Guess who’s back, back again!

So, I’ve been MIA for a while, it sucks, March was really hard on me this year. As I’ve mentioned before I’m bipolar and so winter is really tough for me some times, and because this winter has been especially long and especially cold, not to mention especially dark and gloomy, it has taken it has taken its toll on my mental being.

But alas, the winter is finally over, the snow is melting, the days are longer and getting warmer. It’s time for me to make my comeback!

Not only did I have trouble with March but I also missed 3 weeks of pole class! Unbelievable, I know! The first week was because of weather, we had a massive snow storm and let me tell you, one winter accident is enough for me! Then the next week I was beginning to get a sinus infection and tried to beat it by staying home and going to bed early, and then the next week I actually managed to get a sinus infection because my daughter was sick.

This Wednesday was the first day back to pole and I was still a little sick so it was really tough to spend the energy needed.

So this week I got a move called the rubber pencil.

It was really funny because I thought that I was way more bent than I looked. I was hanging upside down thinking, man my feet must be so close to my head. You get down and look at the picture and it’s like damn… not even close! But that’s okay, it’s a goal to work towards, and I’m fully aware my back flexibility isn’t that great.

Oh that’s another thing I’m irritated about! Because of my 3-4 week “break” I’ve lost so much flexibility in my legs, I was so upset and disappointed. But my teacher said that I should be able to get it back a little easier now because I trained myself. So I felt a little better about that.

Anyways, how about I leave you with a delicious recipe since I haven’t done that for you in a while.

This is not a healthy recipe… not at all… but Easters coming up so why not be a little bad!

http://www.wearenotmartha.com/

Cadbury Egg Milkshake (makes 2)

• 20 wrapped caramel
• 1 T half and half
• 1/4 C chocolate sauce
• 3 C vanilla ice cream
• 3/4 C milk (I used Silk Vanilla Soy Milk)
• 1 C Cadbury Mini Eggs
• 2 Cadbury Creme Eggs

 

1) If making caramel sauce from scratch, melt caramels with 1 T half and half over medium heat and stir until smooth. Remove from burner to cool, stirring every now and then.

2) In a blender, combine ice cream, 3/4 C milk (of your choice), and Cadbury Mini Eggs. Blend until smooth.

3) Pour into a glass and stir in chocolate sauce and caramel sauce. Top with a Cadbury Creme Egg for garnish.

 

Until next week mes amours!

 

#FrontSplitsFriday & delicious mousse!

Today is #FrontSplitsFriday! And it’s week 4 which means it’s comparison week to the very first week and I have to say I’m pretty pleased with the results.

Here’s my splits for this week.

As you’ll notice it is morning, I needed a break last night because my arm started to hurt a little so I didn’t work out last night. I did some stretches beforehand to try and warm up my muscles but I feel like I could have gone even further if it was after I had done some cardio and really warmed up my body. You can see I’m wearing my sweater because my house was really cold this morning.

And here’s the comparison.

My calf is definitely touching the group more which means my stretch is lower. As well as you can see less of the pole than the first time. So I’m relatively pleased with the results. It really helps to have a comparison I must admit, it’s such a small difference that if I wasn’t photographing it I probably wouldn’t realize it, and I would have slowed down on my stretches because I would have felt that I wasn’t making any progress. But now I feel like trying harder than ever, I am so hell bent on getting these splits down, I know my right side is going to be before my left side that is for sure. I’m going to try and stay in my splits for a couple minutes now and watch a tv show or something to distract me from the time.

All I have to say is TGIF! Not because I work but because my love works and weekends are the time we get to spend together that’s not just eating then bed a couple hours later. I go to bed relatively early because my daughter is exhausting. She’s a little bundle of energy that is like non-stop. So by the end of the day if I have enough energy to work out it’s a miracle.

So something fun today! PDBloggers have teamed up with bodybinds to have a contest and the winner gets $200 towards a purchase on their site. Let me tell you, you need the $200! There’s so much lovely wear and it’s so expensive. I guess not bad for some people but when you have a house and bills and a child to pay for $200 is a lot! But I have to say it looks like it’s worth it, they’re absolutely lovely and work so well with pole because you’ll still get side stick and every other stick while looking sexy as hell!

Just click on the image below to go and enter the contest!

Click to go and enter yourself!

I think once I have more of an audience I may try to run a contest as well. That could be fun, maybe have some art as a prize or something from Poleitical Clothing! It could be fun!

Alright now to leave you off with something delicious because I forgot to yesterday!

