Healthier Halloween Tips

Last week on Kasa News, I talked about some Healthy Halloween Tips.  I wanted to share those tips with you this week on my blog! 

Tips for a Sweet and Healthy Halloween

Halloween can be a “tricky” time of year! All of our favorite candies, chocolates, and sweets turn into fun-sized and fun-themed halloween treats.  And if you’re anything like me, you’ll think to yourself, “I’ll just have one..” and then before you know it, the bowl of candy magically disappears!  

The truth is, indulging a little bit isn’t going to kill you but if you’re trying to avoid a sugar relapse (like myself) here are a few tips to having a healthier, happier, halloween! 

1. Out of sight, out of mind (Pre-Halloween)

Try to avoid purchasing your halloween candy until the day of to avoid temptation. 

2. Be the unique house and hand out healthier treats (Halloween Day)

I am very much a “Monkey see, Monkey eat” kind of person.  I’ll eat whatever is in my house even when I try to hide the bad things!  This is why I try to keep my pantry and fridge free of any temptations.  Don’t set yourself up for failure by stocking your house with all of your favorite candies for trick or treaters. 

Healthier ideas: 

Apple sauce squeezers 

Single serve pack of nuts 

Granola bars 

Trail Mix 

Single serve pack of raisins 

Pretzels 

Popcorn 

Small boxes of cereal 

You could also hand out items other than candy such as: 

halloween themed pencils

erasers

stickers

tattoos

glow sticks

play-doh 

false teeth 

bubbles 

tiny decks of cards 

In a day & age where there are so many food allergies, it may not be a bad idea to hand out something other than candy anyways.  

3. Don’t skip any meals the day of (Halloween Day)

The worst thing you can do is not eat at all, thinking your going to save your calories for your big halloween party or for when you come home from trick or treating with the family.  It’s better to stick to your regular routine and fill up on healthy calories to avoid over indulging on candy.  

4. Out of sight out of mind (Post Halloween) 

It’s the day after halloween and you have enough candy to last you through May of the next year.  GET RID OF IT!  Here are a few ideas: 

Pay it forward!
"Just one little thing.  Sometime all it takes to brighten another persons day is JUST ONE LITTLE THING.  It doesn't have to be spectacular.  It doesn't have to be expensive.  It just has to be thoughtful or kind."

Separate the collected candy into small ziplock bags and hand the bags out to people you pass on the street 

Or you can freeze it and only take out a few pieces at a time

5. Halloween Detox 

Maybe you over did it… don’t beat yourself up! One day isn’t going to cause you to gain everything back.  You need to focus on getting back into the mental game of eating healthy… which is the hardest part! Try doing a post halloween 1 day juice detox, filled with fresh fruits and vegetables! 

If you would like the recipe to the healthier pumpkin spice latte I talked about on Kasa News 
CLICK HERE. 

Wishing you a happy & healthy Halloween!
Xoxo,
Ashley

Eat This, Not That! (part 1)

This week, I wanted to share a few of my go-to diet hacks with you!  But first, I want to talk just briefly about “dieting” 

 It’s so important to remember first and foremost that with everything in life, BALANCE IS KEY.  This is especially important to remember when developing new eating habits. If you’re anything like me and love your sweets, fried food, extra cheese on everything please! … Let me just say that I understand your struggle!  Making small changes and enjoying the journey  is the only way to get long lasting results.

There are so many healthy alternatives out there today and I am so excited to share them with you all! Many of these items are now staples in my diet.  I didn’t make all of these changes overnight… it took a lot of time but it has been rewarding both physically and mentally.  I feel better, I’ve been able to maintain my weight loss and I attribute so much of that to making the changes below. Along with lots of juicing of course :)  Here is my special edition of “Eat This, Not That”  

Ezekiel VS. Whole Wheat 

Most people know that wheat bread is better than white bread.  There is a big difference between Sprouted Grain (Ezekiel Bread) Whole Wheat and White Bread.  Contrary to poplar belief, whole wheat isn't much better than white bread.  When you eat bread that is made with refined flour (which is most bread) your body processes it quickly like a sugar which throws off your blood sugar levels.  This causes a lot of people to gain weight and bloat.  Most whole wheat and white breads are loaded with preservatives, GMO's, added sugars, and. artificial flavoring and coloring.   

Sprouted Grain Bread (Ezekiel Bread): 

Contains NO FLOUR 

Technically is made from vegetables.  In order to sprout a grain, you soak it until it becomes a little plant! 

