Cassey Ho's Blog, page 115

What being STRONG really means…

Hey guys!

Let’s talk about STRONG.

We are all so conditioned to “know” what strong is supposed to look like. Shredded abs, poppin’ biceps, and a huge, lifted booty. At least that is what Instagram tells us. And I don’t doubt that people with those physiques are lean and fit, but you shouldn’t feel weaker if you don’t look that way. Strength is something from inside, and no one can accurately judge you for that. We all have our own story.

I used to live a life where I strived for vanity in my physique. I mean, I competed in a bikini competition – how much more physically obsessed can you get!? I worked my head off 4 hours a day to lose weight and have slightly more visible abs than I do in the pic above, where I work out only 28 minutes a day with PIIT28.

But now, the difference is, I work out because it makes me a better person, not because it makes me a “hotter” person.

I challenge you to think about that for a second.

Working out makes me stronger, sharper, faster, smarter, less stressed, and happier. The reason why I don’t skip a workout now isn’t because I’m scared of getting fat (old thinking), it’s because I really like the person I am after I exercise. The positive vibes spread to the people I interact with at work and it feeds into my creativity for my business.

This is what I call a mind shift. And what happened after that mind shift is magical.

My body started changing.

It started sculpting itself towards it’s own best shape because I approached fitness with joy, not with angst. I work out for the RIGHT REASONS.

Now, when I exercise, I get EXCITED (like super excited) when I can go lower in my tricep pushups and when I can sprint faster on the treadmill. There’s this feeling of ultimate inner satisfaction that reminds me of pure childhood joy. I mean, whether or not the scale goes down, and whether or not the muscle striations on my legs become more visible, WHO CARES!!! I don’t need an IG pic and loads of comments saying “You look pretty” to validate my worth! I KNOW MY WORTH!! Look what I can do that I couldn’t do just a few weeks ago!! That is called real strength, and THAT is awesome!

And guess what? When you focus on what matters, like how much you honestly ENJOY sweating it out, everything just starts to fall in place. You find your balance.

Sometimes, people try to complicate fitness too much with exact calorie counts, exact calorie burn, and all sorts of crazy wild theories on what you should eat and how you should work out. Do not be overwhelmed with OVER-INFORMATION.

This is the key:

Find a workout that makes you smile and keeps you coming back. It should be something you look forward to, not dread! Then, do it as much as you can (try 5-6 times a week).

Feed your body for energy. Notice how your body reacts to certain foods. If you break out or feel lethargic after eating a certain thing, stop having it! Be your own nutritionist. You just have to be conscious.

That is how you will find your own strong. Strong looks different on EVERYONE. So stop comparing yourself to others. Start comparing yourself to who you were yesterday.

***

Ready to hear who the POPFLEX Mermaids Giveaway Winner is? With over 11,000 entries, I am stunned by your excitement!! I read some very good ideas for future collections! So, thank you for your lovely suggestions! The winner of the below assortment is…

 

Congrats Elise!

How to Properly Wash your Activewear

Hey Guys!

I’m obviously into clothes. Workout clothes especially. I design ’em, I wear ’em, I live ’em!

Since we’ve released the second POPFLEX Active Collection, many of you guys have been curious as to how to keep the colors vibrant bright and smelling great after every wash!

GREAT QUESTION.

So, when Tide and Downy reached out to see if I wanted to share their new laundry regimen with you guys, I was like YES! I was going to blog about this anyway and I had been using a Tide detergent. I’m very excited to show you EXACTLY how I keep my activewear beautiful in my partnership with Tide and Downy with the help of the Tide + Downy Odor Defense Collection!

 

It’s the most annoying thing when you think you’ve washed something well, and then you put it on, only to smell that nasty, dirty stench again. Why won’t that odor go away?

Basically, traditional detergents are made for removing stains from natural fabrics, like cotton, and don’t do a good job at cleaning out the odor trapped in the technical performance fabrics. Since fitness fabrics are woven with a “hollow weave” that traps sweat molecules, it becomes a whole different ball game that now involves specific odor removal.