Since my other mousse was so successful, here is another one I happened to stumble on. It’s a bit easier to make as well, easier than getting prunes and pitting them because this is made with delicious avocado, and if you’re like “ewww Avacado and chocolate?!” don’t be ridiculous, that sounds delicious, and avocado doesn’t have a taste when mixed with other things…. In fact I’m going to make this today it looks so delicious… IN FACT I’m going to have this after I have my avocado grilled cheese for lunch! Now I’m just hungry…

Well that’s all for this week mes amours! Let’s hope next week is a better one, I know I’m expecting some cold weather here, but it’s kind of like jack frosts middle finger couple of days as we start to head into warmer weather because he can’t go quietly!

I found Waldo! …well… Alex!

First off I’d like to say how I realized just how bad yesterdays’ title of my blog sounded. By “Olympic size mistake” I meant the mistake among the pole community thinking that it was the little girl who was going to be in the Olympics, not that Alex was a mistake. I think his performance, although short, was brilliant. I’m pretty sure it was him, that’s what I’ve been told at least, but I was also told Olga was going to perform, so who knows! I can’t imagine how hard it would be to hold an Iron X for that long, let alone on a moving vehicle!

Secondly…I found it! I went through the opening ceremony again and found Alexandr Magala! Here’s the seriously short video I took of the Canadian coverage of the opening ceremony.

As brief as it was I’m still extremely proud that we had a pole dancer in the Olympics doing a move that advanced pole dancers do!

So I’m having issues with my right forearm and I’m wondering if anyone knows what I can do about it. I know how I did it, it was too many extended butterflies on Friday, which is the picture below.

Also too many starfishes, which in my studio is the below move.

It always hurts my wrist when releasing from that move. I’m not able to hold onto anything hard, or put pressure on my arm right now. It also hurts to carry my daughter because of it. I have pilates tonight and I’m not willing to miss it because I’ve took the last couple days off from exercise because I haven’t been able to do anything. Even typing is hurting! I’m so frustrated with it. Even worse is I have pole on Wednesday and I’m definitely not up for missing that! But I also don’t want to injure myself further.

I think I’ll have to make time to visit my doctors soon, it has even been making hard to sleep because it sends a pain shooting through my forearm. If anyone has any suggestions on how to help ease the pain, I’m am all ears!

Well now, I don’t think I’ve given you guys a recipe in a while, so here’s a special treat for today!

 

Almost No Sugar Ice Cream Grahamwiches

Ingredients

• Approximately 30 graham crackers, broken in half
• Large box sugar free Instant Chocolate Pudding
• 8 ounces sugar free or lite whipped topping*
• Milk
• Sprinkles and nuts, optional

Instructions

1. Prepare pudding with milk, according to package directions. Whip in whipped topping and blend until smooth.
2. Place a large dollop on a graham cracker and top with another. Dip each side into sprinkles or nuts if desired.
3. Place in individual zipper seal sandwich bags and freeze until firm.

 

I’ve made these in the summer time as a healthy alternative to ice cream sandwiches and let me tell you, they are just as delicious. They hit the spot and I could honestly enjoy these any time of the year!

Well let’s see how well pilates goes tonight! Until tomorrow mes amours!

Week 1: Plow & 37 Calorie Treat! Amaze-balls!

Alright, so being the start of February PDBloggers have a new photo promp challenge out! Exciting!

There were a few last month I wasn’t able to do, I didn’t do floor work because I literally had no idea what to do so I skipped it, and off pole inversions which I had an idea for but wound up unable to complete due to the freezing weather here in Canada.

But this month I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to complete all of them, and I request you to join in with me!

Photo from http://www.pdbloggers.com

I’ve already completed the first week, I did a plow variation.

Plow being this:

I think I may shock them with my pointed feet though. I never realized how freakishly flexible my feet are until my pole teacher pointed it out. It was pretty funny, she looked at them and immediately said “I need a picture of that!” I didn’t know that it was something people strived for, so that’s pretty cool!

Warm up is something I’m trying to figure out still. I don’t want it to be boring so I’m still working on it. Maybe I’ll put a photo collage together of my favorite warm up!

And then there’s the last one, Booty, Booty, Booty WHAT! This’ll be fun, everyone loves a good booty! And I have just the picture for it with some awesome booty shorts/panties from Poleitical Clothing.

That’s the one thing has really improved since taking pole, my self-image. I have come to learn to love my body since starting pole. Sure there’s still things I would fix, like the loose skin on my stomach from having a baby, but that takes time and every mother knows that.

