4 ingredient Ice Cream - that's HEALTHY and Low in calories !!

One of my most favorite things that I would buy and indulge in was- ICE CREAM. Seriously, it was a staple at my house. Walking thru the cold aisle I would automatically scan thru all the yummy flavors. Almost always stopping to pick up Cookies N cream. And my indulgence would begin, after dinner. preferably when the kids where in bed. It was the bowl and I … oh and my husband would almost always have to enjoy several scoops for himself.

It was after some time that I came to the realization that eating ice cream before bed was not good for my waistline. So, my trips to the freezer section became less. And this so called must - HAVE was no longer a priority.

Yes, I still do enjoy ice cream, but the bowl of yummy creaminess is much more enjoyable.

So, when I stumbled upon this recipe that has 4 ingredients from mywholefoodlife.com and there is NO MILK! Say WHAT !

I decided to give it a whirl !

So here are the ingredients

-1 can of coconut
- peppermint flavoring extract- 1/2 tsp
- Maple syrup 2-3 Tablespoons
-Chocolate chips 2 T of

Pour the can of coconut into a bowl - I should have chilled the can of coconut or the mixture after, just an after thought.

My son was eager to be my little helper.

He had to help me and of course dump the maple syrup! I think I would add a little bit  more next time. 

Mix it all up! Make sure to add the extract as well !

Now pour it into your mixer and set it for 18 minutes.

Add the chocolate chips at the 15 minute mark.

Here is my soft serve mixture. Doesn't it look like ice cream !!

He ate it all up! He did make a funny face at first, it threw him off but he was happy !

I had to add FRESH rasper berries to mine !! 

Give this a try and you may be surprised at how much you do like it !!

New School YEAR = FRESH start for YOU !!

I love the start of something new.

A new day

A new week

A new month

And especially a new school year !

For me it helps me to regroup myself and regain my focus. It puts me back on a schedule and makes me push for my GOALS!!

I am a routine kind of person for sure !

Why do I love routines? Well, as a stay at home mom, I need a schedule to follow, goals to reach and limits to push myself to. By having a routine I am giving myself the ability to stay on track. I know that I have a limited amount of time to do all that I need to get done!

And just like children going to school they have a routine that their Teacher gives them to follow. It helps kids to know what to expect and feel secure in and confident in their tasks.

Do you have a routine ? 

If not here are a few tips to help you get started on your own routine.

First what are your GOALS ??

I am a stay at home mom and I have 4 items that I try to focus on everyday. Doesn't mean that I will accomplish everything within my quadrant, BUT it makes me feel more balanced as a person.

Self = exercise, read, decorate, mediate
Family = 1:1 time, eat meal together, read, play game, drive and talk
Home = clean home, bills, shop for food, cook food
Biz = blog, talk to people about opportunity

Now, for me a good day looks something like this

-Wake up to do personal reading (self)
- Jump on computer to work on biz ( Biz )
- Exercise ( self)
- Get breakfast going, lunches made  ( family )
- Throw load in laundry ( home )
- Get ready for day ( self)
- Run errands ( home )
- work on biz ( biz )
- Welcome kids ( family )
- help with homework (family)
- take kids to activities ( family )
- Cook dinner ( home )
- eat with family (family )
- Take care of home clean up (home )
- 30 mins of Biz (biz)
- Get kids ready for bedtime (family)
-  Answer any other messages on Biz (biz)
- Bed time routine and Husband time (family)

For me knowing when MY time is to work on the biz, or my time to have for myself allows me to say ok, this is my scheduled time to buckle down and get to work.

Now there are days when my day does not always line up with how I intended it to go. But, that's ok. Being flexible and allowing room to breathe is all part of wiggle room or white space.

 Realistically, my kids might need more on a given time or they may wake up sooner than intended. If they do then I would reevaluate my day and make sure our needs are being met!

I hope this gives you an idea of how to have balance and set yourself up for a routine.

Would love to hear from you and if you follow one already !

Menu for the week Fist week of July

I need to plan my dinners, every week, by doing this it has saved me money, time and stress. Who would have thought planning dinner would be stressful.


This is what we have on the menu for this week:
* = recipes are on the bottom

Sunday - BBQ chicken, dads instant potatoes, salad

 Monday : Fish with quinoa* and watermelon

 Tuesday: Leftover chicken, made enchiladas with side of pineapple and sweet potato fries* ( I made my own gluten free tortillas* )

 Wed: Tofu with bell pepper, mushrooms, and quinoa

 Thursday : Egg salad sandwich

 Friday : 4th of July Turkey Burgers,

 Saturday : Fish

 Sunday : Will start NEW menu

Here are a few things that I noticed so far:

1-There are always some leftovers, so I need to make sure that they get eaten.
2-Not eating meat is ok and a huge money saver

 How to cook  quinoa 

1- Boil 2 cups of water
2- Add 1 cup of quinoa
3 - lower heat to medium
4- continue to cook it for 15 mins
5- Add s/p
6- When liquid is almost gone BUT not entirely AND you see bubbles in the middle TAKE it OFF
7-Place lid over the pot and let sit for 5 mins
8- ENJOY

You can also add chicken stock or vegetable stock instead of water to give it more flavor.
Store the remaining amount in a container and enjoy !! Eat at breakfast, lunch or dinner to any side or main dish. The possibilities are endless of what you can add.

How to cook Sweet potato fries 

1- Peel the sweet potato
2- Thinly slice it
3- place on cookie sheet @ 420 temp
4- Toss with coconut oil
5- sprinkle your seasonings- a little salt and pepper goes along way !!
6- Every 5-8 mins take out and flip sides to cook evenly
7- depending on thickness will determine amount needed to finish them
8-About 20 mins or so
9- ENJOY !!