Oh and before I get into my exact steps of activewear care, I want to let you know that we made sure to use ONLY quality fabrics and dying techniques that would keep your POPFLEX from going dull after just a few washes. I personally tested our fabrics and am 100% confident that they not only look good, but they live up to their technical standards of being moisture wicking, shrink resistant, fade resistant, with ultimate stretch and recovery (aka no saggy butt)!

So here’s what I do to keep my activewear looking and smelling like brand new:

Don’t throw your sweaty clothes in the hamper right away.

This is a big one. I actually air dry them over the side of my bathtub overnight before I put them in the hamper. I don’t want my sweat to stay in my clothes for a week or however long until I have time to do laundry. That’s nasty! The odor may set in. Plus it’ll make all my other clothes smell!

Turn your clothes inside out before you wash them.

I do this for safety. Just in case anything rubs up against my precious POPFLEX, at least it’s getting the inside where no one can see if a mark is left. Also, it’s the dirtiest part of the clothing where all my skin cells and sweat has rubbed into. So let’s get it clean!

3. Use a laundry regimen MADE for fitness clothes.

Try using Tide + Downy Odor Defense Collection! It removes odors to really make your activewear smell good, and not just during the initial wear, but after you work out too. So, smells don’t come back! Here are the 3 items I use together:

The Tide Pods plus Febreze Odor Defense TM cleans fabrics and removes dirt at the surface.
The Tide Odor Rescue with Febreze Odor Defense TM goes deep into the fibers and removes greasy body soils and odors.
The Downy Fresh Protect with Febreze Odor Defense TM adds in up to 24 hrs of freshness.

Because my life is my activewear, I make sure to take good care of it. I’ve tried other detergents and honestly, this one keeps my stuff looking and smelling the best.

Use cold water.

This prevents the color of your fabric from fading! Just like how I grew up not using hot water for my black or dark colored clothing, it’s the same idea.

Ditch the dryer!

If you want to be extra cautious, hang dry your clothes NOT in direct sunlight. The extreme heat from the dryer can change the fit, reduce elasticity over time, and possibly alter the performance of your clothes. Also, if you hang dry in direct sunlight, there is a chance that the color will fade faster over time.

I say this, however, I have probably washed my POPFLEX pieces a dozen of times and I must admit, I have passed them through the dryer too. But they are totally fine! Good quality activewear should not be affected extremely by the drying process.

I hope that helps guys! Do you have other tips for taking care of your activewear? Let me know in the comments!

POPFLEX Mermaids Giveaway!

 

Hey you beautiful mermaids!

Since you’ve been BUSTING your butts, I thought it’d be appropriate to reward you with a GIVEAWAY!!! I am so excited to send one lucky POPster this entire POPFLEX Mermaid Pack!

See everything in that pic above? Eh, probably not – let’s get a closer look…because you gotta see everything that could be yours!

This is the Mermaid Draw the Line legging. It has pockets, mesh, and the most beautiful print ever. How can you not love this. These pants are everything. You can wear them over the heel or slightly scrunched at the bottom. Up to you. It’s just…perfection.

Talk about a back exit to be remembered by! This is the Set the Bar Bra in Nightfall! It’s definitely sturdy enough to hold everything in as your running, jumping, or doing any type of high intensity activity, like PIIT28!

When I designed the Criss Cross Top, I was imagining how graceful and majestic each one of you would look with those seafoam colored straps accenting your chest. I am really so happy with how it turned out.

It’s the Pop Short! I remember working for my first employer straight out of college. I was in the activewear department. I was telling the buyers that booty shorts were all the rage and that we should sell more of them in our stores. They looked at me like I was crazy and laughed. I quit shortly after because I never want to be in an environment where my genuine opinion is not valued. And now…POPFLEX has booty shorts and you guys have proven that booty shorts ARE all the rage! Thank you :)

 

This Slim Jewel Timer bottle is life. It’s how I stay hydrated. It sits on my desk, it goes with me in my car, and stays with me throughout all my gym workouts as I fill it up over and over again. The timer function is really fun to play along with all day. It’s helped so many POPsters stay hydrated which is amazing for energy, clear skin, and gut health!