So the other day I found the most delicious recipe ever, and I’m going to be nice enough to share it with you, 37 Calorie Brownies! (When cut into 9 pieces) Super easy to make with ingredients that aren’t some ridiculous thing that you have a hard time finding in a grocery store.

Image from http://www.bromabakery.com/

3/4 cup nonfat greek yogurt (Make sure to check that there is no transfats in your yougurt)
1/4 cup skim milk
1/2 cup Cocoa powder
1/2 cup Old fashioned rolled oats (like Quaker)
1/2 cup Truvia (or any natural/stevia based sweetener that pours like sugar)
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt

Preheat the oven to400°F. Grease a square baking dish (I used 8″x8″). Combine all incredients into a food processor or a blender, and blend until smooth (about 1 minute). Pour into the prepared dish and bake for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting into 9 large squares.

Optional: Add about 1/4 cup of chocolate chips to the batter. This brings the calorie count up to about 65 calories per brownie.

Parties, Olympics and…Lemons?

Hope you had a wonderful weekend my lovely blog readers! I had a very busy weekend, wasn’t able to pole at all. It’s my daughters 4^th birthday tomorrow and with such a large family she had a birthday party both Saturday and Sunday, and today she’s bringing cupcakes to preschool and tomorrow is her actual birthday so we’re doing activities then as well. It’s the first child/grandchild syndrome, she’s spoiled to all hell!

Saturday I was so tired after setting up the party, having the party and then cleaning up after the party that I was just too exhausted to pole, and in bed by 7:30. Sunday night I went to my mom’s for the party but I was feeling ill most of the time so when we got home at 6 I was in bed out of fear of missing pilates and pole. So now I’m downing cold FX like it’s the holy grail of medicine! I have yet to miss a pole class since level 1 so I don’t plan on starting now!

So excited news in the pole world, Olga Trifonova, an 11 year old Russian Pole Dancer who won a Russian Talent show will be performing at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Olympics. She is an amazing talented young lady, with unbelievable skills.

This’ll be a big step in the direction of getting pole dancing into the Olympics. Apparently before a sport is accepted in the committee showcases it to see how people react to it. In my opinion this’ll open a lot of people’s eyes to the fact that pole dancing doesn’t have to be sexual, and often times is not. It’s an art, and an incredible display of gymnastics. I full heartedly believe that after this pole dancing will be on its way to being accepted into the Olympics. And while I feel like I’ll be too old to compete and not at the level that some of these people are at, maybe it’s something my daughter could one day compete in. I would be proud to watch her compete in pole dancing.

It’s about time people separated it from its erotic counterpart of stripping in clubs. So I don’t know about you but I’ll be glued to the T.V this February 7^th to watch pole dancing pretty much make its debut into the everyday world of people who had no idea it could be such hard work and beauty.

Hopefully I’m able to get back into pole tonight, I find myself getting an itch for pole if I haven’t done it in a couple of days. I look at my pole and whimper because all I want to do is practice my routine and moves.

Today I’m going to leave you with a delicious new recipe I’ve learned over the weekend.

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com

Slim Lemon Squares

Makes: 16 servings

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
3/4 cup all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
2/3 cup granulated sugar plus 3 tablespoons
1/2 stick cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 egg
1 egg white
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Directions
1. Coat an 8-x-8-x-2-inch baking pan with nonstick spray; set pan aside.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine 3/4 cup flour and 3 tablespoons sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Pat mixture onto the bottom of prepared pan. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in the same bowl, combine egg and egg white. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until frothy. Add remaining sugar and flour, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon water, and baking powder. Beat on medium 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Pour mixture over baked layer in pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes more or until edges are light brown and center is set. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
4. Sift powdered sugar over top. Cut into 16 bars. Store in refrigerator.

Nutrition facts per serving (1 bar): 100 calories, 1g protein, 17g carbohydrate, 3g fat (2g saturated), 0g fiber

 

Keep an eye out Wednesday for my next blog post! Remember this week I’ve gone down to 3 posting a week, taking it for a test drive, come September I’ll be down to 1 a week due to school.

Until Wednesday mes amours!

Short and Sweet, a delicious post!

Good morning lovely people! I got my new camera in yesterday, I’m now trying to figure out exactly what to photograph with it. The picture quality is fantastic, and the filters are also great although lets be honest, nothing beats a good instagram filter. Yes you can call me #obsessed! I’m also really handy with photoshop though, but some days it’s just easier to use instagram.

