Hi guys! So, I can’t believe we forgot to mention the calories in yesterday’s Pumpkin Cookie video. I guess all things happen for a reason…this gives me a quick minute to talk about gluten/dairy free desserts. I know so many people that think gluten/dairy free desserts are more “healthy” than traditional desserts. While I won’t get into that debate today, I do want to remind everyone that a dessert is a dessert. Period. They are a once-in-a-while treat. Around here at myFitspiration we love treats and want to bring you many different options for when you do indulge. 🙂 Our goal is to sneak in as many healthy ingredients as we can.
The Pumpkin cookies breakdown like this: if you make 12 normal cookies they are around 170 calories each…if you make 24 mini cookies they breakdown to around 85 calories each.
Most of the calories are in the almond flour & the coconut oil. These ingredients…although heavy calorie hitters…have great nutritional benefits in moderation (including a good amount of protein which is great for weight loss and curbing hunger). If you are really wanting to lower the calories even more you can substitute 1/2 of the coconut oil with unsweetened applesauce. You can also experiment with different types of flours….there are so many gluten free options….even garbanzo bean flour!!
Hannah & I both love cooking & entertaining….stay tuned for more fun & healthy recipes!!
Happy Fall Everybody!!!! We’re excited to be back with all sorts of fun new stuff to share. We’re going to be posting two new videos a week over at our YouTube channel.
We’ll post all the details of the videos (i.e. recipes for cooking, etc.) over here at MyFitspiration.com and we’ll still have lots of the lively discussion and community you’ve come to love. Comment here and over at YouTube and we’ll be dropping in!!
Today we proudly share a recipe for Pumpkin Cookies that are Gluten and Dairy free…but guess what…they are so tasty!! You’re going to love them.
What’s your favorite thing about Fall? Any ideas for other healthy treats? If you make these send us a pic!
2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, plus more for sprinkling on top of cookies
1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree
1 small ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup maple syrup (or sugar-free if you prefer)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup coconut oil
Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl whisk together the almond flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
In a small bowl mix together pumpkin puree, mashed banana, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until combined. Add melted coconut oil and stir to incorporate.
Drop spoonful of batter (about 1 to 2 tablespoons in size) onto prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with additional pumpkin pie spice. Bake cookies for 25 to 30 minutes until golden.
This statement will not come as a surprise to anyone. I love CrossFit…and yes, I will fully admit Im slightly obsessed with it. Fear not this is not going to be a propaganda blog post about the glories of CrossFit…I’m saving that for one day soon. It just so happens that in addition to getting a lot stronger physically I’m learning so much mentally in these WODs (workout of the day).
Jim McDade of CrossFit212 rowing back in the day
Last week I had a major “lightbulb” moment in a workout. This particular workout was pretty simple in design, but a BEAST when trying to perform. Jim, who is the owner and head coach of the box I go to (CrossFit212) was an elite rower…do you hear the Jaws theme music yet? Anyway, we do quite a bit of rowing on the rowing machines in our WODs. This workout was a 5,000 meter row…not TOO bad right?? Well, the kicker was the women had to complete it in under 22 minutes. Now, if you’ve ever spent time on a rowing machine you know that is FAST rowing for a long period of time. Now you understand my slight panic. If you didn’t complete the distance in the time frame then the penalty was 1 double under (YouTube it) for every second you went over. Whew. I was going to be there a long time paying the penalty.
Jim immediately sensed my panic & sat with me to discuss what my strategy would be. You all know me enough by now to know that this immediately made my inner “Type A” jump for joy!! The plan was that I would row at 27 strokes a minute & keep my splits below 2:10…a very lofty expectation, but I love a challenge. Ok, so I had my plan & although I was still about to pee my pants I was off rowing. I’ll tell you the hardest part for me was to keep things consistent. Funny enough when I got tired I wanted to chuck my form & just go fast. Jim continued to coach me through stage by stage keeping me where I needed to be. It was right around 4,000 meters in that he stepped in front of my rowing machine and simply said, “Ok, Olivia…at 4,500 meters you are going to sprint & completely EMPTY THE TANK!”
