Matcha Green Protein Smoothie

Love matcha, ya me too… What I don’t love is all the sugar that traditional coffee shops put in their matcha!  So today I am sharing with you an easy way to enjoy matcha, plus it has almost 20 grams of protein in each smoothie.  This could be a great way to start your day, to drink after a workout, or simply a healthy treat at the end of your day.

Enjoy!

Eat Real Food.  Be Healthy.  Feel Amazing. 

Looking for more healthy recipes?  Check out my blog!

Healthy Back to School Treats

Are you looking for a quick, easy and healthy back to school treat for your kid’s lunchbox?  Well look no further!  This treat is super simple to make and you can store the cut bars in the freezer for up to two months.  This recipe is also gluten, dairy and soy free- plus you can make it nut free by swapping out the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter.  Here’s the details:

CHOCOLATE-PB CRUNCH BARS

3 cups QUINOA FLAKES (I use Ancient Harvest brand)

1 1/2 cup CHOCOLATE CHIPS, DAIRY FREE (I use Enjoy Life brand)

1 cup PEANUT BUTTER (I use Wild Friends brand)

1/2 cup MAPLE SYRUP

1/4 cup COCONUT OIL

  1. Melt the chocolate, peanut butter, syrup and oil, stirring until creamy and combined.
  2. In a large bowl, dump in the quinoa flakes and pour over the chocolate mixture. Mix well to fully combine.
  3. Spread evenly and push down flat into a 9×13 baking dish lined with parchment paper.
  4. Put in the freezer for 1 hour prior to cutting into 24 equal squares.

Servings: 24 | Nutrition for each bar: 5g protein, 25g carbs, 13g fat, 3g fiber

Enjoy! | Eat Real Food.  Be Healthy.  Feel Amazing. 

Looking for more healthy recipes to keep you and your family healthy this school year?  Check out my blog!

MY CURRENT STRUGGLE

We all struggle. 

We are all more alike than we are different.

What once worked for us may not work in the present. 

Control is a funny thing, the more you try to control the more you seem lose control.

Often what people present in person or online is not a true reflection of their current state.

I was hesitant to make this post today.  It is raw and real but I know that I am not the only one that struggles and so I am sharing my story with you in hopes that it will help.  In hopes that it will help you stop controlling, that it will help you to find more joy in our everyday, and under it all, help you to love yourself no matter what.  For me that means no matter what weight or body composition I am.  This is my current struggle..

My husband’s 40th birthday is March 15th.  I always do something fun to surprise him for his birthday and this year is not different.  My body and hormones have been all over the place this year since regaining my menstrual cycle in January after it being gone for about a year, since my body fat percentage was so low from competing in bodybuilding shows.  There’s these favorite pants that I have that my husband loves my booty in, and while I can put them on right now they don’t actually “fit” – if you know what I mean.  So, I set out to lose a couple lbs before his birthday and get my ass looking right in his favorite pants.  Nothing drastic, just starting to track my macros again and be very consistent with my nutrition and workouts to tighten up a bit.  We are now on week 4.  My results?  I’ve gain weight.  To be clear, I have gained 12 lbs- in the last 2 days alone I’ve gained 5lbs.  This morning I saw a number on the scale that I have not seen in over 4 years.  When I saw that number today, I could have done one of two things- tighten the control, scrutinize my diet and exercise more, do more everyday to control this weight loss OR sit and do a little inquiry.  Don’t get me wrong, yesterday I picked tighten control and doing more, and that shit did not work.  Today, I chose inquiry.  What does inquiry mean?  Inquiry is simple, it’s asking yourself those tough questions- you know those ones that you try to avoid- then answering them.  Answering them honestly and completely.  You may not have all the answers at first, but they will come don’t stress.

Here is a snapshot of what I asked myself this morning:

What are you avoiding when you try to control?

What are you learning from this current struggle?

Why does the scale matter so much to you right now?

Is your “ideal” body image slightly disillusioned by your super lean body when competing?

What or who’s expectation are your trying to live up to?

What matters most in your life right now?

How can I help others with what I am going through?