Not much happening today to be honest. Started Alice off with a healthy breakfast filled with fruits, she so silly. Tonight I plan to work out and pole, do a quick routine because my muscles are still suffering from Wednesday. Which is really funny because I worked out for the two weeks we were off pole but I pushed myself hard that night.

Exciting news, I’ll be working the booth with my home studio when sexapalooza comes next month. I’m seriously excited to do it. I love pole, and I love to spread the word of pole! I promise we’re not a cult, we’re just very VERY enthusiastic about this lifestyle. I’m hoping we get some “I ❤ Pole Dance” shirts for volunteering but I’ll buy one regardless!

I’m looking into getting some pants and maybe new shoes to wear for the event, although I may just buy new shoes at the event to be honest. I’m also thinking I might make up some business cards for the event to my blog so that I can get more traffic. Which means today I’ll be getting my domain name so it’s no longer .wordpress.com

I’m sorry this post is so short, so I’ll leave you with a delicious healthy recipe!

Recipe & picture from http://vegan-magic.blogspot.ca

Chocolate Mousse

• 1 can (400 ml) creamy coconut milk (silky smooth texture, high fat content – see update)
• 5 Tb (1/3 cup) cocoa powder
• 1 cup (tightly packed) soft dried dates (18 in this case)
• a few drops of vanilla extract

• 4 small ramekins, glasses or cups to serve

Instructions

Refrigerate the can of coconut milk overnight to solidify and separate. Carefully turn it upside down, open and discard the transparent liquid
Pit and halve the dates (if they are not soft, place them for a few minutes in warm water until they start to soften, then drain and chop). Place them in a tall jug, add 2 rounded Tb coconut milk and blend with a stick blender on high. Or in a food processor!

If you don’t mind those tiny bits of date skin, you can just add the remaining coconut milk and cocoa powder and blend together until smooth, then finally add the vanilla (or your preferred flavouring). If you want a smoother texture, strain the paste, then mix in the rest.

 

If you enjoyed this recipe check out the rest of my blog! I am always putting up new treats, I even have a treat category! Click HERE to go to the posts with delicious and usually healthy (I like to spoil myself and have something not so healthy on occasion) Follow me on WordPress for all your delicious updates!

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On this eve of Christmas!

Good morrow! I apologize for no post yesterday; I’ve been feeling quite ill lately. Just before Christmas, that’s my luck! Today will be a short post as well because of the same reason. Really I just wanted to get on here so I could wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays because for obvious reasons I won’t be putting up a post tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, I will be up super early, not because of my daughter but because Bell (a tv/phone/internet provider here in Canada) has decided that they are going to pull my love into work on Christmas day. How Scrooge-ish! I was pretty upset, I mean like everything is closed on Christmas, with the exception to places that need to be open, like hospitals and the buses, but really does bell have to be, do people need internet installed that badly that they can’t wait a day. I guess it’s important for people to have their phones, in case of emergency, but still, I feel like they could have looked for volunteers and then if they didn’t have enough start to assign people. Because there are people who don’t celebrate Christmas, or don’t have family to do anything with, and you get paid time and a half on that day, I’m sure they’d be willing to work for the extra money.

Anyways, that’s enough complaining from me! We still get to have some time in the morning because we’ll be waking up early. I’m excited to see that wide eyed joyful look on my daughters face when she sees the presents from Santa, such a magical time. This year all my Christmas money is going towards my pole-tuition for January, money well spent!

Before I leave you, I’m going to give those of you with kids, or even those of you who just like treats, a recipe to do with the children! Santa cookies!

 

Peanut butter Blossoms

Recipe and photo from parade.com

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup shortening
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ cup white sugar (for decoration)
• 2 (9-oz) bags milk chocolate candy kisses, unwrapped

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, cream together shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar, and 1 cup white sugar until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating until fully incorporated. Mix in milk and vanilla.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to the peanut butter mixture until well blended.
4. Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in remaining white sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to12 minutes. Remove from oven, and immediately press a chocolate kiss into each cookie. Allow to cool completely; the kiss will harden as it cools.

Now this makes about 80 cookies, and lets face it, Santa doesn’t need 80 cookies. But the reason I like this recipe is because I also get to bring some to the Christmas party, or give as gifts!

 

Merry Christmas all!

No pole?! Conflicted emotions!!

So I had a fantastic class last night! It was our last class of lvl 5 which meant dress up class. Obviously being so close to Christmas, that was our theme! I had a blast, picked up a new move, got to see my ladies, took some pictures, it was great!

Merry Polemas!

