Foodie Friday: Chocolate!!

Yeah you read that title correctly. Chocolate! And not just any chocolate, but clean chocolate! What?! I know!

I know the ladies out there often have a craving for this sweet and tantalizing treat especially around shark week. I can tell you now that chocolate is probably my best friend around that time. So I was sad when I couldn't find really any chocolate that met my standards of clean eating. I had to find another way. So what did I do? I made my own! And the following is the delicious outcome. 

Here is what you will need for your clean chocolate:

3/4 cup coconut oil (I use LouAna thanks to Megan! :D)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup honey (I buy local honey)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 tsp freshly ground cinnamon 

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1/8 tsp freshly ground sea salt

Extras: Smart Balance creamy peanut butter, organic milk+, almonds

*In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients (except extras). You want to get out as many
clumps as possible. I try to warm up my coconut oil a bit to make it easier to mix.
*When everything is thoroughly mixed, spread mixture evenly out over a baking sheet lined with waxed paper.
*Next comes the extras. I sometimes like to sprinkle unsalted almonds over the cookie sheet to make almond chocolate bars, but the peanut butter was the biggest hit with my family. After I spread the chocolate out I took 2 TBS of the Smart Balance creamy peanut butter and dolloped it on top of the chocolate. I then took a butter knife and swirled the PB into the chocolate (like making a marble cake).
* Next, put the chocolate in the freezer overnight.
*Once frozen, cut up and enjoy!
+This chocolate is very dark. You can optionally add a splash of organic milk to the original mixture to make your chocolate a little less intense. 

This chocolate is very soft so I recommend cutting it and then putting in a seal-able container that you can keep in the freezer. This is because there is no paraffin in this chocolate to keep it hard at room temperature, we alleviate this (sorta) with the coconut oil. The chocolate will still melt quickly, but that shouldn't be a problem as I'm sure you will gobble it up lickety-split!

That is all for now! Let me know how your chocolate turns out!

Thanks for reading!

Monday Musings: 3 Months

Hello All!

It's a wonderful Memorial Monday and today also marks about 90 days that I have been on my fitness journey. I'm in shock at how much I have accomplished in the last 3 months and I can't even believe that my body is actually mine. I have completely transformed my lifestyle to one that has made me much happier and healthier in the long run.

I thought I would just try this for a few months and see where it left me or I would just drop it within a few days, but the results I've seen and the knowledge I've gained has invaluable. This has been an amazing learning experience and the knowledge I have will stay with me forever. I only hope that I can continue to learn more about my own body, my limits, my strength as well as teach others who wish to learn. This journey is not over by any stretch of the imagination though i think now this is almost purely just my lifestyle. I no longer believe that this is a "plan" or a "diet" or anything like that. This is just me.

I don't think i will always be training as diligently or as often and I don't think I will always be as strict with my nutrition, but I do think I will stay healthy and not allow myself to ever go back to the unhealthy life I was leading.

Well, I have a personal announcement to make. I'm done with my 90 day journey, but that doesn't mean I'm done. I could just stay healthy, but I'm setting some new goals for myself. Here, today, with all of you as my witnesses. My goal was to always be in a size twelve. I wanted to be in the average. The normal. Well, I'm pleased to announce that I made that goal! I went from a size 16/18 down to a comfortable size 12! Though I know this isn't the best way to track your progress, it is a good way for me to track my progress without using the number on the scale or using super expensive equipment to track fat loss.

I know I'm never going to be stick thin. I enjoy my curves and I'm so much more confident in my body. Hourglass figure. Check. No thigh gap? Don't care! I'm just happy I'm healthy and I'm so happy that I'm setting my new goal! Are you ready for this? Okay.....

I've always said I wanted to be a size twelve. Well, I'm there. So what's the next step? A size 10! Oh no! Craziness! Yes, I'm going to do it! My goal is to be in a size ten before I go back to school in August. That is about three more months from today. You think I can do it? Well I dropped almost 3 sizes in the past 3 months, I think I can go one more in the next 3. I'm a goal oriented person and I think keeping this goal will even further set my clean lifestyle and help me keep going. If I have something to work towards, I know I'm not going to be lazy. I know I can do it. Can you?

I sure think you can! I challenge you to do it with me! Set yourself a goal of one size difference or a couple inch difference or even just a piece of clothing that you want to fit into and feel fabulous. Make it a goal that you want to reach by the time school days come again. Make it a reasonable goal and then let me know what it is. We will do this together and end up more fabulous and confident than we already are!

I will keep you up on my progress and you can do the same with me. If you set yourself a goal, let me know what it is by leaving a comment below, tweeting it to me, or send me a shout out on Instagram. I'm hoping that your goals will motivate me and my goal/progress will do the same for you.

So go out and grab life by the horns. Let's do this!

This is me as a new Leah:

Thank you guys for reading!