It's been so long since I have posted anything here.  I wish I could say that I have been crazy busy with sessions in the studio but really I have just been crazy busy with life.  If you are a faithful follower then you remember my last post about completing the 101 class at Iron Tribe in Huntersville.  The day after I completed that I went on vacation to visit my family in Maine for a few weeks.  I am very proud to say that I stuck to my Paleo eating the whole time and I am still continuing to eat that way now.  As soon as I got back I headed straight to ITF and got to work.  I have been going 3 times a week since.  I also added PiYo to my workout routine, which is a program that I thoroughly enjoy and compliments my ITF workouts too.  I have lost 22 pounds so far and I feel amazing.

On another personal note, we are also preparing for a trip to Texas right after Christmas so that my daughter can have surgery done on her shoulder.  When she was born she sustained an injury that has prevented her from having 100% normal function in her arm.  She has had physical therapy for most of her 5 years and this past spring we met with a surgeon to see what could be done for her.  Unfortunately, this surgeon does not actually perform the surgery in NC so there is a lot of planning involved to make sure everyone is on the same page.  As of last week we finally have a date and all travel arrangements have been made.  This also happens to coincide with my busiest season, since Christmas and Valentine's are huge for boudoir gifts.  So on top of having to meet cutoff dates before each holiday to be sure gifts are in hands on time, I also have to limit dates due to us being away and me needing to take care of my daughter post-op.

With all that being said, I still have a few dates available before each holiday, so if you are considering one call soon or you may not get a date.  I also want to thank all of you for being so patient while I have been "away" from my site for so long.  I love being a photographer, I love giving women beautiful photos, and I love my clients but sometimes life gets in the way and I have to be a mom first.  

If you would like one of those limited dates for either Christmas or Valentine's gifts, please email or call today: 336.309.3506

♥xoxo♥
Kay

What a week!  I made it!  I graduated from my 101 classes!  4 Weeks down already.  I can't believe how fast the time went by.  I am also amazed at how far I have come in 4 short weeks.  I am excited to see what the future holds and I am looking forward to starting my regular classes when I get back in September.

Monday was class #10 and it was actually pretty easy.  We did 1 exercise with progressive weight.  Back squats; basically the bar is held across your shoulders while you do squats.  Sounds easy, the move was easy, the weight however, was intense.  We did 5 sets of 3 reps, each set we increased the weight by 10 except for the last set, which increased by 20.  My final weight was 85 lbs and I am sure I could have done more had I started out with a higher weight.  I am pretty sure that my legs are a lot stronger than my upper body because of riding.  I use my legs and seat to direct my horse so anything that only involves legs, like squats, are a bit easier for me.

Wednesday was a killer class.  Class #11 looked like this: 3 rounds, first round 21 each, 2nd round 15 each, 3rd round 9 each.  There was a 15 minute cap, so if you don't finish your final time is 15 minutes.  Three exercises to get through.  Hand stand push ups, power snatch and thrusters.  We did not do full on hand stand push ups.  We had to kneel on a 20" box with our hands on the floor in front of it and do push ups.  A push up was not considered completed unless the crown of our head touched the floor.  I hate push ups...period.  This almost killed me.  Power snatch is basically a lift from floor to overhead in proper position.  Thrusters are bar in front rack position, squat and then lift overhead.  My first round I managed to do the modified push-ups and 35 lbs for snatch and thrusters.  The second round I had to modify the push ups even more by just doing a straight overhead lift with 15#.  I also used 15# for the snatch and thrusters the next round.  I only got through the "push up" portion of round 3 before I got a pain in my back and stopped, therefore my finishing time was 15 minutes.  I did not want to chance a serious injury and my coaches agreed.  I spent the rest of the day and the next day resting up for the big finale!