Easier to digest 

Is Gluten Free 

Contains more Protein 

I can't remember the last time I bought anything other than Ezekiel Bread.  Ezekiel offers a lot of other "bread like" products and I use them all... Sliced bread, hamburger buns, muffins, tortillas and more!   This an easy switch to make and it's nice because you eat carbs and bread... GUILT FREE! 

Earth Balance Butter VS. Butter or Margarine 

Earth Balance Butter is a dairy-free butter spread that contains NO artificial ingredients. It's made from expeller- pressed oils and has the same rich, creamy, taste and texture of regular butter.  It's Vegan, Lactose Free, Gluten Free,  0g Trans Fat, Casein Free,  and Non GMO.  I haven't stopped using this product since I first tried it years ago.  It's nice to put on toast, cook with, and more! 

Coconut Milk or Almond Milk VS. Milk 

Unsweetened milk alternatives (coconut and almond milk) contains less calories than cows milk.  For example, 1 cup of almond milk contains 40 calories per cup whereas skim cows milk contains 90 calories.  Cows milk also contains a higher amount of carb.  In a cup of cow's milk, there are around 12 grams of carbs whereas unsweetened almond milk contains less than 1 carb per cup.  Almond milk is right in heart healthy polyunsaturated fats while cows milk is mostly saturated fat.  Both almond and coconut milk are delicious.  It may take some getting use to at first if you are one who loves their glass of milk but your heart, health, and tummy will thank you!  You can enjoy a glass guilt-free, pour of over cereal, use it in a smoothie, cook/ bake with it and more! 

Eat Pastry Cookie Dough VS.  Regular Cookie Dough

If there's one thing I can't live without.. it's cookies... and cookie dough.  I discovered Eat Pastry awhile ago and since then it's my favorite treat to pick up on the weekends.  This is a great guilt-free dessert and I promise that you will be impressed with the taste! 

Eat Pastry is: 

Vegan 

Gluten Free 

Organic 

No: dairy, eggs, cholesterol, artificial flavors, or hydrogen oils.  

Other products: Chocolate chip cookie dough, peanut butter cookie dough, oatmeal raisin chocolate chip, sugar cookie dough, and snickerdoodle.  

Quinoa VS. Brown Rice

Brown rice is often thought of as the healthy alternative but Quinoa has been giving brown rice a run for it's money when it comes to being the healthiest grain.  

Quinoa has : 

More Protein 

Less Carbs 

More Fiber 

More Magnesium 

More Iron 

More Potassium 

More Zinc 

Digests easier 

Naturally Gluten Free 

Packed with Nutrients 

Low Glycemic Index 

Benefits for Metabolic Health  

Alternative uses:  Fried "Rice",  Quinoa Cookies, Hot "Oat" Quinoa Cereal, Quinoa Breakfast Pancakes, Salads, Cakes and Fritters, Quinoa Bites, Quinoa Burgers, Quinoa "Tater" Tots, and more. 

Please keep in mind that these are simply my personal suggestions formed from my own experiences with my weight loss journey.  Making these small changes worked for me.  I have been able to maintain the 40 lbs I lost by sticking to these changes I made in my diet.  I was always a big yo-yo dieter... I would try something for a few months and then revert back to my old eat habits.  This is why it was so important for me to find healthy alternatives that I could use for the rest of my life! 

I can't wait to share part 2 with you later this week! 

Always keep striving to become the best version of yourself and make the most out of the last few months we have left this year! 

xoxo 

Ashley 

Alei's Incredible Journey To Losing 30+lbs

Hi everyone! For those of you who don’t know who I am, my name is Alei, and this is a little insight on my health and fitness journey and how I have come to lose 30+ pounds.

When I was young, I was never very active. I was born with chronic asthma and had battled it throughout my child hood. I could never really play typical sports with my condition, so the one sport I was able to fall in love with was golf, which I played through middle school and high school.

Growing up, I always had problems with my weight. I always just told myself “Oh, it’s okay its genetics”, or “As long as I’m happy that’s all that matters!” But the truth is, it was always a problem for me. I was never bullied or made fun of; in fact I enjoyed High School and made a lot of friends in the small town I grew up in. But it was hard for me to accept the reality of just being “bigger” than my friends.

When I went off to college, everything just went downhill. I started partying all the time and drinking heavy and in what seemed like overnight, the “freshman 15” turned into the “freshman 25”. After going to a University for 2 years, I decided to come back home where my parents live to finish my Bachelor’s degree.