WHAT????? Empty my tank??? No, no, no, no, & NO!!! Immediately, I went to that very “Olivia Place” in my mind…you know the one…the control area. Well, let me tell you she was not happy…What if I started “emptying the tank” & I ran out of gas too early? What if I couldn’t finish? What if I emptied my tank & it still wasn’t enough? Meanwhile, I’m rowing closer & closer to those last dreaded 500 meters. Before I could even really protest I was there…time to sprint!
It was in those last 500 meters that I completely “Emptied the Tank” for the first time in my life. It was the most amazing feeling when I crossed that finish line…AND, I crossed it at 21:27…no penalty…33 seconds UNDER time.
This really got me thinking…what was I saving my gas for all the time?? Really, if you think about it what good does a semi full tank do for you when the workout is over? I learned what it really feels like to leave nothing on the table & just go for it!! I’ll tell you what…I left that day feeling the best sense of emptiness EVER!! Sounds weird but it was awesome.
I know now that I want to “Empty my Tank” and give it ALL in every workout…no matter what it is!! I want to encourage you all to explore this idea. What are you holding back on?? Or, does it come naturally for you to “Empty the Tank?”. If so, I want tips!! Let’s chat in the comments…see you below.
I did it! I DID IT!!! Woooohoooo! Ok, I just had to get that out of my system. 🙂 As you all know I have had major butterflies leading up to the big race. I went through the training program…had the usual ups & downs, and the morning of the race I will admit I was down right scared! I know it sounds really silly, but there are still times where my inner “overweight girl” tells me I won’t be able to do it. Thank goodness I had Fitness Magazine’s very own Jenna Autori there cheering me on. She literally looked at me and said, “Don’t worry, you totally got this!” Sometimes a simple encouraging word is all you need to give you that little push! By the time I got to the starting line I was ready to attack this challenge! My game plan was to really pace myself and keep a consistent pace the entire race. So many people told me that I would want to book it in the beginning because of the excitement & adrenaline. Boy, we’re they right…I wanted to SPRINT in the beginning…the excitement from the crowd & the runners was electric! Despite my desire to break the world record…I started off with a pace that I knew I could sustain. I felt very strong for the first 7 miles…they seemed to fly by. Around mile 8 I hit my first “wall”. From the point where I had no clue what mixing and mastering was, I have grown to at least produce some amateurish pieces for personal use. I was so thankful that I programmed some funny music on my playlist because right when I needed a boost RuPaul’s “Covergirl” came through my headphones! It really made me laugh and I will tell you it really was the boost I needed. I will tell you that I had multiple times throughout the race that I was VERY emotional. It was a little over a year ago that I was 261 lbs, unhealthy, & very unhappy. Fast forward & I am running…RUNNING…a half marathon. THIS is what life is about! I have never been so proud of myself. To be honest I don’t really even remember miles 11-13…I was so fixated on finishing! As I crossed the finish line I fell into a huge puddle of tears…I did it…and I ran EVERY step. It was just another moment in my life where I was overwhelmed with thankfulness. The Biggest Loser not only helped me lose weight, but they introduced me to my inner athlete. I’ll tell you…she is pretty cool.
I am so thankful to Fitness Magazine and the supplements they recommended me, if you think they will help you too, here’s a list which will help . I can’t tell you how amazing the entire staff is! They truly care about people & helping us all become well rounded healthy individuals. I am thrilled to have had this experience & the opportunity to share my journey with their readers. I look forward to partnering with Fitness Magazine again in the future!
So…here’s Part 2! We know that yesterday there were some server issues (We’re sure it was because so many of you were checking out the blog;), so be sure to share in the comments. You never know when we’ll drop into the conversation!!
