled up on the FDR, which was closed due to the storm, and told everyone to go home. We figured we better head home but decided to make a quick video before heading back :)

This morning we woke up to go across the street and grab coffee and took a stroll back down to the East River banks. There were a lot of curious New Yorkers out and about. I imagine everyone was relieved to get out and get some fresh air after being stuck inside for the last 24+ hours. We saw several trees down but no noticeable building damage. The river was still higher than normal but had at least cleared from the walkway. We were really blessed to keep our power and stay safe throughout the storm.

My heart goes out to all of those who were affected in NYC and the surrounding states who are without power and who live in areas that are completely flooded. Also I my thoughts are with the families of the people who lost their lives yesterday. That is truly heartbreaking.

I wish everyone a safe day today and I hope that life will quickly return back to normal!

xoxo - Amber

Where you affected by Sandy? What did you do to pass time during the storm?

Weekend Recap: Zombies, Thrifty Deals, Foodporn, Frankenstorm Prep and Giveaway Winner!

Happy almost Halloween everyone! It's not going to be much of a Halloween for us New Yorkers with Frankenstorm rolling in to town tomorrow, but I think most people already celebrated on Saturday. I know I sure did!

Yesterday my roommate Buffy and I Zombiefied ourselves, he was a zombie skydiver and I was a zombie hooker :) We met up with the lover boy, who was Captain Sixpack, and went out to a bar with some friends. It was a fun time, we danced and acted silly all night. It was a great time!

Earlier that day I went to the Salvation Army near my place and got a cute mug with my initials for $1.99 and a new fruit bowl for $6.99! I LOVE a good deal!

I cooked up some yummy treats after shopping, coconut banana pancakes topped with pumpkin almond butter spread and shredded coconut and later made Buffy and I some plantains. My taste buds were happy as usual!

And I picked the winner of the $50 Whole Foods gift card giveaway! Congrats to Jillian from the blog Bites of Balance! Jillian, I hope you enjoy buying lots of delicious Whole Trade products!

Last but not least today I've been prepping for Hurricane Sandy. That consisted of buying fruits, avocados, plantains, and making sure I had enough, water, coffee, tea, almond milk, stevia, grassfed ground beef, almond butter and pumpkin on hand to keep my tummy happy during the storm!

Tomorrow I start my first day at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition! I am beyond excited and am happy to have the day off from work to focus on getting started on my program!

I hope you all had a fun and safe weekend!

Xoxo - Amber

Did you do anything fun over the weekend?

Have you been affected by Sandy?

Posted with Blogsy

I'm Supporting Whole Trade Guarantee Month with a Whole Foods Giveaway + Video

Today Whole Foods Market sent me a basket of goodies to enjoy and to help spread the word of their Whole Trade Guarantee products in honor of October Whole Trade Guarantee month! Whole Trade is a great program that supports fair treatment and pay for workers and donates 1% of the proceeds to the Whole Planet Foundation. Read below to learn more about the many great ways Whole Foods is giving back! To celebrate Whole Trade Guarantee month I want to give YOU a $50 Whole Foods gift certificate to buy your own Whole Trade products!

How to Enter the Giveaway!

All you have to do is leave me a comment below telling me what products you would buy with your Whole Foods gift certificate and tweet the wording below! If you are not on twitter then post to facebook but be sure to tag my page!

Tweet.... "Head over to @ExSoyCise to win a $50 @WholeFoods gift certificate to buy Whole Trade products to support @WholePlanet http://exsoycise.com"

I will choose the winner at random on Saturday!

xoxo - Amber

Here are a list of the goodies from my Whole Foods basket!

• Whole Trade bananas
• Pineapple
• Flowers
• Allegro Fine Tea - Organic Estate Ceylon
• Organic Tanzania School House dark chocolate
• EARTH University Costa Rican Whole Bean Coffee
• Allegro Drinking Chocolate Indian Spice 54
• Popcorn Indiana Kettle Corn
• Bottled 365 Everyday Value Organic Mint Green Tea
• Love Crunch Gingerbread Granola

Did you know that by making one simple purchase, you can improve someone’s life?