The move I picked up last night is the starfish! I’m very excited about this because a move I’ve always wanted to do is the superman and I know this is one of the ways to get into it which means I’m one step closer to accomplishing it. The shoulder mount was my goal for so long and I accomplished that a couple of weeks ago so I needed a new goal. Unfortunately it’s Christmas break for my home studio so they’re closed for 2 weeks. Don’t get me wrong, everyone needs their breaks, plus it’s Christmas, so I’m excited, but still sad, it’s very conflicting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also made a little Christmas gift for my pole ladies. A home made lotion I call Dancing Girl Lotion, and thank god they loved it because I was nervous about giving it to them. I am with anything home made, because you work on something to make a gift personal so all you can hope is  they like it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Me and my ladies! We’re all pretty awesome and they make pole even better. It’s always nice to have good friends doing what you all love together, it makes it so much easier to get new moves when you have these ladies cheering you on. I really love this picture.

 

 

 

 

 

Corinne (my wonderful pole instructor) and I. We wound up wearing very similar outfits! Worked out well that mine was green and hers was red. Corinne is a huge inspiration of mine, she amazes me with all she can do and she looks like she does it with such ease! Although I know better than that, I know the discipline and dedication it takes to learn and preform  moves.

Short post today because my little one has gymnastics this morning, but I’ll leave you with another delectable recipe!

Clean Eating Chocolate Mint Fudge

Makes 12 Squares.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Plain Pumpkin Puree
• 1/4 Cup Natural Cocoa
• *2 Scoops Chocolate Protein Powder (Optional)
• 1/8 Cup Honey (you can use agave, maple etc)
• 3 Packets of Stevia
• 1/3 Cup of Natural Plain Cashew Butter
• 1/3 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips
• 1/2 Tsp Mint Extract (or peppermint)

*1 scoop protein powder is usually about a ¼ cup.

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients (except chocolate chips) in a bowl with a spoon until smooth. Having your nut butter at room temperature helps this process go faster.
2. I used an 8×8 baking pan. First I took cling wrap and covered the bottom and sides of the pan. Then I added the batter on top.
3. Top with chocolate chips evenly.
4. Then I took another sheet of cling wrap and covered the batter. This is easy, less messy and I do not have to fight to get the fudge out when I am ready to serve it.
5. Place in freezer over night.
6. Remove from freezer and cut into 12 squares. Serve immediately. Keep the cut fudge covered in the freezer until ready to eat.
7. This is a cold treat.

Good for after workouts because it’s packed with protein, and especially delicious because of it’s chocolate-y goodness! Until tomorrow mes amours!

Ho Ho Ho…ly Hell it’s only a week until Christmas!

Kahlua Peppermint mocha! Delicious!

Panic parents, panic! It’s only a week until Christmas! Get ready for the chaos that is the holidays. Family dinners, travel, the gifts, it’s all coming in a week! Personally I finished my Christmas shopping for my little one last week. I didn’t get her nearly as much as I got her last year; I realized that the more toys she has doesn’t make her happier, she was just as happy to play with the boxes. So I went with this rule I saw on Facebook for gift giving to your kids.

1. One thing they want
2. One thing they need
3. One thing they wear
4. One thing they read

I think those are pretty decent rules to live by. Plus you know they always get at least one present from Santa as well. A tradition I like to do with my daughter is the toy donation that happens in my city every year, not only does it teach her the gift of giving, but it also teaches her that not everything we buy is for her, and even though it may be a toy she wants, there’s someone else out there not as fortunate as we are and who would appreciate it a lot more.

This year I’ve been able to use Santa as a threat, and it’s been wonderful. It’s the first year my daughter has really understood who Santa was. So when she’s acting up, which happens often because she is the spawn of me, I just tell her “Santa’s watching!” and it quickly becomes “I’ll be happy mommy!” It’s fantastic and I plan to milk this all I can during this one month just as my parents did to me!

On a slightly sadder note, I don’t know how to say this, I get all choked up. Pole class goes on break for 2 weeks! I know I’m so sad!  They take a Christmas break so that means no pole until the week of January 6^th. It’s tragic really. But everyone deserves their Christmas break so I’m not mad, just sad. But I hope to see my pole girls during the break because I can’t go 2 weeks without seeing them!

Tonight is also dress-up night so prepare for some Christmas themed pole pictures tomorrow; I’m wearing a cute two piece green Santa dress. I’m thinking I might bring my good DSLR camera to get some good quality not camera phone pics; although these days camera phones are very impressive.

Since I haven’t done it in a while, here’s a recipe for today, a healthy delicious holiday treat!

