These frozen banana bites have been a hit in my house this past week! They provide a quick sweet treat after lunch 🙂 The first batch we put dye free sprinkles but they are not necessary.
Ingredients:
2 bananas
Nut butter of your choice (peanut, raw almond or raw cashew)
Whole food chocolate chips
Slice bananas and lay them onto a baking sheet with parchment paper. Top with a dallop of nut butter and 1-2 chocolate chips. Freeze for about 1 hour then store in a glass container in freezer.
5:45 & 9am:
Thursday Feb 2nd – YES
Monday Feb 6th – YES
Thursday Feb 9th – YES
Monday Feb 13th – YES
Thursday Feb 16th – YES
Monday Feb 20th – YES – Presidents Day – no school
Thursday Feb 23rd – YES
Monday Feb 27th – YES
Thursday March 2nd – NO circuit
Monday March 6th – YES
Thursday March 9th – YES
Monday March 13th – YES
Thursday March 16th – YES
Monday March 20th – YES
Thursday March 23rd – YES
Monday March 27th – YES
Thursday March 30th – YES
Monday April 3rd – YES
Thursday April 6th – YES
Monday April 10th – NO circuit – spring break
Thursday April 13th – NO circuit – spring break
Monday April 17th – YES
Thursday April 20th – YES
Monday April 24th – YES
Thursday April 27th – YES
Below is a short circuit to keep you feeling STRONG!
20 min cardio ((5 min easy, 10 min of 30 seconds “hard” / 30 seconds “easy”), 5 min easy)
Windmill x 10
Hamstring Prep x 10
Down-dog
Wall Sit w/ DB Overhead Shoulder Press x 15
Single Legged Step-up (use a stable chair) x 10ea leg
Plank “Rocks” x 30
DB Single Legged Dead Lift x 10ea
Triceps Push-ups x 10 (counter or knees)
Repeat the above exercises 2-3 times
Ingredients:
4 organic chicken breasts (non-organic is OK)
Juice of 6-8 oranges
2 tablespoons coconut aminos
1/4 cup honey
Salt / pepper
2 tablespoons corn starch
Chop your chicken breasts into bite size pieces. In a bowl whisk together the juice from the oranges, coconut aminos, honey, salt and pepper. Pour the liquid into your saute pan and heat for a few minutes. Add your chicken and boil in the liquid until thoroughly cooked. Add the corn starch and stir until it thickens. Serve warm.
We LOVE this chicken over a cabbage salad. Charly likes to have some of the liquid in a bowl and she dips each piece of chicken. The dish is delicious the next day cold on a bed of lettuce so always make extra! Below you will see a photo of a meal I cooked this past weekend using the chicken dish. Charly also had baked beans but the adults had green salad with my cashew dressing. I hope this inspires you to try something new!
When life gets cancelled we bake 🙂 I voted for pan of brownies but lost to cupcakes! I was determined to make them as homemade and Amy Approved as possible. We had flour, sugar, frosting and sprinkles EVERYWHERE!!!
Ingredients (12 cupakes):
1 cup gf flour blend (we used Namaste)
1/4 cup gf oat flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup organic white sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
2 tablespoons corn starch
8 tablespoons butter (we used Nutiva Organic Shortening (Amazon)
2/3 cup nut milk (we used my homemade cashew milk)
1 tsp sea salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
Preheat oven to 325. In a separate bowl blend flours, salt, corn starch, baking powder and baking soda. In your mixing bowl blend the sugar and butter until creamy. Add the egg, egg white, vanilla and blend. Slowly incorporate the flour and milk. Add about 1/4 of each then stop, mix and do this until everything is blended. Do no over mix as you want your cupcakes light and fluffy. Line your muffin stone / tin with cupcake liners and fill them 3/4 full with your dough. Bake for about 20-25 min until golden brown. Completely cool before you frost and add sprinkles!
For the frosting we cheated and used Miss Jones organic vanilla and for the sprinkles I always keep multiple options of dye free in stock. My favorite brand is Super Natural which you can find on amazon.
Today is a VERY rainy day and I have 6 butternut squash sitting on my counter so I decided to whip up a soup! It came out creamy and delicious!!!
Ingredients:
3 butternut squash
1 cup bone broth (any stock will work)
Olive oil
Salt / pepper as desired
Cut squash in half, scoop out the seeds, coat them with olive oil & sea salt then roast for about 40 ish min at 400 deg. Peel and put the squash into your Vita-mix / blender. Add broth (veggie, chicken, turkey, beef will work – I had a half of a jar of homemade turkey bone broth so I added about a half cup of water to it) and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Blend until creamy then serve warm. If you plan to store and re-heat add a few tablespoons of liquid (broth or water) as you re-warm it on your stove-top.
