Homemade Sunflower Seed Butter

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sunflower butter

Sunflower seed butter is a tasty peanut butter alternative! Nut-free and super delicious. You can buy off the shelf but many have added sugar, my favorite are the ones with only ground sunflower seeds and salt so why not make my own! My daughter loves this homemade blend on millet toast, apples, pears or stirred in oatmeal.

Ingredients:

1+1/2 cups roasted sunflower seeds

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 T. coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla

Method:

  1. Grind sunflower seeds for a minute then add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth (or to your liking).
  2. Add a pinch of salt if desired but not needed if seeds already have added salt.
  3. Cover and store in fridge.
  4. Use within 1/2 weeks.

 

Yield: 1 cup

 

 

This recipe was developed for Vitacost.com and featured on their blog:

4-Ingredient Vanilla Sunflower Seed Butter

3-Day Refresh Review and Results

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So I decided to do the 3-day refresh to see what it was all about and also to kick start my progress before diving into the 21 day fix afterwards. I received the shipment in the mail with all of the supplies which includes shakes and exact meal plan. It looked pretty straight forward which was nice and I reviewed all the content with my online VIP group members who wanted to join me in this lil adventure! I shared how they could modify and I ended up modifying it a little bit as I’ll explain below.

My results we pretty exciting!! I shed 4 pounds in 3 days and 2 inches (1 inch from my waist and an inch from my hips)!! It was pretty amazing to see how quickly my body could change in just a few days.

before and after side

 

before and after front

Below is exactly what I ate for the 3 days.

Day#1:

Breakfast:

Shakeology with ⅔ cup blueberries

Espresso

Water

 

Hibiscus tea

Fiber sweep

 

Lunch:

Vanilla fresh with water and ½ cup mango

1 cup cucumber

2 T. avocado

 

Snack:

1 T. sunflower seeds

2 celery stalks

Water

Apple

 

Snack 2: Daily Sunshine with water

 

Dinner: carrots/broccoli/ cauliflower with 1 tsp coconut oil

Vanilla fresh shake with ice and water

 

Evening snack:

Herbal tea

2tsp sunflower butter

 

Day2

Yoga flow, water

Breakfast:

Shakeology with banana, water, ice

Green tea

 

AM snack

Fiber sweep, water

 

Lunch:

Vanilla fresh

Apple, half small avocado, 2 celery stalks

 

Snack:

Espresso

1T sunflower butter with carrots

Half serving Daily Sunshine with water

 

Another tablespoon sunflower butter

 

Dinner:

Vanilla fresh shake

Salad with spinach, cucumber, pumpkin seeds, lemon and apple cider vinegar

 

Pm snack:

½ serving strawberry banana Daily Sunshine

 

Day 3: 

Yoga relax

Water

 

Breakfast:

Shakeology with banana

Green tea

 

Coffee

 

AM Snack:

Fiber sweep with water

 

Lunch:

Vanilla fresh with ice and water

Apple, carrots, 2 Tablespoons pumpkin seeds

 

PM snack:

1T sunflower butter

Celery

Daily sunshine

 

Dinner:

Carrots, broccoli, cauliflower with 1 tsp coconut oil

Vanilla fresh shake

1T sunflower butter

refresh meals

I thought the 3-day refresh was a great experience and I had more energy which surprised me! I thought I would be tired because of the lighter meals but everything was just enough and I did yoga each morning which centered me for the day. I felt very mindful when I was eating and didn’t have cravings for anything more. I liked having an exact plan and did eat an extra serving of fats and protein when I needed it since on the first day I had a little headache but felt better after that. Drinking more tea was nice too and reminded me to slow down. I also drank a lot of water about 80 ounces a day. This was a great experience and I plan on doing this about 4 times a year when the seasons change.

Full disclosure: I am an independent Beachbody coach, I use the products and programs and promote the ones that I love! I run online accountability groups with moms who want do something for themselves each day, self care is so important especially when you have a family to take care of too. I help them choose a fitness program and meal plan that works for their lifestyle and goals.

For questions please email me at: totalhealthcounseling@gmail.com or message me on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamelaHigginsTotalHealthCounseling

Women need weight training too!

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Take care of yourbody (1)

Happy Labor Day weekend!!
I hope you have awesome plans to spend with family and friends! I know there are often bbqs and parties with lots of temptations and it can be challenging to stay on track with healthy eating and especially those summer cocktails that are oh so refreshing in the still crazy hot summer!!

Vitacost put together a free ebook with amazing recipes that are tasty and refreshing! Yours truly is also featured in there. Click to download your free copy so you will have some fun options for drinks!
https://www.vitacost.com/blog/cooking-recipe/best-drinks-recipe-book.html

I have a free offer for you and would love for you to join me! September 5-9thwe are launching a new 5 day workout program called a week of hard labor, featuring the trainer Sagi Kalev! More info click the link:
https://www.beachbodyondemand.com/blog/week-hard-labor-sagi-kalev?ICID=BOD_THB_DTSPHYPE_HERO

I will be hosting this group in a private Facebook group so we can train together!! Don’t worry if you are not the body builder type, I am not either but I do love getting toned up using weights and boosting my metabolism. Weight training is awesome for women, and of course men too!