Buying Whole Trade® products ensures fair treatment and equitable pay for workers, more money for hardworking producers through social premiums and sound environmental practices in the developing countries where the products are grown. And if that’s not enough, 1% of product sales are donated to the Whole Planet Foundation for poverty alleviation.

Whole Foods Market is celebrating October as Whole Trade Guarantee month – a time to appreciate our shoppers and producers for doing the right thing. Starting Oct. 1, shoppers can go online, sign up for newsletters and then vote for Whole Foods Market to donate $1 (up to $20,000) to one of their key Whole Trade Guarantee producer partners:

• Tanzania School Project - Funds will help support students, teachers, schools and education opportunities in Tanzania.
• The Elite Flower Foundation (Fundación Fernando Borrero Caicedo) - A foundation dedicated to the well being of flower workers and their families in Colombia, focusing on education, housing, recreation, and family development. For a video with more information Elite, click here.
• EARTH University– A Costa Rican agricultural university that cultivates leaders who will contribute to the sustainable development of their home countries and construct a prosperous and just society. For more information on EARTH, watch this video.

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ExSoyCise's Interview with Jill Hanner

Today I am happy to share with you an interview with a fun, energetic and inspiring young lady who has ROCKED the vlogging world...I would like to introduce you the lovely and talented Ms. Jill Hanner!!

Jill is a fellow FitFluential Ambassador and has really been an inspiration for me since I leaped into the world of vlogging! If you haven't already, subscribe to her YouTube channel for awesome videos on delicious allergy friendly recipes, workouts, healthy tips and a good laugh!

How did you come to love the world of health and fitness?  

Growing up I was a gymnast and dancer, so I've been in and out of the gym my whole life. It wasn't until 2 years ago when I started to really push it hard and become a dedicated health and fitness freak. I loved how I felt after a workout and it became addicting.

 

What is a typical day of eating for you?

I tend to eat small meals through out the day. I keep to pretty basic foods. Protein, veggies, fruit and carbs. Breakfast is usually a vegan protein pancake I make. I snack on apples, protein shakes and carrots throughout the day. Lunch could include turkey and veggies or goat milk yogurt with fruit. Dinner is fish or chicken with veggies and the occasional sweet potato fries. I always end the night with some dark chocolate!!

What is your favorite healthy and naughty meal? How often do you have cheat or treat meals?

I don't believe in cheating but living your life in moderation. I have stomach issues so to me, I always think, is it really worth it to eat pizza? I crave pizza soooo much. But I know if I have it, I will get stomach pains. I love making stuffed chicken with spinach and goat cheese and stuffed mushrooms with the same filling. It's my favorite healthy meal. Not that this meal is naughty but I love chips, salsa and guacamole. Literally LOVE Chips! I would consider then my cheat meal and I have chips about every other weekend!!

 

Do you have any food allergies, intolerances, or foods you choose to avoid? If so what are they and what do you do to keep them out of your diet?

I have IBS and their trigger foods are anything with gluten, raw veggies, acidic vegetables/fruit, caffeine, alcohol and chocolate. I have cut out all gluten, grapefruit, eggplant, oranges and I always make sure to cook my vegetables. I have recently cut out eggs as they are high on my list of sensitivity. I can not give up caffeine, wine and chocolate. So I make sure that I regulate them.

What motivates you to stay healthy? What is your current workout program?

My motivation to stay healthy is that I love how I feel after a workout and I love that at 34 I can still kick butt in the gym like any 20 year old! I like to change things up, but I like to run, box, strength train, take fitness classes and try new things.

What has been your biggest personal fitness struggle?

I would say my biggest personal fitness struggle is not believing I can do something. Motivating myself to keep going is always a struggle. But I try to listen to my body and if I need to rest, I should rest! 

 

What is your top most rewarding experience since becoming a FitFluential Ambassador?

My most rewarding experience being a Fitfluential ambassador is meeting a whole new world of people like me. For instance we met at a Fitness Magazine event and I never knew how much we had in common and could relate to. I seriously love that!

What is going on with your amazing blog Jill Hanner now and what can we expect to see in the near future?

oooohhhh who knows!! :) Possibly seeing a lot more Vermont Peanut Butter in my future :)

Follow Jill on Facebook and Twitter!