Friday!  Workout #12!  I knew what my workout would be going in but I was super nervous.  I wasn't sure if I would see much improvement and I was a little worried that I would find myself on day 1 all over again.  We had a little quiz after a nice warm up.  Basically we went over all of the lifts and squats and the differences in them all.  We were allowed to answer as a group and as a group we had to do burpees if we were wrong or couldn't answer.  I am pretty sure my brain was refusing to work since it was focused on my final workout.  We ended up getting 4 answers wrong in all.  Once we were done testing we went over our final workout.  As a reminder, the workout would look like this.  Run 200 meters.  Three rounds of air squats, kettle bell swings, and sit-ups.  Round 1, 15 reps each; round 2, 12 reps each; round 3, 9 reps each.  Finally, 200 meter run.  On day 1 I struggled.  I finished with a time of 14:35.  I was last.  I wanted to give up so bad and go home and not look back.  Boy, am I glad I didn't do that.  My final workout was a testament to what 4 weeks of hard work can do.  I finished my workout in 7:09!  I was the first one done!  I smashed my day 1 time by more than half.  On the first day I cried.  I cried because I was so upset with how far I had let myself go.  I cried because I didn't want to feel the way I did.  I cried because I was ashamed.  Friday, I cried again as I crossed the line and heard my final time.  This time, they were tears of happiness as I realized I am much stronger than I gave myself credit for.  I let those tears come just for a moment as I let it sink in how far I had come in these 4 short weeks.  If I can do this in 4 weeks, how far will I be in 12 months?  I am excited to see where the next year will take me.

I had a meeting Thursday with another fitness instructor/local business owner and we talked about my goals, how she helps her clients and what I am doing and committing to.  I am going to be sticking to my Iron Tribe workouts 3 days a week and adding PiYo 3 days a week.  I love Pilates and I am looking forward to adding it back into my workout routine.  I think this will be a nice complement to the lifting.  I am sticking with my Paleo eating, and I am excited about my journey.  I also realized that being healthy and talking about my journey is another passion that I forgot about.  Excuses are easy to make, commitment is not.  If you are not 100% committed to a lifestyle change for the better you will have a difficult time losing no matter how much you want to.

I am going to continue to post about this journey that I am on.  Maybe not every week, then again, maybe it is another way I will keep myself accountable for this commitment that I have made.  I hope you continue to follow along and I hope I have inspired at least one person to go outside their comfort zone, make a commitment to a lifestyle change and start their own fitness journey.  Until next time!

♥xoxo♥
Kay

I'm a slacker.  I forgot to post my week 3 post last weekend and I am almost done week 4 already!  If you follow my regular posts you may have noticed I skipped my Topless Tuesday post this week as well.  Since I am traveling most of August, I decided to take a little break.  I need some downtime to mentally prepare for the upcoming holiday rush.  Keep watching though because I will be resuming in September!

So, week 3.  A lot happened last week.  I signed up for a 12 month commitment to this workout as of Friday.  One year to reach my goal.  One year of lifting and losing.  Even though the workouts keep getting more intense, I am loving how I feel after.  I want to see the day that I can do the moves and not need to modify them.  I will get there.

So let's go back to Monday and workout #7.  We had to do as many rounds as we could in 10 minutes.  Each round consisted of pull-ups, push-ups and overhead squats.  I don't know about you but pull-ups are the one thing I could never master.  I dreaded pull-ups in gym class.  I was lucky if I could do 1, even the girl way.  So when I saw pull-ups I was ready to leave.  Turns out, there is a way to modify them and it makes it a little easier.  We use these colored bands to help us.  Basically they are attached to the bar and you put 1 foot inside the band and it helps you to get your chin above the bar.  We had to do 5 pull-ups.  Next up push-ups, same as we did before, 10 of these.  Lastly, overhead squats.  Basically you hold the bar overhead while you do squats.  We were lucky that we only had to use the PVC pipes but we had to do 15 of these.  That is a LOT of arm work in a 10 minute period.  I managed to get through 4 complete rounds, plus 5 pull-ups and 9 push-ups in that 10 minute period.  

Workout #8 was frustrating for me.  We had a new move that I just couldn't quite get the grasp of.  We had to complete 3 rounds for time.  A round consisted of 15 push jerks, 9 box jumps and 6 muscle ups.  The push jerk had me stumped.  I just wasn't understanding it and my head was stuck there.  Basically it is just an overhead lift but there is a dip in the beginning and the end.  The end dip wasn't happening for me and no amount of practice or explanation was working.  The box jump was more a nuisance than anything.  It gets in your head.  You start thinking, "what if I miss it?  What if I fall?  Can I really jump that high?"  Once I did one, I was fine, and luckily we only had to use a 12" box.  A true muscle up takes a lot of arm strength.  We got to modify ours.  It utilizes the rings and has 3 steps.  It's not easy to explain but it's kind of like a push up on the rings starting from a lying down position.  Yes, not easy to explain at all!  I made it through all 3 rounds with just a slight shin pain.  I attributed the pain to the box jump since I tend to land flat-footed.  The pain went away by the next day.