Ok, are you ready to hear how to win all of this?

All you have to do is comment below and tell me…

You can be from any country and of any age!

Contest will end on Sunday May 22nd, 2016. We will personally contact the winner and announce right here shortly after.

Good luck guys! Go for it!

 

PIIT28 1.0 Round 2 Transformations

Hey guys!

WOW!! I am seriously blown away by all of your PIIT28 progress. And I’m not just talking about the physical. Whether it’s from your first round doing PIIT28 1.0, or your second round, I can see that you are stronger, happier, and more confident! Your before and after pics are so motivational, so thank you for posting them and writing about how you truly feel about the program. Simply by doing that, you inspire people to change their lives. YOU are impacting the world through your own fitness journey. I couldn’t be more proud.

Ready for some serious inspiration!!??

Meet Taryn, @syndrigast_popster

“Day 28: Before and after. The last 56 days have been insane. I completed PIIT28 round 2 yesterday and I feel great. There have been a few physical changes to my body, but the biggest change of all is how much stronger I have become. When I started PIIT28 back in March, I felt so weak. I had to take 3 minute breaks in between each round because I was so tired and sore. Now I can do it all with no problem. I pushed myself to my limits and made sure to work harder every time.”

Meet Brooke, @brookegetsfi08

“Day 56: Before (March 1) and After (April 28). All I could do when I first took this after picture was pick out all my flaws. Someone said something really negative to me about my appearance this morning and it made me feel extremely discouraged. But then I thought why am I letting the words of someone else affect the way I feel about myself?! I’m proud of myself for sticking with #PIIT28 for two rounds! I’m feeling better than I have in a long time. I’m stronger. I have more energy. And I am happier. I’m really proud of everyone on the PIIT journey. It’s hard stuff, but we can do it!”

Meet Val, @sailor_mars93

“My latest progress pic of #PIIT28 and it’s incredible what a change I see. I feel tighter and slimmer but more importantly I’m happier. I feel energized and healthy and really strong. PIIT28 has changed my life and I can’t wait for more!”

Meet Kendra, @kenny_sue

“PIIT28 journey: Flatter tummy, way more in shape, better booty, legs look amazing as always and I feel like a boss. So happy with the changes this has brought and for all the support.”

Meet, Kim @kimi_piit28

“Yes! Finally! PIIT28 1.o completed! I gotta say, this program is deceptively difficult! When I first looked at the workout, my thought was “oh…those moves look easy enough” … well this program was anything but easy.

I didn’t realize how stiff my body was until I tried to do low lizard lol. Heck, even front kick was painful, but eventually the moves got more and more fluid and I was doing more and getting better. Not gonna lie, there’s been days where I didn’t want to do anything, didn’t feel like working out, but somehow, I managed to get off my butt and get it done without missing a single day! Looking in the mirror every day, I didn’t feel like there’s any changes, but looking at the progress pictures side-by-side, I’m quite proud! I can see subtle changes and I feel stronger.

I’m so glad I got on this program (on a whim) 28 days ago!”

Meet Aly, @calypop78

“In 2 months I’ve dropped 8lbs and a total of 8 inches by eating more and exercising regularly. My strength and stamina have noticeably increased.”

Meet Barbara, @blogilates_princess

“This is my Day 1 and Day 56 before and after picture with the PIIT28 program and I feel incredible and so much stronger! LOVED the ab work and strength training that was added into the second round. I thought I was really “fit” in the first picture … This is the difference between just doing all cardio vs doing PIIT and strength training. It’s one thing to just burn off calories and another to build your body.”