At my heaviest, I was 210 pounds. (Yep, I still want to cry when I hear that number!) It wasn’t until I looked back at my college pictures, that I realized how heavy I had gotten, and how out of control my weight really was.

Naturally, to anyone who doesn’t work out, a gym can be a very intimidating place. I had a friend that was a member of a gym in town and she told me she would take me in to sign up for a membership, and I can honestly say that it was that day that changed my life.

I ended up getting a personal trainer who taught me a lot about the machines and a lot of “beginner” exercises for different muscle groups. After a year trying to figure out different fitness routines and dieting tricks, I had only lost about 10 pounds. So I knew I had to find something different. 

I had multiple friends who had been on fitness programs with, who is now my trainer and coach. I knew he was tough and that his plans worked but I didn’t really know the extent of what he did until I met with him. Finding out later that he is a competitive bodybuilding coach and competitor, I was shocked! I had never really thought about this type of industry nor knew anything about it. But I was excited to see what kind of results was going to come out of this type of training.

After being on his program for just a few weeks, I could see the pounds dropping and I was ecstatic! The best part was that I was able to meet and become friends so many different people who were also training with him. We are essentially on a “team” full of competitors and non-competitors. We all just connect through social media and share our stories and lives with each other and honestly, it is the biggest support system I have ever had.

It has now been almost 6 months since I joined the team, and I can’t say enough how much it has changed my life. I am 33 pounds down with the goal of losing 20 more. I have the best coach and best teammates supporting me on a daily basis.

So, to anybody intimidated to begin their weight loss journey, DON’T BE! It will be the most rewarding and humble experience you will ever go through. Surround yourself with people who have similar stories and who you know will support what you’re doing. Whether you want to compete, or just reach a simple weight goal, all I can say is stop thinking about it, and just get out there, get out of your comfort zone and do it! You won’t regret it!!

I hope you enjoyed my story, and thank you Ashley for allowing me to be a part of such an inspiring page! If you’d like to see more of my journey, or even share yours with me, you can follow me on Instagram at aoconnell91.

Xoxo, 

Alei. 

How I Lost 20 lbs & Gained a New Lifestyle

How I Lost 20 Pounds and Gained a New Lifestyle

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Katie and this is how I lost 20 pounds and went on to compete in my first fitness competition.

Up until college I had always been active and able to eat pretty much whatever I wanted. Once I got to college my whole lifestyle changed. I partied at least 3-4 times a week, started smoking cigarettes (ew, I know), only occasionally worked out (but kept eating what I wanted), and had a horrible diet that contained a lot of late night McDonald’s runs. I had a lot of fun in college but after gaining 12 pounds and having such poor health I realized I wasn’t happy anymore. This started my weight loss journey.

 I knew that I wanted to lose weight but I also wanted a new lifestyle that I could maintain and for that reason I didn’t take any weird diet pills, go super low carb, join Jenny Craig, whatever. I quit smoking because you can’t exercise when you can hardly breathe. Then I started to learn as much as I could about nutrition and I incorporated nutritious foods into my diet. I also minimized eating out because it’s easier to make cleaner food options at home and I cut out the binge drinking (obviously).  I started exercising at least 5-6 times a week (weight lifting and cardio mix). Last, I found new things that I enjoyed like clean baking and lifting weights. If you enjoy what you’re doing then the weight loss is all that much easier.

After losing 16 pounds on my own, I made the decision to compete in my first fitness competition as a bikini competitor. Through clean eating, heavy lifting, cardio, and lots of coaching from my Fitshop coach, Jenny, I lost 4 more pounds and stepped on stage. I wanted to compete to win but mostly I wanted to compete to show off what I had worked so hard for. Ask me a year earlier and I would have never been caught dead in a tiny red bikini ESPECIALLY on stage but the new me was happy, healthy, and proud in her own skin. I loved competing and being confident on stage and I found out that this was something I wanted to keep doing!

I’m not going to sugar coat it, losing weight and completely changing your lifestyle isn’t the easiest thing to do. But it can be done and it gets easier. Besides working out on my own I would sometimes see a trainer, Marisa. She would watch me get discouraged because I didn’t see the scale go down in a week and she always told me to keep going, never give up and never lose patience. Keep working and it will pay off! You might not see changes every day but if you give up then you won’t ever see those changes. It was also difficult for me to find balance with food. This was something that I struggled with up until very recently. I realized that you have to find balance and moderation. Eat healthy, work hard, but go enjoy ice cream with your friends once in awhile. Find that balance in your life to where you enjoy every minute of it. One ice cream cone won’t make you fat and it’s good for your mental health so go enjoy every bite. The next morning wake up, eat a healthy breakfast, and go get a good workout in. It really is all about balance and moderation because that leads you to a healthy LIFESTYLE, not just quick weight loss.