Here are some of my thoughts from my journal:

Controlling food is easy for me.  Controlling food allows me to focus on something simple and not worry about what is coming up for me.  I am more than my weight and body image and YES I do hold myself to a higher, possibly impossible standard because of being lean so often over the last 5 years.  I care what I look like too much.  I am comparing myself to others in the fitness industry too much.  I need to focus on what I love about my body and what it can do for me.  I have MS and I have had if for over 10 years.  I can still walk, talk, see and pretty much have zero symptoms because of my healthy lifestyle- I need to be SO SUPER grateful for this HUGE fact.  The scale only matters in my head, no one else cares what I weigh. My value is not tied to the number on the scale.  Joal (hubs) still loves me and thinks I am drop-dead gorgeous if I don’t wear his favorite pants.  In fact, he loves my curvy body WAY more than my super lean body.  What matters most now is that I find time to smile and laugh daily, that I fulfill my purpose in life to help others on their health journey, that I find time to connect and build relationships and that I love myself- NOW, TODAY, not when I reach a certain number on the scale, fit into a certain pair of pants or live up to the body composition expectation that I have built in my own head that no one else gives a shit about.  This self-love is what will bring me true inner joy, freedom and confidence.  If I think about it, even when I am super lean. I still have doubts in my head about myself.  Love myself today and tomorrow and when I am curvy and when I am lean and all the days in between…

This shit is hard. It’s not fun but once you can get to the other side, it’s worth it.  It’s so worth the feeling of freedom, the feeling of confidence, the feeling of true self-love.

So that’s my story for today.  I hope that by reading this you find comfort in the fact that we all struggle.  We are all one.  And that together, we can all lift each other up instead of secretly tearing ourselves down.

Please feel free to reach out if you want to connect on this topic. 

Email me at: carmen@carmenohling.com

By the way, I am still going to be eating nutritious food and working out consistently- I am not stopping that… just simply stopping all the controlling, numbing and stupid unachievable expectations that I could never meet.

Sending each of you lots of love and light today.

Carmen

 

LOW CALORIE ALCOHOL BEVERAGES

LOW CALORIE ALCOHOL BEVERAGES

New Year’s Eve is often a time when you will have an adult beverage- meaning you will drink alcohol.  So, today, I’ve put together my top list of tasty, yet low calorie beverages.  But first, let’s do a recap of how your body metabolizes alcohol:

Alcohol is 7 calories per gram, however is has zero nutritional value.  In addition, your liver must detoxify your body of the poison you have consumed (yes, alcohol is a poison), so it can no longer do its job of helping you burn fat.  Hence, if your trying to lose weight alcohol is not your friend.  I recommend limiting alcohol and reserving it only for special occasions, like New Year’s Eve!

So here we go, my favorite low-calorie alcohol beverages and a comparison of other beverages:

Club Soda + Vodka + Muddled Fresh Mint, Orange, Lemon and Lime

Club Soda + Vodka + 1/2 scoop of Grape Ultima Replenisher Electrolyte Powder + Fresh Lemon

Diet Ginger Ale + Vodka + Muddled Lime + ½ tsp Stevia (My Moscow Mule!)

Diet Dr. Pepper + Vanilla Vodka (or Jameson Whiskey)

The Real Dill Bloody Mary Mix + Vodka (Don’t forget the add-ins too!)

Lastly, set your intentions prior to attending your New Year’s Party:

  1. Be sure to set a limit AND STICK TO IT.
  2. Drink water in between each drink to stay hydrated and avoid a hangover.
  3. Focus on people and fun over food and drinks.
  4. Get out of the kitchen (or wherever the food and drinks are located.)
  5. Get right back on track the next day.
  6. Have fun.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Check out the Real Food Meal Prep Program if you’d like to learn to eat, cook and enjoy food again and stop dieting!

EAT REAL FOOD.  BE HEALTHY.  FEEL AMAZING!

STOP TRYING TO DO IT ALL AND BE EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE!

Are you finally ready to let go of doing it all, feeling overwhelmed and not finding joy in your life? I remember the day I said “no more” and  I let it all go!  I’ve created this guide with 3 simple steps for you to get started and find more joy in your everyday life and way less stress!

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