Workout #9, the end of week 3, the final class before the final week.  What a doozy!  3 rounds, each round is max reps in 1 min followed by a 1 minute rest.  Each round consisted of power cleans, double unders and wall ball.  Power cleans start out like a dead lift and end up in the front rack position.  Double unders are just the jump rope and since we haven't really mastered double unders we got to do singles.  Wall ball utilizes the medicine ball.  Hold it in front of you while standing just shy of arm's length from the wall.  Squat down, throw the ball up to a predetermined target on the wall, catch it and go back to a squat.  I ended up having some serious pain in my shins from the jump rope.  This hurt my overall numbers because I just could not get good reps on the jump rope.  I was very happy that I had 2 days off to rest my legs before the final week.

Even after 3 weeks, I can already feel a difference.  Muscles that I haven't used in forever are reawakening.  My energy level is higher.  My clothes are fitting looser.  I am excited about the next week and beyond that.  I hope someone is reading this and it motivates you.  Whether that is to get up and take a walk or find your nearest Iron Tribe or even just to change what you are eating.  It is a choice.  You can choose to make a commitment to better your health or you can choose to do what you have been doing.  Either way, the decision is yours and nobody can make it for you.  If you choose healthy, great!  If I have motivated you to choose healthy, even better!  Let me know what journey you have chosen to take.  I would love to hear from you :)

Until next week!

♥xoxo♥
Kay

I made it!  Two weeks down, two to go!  I am feeling great and I am looking forward to the next two weeks.  I have had no problem sticking to my new way of eating.  I am officially grain free, dairy free, sugar free & soy free.  I have no cravings for any of that.  My only dilemma is when I am not home and I need to grab something to eat.  If I don't take it with me, it is not the easiest thing to find something fast.

I have yet to see the scale move any great amount but I am finding that my clothes are fitting a lot different.  Whenever I have lost weight in the past I have noticed that I lose weight from head down and feet up.  In other words, my mid-section is the last place I lose weight.  I don't know if this is "normal" but it seems to be the way my body works.  I know I have more energy than I did before and I can tell that I am doing something right because I am getting definition in my arms and legs.

We learned some new moves this past week and I must say, I was not a fan of most of them.  Monday I was feeling great when I got to the gym.  I had lots of energy for a Monday morning...at 6:30!  Then I walked in and saw the board.  3 rounds...okay that's not new...no running or rowing...OK, even better...40 double unders...hmmm, what are those?...30 front squats...what the what?...20 ring dips...I can only imagine.  

We go through our warm up and Jay is asking how our weekend was and how we are feeling.  The 3 of us are in good spirits as we head over to hear all about our WOD.  Today is a partner workout.  Everything is listed as a total, so we each do half the numbers on the board.  Double unders = jump rope.  If you can't do a double under you need to do three times the amount of singles, which means 60 for each of us.  Front squats are basically squats holding the bar in the rack position, 15 each.  Then we get to the ring dips.  Are you freaking kidding me?  Jay demonstrates...I contemplate walking out right there.  It is basically a push-up on the rings without the rings moving away from you.  All of that energy I had when I walked in, that good mood I was in, out the door.  Laura and I team up.  We start with the jump rope at the same time.  We can't move to the bar until we are both finished with the rope.  First round of rope and bar are pretty easy.  The rings, not so much.  We decide to break it up and do 5 at a time, so we each go twice before we move back to the rope.  Round 2 was a little harder since we are racing the clock and we don't have much time to rest.  We actually did better with the rings since we have figured out how to do them by now.  The last round we were basically just cheering each other on to get through.  We finished strong and we were happy with our time.  I still have bruises on my arms from those rings.  I never want to see them again...but I know I will.