What kept me motivated throughout this journey was my drive to be better. If you’ve always wanted to be a bikini competitor then go do it! Only you can make those dreams come true through hard work and persistence. I’m lucky I had a lot of support but I also kept myself motivated by knowing what my goals were and how I wanted to achieve them. Very often I write my goals down so I can see them, I keep my trophy’s up from my first competition to remind me that I want to come back better next time, and I keep going, pushing myself to be my best self. Having visual goals helps to keep you motivated whether it’s to lose weight, step on stage, compete in a marathon, whatever it may be. You can do anything you set your mind to so keep going.

All of this is about finding YOUR happiness and being YOUR best self. Never forget why you started! I hope you enjoyed my featured blog! You can follow me on twitter and Instagram at katielynn_xo. Looking forward to chatting with you again soon!

Xoxo,

Katie

How to Avoid Cheating pt. 1

How To Avoid Cheating -Part 1

The two most important things we can do to stay on track with our diet are to PLAN & PREP.  Did you know that almost all “diets” work?  But only if we stay on them… which is the hardest part for everybody!  The only way to avoid falling off the wagon is to constantly stay prepared, never allow yourself to be confused about what you are eating, and having a healthy snack around you AT ALL TIMES because inevitably there will come a time when you need something ASAP and it’s in these moments of weakness where we usually give in and reach for something we end up regretting later on.  Ditch the fast food, packaged food, and over processed foods! 

 One of the best ways to always stay prepared is to keep a “snack pack” in your car at all times.  I keep my snack pack stocked with a bunch of clean snacks that I wont feel guilty eating.  I started doing this because:

1.     Almost weekly, there would be a day that I ended up not packing my lunch, forgetting to pack snacks, or I would be out and about longer than expected etc. 

2.     I typically always have access to my car, so it’s a great place to keep some healthy snacks.

3.     I like to save my cheats for the weekend when I actually have plans to eat out. 

CLEAN SNACK PACK LIST

(This list can also double as a road trip packing list and it is Paleo friendly)

1.     Lara Bars (avoid the ones with chocolate chips when storing in your car)

2.     Mixed Nuts

3.     Unsweetened Dried Fruit/ Freeze dried fruit

4.     Clean Turkey Jerky or Beef Jerky (Grass Fed, Minimal Ingredients)

5.     Nut Thins

6.     Almond Butter

7.     Water Bottle 

 I like these Coconut chips a lot but I don't always keep them in my car!

If at any time you do end up stopping for food, here are a few things to always remember.

1.     Be Picky

2.     Drink a lot of water.  A lot of the time when we think we’re hungry we are actually dehydrated. 

3.     Move on.  Every now and then we all have to do it!

 XoXo, 

Ashley Nicole 

For Daily Tips and Recipes follow me on: 

Instagram: ashleynicolemora1 

Twitter: MissAshleyMoora 

Quick and Painless Juicing

 

It's no secret that the WORST part of juicing is the clean up.  Juicing can be extremely time consuming and tedious but don't let that prevent you from juicing all together.  Here are some tips to make juicing quick and painless.  

Here is a list of things you will need. 

1. A Juicer 
2. Fruit and Veggies
3. Paper Towels 
4. All-Purpose Cleaner 
5. A GOOD knife.  (if you don't have one.. invest. It will make your life a lot easier) 
6. A Beach Towel 
7. A trash can/bag 
8. Grocery Bags 
9. A Big Bowl 
10. A Cutting Board 

Tip #1  ALWAYS, always, always, ALWAYS clean your juicer immediately after juicing.  If you leave pulp in your juicer all day it will dry up, making it nearly impossible to clean out. 

Tip #2  Take REALLY good care of the strainer.  That's the most important part of your juicer.  If your juicer did not come with a scrubbing brush I recommend going out and purchasing one (probably the one that has a soap dispenser) It is very important that no pulp is left on the strainer after making fresh juice.

Tip #3  Use warm water when cleaning your juicer out... it will simply make your life a lot easier.

Tip #4   Clean as you go... Juicing can get messy.  I find  it a lot easier to clean up a few small messes rather than one large one.  

