Healthy HOTCAKES

I found this recipe is from the 21 Day Fix Extreme Food Plan book and thought.. WOAH, pancakes!?!? If you're looking for a TASTY breakfast option to switch things up during the fix, try these!!

Ingredients:

2 c. rolled oats

1/2 c. raw cashews

dash of himalayan salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 large egg (I used egg whites)

1 tbsp. coconut oil

1 1/3 c. water

1 tsp. vanilla extract

5 cups of your fruit of choice (I used strawberries)

coconut cooking spray

Directions:

-pulse in food processor oats, cashews, salt and cinnamon until ground

-add egg, oil, vanilla and water and pulse until the batter is thick (add a little water if it seems too thick)

-spray a warm skillet with coconut spray and spoon 1/4 c. batter for each pancake. cook on each side until golden!

-you can serve with fresh fruit, OR you can warm the strawberries in the same skillet until they make their own syrup and spoon over

PS, this recipe comes out to 1 yellow container, 1/2 purple, and 1 teaspoon per serving

Blueberry Banana Bread Muffins

With my mom and youngest sister coming to town in a few days (YAY!), I decided to make a few things ahead of time.. as we usually keep busy doing things like bike rides, card games & playing with the pups.

I started paroozing for a healthy banana bread recipe, but the last few I've tried have been BAD.. with mushy/gooey insides. YUCK! I found this one through allrecipes.com and only made a couple of small changes that turned out great. Oh and I prefer muffins over bread loaves, so I switched that up too. Next time, I will find a substitution for the brown sugar!

Ingredients:

2 c. of flour (I used 1 cup of whole wheat & 1 cup of gluten free all-purpose)

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt (I used himalayan salt)

1/4 c. butter (I used 1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce)

1/8 c. non-fat greek yogurt (I used 0% greek)

2 eggs

2 1/3 c. mashed bananas

2 palmfuls of blueberries (yep, palmfuls)

cinnamon

coconut oil cooking spray

Directions: 

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray muffin tins

-Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon & salt in a large bowl

-Beat butter (or applesauce), yogurt, & brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth

-Add eggs one at a time and beat until smooth

-Stir in mashed bananas until well blended

-Pour banana mixture to flour mixture; stir until moist

-fold in blueberries

-pour batter into muffin tins

-bake for 20 minutes or until tops are golden & muffins are baked through.. let cool before storing!

*you can opt to make this in a 9x5 bread pan, but you will need to bake it for about an hour*

This recipe was adapted from:: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/healthier-banana-banana-bread/

Try this recipe and let me know what you think.. I accidentally ate 2 already! Time to go burn those carbs off.. Enjoy!

stitch fix #2

I meant to post about my second fix a couple of weeks ago, but time has gotten away from me.

If you aren't familiar with what Stitch Fix is, check out my first blog post HERE.

To see what my first "fix" looked like & which items I kept, look HERE.

This go around, my stylist's name was Lauren. Lauren said that she decided to select some transitional spring pieces (per my request) based on the color pallet of my pinterest board. See really did take my notes and color schemes into consideration, some of the items just weren't "me."

Did this burst my bubble? Nope! I knew when signing up for this service, that it would take my stylist time to get to know me. I also knew that if I didn't LOVE something, I wouldn't keep it. Whether I decide to keep one or all five of the items each shipment, I still enjoy Stitch Fix for what it is:: A fun and convenient option for busy gals wanting to look cute :)

Okay so let's dive right in, shall we?

{{I apologize in advance for the lighting this time!}}

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1. Skies are Blue:: Ted Chiffon Trim Blouse

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This top I actually could have seen myself wearing. I thought the cut was cute and love the detail in the back! I was a little taken aback by the print, spoken from the simplest in me, and decided that since I hesitated, I wouldn't keep it. In retrospect, this could have been totally darling with a blazer, denim jacket or my olive colored JCrew jacket.

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2. Desires:: Hampstead Sweater

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This little sweater was actually very cute, comfortable and fit like a glove. The little snob in me had seen that many other women subscribed to Stitch Fix recently received the exact same item though...

 How do I know this? Nerd Alert: I am a member of the "Stitch Fix BST" group on Facebook. It's a group of women who share the items that thy received either for advice/feed back OR to buy/sell/trade. It's kind of genius if you receive a shipment where you love everything but ONE item. Current users know that with SF, if you keep all five items, you get 20% off your entire order. SO, you can post the item in this group and more than likely, one of the THOUSANDS of members has been waiting for that exact piece in your size. Problem solved. Five items kept. 20% discount in the bag! I digress..

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3. Octavia:: Jerrell Graphic Print Infinity Scarf

Love at first sight. Unique. Soft. Versatile. Kept it!!

Need I say more?

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4. Tart:: Maxine Knit Chevron Jacket

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This item caught my eye initially because it was so unique; however, the simplest in me (AGAIN) decided that I couldn't handle this major of a print in a jacket. This was a dress up or down kind of piece. In my opinion, it was have been better with some sort of hood or collar.

My decision: No-Go. It was more of a feeling.. hoping for a different jacket in my next shipment thought because I love layering!!

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5. Skies are Blue:: Janson Dress

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I love some chambray. I also love pockets. This dress would have been a winner, if it weren't for the box fit over my curvy body. Would have been SO cute with sandals or wedges. Layered or on it's own.

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So if you don't have quite the creative mind and are at a loss on how to wear your new items, reference over to the custom style cards for each item. There will be a dress up or dress down option for you to draw inspiration from!