Wednesday I was cautious walking in.  I did not want to look at that board.  My arms were hurting and I had developed a pain in my left shin from the jump rope.  To my surprise it actually didn't look that bad.  And then Jay explained it to us.  10! reps of push press and knees-to-elbows.  10! means you start with 10 reps the first time and then you do one less each round until you get to 1.  Push press was pretty easy.  OK maybe easy isn't the right word but compared to what was coming, it was a piece of cake.  Basically you hold the bar in rack position do a quick dip down with your legs and as you stand back up you raise the bar over your head.  Then Jay explained knees-to-elbows.  You hang from the pull-up bar and do a reverse crunch basically.  How about no?  A. I cannot reach the pull-up bar and B. My hands and wrists cannot handle that.  Of course, Jay wouldn't take no for an answer.  He allowed us to stand on a box to reach the bar and he gave us chalk for our hands so we wouldn't slip.  Even in typing this it doesn't seem that bad but let me just say by the time you are half done you are wishing it was over.  The lesser the reps, the less time to rest.  Oh and on my second round, when I was supposed to do 9 each, I actually did 10 push press because I forgot.  So I had a bit of a bonus for the day.  I learned that the easier the board looks the harder the workout will be.

Friday we had Maleah coaching us again.  She had us start with a lovely run.  I am already regretting getting up.  We get back inside and she explains our lovely WOD.  First exercise is call sumo deadlift high pass.  Basically stand with your legs apart like a sumo wrestler, deadlift a kettlebell and then bring it up past your chest with your elbows pointing up.  The second exercise...burpees!  I just knew they were coming sooner or later.  If you have never seen or done burpees, Google it.  So we have to do 6 rounds of each exercise.  Each round is 30 seconds of each exercise, as many as we can do total between the two.  Then we rest for 1 minute and start the next round.  Compared to the burpees, the rings were a walk in the park and the knees-to-elbows were a breeze.  I officially have my new least favorite workout ever.  But I made it through and I was officially half done with bootcamp.

I am sure the next two weeks will be hard and I will find another exercise that I like even less than burpees but I know it will all be worth it in the end.  My family is eating better.  I am feeling better.  I can't wait to look better!  I hope you will continue to follow me on my journey.  Until next week, stay strong :)

♥xoxo♥
Kay

Welcome back Beautiful!  I made it!  My first week of Iron Tribe 101 is in the past and I am looking forward to next week.  Okay, maybe looking forward to is a bit of a stretch after these first 3 classes but I am ready to say, bring it on!

Monday morning when I arrived at Iron Tribe I was the first one there.  I met Jay, the trainer who would be working with us.  A few minutes before class started the other 2 ladies who would be taking the class arrived as well.  Cherie was there and she and Jay gave us a little history on themselves and asked us to do the same.  Basically, why we were there and what we wanted to get out of it.  After that it was onto the warm up and Jay showing us the moves we would be working on that day.  Let me just say this, I DO NOT RUN!  Even when I was working out 3 times a day, running was not part of my routine.  Walking briskly, yes.  Running, no.  Well, the first thing we have to do is run 200 meters.  It doesn't sound like a lot, but for a non-runner, it might as well be a mile.  Not only do I have to run 200 meters,  but I have to run it twice.  What?  Oh, no way!  I think I should leave now.

So Jay goes through the three moves for the day; squats, kettlebell swings and situps.  Easy enough right?  Sure, if you are doing 1 of each!  We are doing a run, then we do a set number of each move, followed by another lesser number of each move, followed by another round of these same moves, again in a lower number and last but not least, run again.  For someone who is way overweight and hasn't done any real exercise in a very long time, this was like walking over a bed of hot coals...or swallowing them as it felt like my lungs were on fire and I couldn't breathe!  I will be completely honest, I wanted to give up and go home.  I will be fat for the rest of my life if it means I do not have to run ever again.  Then, I thought about my daughter.  I thought about how she loves to play outside.  I thought about her future...without her mother.  I cried.  I pushed through.  I clawed my way through that workout.  I ran that last 200 meters, even though I thought about throwing up the whole way.  I collapsed on the floor when I was done and all I wanted to do was close my eyes and cry because I hated who I have become.  I hated myself in that moment for ever letting me get to this point.  I cannot blame this on anyone but me and I accept that.

I realized that I needed to find something to eat before my workout that would help me make it through but not make me feel sick.  I am not a morning person, so I am not getting up earlier than I have to in order to cook something.  I needed to find something convenient, Paleo and fast.  I left that morning knowing I did this to myself, knowing I needed to figure out how to make it easier so early in the morning and knowing that I was coming back.

