Happy Wednesday, friends. Today is an exciting one over here and I'm feeling very motivated. One of the reasons being that I can't stop thinking about how great Ellie Goulding and Andra Day's performance was at the Grammy's on Monday night and it totally reminded me how obsessed I am with Ellie Goulding...I mean come on, look at this British badass! #goals.  [embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BB1QN_LTfS8/?taken-by=elliegoulding[/embed]

On a more serious note, today is my last day working at Group Two Advertising. WHAT?! I will no longer be working in advertising and I am pursuing a career in fitness full time. I'm pretty psyched, people. I've learned so much from my time in the agency, but all along I've kept up my fitness jobs part time, and I came to realize that I just needed to take the leap and jump in full time.  Every day when I would get to work, there was just this little hole in my heart because I wasn't pursuing what I am truly passionate about. GOODBYE desk job! I'll chat more about this later, because I know there might be some others in the same boat, but for now, let's talk about these Peanut Butter Banana Protein Bars...

There's not many combos that can beat a little peanut butter and banana. Sure, the taste is spectacular, but aside from the taste factor, the energy that these two foods provide together are perfect for starting your day, giving you a little afternoon boost or keeping you full at night.

 These Peanut Butter Banana Protein Bars are packed with protein to keep you full and satisfy that sweet tooth. They have a dense and moist texture, much like a pound cake or corn bread. And the best part is, these are so easy to make - one bowl, one pan! 

You'll want your bananas extra ripe for this recipe - easier to mix and also adds more sweetness! 

MMM, look at that crumbly, cake-like goodness :) 

[yumprint-recipe id='16'] XO- Rach

Have you ever taken a big turn and different direction in your career?

What's your favorite post-workout snack?

What's one of your favorite food combos?

Happy Monday, party people. It's been a while, eh? Sometimes life just gets hella effin' crazy. Do you ever have those days when you leave for work and then you blink your eyes and it's 10 p.m.?? That's how my past week and a half has been.  It's unfortunate that I haven't been able to keep up the content on this lil' blog of mine, but I have been working 12-14 hour days and when I get home it's lights OUT! It's all very exciting though and I will share why later this week :) Stay tuned...

So because I wasn't able to share a fancy partner workout for Valentine's Day, I'm sharing a heart-pumping interval workout today to help you burn off the champagne, chocolate, steak, wine and gelato (P.S. I ATE SO MUCH GELATO LAST NIGHT NO RAGRETS)!

Each circuit in this workout incorporates a push pattern, a pull pattern and some core action. It's all about that full body burn when you want to torch a few extra cals and still work on your strength!

All you need is a kettle bell for this workout! 

Before you swing, please learn how to do it properly! It's all about the hip hinge. Watch this video.

KB Overhead Sit-ups  (For more of a challenge, straighten your legs. You can also sub this for straight leg sit-ups, just make sure you keep your arms right overhead the whole time.)

KB Floor Press (I would recommend doing one arm at a time and on the last round challenge yourself to press both arms together. This can easily be subbed for floor dumbbell presses!)

KB Sumo Deadlift Highpull

KB Bent Over Rows (You can absolutely alternate arms here.)

KB Goblet Squat (Keep the KB close to your chest and your elbows close as well. Try to get your elbows to touch your knees. If you can't get that range of motion holding the Kettlebell, drop the weight and perform fast body weight squats.)

Plank Taps on KB: Get into a plank on your elbows. Place the kettlebell about an arm's reach length in front of you. Alternate arms reaching and tapping the KB with your hand. This is a great anti-rotational core exercise. When you lift one arm off the ground, make sure to keep your core tight so that you don't rotate your torso. 

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day over here was just lovely! I taught a 9:30 a.m. spin class at Body Cycle Studio. It was a packed class and it got really sweaty (thank goodness, because the weather was in the single digits yesterday morning!) Michael came to my spin class (what a sweetie) and after we headed over to Luna's Cafe in Old City for brunch.

I ordered a kale, mushroom and goat cheese frittata that came with a latke and Michael got cornbread eggs Benedict with bacon and maple syrup. It was DELISH. After that, we looked at pups. We're seriously considering getting one soon! There is a whole in my heart that needs to be filled by puppies. 

The rest of the day consisted of lots of relaxing. It was way too cold out outside for us Floridians to consider going out so we cooked up a wonderful surf 'n' turf dinner. Before dinner noshing:

It's been a while since I've had lobster or filet mignon, and let me tell you it was such a treat!! 

After dinner noshing:

MMM, such a great Sunday after a crazy week. I'm ready for this one and I hope you all are too!

Xo- Rach

How was your Valentine's Day?

If you’re a vegetarian, but you still want that delicious chicken wing flavor during Super Bowl weekend (or whenever your heart desires,) this is the perfect recipe for you! These Buffalo Cauliflower Bites are hot and spicy, but the homemade garlic dipping sauce is the perfect flavor to cool them down. The sauce is extremely versatile and acts as a great veggie dip or for these Hoisin Lime Wings! I've also been using the dip with my dinner all week. It's delicious with fish and roasted vegetables. 

Buffalo Cauliflower Bites & Garlic Greek Yogurt Sauce

[yumprint-recipe id='15'] Be careful...these are HOT!! If you like more of a mild flavor, I would recommend using a bit less of the hot sauce. 

Mmmmm, just look at that perfect BITE!

What's on your Super Bowl menu?

Have a great Thursday!

XO- Rach