Thankful Thursday and Vlogtober Day 18

This morning I was read a post on Jessie Loves to Run Blog called Thankful Thursday and got inspired to vlog about what I was thankful for! My Thankful Thursday:

• I am thankful for technology (even when if fails me) for giving me the tools to blog and make videos so I can express myself and share with others.
• I am thankful for supportive people in my life, my best friend Sarah, my boyfriend Chris and my sister Amy. They have all stood behind me and continually supported me along my journey and I feel so blessed to have them in my life!
• I am thankful that I am in a place now where I am living mostly stress-free and am able to start school at Integrative Nutrition on October 29th! I am very excited to start learning about the different nutritional theories and eventually start a new career as a nutrition coach!
• I am thankful that I can cook, try new recipes and share recipes with all of you!
• Lastly I am thankful for Jessie for inspiring me to recognize all of the things I have to be thankful for! Thank you Jessie!!

I want to know what you have to be thankful for on this lovely Thursday! Let me know in the comments!

xoxo - Amber

WIAW - On the Road Again...with Clean Eating!

Yesterday in my day 16 Vlogtober video I talked about falling off the wagon over the last couple of weeks and my efforts to hop right back on! For me getting back on the wagon doesn't mean I can't eat delicious things such as pancakes topped with pumpkin pie fluff, it means regaining control by planning and preparing my meals and using MyFitnessPal to track what I eat so I can make sure I'm not over consuming!

These are all of my meals from yesterday. Not all of my food is super exciting, actually some of it is quite boring (you will see as you scroll down), but I definitely have a good mix of exciting and boring foods throughout the day to keep me satisfied without feeling too restricted.

Meal 1:

Coconut flour and apple pancake with pumpkin pie fluff topping

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Meal 2:

Protein pumpkin latte and an apple

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Meal 3:

Grassfed beef with coconut milk, jasmine rice and spices

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Meal 4:

Chicken breast with jasmine rice

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Meal 5:

Apple and almonds

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Are you on MyFitnessPal? If so find me {@ExSoyCise} and let's keep each other motivated!

xoxo - Amber

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Getting Back on the Wagon and Day 16 of Vlogtober

I fell off the wagon HARD over the last couple weeks. I'm back in action with clean eating and working out but dealing with a slight cold. For Day 16 of Vlogtober I talk/ramble about falling off the wagon, failed goals for week 1 of October, getting back ON the wagon and my delicious apple coconut flour pancake with pumpkin pie fluff topping (food porn!). Have you fallen off the wagon recently? What are your tips for getting back on and staying on?

xoxo - Amber

Coconut flour pancake:

• 3 tbsp coconut flour
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 2 whole eggs
• cinnamon and stevia to taste
• baking soda
• optional - blueberries, apples or Enjoy Life Chocolate chips if you're feeling naughty

Mix all ingredients together and scoop out onto a well oiled pan. Cook for a couple minutes on each side until done. Enjoy!

#GetAfterIt Reebok Fitness Running Club Review!

On Saturday, I had the chance to participate in Reebok's first official Fitness Running Club. I geared up in the morning and met up with my girl Meredith around 9:30am. We walked in the FREEZING cold to the Reebok Fit Hub on 37th street and 5th avenue and met with Naomi and Betsy our fearless fitness run club leaders. Naomi is a Fitness Ambassador for Reebok and personal trainer and Betsy works at the Reebok Hub. They were very sweet and super motivating! We had a few minutes to kill so we ran around the store looking at all the super cute Reebok gear and found Meredith a really stylish gray zip up jacket to wear on the run. I found so many things I wanted there like high top black classic Reeboks, gray and pink training shoes, tons of cute tops and jackets (hint hint Santa!!)!

After we finished shopping, we made a quick before video together and then chatted with some of our fellow FitFluential family members Dre, Christy, Erika and Karina. It was so great to see some of the same people who were at the FitBlogNYC event back in May!

Naomi and Betsy rounded us all up and took us out in front of the store to stretch and warm up our cold muscles. They explained that we would be doing a 2 mile run and would stop at several points for body strength conditioning. The run wasn't hard since it was only 2 miles broken up. There was plenty of time to catch a breath during the instructions, although we kept our bodies moving the whole time. We did a lot of body weight exercises using walls, chairs and partners. It was a great workout and went by so fast! We had such a blast all being there together and making each other laugh along the way. It was even great to have people on the streets cheering us on! Everyone was curious what we were up to and asking us what was going on. We definitely need some sort of cool Reebok jackets next time since our t-shirts were covered up.