Amy Approved Fitness
Certified Personal Trainer
Lean, Fit, Confident, Strong
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5:45am & 9am:
Thursday Nov 3rd – YES
Monday Nov 7th – YES
Thursday Nov 10th – YES **no school for St Pats
Monday Nov 14th – YES
Thursday Nov 17th – YES
Monday Nov 21st – NO
Monday Nov 24th – NO – Happy Thanksgiving!!
Monday Nov 28th – YES
Thursday Dec 1st – YES
Monday Dec 5th – YES
Thursday Dec 8th – YES
Monday Dec 12th – YES
Thursday Dec 15th – YES
Monday Dec 19th – YES
Thursday Dec 22nd – YES
Monday Dec 26th – NO
Thursday Dec 29th – NO
Monday Jan 2nd – NO
Thursday Jan 5th – NO
Monday Jan 9th – YES
Thursday Jan 12th – YES
Monday Jan 16th – YES
Thursday Jan 19th – YES
Monday Jan 23rd – YES
Thursday Jan 26th – YES
Monday Jan 30th – YES
For more info or to reserve a spot in my small group circuit please text or email me:
805-234-2780
amy@amyapproved.com
Amy Approved Fitness
Certified Personal Trainer
Lean, Fit, Confident, Strong
Follow us on Facebook!
Follow us on Instagram!
I invite you to take on my NO Halloween candy challenge!!! Leading up to Halloween there is candy everywhere you turn. When you have a mindset of “ZERO” it makes it super simple to pass by the candy dish because typically when you indulge in one you end up eating 3! My challenge is THROUGH Halloween which means the candy that may show up in your house on Halloween is off limits into November as well. This challenge does not include organic dark chocolate or sweet foods like dates. It includes candy that you open in a wrapper that is filled with sugar, food dye, preservatives and words you cannot pronounce! It also includes baked goods that contain food dye.
Please double check your dark chocolate (Theo is my favorite brand & you can find it on Amazon, Cali Fresh, Whole Foods or Sprouts) to make sure it contains whole food ingredients. Here is an example of an Amy Approved ingredient list:
Cocoa Beans*+, Cane Sugar*+, Almonds*, Cocoa Butter*+, Pink Himalayan Salt
To get the candy OUT of your house after Halloween I recommend using the “switch witch”! Last year I let Charly pick 10 of her favorites and then she left the rest outside for the switch witch. That night the witch came, took her candy and left her a train ticket to Santa Barbara and a day pass to the zoo! I know some of you take it to work or simply throw it away but I’d recommend getting it out of your eye sight!
For those of you who opt out of my challenge that is OK. My compromise is to give yourself parameters, for example, eat ZERO up until Halloween, enjoy the holiday but after Halloween go back to ZERO. For those of you who have better self control allow yourself a piece a few times a week guilt free but don’t over-indulge. Find your balance!!!
Who is “IN” for my NO Halloween candy challenge???!!!
I made this quinoa salad this past weekend for a friends birthday bbq and it was a hit!!! I doubled the below recipe. Enjoy!!
Ingredients:
2 cups cold cooked quinoa (buy sprouted if possible)
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped
1 cup cucumber, chopped
1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
1 large avocado pitted, peeled & chopped
2 green onions, sliced
Optional: organic kalamata olives, sliced bell peppers – make it YOURS!
Salt & black pepper to taste
Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup or honey
Salt & pepper to taste
Cook your quinoa and cool. Chop all ingredients (except avocado) and add to the cooled quinoa. Make the dressing in a mason jar, put a lid on and shake well. When ready to serve, add the chopped avocado, dressing, mix well and serve!!! This salad is AWESOME leftover!!!
Here is workout to challenge you while I am healing!!!
Walk / Run / Cycle / Elip 8-10 min
Down Dog / Windmill x 10 / Hamstring Prep x 10
Db Squat w/ Shoulder Press / Calf Raise x 10
Single DB Row x 10ea
Power Push-up on bench, step or counter x 10
DB Plie Squats x 10
DB Stiff Legged Dead Lift / Front Raise x 10
“V” ups (full body) x 20
DB Bicep Hammer Curls x 10
Jump Rope x 100
Chair Triceps Dips x 15
Plank 1 min
Repeat 2-4 times
Down Dog / Windmill / Hip Opener / Quad Stretch = DONE!!!