Wednesday morning I was feeling much better.  I had two slices of turkey bacon and some apple slices on my way in.  I was so ready for this workout...until I saw the board.  RUNNING again!  This time I would run 200 meters three times.  Are you kidding me?  OK, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.  After all the other 2 exercises for the day are upper body.  Once again, we started with a warm up and Jay explaining the exercises we would be doing.  Vertical press and push-ups.  Doesn't sound so bad.  Three rounds of running, 21 presses and 12 push-ups.  Just shoot me now.  There is no way I can do 1 push-up, never mind 36.  No turning back now, just get it done and go home and cry.  I made it through all three rounds...the easiest part?  Running.  Who knew!  Thursday was not a good day.  My arms were VERY sore.  I just kept telling myself, it will be fine.  Friday will be lower body again and your arms will have plenty of time to rest.  Oh how wrong I was.

Friday morning I was still pretty sore but I was so proud of myself for making it to the end of the week without quitting.  I was feeling good food-wise.  Making great choices, eating good and feeling good too.  As I walk through the door, I immediately look at the board to see what I would be doing that morning and I almost turned right around.  Row 200 meters, 15 dead lifts and 10 squats...times 3.  I am so screwed!  My arms cannot take this today.  Not only that, but I was dead lifting 55 pounds!  This is a joke right?  Nope, no joke.  After a lovely stretch, which felt pretty good but just reinforced the fact that my arms hurt, we got started.  The first round wasn't too bad, the second round actually felt pretty good, but by the third round my arms were done.  The only thing that got me through it was knowing it was the last round.  Apparently, these are muscles I have not used in quite a while.  My triceps were burning.  My shoulders were feeling it too.  I was not going to get much done that afternoon, maybe not all weekend.  I was so glad I had the next 2 days off to rest.

As I type this, it is Saturday.  My arms are still hurting pretty bad.  I actually feel like they need to be stretched out but all the stretching isn't helping.  I really want to go ride my horse this weekend but there is no way my saddle is going to make it on my horse.  I probably wouldn't even be able to brush him, never mind get on him.  I really hope Monday never gets here.  I really hope this is all worth it.  Stay tuned to find out how I fare in week 2.  And if you happen to have a spare arm or two I could borrow, I would greatly appreciate it.

♥xoxo♥
Kay

Read part 1 here.

Hello Beautiful!  You may be wondering why there is a fitness post on a photography blog.  Since I am in the business of photographing women, I thought I would share how I decided to change my life and get healthy.  My goal is to do a boudoir session of my own once I have reached my weight/size goal.  This will keep me accountable.

First, a little back story.  I have had my ups and downs in weight since my teen years but never to the extent I am at now.  When I moved to NC at the beginning of 2008 I changed my lifestyle completely and began eating better and exercising every day.  In 3 months I lost close to 20 pounds, was in the best shape of my life and felt amazing.  I loved working out every day and I loved my body for the first time in forever.  However, it only took 1 single event to make it all go away.  The day I found out my beloved horse was dead was the day I stopped caring about my health and working out and eating healthy.  I returned back to the old habits of eating out, drinking Coca-Cola and sitting around being depressed.  About 3 months later I found out I was pregnant and even though I told myself I was going to eat right and do some exercise, I used it as an excuse to continue eating and sitting around.  Needless to say I gained it all back and then some.  Fast forward to now and I am the heaviest I have ever been and miserable.  I can't keep up with my very active almost 5-year-old.  I get winded very quickly when I try to do anything more than walking for a few minutes.  Up until a few weeks ago, I was still drinking Coke every day.  While I had changed what we were eating, I didn't stick to healthy foods 100%.  In the car, let's get fast food.  Going out to dinner, let's have dessert.  Walking past the bakery section at the grocery store, let's just pick up a package of muffins.  It was very easy to say yes, even though I knew I needed to say no.  Especially when you are busy and on the go a lot.

Everything changed when I attended an event a few weeks back.  There was a raffle and all vendors were entered.  I won.  I won 12 classes to Iron Tribe in Huntersville.  Hmmm, do I accept it?  I live in Statesville.  Not exactly neighbors.  I need this.  All things that went through my head in the seconds it took me to walk up and get my prize.  I spoke to the representative that was there that night.  I told her my back story.  I told her I wanted to lose the weight so bad that I was willing to drive all the way down there 3 times a week to work out and get healthy again.  What the hell was I thinking?  There is no way I am going to go.  I am the queen of excuses.  I NEED THIS!  All things that went through my head in the seconds it took me to walk back to my table.