After we finished, we went back to the hub for water and to give Naomi feedback on what we thought about the workout.

I loved the workout! My whole body is still sore, which is always a good sign! I thought it was a good mix of cardio and strength conditioning. It was good for all fitness levels because Naomi gave different variations of each exercise. I will definitely try to make the next event and will share the event info with all of you!

Here is a video of Meredith and I during the whole process :)

Did you try a new workout this week? Would you be interested in joining a Reebok fitness event?

Guest Blogger Jessie Ann Talks About Living with Food Allergies

Hey there all you lovely people! I just got back from Colorado and am settling back into reality. I had a great time and will share that with you in another post!

Today I am pleased to turn today's post over to my guest blogger and fellow FitFluential Ambassador Jessie Ann James! This gal is super sweet and has a great story to tell so make sure to show her some lovin' in the comments below! 

xoxo - Amber

Well hello there!

I‘m Jessie James over at A Spoonful of Freckles and I’m so excited to be posting today! Huge thank you to Amber for having me!

Let’s chat about something a little bit more personal today…Growing up, I battled with stomach problems, mood swings, and weird bumps on my skin! Luckily, I grew up in a family with a knowledge for health all thanks to my grandma who spends a lot of time researching holistic health and healing so we did turn to natural remedies to help!

I blame my birth story for a lot of my allergies and intolerances.  Long story short…I was an emergency C-section and as soon as I saw the light of day I was shot up with all sorts of un natural antibiotics to fight the infection.  I do understand that most of the measures were probably necessary for my life, but my body has suffered every since.

My poor parents suffered as I was always screaming with stomachaches and an allergy to dairy.  They started me on goat’s milk, formulas, and even carrot juice to get me some nutrients since I wasn’t breast fed.  My heart breaks for my parents because I must have been an AWFUL baby! So from an early age, I was allergic to dairy, sensitive to wheat flours, and struggling with hormone imbalances.  My mom always made two separate meals, one with spelt flour and one with regular flour, spent tons of money on dairy free/gluten free goods, and tried her best to teach us about our intolerances and give us a love for veggies and clean food.  Thank goodness she did because as I get older and learn more about my allergies, I am glad she did her best to work around them!

With that said, how do I deal with my intolerances married to a man who has none at all?  At first, it was a little tough because I was always bloated, emotional, and trying hard to find the best options, which was probably exhausting for my husband and I wasn’t even fully sure of my allergies.  After visiting a Homeopathic doctor, lots of blood tests, and experimenting with food we discovered a whole slew of new intolerances!  It wasn’t gluten as we had thought! I am sensitive to white/wheat flours, allergic to dairy, intolerant of any un natural hormones, as well as a whole list of dark green foods! (Sounds insane right?) Honestly I felt I was going crazy because what the heck was I supposed to eat with this new knowledge?!

The first step I would advise is patience.  I was initially frustrated and in tears most of the time because I couldn’t get answers…. Once I had someone tell me to write down exactly how I felt an hour after eating for two weeks and I felt like that was a lot of work.  Turns out, that’s exactly what helped me figure this all out! My husband is also learning patience as I re learn what to shop for.  I can’t make him eat the way I have to because that’s a battle in itself, but he is learning to be supportive of my shopping cart and what I need to feel good.  We often eat the same meal but his varies a little from mine.  I will be totally honest, it is a little more work but it is SO WORTH IT to feel good!  How lucky are we at this day and age to have so many more options for allergy friendly meals than even just 10 yrs ago! These options often taste great too!

I think it is also important to surround yourself with people who are open to being supportive when eating out.  It’s much easier to ask the waiter for substitutions when you know you’re not being judged by people sitting at the table.  It’s tough not eating the convenient food but your body will thank you for taking a minute to listen and find what is best for you!

I can’t say how great I feel after being more aware of my intolerances.  Now, I am far from perfect and slip sometimes with my eating but I do feel it….Just find a balance and don’t give up! Research, get second opinions, and experiment to find what makes you feel better! You don’t have to live bloated or sick your whole life!

