Saturday, February 25, 2012

NO BAKE healthy Chocolate Cookies packed FULL of energy


SHAKEOLOGY COOKIES!!

How did cookies become the Healthiest Meal of the Day®? When an enterprising Team Beachbody® chef figured out how to have their Shakeology and eat it, too. Simple to make and delicious to eat—you’ll never guess how healthy you’re being.

1 cup of raw almond butter
1 cup of organic oatmeal (quick)
1/3 to 1/2 cup of organic honey (according to desired sweetness)
1 cup of Chocolate Shakeology

Combine in bowl and mix well. Roll into balls (about a heaping teaspoon). Makes 10 cookies.

Optional: Roll the balls in crushed nuts or unsweetened coconut flakes before serving.

Nutritional Information (per cookie)
Calories 249
Carbs 22g
Protein 10g
Fat 15g
Saturated Fat 1.5g
Fiber 2.5g

PERFECT for a pre workout snack! Eat 1 cookie about an hour to an hour and a half before work outs. One complaint I hear MOST about exercise from women mainly is how HUNGRY they start feeling during their work out, to the point that they quit early or grab for the easiest thing to shove down their throats for food, which normally ends up being a BAD DECISION out of impaired survival mode choice. We tend to use app 100 calories per hour just to run our machines at sedentary (digestion, brain function, lung expansion, etc..all requires calories).

SO, 1 of these bad boys 1 hour before your work out will leave you with about 150 cal's for energy during your work out. Most work outs average anywhere from 200-500 calories per hour depending on the type of work out and how hard you push yourself. You should be able to get through your work out with this, without the issue of hunger pangs and poor concession purchases on the way home from the gym. Snickers DO NOT satisfy after a work out folks. When you get home, have your Shakeology recovery drink and I can almost guarantee that you won't have cravings for crap anymore if you follow this routine. :)

To order your Shakeology, contact me for 25% discount. Or visit my online store at www.dianekazer.com, and you will find info on Shakeology under the 'affiliates' tab.

Off to bake these yummy treats!

Diane Kazer

HEALTHY Chocolate Shake!!!


Based on popular demand, I present to you my amazing chocolate shake recipe I posted yesterday to Facebook. I felt like I was bragging, being naughty and eating a 'cheat' meal because it was so good, yet it was quite literally one of the healthiest post work out shakes I probably have ever compiled...and here's why.

I use Shakeology for my chocolate recipes…raw desserts are my favorite. I use it to make brownies, cookies, mousse and shakes to name a few. I will blog these recipes next. Many ask why I use Shakeology as the protein powder of choice and my answer is: it literally TASTES like brownie batter…well the chocolate one anyway. There are other flavors as well I use in other fruity recipes, that also include vegan protein powders, but that’s reserved for another blog. I encourage you to read this one as well, so CLICK HERE to do so.

Wrapped inside of this recipe, you will be enjoying and nourished by all of the ingredients listed in this video on WHAT'S INSIDE SHAKEOLOGY?

This shake was like the Taj Mahal of ingredients that enhanced the flavor of the ingredients in Shakeology which are comprised of superfoods, fresh fruits, vegetables, etc. I drank it after a work out, which is what I do EVERY DAY. I usually take 1 day off per week, which ends up falling on Sunday OR during the week…I listen to my body and if it NEEDS a break, I grant it that. J This particular day I had done 1 hour of weight training and cardio AND 1 hour of yoga to follow, so was really needing electrolyte replenishment. Electrolytes are the minerals we sweat out or lose during exercise that tend to end with ‘-ium’…sodium, potassium, magnesium, you get the idea. Anyway, I was really, really thirsty, which tells me my sodium was off, and I needed more to balance me out (I’ll blog about this next, a state of hyponetremia occurs when we drink enough or TOO much water, but don’t get the proper amount of sodium to retain the water in our body). SO, I tried my shake with Coconut water instead of the standard water that I normally use and this is what I came up with:

  • 1 serving chocolate Shakeology
  • 8 oz coconut water (plain flavor)
  • 10 sprouted almonds*
  • 10 sprouted cashews*
  • 1 pitted date
  • ½ banana
  • dash cinnamon
  • 1 cup ice
  • Granola (optional – as pictured)
  • Whipped cream or yogurt (optional – as pictured)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Add all to Vitamix, starting on variable speed, increasing it then switch to high.
  2. Blend for 1 minute
  3. ENJOY with a bendy, loopy or regular straw, spoon or just your mouth…SMILE required!

*Sprouting is the result of soaking nuts in water for 8 hours or more. It germinates them and maximizes their nutritive benefits and aids in their digestion. I keep a container of ‘sprouted nuts’ in my fridge at all time. Really, all almond milk is and should be is sprouted nuts and water or coconut water blended together. So if you don’t have almond milk in the fridge, and all you ever use it for is blending, all you need is soaked nuts and water (proportion is app 4 cups to 1 cup nuts, so for recipes such as this, when you only need 1 serving of it, you would use 1 cup water or coconut water and ¼ cup nuts). Substitute almond milk for coconut water in this recipe if desired but it won’t yield the electrolytes this recipe does.

Here's the recipe to my HOMEMADE ALMOND MILK and which brands I recommend if you prefer to just buy it at the store.

I added some organic whipped cream on top with sprinkles of the homemade granola I whipped up the other day for the integration of complex carbs. I didn’t add much, but just enough to add some crunch to appease my fixation of the kids version of my fav chocolate shake of all times I got at a place called Leatherby’s with my family. You could also add some chopped walnuts on top of the whipped cream, just have fun with it. Omit the whipped cream if you want, or use a dollup of organic yogurt if you’d like to make it a bit creamier. Just be sure not to use any Marashino cherries on top because they’re FILLED with red dye, which is a toxic chemical, and causes brain attention disorders such as ADD. (especially stay away from ALL dyes in foods if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding – CHECK YOUR LABELS….dyes are in many things including your vitamins). Kaiser’s prenatal has all 3 – blue, yellow AND red.

In all honesty, all you need is some water and ice blended with this Shakeology chocolate mix and it rivals my childhood FAV shake hands down. I wish Shakeology would have been around when I was young and eating junk food. LOL

Oh, and check this out!!! If you don't have a high powered blender, you need one! I'm having a HUGE SPECIAL on the Vitamix if you purchase from my website. $90 worth of value FREE. CLICK HERE to be linked to what I call the 'Vitamix Energy Pack'

I hope you enjoy this one, and please stay tuned for my next chocolate’y recipes that are guilt tasting, yet healthy as eating 10 salads without the added calories. J

If you’re interested in ordering Shakeology, please READ MY BLOG ON SHAKEOLOGY or contact me at info@dianekazer.com and I can set you up with 25% off of your first order, with a 30 day money back guarantee, as well as 25% all future auto ship orders. Then we can relish in the mutual feeling we get when we see our monthly doorstep package…like it’s Christmas all year long!

Cheers to the Healthiest Meal of the Day,


Diane Kazer