Tip #5  Clean your juicer piece by piece.  I usually take off the smallest piece first, rinse that, and then go on to the next piece.  Before you know it, you'll this down to a science!

Here's run down of my juicing process....

I always assemble my juicer first. I use my left over grocery bags as "trash bag" for the pulp.

  After I've done that I lay a beach towel down on the floor because juicing gets messy no matter how careful I try and be (Juice spilling, fruit falling etc.)  Then I place a Trader Joe's paper bag to the left of where I'll be standing so I can throw all the peels that I cut off into the trash bag immediately.  If you have a trash can that is easy to move around you can also use that. 

 

 Once I have all of that done I like to get out the fruits and veggies I'll be using.  I also get out my cutting board, knife, bowl, and the mason jars I store my juice in.  I then clean all my produce and start cutting everything up....

As I clean and cut everything up, I throw the ready-to-go stuff in a bowl.  I find it easier to grab out of a bowl rather than trying to reach all over the counter. 

I throw all of my peels in the trash right away so I don't have a million things all over the counter. 

 Then I just start grabbin' from my bowl and start juicin' away...

Once I have all my juice made I start rinsing off my juicer piece by piece with warm water.  I then toss the pulp out (if I'm not re-using it)  

 Once I have my juicer cleaned I then wipe off my counter tops ASAP.  You never want to skip this step or else you will be left with some sticky counter tops.  After that, I usually shake out my beach towel and then toss it in the washing machine.  

I know the clean up seems like such a long process but you will develop a routine over time, I promise! And the results you'll get from juicing will be so worth it :) 

P.S.  Summer is right around the corner!!! 

Have a very blessed week and happy juicing!!! 

XoXo

Ashley

For Daily Tips and Recipes follow me on: 

Instagram: ashleynicolemora1 

Twitter: MissAshleyMoora 

P.S.S. I never thought I would feel comfortable walking around with stomach showing... Like ever.  If I can do it... You can do it! 

What to Eat When You're Not Juicing...

 (Me trying on my shorts from last summer)

 Hola,

I hope you all are having a fabulous week! I have been receiving a lot of questions about what to eat when you're not juicing.  Sooo...this week I'm going to hand this one over to the pro's and give you my all-time-forever-go-to books that I pretty much live by. (after the Bible of course) 

So get ready to dust those reading glasses off... it's time to do some reading! 

  My Favorite Books

Here is a list of my favorite books to read when seeking advice in living a healthier life style!  These books were GAME CHANGERS when it came to losing weight and keeping it off.  I feel like these books gave me all the tools I needed to not only lose weight, but also to make permanent lifestyle changes. I have said this in other blogs but I will say it again, I have tried almost every diet out there. I have read countless books, I have watched videos, movies, etc.  Juicing and eating all natural foods is THE only thing that has worked for me.... Not protein shakes, not supplements, not fat burners, not eliminating all carbohydrates, not cutting out all sugar.... Just simply eating/drinking the fresh fruits and vegetables that God originally intended us to eat. It's so simple it seems silly!

1. Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels.  I can't tell you why or how I ended up with this book but it is AMAZING for several different reasons and it's one of the only "diet" books I have read that 1. made sense 2. didn't feel like a "quick fix" or "fad" diet book 3. Once I started following along with it, it worked and I felt great.  One of the most important things I learned from this book was that chemically filled foods damage our metabolism, endocrine system, and throw our hormones out of whack.  When these 3 things are out of balance, it is impossible to lose weight.   

2.  The Master Your Metabolism Cookbook by Jillian Michaels  This book is basically just a summary of the previous book but the recipes inside are amazing and she gives you a lot of really great ideas on how to pair foods together.  

3.  The Complete Book of Juicing by Michael T. Murray  I love love LOVED this book when I first started juicing! I highly recommend reading this book if you are interested in juicing and learning more about it.  I have shared a lot about juicing in my blog but this book takes it to the next 

 level. 

4.  The Juicing Bible by Pat Crocker  This book has 100 juicing recipes! Enough said ;)

5.  Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss  The food industry is literally poisoning the public and making BANK off it.  This book is a huge eye opener to what the food industry has done to our country and if you take the time to read this book you will most certainly be in shock.

All of these books are available on Amazon as well as several other places.  If you have any trouble finding one of them just let me know!

Have a Blessed Week! 

XoXo,

Ashley 

For Daily Tips and Recipes follow me on: 

Instagram: ashleynicolemora1 

Twitter: MissAshleyMoora