Photo from eatingwell.com

LUSCIOUSLY NUTTY HOLIDAY LOGS

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup plus 5 teaspoons sugar, divided
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 8 sheets phyllo dough, (9-by-14-inch), thawed
• Canola oil cooking spray

TOPPING

• 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
2. To prepare logs: Combine nuts, 1/3 cup sugar, orange zest, cinnamon and cloves in a small bowl.
3. Place one sheet of phyllo dough on a clean, dry surface. Coat thoroughly with cooking spray. Top with another sheet of phyllo and coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle one-quarter of the walnut mixture (about 1/3 cup) evenly over the phyllo.
4. Using a sharp knife, cut the large phyllo rectangle lengthwise into 3 strips then in half crosswise to form 6 smaller rectangular strips.
5. Beginning at the short ends, loosely roll each strip into a neat log. Repeat with the remaining phyllo and walnut mixture.
6. Place the logs about 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Spray tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with the remaining 5 teaspoons sugar.
7. Bake the logs, in batches, until golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely.
8. To prepare topping: Place chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe dish. Microwave on High for 30 seconds. Stir. Continue to microwave for 20-second intervals until melted, stirring after each interval. Transfer the chocolate to a plastic sandwich bag. Snip off one corner, being careful not to make the opening too large. Squeeze the melted chocolate decoratively across the top of each cooled log. Let stand at room temperature until the chocolate is completely set.

TIPS & NOTES

• Make Ahead Tip: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze without the chocolate drizzle (Step 8) for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature before decorating with the chocolate drizzle.

NUTRITION

Per cookie: 76 calories; 4 g fat ( 1 g sat , 1 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 9 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein; 1 gfiber; 31 mg sodium; 36 mg potassium.

Recipe from http://www.eatingwell.com

Snow Day!

That’s right people, it’s a snow day! Which I know some of you are groaning at but it’s so beautiful! We got 15-25 cm of snow from last night to this morning. And the majority of it came between 2 and 6 because I was up at 2 and it wasn’t that bad and I wake up at 6 with my little one, and there’s so much now! My little one is absolutely thrilled, as soon as she’s done breakfast we’re going outside to shovel, well my love and I will shovel, my little one will be fooling around in the snow. I expect no less from her!

Well my cool down routine was quite the success yesterday so I’m thinking I may do another warm up and cool down sometime soon. They’re such important parts of your work out and there are so many different ways to do them. Also I may include a routine to increase your flexibility. While I’m not fully flexible, where I am now compared to where I was in the summer is amazing. I’ve never been flexible in my life, but if you keep working on it, it will happen!

So one thing about me that you don’t know is that I love Christmas! Christmas music (I don’t work in retail so I don’t have to listen to it for 8 hours a day 5 days a week, so I’m not sick of it just yet), Christmas trees, Christmas baking! Another major love of mine is anything candy cane… seriously… if it has the name candy cane in it, I’m there. The peppermint hot chocolates are at McDonald’s and Timmies right now and I’m just crazy for them. For the holiday season I’m switching up from my Chocolate Cherry Protein Shake for breakfast.

Introducing the…

Vanilla Candy Cane Protein Shake

From youngmarriedchic.com

 

WHAT!?! Amazing right! Doesn’t it just look like something you could have ALL the time! I’m drooling right now just looking at the picture. What’s that? Hmmm? “Elise show us how to make such a delectable treat!” Well I guess I could, all of you are pretty fantastic!

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of lowfat cottage cheese or 0% greek yogurt
• 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
• Few drops of peppermint extract, to taste (be careful- it’s strong!)
• 1 tbsp of  instant vanilla pudding dry mix (A lot of recipes call for sugar free pudding, but honestly the risk of ingesting aspartame greatly outweighs the sugar content of regular pudding)
• sweetener to taste (I used stevia)
• 1 small piece of candy cane, crushed
• 4 oz water, start with that and add more if you want to thin it out
•  ice

Instructions

1.  Mix all together in a blender- blend it up!
2.  Pour in a glass and garnish with chopped candy canes

Now this still constitutes as a treat, because of the sugar in Candy Canes and the pudding. But you know what, a treat like this a couple times a week isn’t all that bad, and if it hits that sweet tooth for you and keeps you away from the chocolate bars and ice cream then good!

Yum yum! If that looks good to you then just get ready for the whole 24 days up to Christmas because it’ll be filled with healthy treats as well as just plain old treats, because once in a while its nice to indulge in something we love. Until tomorrow!