Good morning, happy Monday friends! I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was eventful to say the least. Michael and I had our second Rover experience and it was definitely a little different than our first. The first dog we got was perfect. Literally. Well-trained, adorable, sweet and just wanted to cuddle and sleep. This time around we got two dogs, one a puppy, who were not very house trained and very needy. I don't think I've ever cleaned up so much dog pee in my life! So for all you Rover sitters...definitely make sure that the dogs you watch are house trained. TRIPLE CHECK. That shit is not fun. BUT it was an experience to say the least. 

I'm hoping that our next Rover puppy looks like this...

Or this...

Or this (sorry last one...)

In other news this week, I'm running a little food prep contest with my clients at the gym. I'm asking that they send me photos of what they're cookin' up for the next week and the following week! I've already seen some delicious meals and I'm so proud that they're trying harder each week to be better and get healthier! 

And on that note, if you like to bake healthy snacks to have on hand I've got a delicious and healthy Cinnamon Raisin Sweet Potato Bread..

Cinnamon Raisin Sweet Potato Bread

If you can't tell, I'm kind of obsessed with the cinnamon raisin combo. For one, it's such a classic and two, cinnamon, raisins and sweet potatoes are very cheap. I've been trying to cut back on the dollars I spend on food. Therefore I eat all the sweet potatoes, cinnamon and raisins. 

[yumprint-recipe id='23'] 

XO - Rach

Let's chat:

How do you save money while grocery shopping?

Have you ever baked with sweet potatoes before?

Cinnamon raisin flavor fan?

 

Good morning :) Just some #MondayMotivation for ya...I started off today by teaching a 6 a.m. spin class and now I'm waiting for the train to work! A 5 a.m. alarm every Monday morning might make ya cringe, but teaching this class is one of my favorite parts of the week. There's something about starting the week off by putting smiles on other's faces and being the reason why they get out of bed to start the day. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Find what it is you're passionate about and get after it. 

Want a healthy snack that tastes like cookie dough? Don't we all! This is a really easy no-bake protein recipe that you can throw together in just a few minutes! Each bite has 135 calories, 5 grams of protein and 9 grams of healthy fat. 

These protein bites are perfect before or after a workout - they're easy to grab on the go. There's also something about pecans that always give a dish - sweet or savory - a decadent touch. Do you agree? Maybe this it's because I worked in a fish market/dessert counter (yes fish & dessert in the same vicinity) at a restaurant all through high school and whenever I would grab a new pecan pie from the freezer, I would grab any pecan scraps that were left in the box after I sliced it. And oh my goodness - that pie was incredibly rich. Isn't it funny how different foods or smells can bring back such distinct memories?

Anyway, the pecans in this recipe do add a nice touch and complement the banana quite nicely! 

 

[yumprint-recipe id='8']Now I'm spending the rest of this lovely Sunday afternoon working on some bloggy stuff, watching football, getting some things ready for the busy week ahead and studying my ACE personal training manual book!

I hope you had a great weekend!

XO- Rach

Let's chat...

What did you do this weekend?

If you have gotten your personal trainers certification, do you have any study tips?

What's your favorite nut?

Is there a food, flavor, smell, etc. that brings up a distinct memory for you?