I met with Cherie at Iron Tribe 2 weeks ago to chat about classes, what was expected, the "diet" and to watch a little of a regular class.  Oh crap!  What am I getting myself into?  The "diet" is actually not really a diet in the way most people use the term.  It is a lifestyle change.  A conscious effort to eat healthy foods.  They follow the Paleo diet.  If you are not familiar Google it.  Basically no grains, no beans, no soy, no dairy, no sugar, lots of lean meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and lots of good healthy fats.  No calorie counting!  In actuality I was almost eating this way anyway...almost.  I was gluten free but eating processed gluten free food.  The only dairy I eat is cheese, but lots of it.  I also happen to have a weakness for sugar, although I had switched to mostly honey and coconut sugar but if a cupcake presented itself to me, I wouldn't turn it down.

During our meeting, Cherie gave me a book all about the Paleo diet and how to transition into it a little slower than just jumping in all at once.  I started in last Monday by cutting out all carbs and sugar.  At least for now I can still have cheese!  I will be honest, even though I didn't think I was eating that many carbs, I had a rough few days.  I'm not sure if it was the crazy weather we were having or just the change in what I was eating but I had the worst headaches.  I was pretty tired too.  There is such a thing called the Paleo flu.  It's not contagious or anything, but it mimics actually having the flu.  I am pretty sure I had a few symptoms.  I made it through the whole week though without caving...until Sunday.  We usually eat out on Sunday night.  Instead of making a healthy choice, we ended up with Chinese food. Not good.  I was starting my workout the next day.  I did not sleep well at all and I know it is because of what I ate. 

Monday morning I got up at 5:15 and got ready to head out.  I knew I would need to eat something before working out so early so I grabbed a Paleo pumpkin muffin I had made earlier in the week.  Breakfast on the go.  I arrived a few minutes early.  I was nervous.  I drank a lot of water, thinking it would be good to make sure I was hydrated, especially after my horrible dinner the night before.  I had no idea what I was in store for.

Stay tuned for part 2 later in the week and find out how my first week at Iron Tribe actually went.

♥xoxo♥
Kay

If you follow me on Instagram you probably noticed my After photo a couple of weeks ago.  The selfie of my new haircut?  Yeah, that one.  

My before photo pretty much looked like this, except that was taken a few months back.

When I decided to get my hair cut off I wasn't thinking about donating it.  All I was thinking was, I need something different.  A different cut, a different color, just completely different.  When I told my stylist, Lexy, that I wanted to cut it all off and go short she asked if I wanted to see if it was long enough to send in to Locks of Love.  I said sure, if it's long enough I would love to be able to give it to such a good cause.  So she put it in a pony tail and cut it off.  She grabbed the measuring tape and sure enough, it was more than long enough!

What a great thing to be able to do.  To know that I helped a child who has lost their hair feel a little bit of normal, that just makes my heart swell.  I also got something I totally wasn't expecting, a little certificate that says I donated my hair to this great cause.  When that came through my email, I was so surprised and it made me feel good all over again.

If you ever get the opportunity to donate your hair, I hope you take it.  Or any other deed that you can do to help someone less fortunate than you.  If you can put a smile on someone's face, do it.  The feeling you get back is tenfold.

What is your beauty?

♥xoxo♥
Kay

But not really!  I call it cheesecake but some definitely would not.  It is made with cream cheese and that is probably as close as you are going to get to the real thing.  I was actually given this recipe quite a few years back to make for a fourth of July party and it was a big hit.  I have since adapted it to make it a little teeny-tiny bit more healthy...but it is a dessert so...yeah...just eat it.

I recently made it for my family on Memorial Day with the changes and once again, it was a hit!  When there is silence at the table, I know I have made something good.  Half the "pie" was gone in one sitting...and two out of three of us only had a little piece.  Without further ado, I give to you my version of a cheesecake, without the all the fuss :)

Crust:
1 package waffle cones or bowls
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1 tbsp coconut sugar

Add all ingredients to your blender or food processor and pulse until desired consistency.  I prefer my pieces to be fairly decent sized and not a fine powder.  Pour into a greased springform pan or a pie plate, whichever you prefer.  I use coconut oil to grease my pan.  See notes below.  Bake on 350 for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool on rack for about 30 minutes.

**A few notes:  If you do not have coconut oil use 6 tbsp of butter melted and either butter or spray to grease pan.  If you do not have coconut sugar you can use the same amount of your preferred sweetener.  I adapted this recipe I found on Pinterest to my liking.