**Some of my fellow nerds in the Facebook "Stitch Fix BST" group actually laminate these and keep them in their closet! Don't judge..**

Even though I only kept one item from this shipment, I am SO excited for the next box to arrive in a couple of weeks. Typically, I will have one of these arrive every other month.. but since I only kept the scarf, I decided I should get another one sooner :)

Give it a try HERE, y'all!!!

Happy Shopping,

L

creating an empire starts with dreams

It's funny because when I started this blog, I thought I'd be writing about Beachbody ALL the time and the business I am learning to build. But the is my first post.. Why? Well, I primarily share about my business on Facebook amongst people that I know.. Sharing this part of my life on a pubic blog is kind of a different ball game.

But I've been at this now for about 8 months now, and besides Jesus, I don't know that I've ever TRULY believed in anything more.. This is what I was made for. This doesn't mean beachbody necessarily.. This means the opportunity I have SEIZED. Please let me explain..

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I know a lot of you either still don't get it or wonder but don't want to ask me..

"Why did you join beachbody? It's just fitness.. It's probably not a long term opportunity.. You might get tired of it.."

I could tell you all day long that this is a genius business model (it is).. and that the battle to end the trend of obesity has only just begun (it has). I could tell you I wanted to get the best shape of my life (I do).. but is that REALLY what lights a fire in me to create success every day??? It only scratches the SURFACE, my friends...

I refuse defeat and to push through rejection on a daily basis because I chose back in August and I CHOOSE again every single day to pursue my dreams...

Before I became a coach and started my business, I don't think anyone had ever asked me what those were.. I don't think I could have even voiced them to you clearly. Not anymore.. I have a clear VISION and am creating the path to get there one day at a time.

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I dream to provide financial security so that Nate can choose what he would like to do one day after his military career ends.

I dream to leave a legacy behind of serving others with heart and helping change peoples lives from the inside out.

I dream of being present with my nuggets one day that might actually have hands and feet.. and NOT stressing about choosing family or a career.

I dream of a mobile business providing a freedom of TIME... creating a life by design that allows us to not only explore our world, but also be available to our family and friends during important life moments.

I dream of giving back in abundance to not only the Lord, but our community, friends and family... to be a channel or blessing, rather than a reservoir.

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I don't care that I'm busy and sacrifice things and time now.. I CHOOSE to live unlike everyone else now, so that one day I CAN like unlike everyone else.

God, grant me perseverance, diligence, humility and resiliency to create a business that honors you, serves others and allows Nate and I to create our life by design.

I have NO degree and NO special qualifications. I have BIG ole dreams and a whole LOT of hustle.. I will learn through failure and pass along my knowledge to my team. This is what being an entrepreneur is.. and I accept the challenge.

Lindsey Grace

April FAVORITE Things!

Time to share a few more of my favorite things!!

1. precious prints:

Printstagram AKA "Print Studio"

OH MY LANTA, these prints are adorable. I recently received a sweet little card from a friend with a portrait of her pup on the front and HAD to know where she had ordered them through.. this is how I found printstagram! I checked out a few other websites, including instaprints, but this is by FAR the best value and look!!

I ended up ordering a bunch of the small square cards using multiple photos from my instagram! I was able to pick exactly how many of each photo I wanted- SO easy to use. Oh, these little cards come with baby sized brown envelopes too.. yes, stinking CUTE!

The insides of these little guys are blank so they can be used for basically ANY occasion!

2. furball treats:

Bark Box

Treats to your door for your favorite furry friends! PLEASE go to the site and read up on this amazing subscription service.. What's the best part??? 10% of the proceeds go to rescue groups!!!!!!!!

Moose and Tannyn get SO excited when their box comes in each month.. gotta give the credit here to Nate for this find!

|| Okay, so skip the crazy pet store and get treats, toys and goodies straight to your door || All of the treats are 100% natural.. tasty for the pups and good for their tummies || every month is something different with  a new theme (february: mardi gras// march: movie night) || pay a couple extra bucks to get more "resilient" toys for those moderate chewers || Give back to shelters || 

We are anxiously awaiting box #3 as I type.. can't wait to see what the girls think this month :)

3. colorful blossoms:

 The Bouqs

Fresh-cut, long-lasting blooms from eco-friendly farms. Flat rate, LOVELY arrangements with shipping included!

The Bouqs offers a concierge service that allows you to set up an auto-ship of these lovely blossoms how ever often you'd like them. The more often you have a shipment delivered to your door, the better discount you get each time. Also, each time a friend or family member signs up using your referral code (every 2 referrals), they send you a free bouq! SO fun!!!

My conseriege service is set up to send me an automatic shipment every 3 weeks. The first time I received my bouq, I hand selected the arrangement. The second order, I actually set up my service so they would surprise me! In a couple weeks, I alternated again and picked my own. There's just something about bringing nature inside..

If you decide to give this a whirl and brighten your home with some colorful flowers, I'd love you to use my referral link here.

4. daily devotions:

#SheReadsTruth

((visit online OR download the free app!)

Need a daily devotional, but not sure where to start? Been meaning to download a bible app so you can read the whole thing in a year? Try out one of the free bible studies from #shereadstruth or purchase one for a few bucks that you can access from any of your devices! You can even follow the 365 plan and read the bible in a year by following the daily reading list!

This adorable apps also offers scripture based lock screens for your phone!

What makes these studies so special? WELL, they are hand-written devotionals by a few different ladies that love the Lord and wanted to provide a convenient and accessible option for women of all walks of life to read truth!  

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I have SO enjoyed sharing with you and can't wait to hear what you think about these goodies.

love && smooches,

LINDSEY