Gluten -Free Tortillas 

 -1 CUP of G/F flour mix
 - sprinkle of salt
  - 1/2 tsp of Baking powder
  - 1 tbsp of coconut oil
  - 1 tsp of xathim gum

1- Mix all dry ingredients together
2- Add hot water about 1/3 a cup
( this is where I added too much water at once and I had to add more flour which we all know is not expensive )
3- Once all mixed together then roll boll out and take small balls
4- Roll out tortilla
5- place on hot griddle
6- press down and cook on each side
7- Cook for a few mins on each side
8- ENJOY !

Quick and Easy LUNCH

Don't BE afraid !!

I had the opportunity to watch my daughter perform at her talent show the other day.

She is in the first grade and just turned 7 years old. When she came home with the news that they would be having a talent show at school for her grade and that she WANTED to participate, my husband and I were a bit taken back.

My husband's answer was " That is definitely not something I would have volunteered or agreed to do, she must get that from you (meaning me )"

And, you know what if she did, I think it's great.

She had practiced several times at home, sometimes to music, but in the end she decided that she was not interested in using music.

So there I was with my restless 2 year old watching the other performances go on. And then it was her turn.

 She started her cartwheels, front rolls and finished it with some splits. She stood up and said
"that's it" and then walked off .

Not exactly the way I pictured her to end her performance, but I was so proud of her and the effort and determination she took to get up there and do it.

Sure at last minute she could have backed down and said, I'm not good enough, I don't have a cute outfit, I'm too afraid. But she just did it like it wasn't no BIG thing.

 As her mother it was.

It showed that she wasn't going to let FEAR stand in her way.

What is Fear anyways? 
Fear is something that scares us. Perhaps it's speaking in front of crowds, making new friends, going on a job interview, or asking that special someone on a date.

A lot of these fears that we have are because we fear REJECTION.

But, how else would we know if we can speak in front of a crowd, make new friends, go for that job or ask that girl out if we DON'T TRY ??


That is my hope - my determination - to let others know to FEEL that they CAN !!

iT IS possible to not be afraid- take that leap of FAITH and GO !!

Quinoa - Fast quick meal

I had a busy morning that took me from the library, followed by an unexpected visit to the zoo. I had thought about buying a zoo pass, but hadn't gotten around to it, finally today was the day! The sun was shining and the wind was real calm! So, I was in LOVE !



While at the zoo my snack supply had dwindled to yogurt pretzels for Gavin and a small container of almonds for me. 



When I came home I knew I needed to cook something  that was fast, healthy and YUMMY. Since I was out of, tuna, deli meat, and chicken I knew I had to get creative.



I pulled out my bag of quonia in the freezer, added a drizzle of olive to my pan and allowed it to get warm. I started to chop up onion, garlic and then became side tracked with a phone call from a dear friend.



Still I marched on adding my ingredients to the pan only to realize that it was pretty hot and started popping at me! Yikes!



After turning down the heat, I added frozen spinach, quinoa and  pureed cauliflower to the mix... salt and pepper for taste and garlic powder !! Oh YUM !! Can I say YES !!



I tossed and sauteed it in the pan- and THEN plated my dish !



Wow! I was in heaven !!



This was absolutely filling and tasted soo good ! I didn't miss the meat one bit !!



Recipe for quinoa

 2 cups of quinoa  rinsed under cool water using a strainer

Add 4 cups of water to a pot

Bring the quinoa to a boil 

Salt and stir

and bring it at a boil

Skim off any of the stuff that comes to the top

Let it boil at med heat for 10-12 mins

  you should see small holes in the quinoa appear this will mean it's ready

Take off stove and let it sit for a few min- ENJOY !



When it has cooled down you can  freeze some in a gallon size bag, break off pieces to warm up as needed !



Just know that when your food pantry is low on food you can always cook up an awesome meal with a few staples !

New month + Warmer weather = Get ready for summer outfits !!

I LOVE the beginning of the month… not only do I feel like it's a new opportunity for me to tackle my goals, BUT especially May because that means WARMER weather for us !! Alright !!

I seriously , um love it, - park play dates, jogging outside, letting the sun rays hit you. Oh man- it's going to be great !

I am going to start training for a Half marathon and I am super excited to start, well I was and then I'm like what was I thinking ?? But, I really do love the feeling of just running outdoors and pushing my mind and body to more then I could have ever thought.

But, I am going to incorporate cross training, by using the DVDs ... oh ya! I can already FEEL the burn!!

Other NEWS  

P90X3- is on sale this month along with Turbo Fire. I haven't done Turbo Fire, but I heard amazing things from it.

P90X3, is wacky- ha, really what else is there to say about it! Tony is just wild BUT the guy knows what he is doing ! And you get this AMAZING workout in only 30 minutes !! Woot woot!!

I mean really, if you haven't tried to push yourself doing an intense crazy workout then you need to just dedicate 30 minters of your day and DO IT!!

 I seriously get it done in the morning and then through out the day I have to remind myself that I FINISHED MY workout!! None of this torturing myself with late night workouts. I'm busy during the day and my mind is always thinking and when the night comes I don't want to push myself physically. True story!

Find what works 

Listen if you can get an awesome workout in the evening and have energy to do it THEN go at it, but if you have never tried it in the morning then get some shut eye at night and PLEASE give it a go in the morning- YES thank me later :)

Those are my ramblings - I will check in with you all LATER this week !! Make it GREAT !

Q-Are you a morning person or NIGHT person when it comes to working out ?? Would love to hear in the comments !

Would Love to hear from you- Contact me if you are interested in trying one of these programs out ! Ill Coach you for FREE !!