Are you stuck in a rut doing the same thing over and over, not getting results?
Women need to lift weights to tone up and burn fat. I have just the solution for you(!!), we are launching a new program called A week of hard labor!

In 5 days you will:
💥boost your metabolism
💥breakthrough that annoying plateau
💪gain strength
🙌participate with a fit-minded community
💕support and accountability
🥗🥑🍒clean eating menu to take the guessing out of what to eat
💦 sweat for a cause to help raise money to help those rebuild after#HurricaneHarvey

Click to join this group, enroll in a free 14-day trial to get access! That’s it!
BONUS: Refer 3 friends and enter a drawing to win a $20 Target gift card!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1674890842820718/
*Must not already have a Beachbody coach or be a coach yourself.

Living in South Florida, I know the devastation and heartbreak hurricanes cause and it’s often the aftermath that leaves us struggling and needing help to recover. Please read below for details about helping raise money to rebuild after the storm.

Please join me next week in support of the Red Cross Hurricane Disaster through Beachbody on Demand to help raise money for those affected by the storm!

Let’s be part of something bigger together, let’s sweat for a cause! You can join for a free 14-day trial to help raise $100,000 next week! I’m so proud to align myself with a company that helps out when tragedies strike.

From Carl Daikeler our CEO:
“In addition to other things Beachbody and it’s amazing coaches and customers are doing to support the communities affected by the hurricane, the Beachbody Foundation will donate $1 to the American Red Cross Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief, for the first 100,000 streams of the new “A Week Of Hard Labor” program between Tuesday Sept 5th to Saturday Sept 10th. ⠀
⠀
Just complete one of the “A Week Of Hard Labor” routines on Beachbody On Demand, and we will donate $1 for every workout, up to $100,000, to help our friends in Houston.” #HurricaneHarvey

Cherry Cheesecake Dip

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Cherry cheesecake dip

Love cheesecake but no time to bake?? Oh and you’re not into all that heavy dairy, me neither! Whip up this no bake dip and top with crumbled cookies for a fancy looking and delicious dessert. Serve in a pie plate or make individual portions! Either way, get ready for raves reviews.

IMG_0454

Ingredients for Cheesecake dip:
8oz vegan cream cheese
1 can full can coconut milk (place in fridge to chill then scoop out solid milk for recipe, about 1 cup)
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Ingredients for Cherry topping:
2 cups organic frozen cherries, pitted
½ cup water
2 tsp vanilla
2T. Organic cane sugar
1 T. Tapioca flour

1 box vanilla honey graham Cookies

Method:

1. Whisk together until smooth vegan cream cheese, coconut milk cream, maple syrup and vanilla.
2. Cover and chill for an hour.

For topping:

1. Add cherries, water, vanilla, and sugar to a small sauce pan.
2. Bring to a boil then simmer 5 minutes.
3. Stir in tapioca then remove from heat.
4. Set aside to cool then place in fridge to chill.
Note: Do not put warm cherry topping on cheesecake dip. Duh! 😉

Assemble:
1. Layer cheesecake dip on pie plate then top with cherries and crumbled cookies.
2. Or portion into individual cups layering with dip first then cherries and cookie crumbles.

Yield: 6 servings

Crockpot Chicken and Veggie Soup

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When I have a sore throat all I want is chicken soup and muffins, blueberry muffins! I didn’t have any muffins stashed in my freezer or have the desire to make them but I DID have all the ingredients to make this very soup! What is your go-to food when you are under the weather?

All you have to do here is chop a few veggies and throw them in the crockpot, it doesn’t take long at all. Ready in 2 hours on High or 4 hours on Low.

IMAG5329

Ingredients:

1# organic chicken breasts (or thigh if you prefer)

2 medium carrots, sliced

3 celery stalks and leaves, sliced

1 shallot, chopped

2 small zucchini, sliced

1/2 tsp pink salt

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf (remove before serving)

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

6 cups filtered water

Method:

1. Cut veggies and add to crockpot then add whole chicken breasts to crockpot (you will shred these once cooked!).

2. Pour in water and stir in spices.

3. Cover and set to cook on High for 2 hours or Low for 4 hours.

4. remove chicken from crockpot and shred, then add back to soup and stir.

5. Ladle soup into bowls.

Yield: 8 cups

I think she liked the soup?! Honor preferred to put it in the pocket of her bib and pick it from there and eat it Smile

Plenty made it to the floor for our dog to happily lick it all up, hah!

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Please enjoy my short, sweet and embarrassing video talking about our dinner 🙂