Good luck on your journey to health!

xoxo

Also check Jessie James out on Pinterest and Twitter!

Guest Blogger Jessie Ann Talks About Living with Food Allergies

Hey there all you lovely people! I just got back from Colorado and am settling back into reality. I had a great time and will share that with you in another post!

Today I am pleased to turn today's post over to my guest blogger and fellow FitFluential Ambassador Jessie Ann James! This gal is super sweet and has a great story to tell so make sure to show her some lovin' in the comments below!

xoxo - Amber

Well hello there!

I‘m Jessie James over at A Spoonful of Freckles and I’m so excited to be posting today! Huge thank you to Amber for having me!

Let’s chat about something a little bit more personal today…Growing up, I battled with stomach problems, mood swings, and weird bumps on my skin! Luckily, I grew up in a family with a knowledge for health all thanks to my grandma who spends a lot of time researching holistic health and healing so we did turn to natural remedies to help!

I blame my birth story for a lot of my allergies and intolerances. Long story short…I was an emergency C-section and as soon as I saw the light of day I was shot up with all sorts of un natural antibiotics to fight the infection. I do understand that most of the measures were probably necessary for my life, but my body has suffered every since.

My poor parents suffered as I was always screaming with stomachaches and an allergy to dairy. They started me on goat’s milk, formulas, and even carrot juice to get me some nutrients since I wasn’t breast fed. My heart breaks for my parents because I must have been an AWFUL baby! So from an early age, I was allergic to dairy, sensitive to wheat flours, and struggling with hormone imbalances. My mom always made two separate meals, one with spelt flour and one with regular flour, spent tons of money on dairy free/gluten free goods, and tried her best to teach us about our intolerances and give us a love for veggies and clean food. Thank goodness she did because as I get older and learn more about my allergies, I am glad she did her best to work around them!

With that said, how do I deal with my intolerances married to a man who has none at all? At first, it was a little tough because I was always bloated, emotional, and trying hard to find the best options, which was probably exhausting for my husband and I wasn’t even fully sure of my allergies. After visiting a Homeopathic doctor, lots of blood tests, and experimenting with food we discovered a whole slew of new intolerances! It wasn’t gluten as we had thought! I am sensitive to white/wheat flours, allergic to dairy, intolerant of any un natural hormones, as well as a whole list of dark green foods! (Sounds insane right?) Honestly I felt I was going crazy because what the heck was I supposed to eat with this new knowledge?!

The first step I would advise is patience. I was initially frustrated and in tears most of the time because I couldn’t get answers…. Once I had someone tell me to write down exactly how I felt an hour after eating for two weeks and I felt like that was a lot of work. Turns out, that’s exactly what helped me figure this all out! My husband is also learning patience as I re learn what to shop for. I can’t make him eat the way I have to because that’s a battle in itself, but he is learning to be supportive of my shopping cart and what I need to feel good. We often eat the same meal but his varies a little from mine. I will be totally honest, it is a little more work but it is SO WORTH IT to feel good! How lucky are we at this day and age to have so many more options for allergy friendly meals than even just 10 yrs ago! These options often taste great too!

I think it is also important to surround yourself with people who are open to being supportive when eating out. It’s much easier to ask the waiter for substitutions when you know you’re not being judged by people sitting at the table. It’s tough not eating the convenient food but your body will thank you for taking a minute to listen and find what is best for you!

I can’t say how great I feel after being more aware of my intolerances. Now, I am far from perfect and slip sometimes with my eating but I do feel it….Just find a balance and don’t give up! Research, get second opinions, and experiment to find what makes you feel better! You don’t have to live bloated or sick your whole life!

Good luck on your journey to health!

xoxo

Also check Jessie James out on Pinterest and Twitter!

Pumpkin Almond Butter Spread and Day 3 of Vlogtober

It's day 3 of Vlogtober and the theme for today is What's New Wednesday. I was going to share a new product with you guys but I quickly changed my mind after I whipped up this amazing new pumpkin almond topping for my coconut banana pancake!