Filling:
(1) 8 oz package reduced fat cream cheese, softened at room temp
1/2 tub frozen whipped topping, thawed (regular or lite)
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

In a medium to large bowl mix cream cheese and sugar until well blended.  Add whipped topping and vanilla and mix until just blended.  Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.  Spread filling over cooled crust.  Be very careful as the crust is not solid and it will pick up and move if you try to spread forcefully.  Spread the remaining whipped topping over filling. Top with fruit of your choice.  I usually cut strawberries in half, roll in sugar and arrange over the top.  Once you have topped your "pie" place in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving for it to firm up.  Serve cold and enjoy!!

**Again, replace coconut sugar with sweetener of your choice.  You may need to make adjustments to amount on this one depending on what you use.

This is so quick to make but it tastes like you were in the kitchen for hours!   If you want to make it even faster you can skip the homemade crust and just use a store bought graham cracker crust.  This is what I used to use when I made it way back when.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do no matter how you make it!

Until next week!
♥xoxo♥

Most everyone who has ever gone to a Chinese restaurant has seen Beef and Broccoli on the menu...heck, even if you haven't gone to a Chinese restaurant before I will bet that you have at least heard of it.  You know, a little beef*, a little broccoli, some brown gravy stuff.  {Shudder}  Yeah, this isn't that.

In fact, just like the title says, this is not really Asian cuisine at all...I just like to come up with dumb titles.

Anywho, last night I made one of the yummiest dinners on the grill...because I hate cooking inside in the summer...and when I finished I thought to myself, hmmm, this is kinda like that beef and broccoli dish they serve at those places only better and more healthy for you and better.  The only thing missing was the rice.  Next time I will definitely add some homemade veggie "fried" rice.  

Please excuse the instagram pics...I was too lazy and hungry to drag out my big camera.  But isn't it pretty?  It was very easy to make too.  Are you ready to find out how to get this yummy goodness on your dinner table tonight?

Beef:
1-2 pounds of petite sirloin beef
2/3 cup red cooking wine
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp fresh ground sea salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
a drizzle or two of EVOO

Cut beef into roughly 1 inch cubes.  Add all ingredients into a large plastic zipper bag and mix up to coat evenly.  Place in the refrigerator for at least 90 minutes.  The longer, the better.  I use this marinade for my beef kebabs no matter what I am making with them.

Once they have marinated properly remove from refrigerator and let them sit on the counter while you prepare the veggies.  Cut up two to three crowns of broccoli making sure to leave enough stem to put your skewers through.  Clean one package (big or small depending on how many people eating or how much you like mushrooms) of baby bella mushrooms.  Remember do not rinse your mushrooms, gently wipe them with a damp paper towel.  Drizzle EVOO over veggies prior to skewering.

If you are using wooden skewers make sure you soak them in water for at least 30 minutes unless you like having the fire department show up for dinner too ;)  Personally, I prefer the metal skewers myself...no fuss and they wash well so no trash.

Now the not so fun part.  Skewer your broccoli and mushrooms.  I did mine separately because they cook at different speeds and I don't like charred broccoli.  If you prefer, you can actually put them all together just note the beef and mushroom will be rare when the broccoli is done or the broccoli will be charcoal when the beef and mushrooms are ready.  So just get them all on the sticks however you like.  Broccoli...check!  Mushrooms...check!  Beef...check! 

Everyone has their own way of doing things but here is how I prepare my grill.  Turn all burners on high while skewering.  Just prior to cooking I clean my hot grates and turn the burners down to low.  Add beef on the side closest to the gas inlet and the veggies on the other.  After about 5 minutes check the broccoli and flip.  another 5 minutes move the broccoli to the top shelf.  Flip mushrooms and beef.  Another 5-10 minutes and you are done!  I like my steak a medium rare to medium and these little guys cook fast so keep your eyes on them.  If your grill stays nice and hot and cooks fast your cooking time may be reduced.  If your grill cooks slower you might be there longer or if you like your beef cooked well.  When it is cooked to your liking remove from grill, remove from skewers, serve and enjoy!  If you are fancy like me, you can even serve it on some lovely paper plates ;)

You can add any veggies you want.  You can add any other sides you want.  You can change it up any way you want...but then it wouldn't be this recipe anymore, right?  My point is don't be afraid to try something new...you just might discover a new staple in your menu!  I did...last night...and even my almost 4-year-old ate it :)

Until next week...eat healthy and be inspired!
♥xoxo♥