Feeling the Love Inside & Out

You guys....I've had a really, really great birthday week.

I have received so much birthday love, it's been totally overwhelming! I've received cards in the mail, texts, emails, calls, Facebook messages and lots of lunch and dinner invites.

I've been out to eat ALOT, but other than a couple of meals where I strayed a wee bit, I've completely stuck to my clean eating plan. I've been pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to have delicious, clean meals without sacrificing taste & satisfaction!!

Not only have I been conscious about what I eat when out at a restaurant, but I've been playing around in my own kitchen as well. I don't want to completely give up some of my fave foods, so I'm determined to put my personal spin on some old classics to make them clean, healthy and totally delicious!!!

This recipe has been one of my most recent successes. Who doesn't love apple pie this time of year?! I put some of my fave apple pie flavours into a cool and refreshing smoothie and have been enjoying them for breakfast and post-workout snacks all week long. Adding oats to a smoothie, is a great way to give it some 'staying' power, so that you can go a few hours before the hunger beast takes hold. Between the oats and the optional addition of some protein powder, this smoothie is surprisingly filling and will easily tide you over until your next meal.

Clean Apple Pie Smoothie

Serves 1 hungry clean eating machine

1 c unsweetened original almond milk

1/4 c oats

1/4 c water

3/4 c unsweetened applesauce (my recipe works awesome minus the brown sugar)

2 tbsp plain Greek yogourt

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 - 1 tsp stevia

pinch cinnamon

Optional: 1 scoop vanilla protein powder

Soak the oats in the almond milk overnight.

When you're ready to enjoy your smoothie, remove the oat mixture and pour it into your blender. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. I like my smoothies to be silky smooth, so this one needed to be blended and blended because the oats give it a little more texture than your usual fruit smoothie.

  

This is a great breakfast or post-workout snack!

What's your fave fruit to use in a healthy smoothie?

I've definitely had received my share of love this week and now I feel the need to share some love for some great reads from earlier this week. Go check them out and leave some love for some of my fellow bloggers:

~ Jenna got engaged and she has a beautiful  engagement story

~ Kris shares her view on how our choices affect where our lives take us

~ David Kirsch did a great guest post that encourages us to make fitness and wellness a daily ritual

~ Tina had a very special celebration this week

Do you have any great reads I need to see? Link 'em up!  

Enjoy the weekend!

Andrea

xoxo

Raspberry Cheesecake Protein Pops

Hiya! So how was your weekend? Are you as glad to have survived that humid heat wave as I am?? I was starting to feel downright miserable. Hot is one thing, but the air was so thick and damp last week, I could hardly stand it.

If only we  could all lay in our own l'il pile of ice!

Source: Pinterest via Angie F.

My heart truly went out to all of those people suffering from respiratory issues --- it would have been a hellish few days for them!

My weekend was utterly relaxing and blissful :-) Derek was away at a baseball tourney in Saginaw, MI, so I was left to my own devices from Friday night 'til Sunday afternoon. Okay, so I feel the need to note right here that my weekend wasn't blissful because Derek was away, but it was kinda nice to just do my own thing. Once in a while I love a little "me" time! On Saturday I went to see Magic Mike with my girlfriends. Yowza....girls, if you love hot men, hot bods and hot moves, you will love this movie! The rest of the day was spent puttering around the house and hangin' with the dogs. On Sunday, I went for brunch with my grandparents to celebrate my grandpa's birthday. I had a buckwheat crepe with spinach and white cheddar and a big ol' bowl of fruit. SO GOOD! When I got home, I went to see the progress in my veggie garden (things are growing like crazy my friends!) and then went through a huge pile of bills and papers that really needed to get sorted and filed. It was one of those jobs that neither Derek or I wanted to do, but it felt so good once it was done.

I also managed to squeeze in some kitchen time this weekend. Not only did I give it a really good scrubbin', but I also was able to create some new and fabulous iced treats. All I've wanted to snack on lately is anything that can be described as cold and refreshing and I swear that I've been dreaming of popsicles on more than one occasion! {Are you a dream interpreter???? Does this mean I'm a crazy freak haha?!}

This is one of my favourite iced treats so far. I wouldn't have believed you if you'd told me that we can eat clean and have our cheesecake too because it just seems to good to be true, but I assure you that it isn't ;-)

I've found a way my friends and I am so happy to share.....

Raspberry Cheesecake Protein Pops

Inspired by Tosca Reno's Protein Popsicle Treats

Makes 6 popsicles

1 heaping c of non-fat Greek Yogourt

3 tbsp stevia (Truvia)

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/3 c fresh or frozen raspberries

1 scoop vanilla protein powder, optional

Combine all of the ingredients except for the raspberries and mix well.

Gently fold in the raspberries.

Spoon the mixture into your popsicle mold. Gently tap the mold on the counter to ensure the entire mold is filled.

Insert your popsicle lids/sticks and freeze.

Once frozen, help yourself to this healthy CLEAN treat! My popsicles were a little tricky to pull out of the mold; I really needed to wriggle it around to get it out!

*Note - I added protein powder so that the popsicles fit within the LiveFit diet I am currently following. Personally, I prefer the flavour of the popsicles without. If you aren't following any type of plan right now, I think these would be awesome if you added a bit of crumbled graham crackers instead of the protein powder.

Greek yogourt is so versatile --- it's quickly becoming one of my favourite ingredients!

My favourite all natural sweetener is definitely Truvia.

I got a great deal on a bag of frozen raspberries, but fresh will definitely work as well.

My 6 popsicle molds held exactly 2 cups. Figure out the volume of your cups before you make this and adjust the recipe as necessary so there isn't any waste.

Popsicles are best when enjoyed outside in the sunshine!

Holy mackinaw ~ these are so cold and refreshing and absolutely sinless!

You can enjoy them without one ounce of guilt. 

{YOU.ARE.SO.WELCOME}

What do you do to stay cool in the middle of a heat wave?

Have a great day!

Andrea

xoxo