Pumpkin Almond Butter Spread - 1 serving - 125 calories

• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 3 tbsp pure pumpkin
• Stevia
• Cinnamon

Mix all four ingredients together and enjoy!

I would love to know what your favorite pancake topping is!

Do you have a good pumpkin butter recipe? If so, share it in the comments!

xoxo - Amber

I'm in Colorado!

I just landed in beautiful Denver, Colorado and I'm on my way to Boulder to visit Chris's grandma for a few days. Chris grew up in Colorado and has lived in NYC for the last 12 years or so. He has been back a couple times over the last three years that we've been together but this is my first time going with him AND it will be my first time meeting his lovely grandma! I've heard so many great things about Colorado over the years so I'm super excited to finally be here! I am really looking forward to seeing the beautiful mountains and doing some exploring! I'm already blown away by the colorful leaves on the trees, the bright yellow, orange and maroon leaves are stunning! Fall has to be one of the best times of the year to visit because Fall-time just about anywhere is pretty amazing...well except Florida because it seriously lasts for all of 2 seconds :) But I did get a big surprise when I got here and it was 39 degrees outside (brrrrr!). Yesterday temperature was in the low 80s, what the heck Mother Nature!! Haha oh well, I have my boots, leather jacket and scarf so I will be ok :)

While we are here, we are going to try to keep up with our workouts as I mentioned in my Day One of Vlogtober video. Chris has been a little ill over the last couple weeks so hopefully he has recovered enough to join me!

Expect to see some great photos from my trip over the next few days!

Have you ever visited Colorado? What is your favorite time of the year to visit?

What is your favorite city to visit in the fall?

xoxo - Amber

Banana Omelet Obsession and Day 2 of Vlogtober!

The saga continues...It's day two of Vlogtober and I'm happy to share with you my current obsession...the banana omelet!

I first learned of the banana omelet on @MissMadeInPeru's Instagram a couple months ago. It was one of the easiest and most delicious recipes I've ever made! All you need is a few eggs, one smashed banana, cinnamon, stevia, a nut butter of your choice and some mad omelet making skills and you have heaven on a plate in just minutes!

Banana Omelet Recipe:

• 1 banana
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/4 cup egg white
• dash of cinnamon
• a couple of dashes of stevia
• almond butter for topping

Mash up 3/4 of the banana, mix in eggs, stevia and cinnamon. Poor in a small pan and cook like you would an omelet, flipping once. Serve on a plate with the almond butter topping and the remainder of the banana sliced. Enjoy!

I've been waiting impatiently for @MissMadeInPeru to creat a blog so I can try out more of her amazing recipes and I just received word yesterday that her blog went live this week!! Stop by The Incan Dietitian and show her some LOVE!

Check out some of the amazing banana omelet pictures that have been floating around on Instagram:

@MissMadeInPeru the creator of the famous banana omelet, she makes some really beautiful variations!

@NamasteMari is hooked now too and has made some really great looking banana omelets! For more awesomeness from her check out her blog Namaste Mari!

@GoldenLoveNY took it to a whole other level and turned them into pancakes by blending 3 eggs, 2 bananas, 1tbsp of creamy peanut butter, dash of cinnamon and salt. WOWWWWW! I'm definitely trying out this recipe!

And here are some of my banana omelet posts from Instagram (follow me @exsoycise):

Day One of Vlogtober!

Get your vlogging shoes on guys because today is the first day of the Vlogtober challenge! Molly of Miss Molly blog has created Vlogtober to help us bloggers break into the vlogging world.

She has three themed days and the other four are free days to get creative and vlog about whatever you want. I'm really excited about this challenge because I've needed a little push to start vlogging more frequently! The other reason I am so excited about this is I will be starting online classes at Integrative Nutrition on October 29th and I might not have as much time for blogging because I will be focusing on my school work. So instead of blogs you might see more vlogs since it take less time!

In Today's vlog I talk about my goals for this week!

October Goals: Week 1

• Vlogtober - This week I want to vlog 4-5 times!
• Cardio - I want to fit in 3 HIIT cardio days this week on top of the 4 days I weight train!
• Workout on vacation - I want to get my workouts in while I am in Colorado this week visiting Chris's grandma!

These are my week one goals. What are your goals for this week? Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo - Amber