Meet Chantel, @chantelluu13

“I’ve finally completed the PIIT28 1.0 challenge by @blogilates for the month of April :) Left picture was taken on April 1st & the right picture was taken on April 28th! I feel so much stronger (mentally & physically) and I feel great. I’m more confident with my body. There’s still work that needs to be done but I’m proud of myself for doing this and now it’s time for the PIIT28 Bonus Round for days 29-56 or PIIT28 2.0!”

Meet Meghan, @meglan33

“Day 28 is FINALLY complete!!! I haven’t seen weight loss, but I’ve seen inches lost and muscle tone built. I’m in the process of cutting and getting more lean now. I’m not going to stop here. PIIT28 is now going to have a 2.0 version so I’m sooo excited about that. The other day I got called “acceptable” and those words really hurt, who wants acceptable? And more importantly why the crap did I care what this person thought? It’s MY body and I’m not done working on it yet, I still eat unhealthy at times, and take too many rest days in a row. But it’s a start and I’m getting there, it’s better than not doing anything at all. I’m learning to love myself and I need to learn to not care what others think. And so do you … whoever takes the time to read this! Love yourself and take care of yourself and forget the haters. Don’t ever listen to anyone who calls you “acceptable” you are so much more than that.”

Meet Sharon, @doctorpokey

“Alright, Day 56 of the #PIITstagram photo challenge is the after picture (on the right) for a full 56 day of #PIIT28! #NOfilter on either of these photos besides adding brightness to make the photos clearer.

These past 28 days, I’ve slowly but surely been re-incorporating foods such as grains and dairy back into my diet to see how they affect my body. I’ve had plenty of ups and downs as far as weight is concerned, but I also feel a lot more comfortable in my own skin. I feel like I CAN eat regularly and not be afraid of gaining weight, and I feel like working out is FUN. It’s not about meeting some weight/fat-loss goal anymore, it’s about doing awesome stuff, like YOGA inversions. I’ve never been able to press into headstands before in my life, and now I CAN. I’ve learned that the best way to overcome your fears in life is to just do it!

There’s no such thing as perfection. That’s something I learned on this journey, that I won’t soon forget. Never go for a certain “look” or “size”, just love what you’ve got and make that BETTER. It’s all about practicing a process”

WOW! All you of ladies seriously ROCK. You amaze me so much because you’re honest and real about the ups and downs of your journey. But each and everyone one of you succeeded because you didn’t quit. You got stronger, healthier and happier. I am so proud of you and I can’t wait to see everyone’s results from PIIT28 2.0.

*****

Yay! I am seriously so motivated to go work out and sweat happy now because these ladies are SHINING with energy. It’s so infectious! If you want to give PIIT28 1.0 a go, here it is!

It’s not just an e-book, you have follow along videos, a community, and if it’s your first round of PIIT28, you have the chance to earn the completion tank! So you really can’t lose here. Well, you’ll lose fat…and gain some nice, sexy muscle!

 

And once you finish PIIT28 1.0, you have some bonus videos in there to go for your 2nd round and beyond. I want you to get strong and build the foundation for 2.0…because that stuff is hard! Once you’ve graduated from 1.0, you’ll have the option to move on to the next level. You’ll learn more once you’re inside!

Congrats to everyone! I am so proud of you!

Blogilates in Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore!

Hey guys!

2 bits of exciting news!

This “Quick Burn Calves” video left me so sore for 4 days. It was unreal. You will love.
I will be traveling halfway around the WORLD to see you guys this summer!

I am super excited to announce that Zespri, the New Zealand Kiwi Fruit (watch the video to hear my horrendous New Zealand accent) has invited me to come teach FREE POP Pilates classes in 3 different countries this summer! They are holding huge outdoor festivals and I want you to come! Let’s hang! 2 countries I have never ever been to and then 1, I haven’t been to in YEARS! I AM SO EXCITED!!!

You need to sign up because space is limited. So RSVP below:

Malaysia, May 29: http://www.wakeupwithzespri.com/my/
Australia, June 4: http://www.zesprigoforgold.com
Singapore, June 5: http://www.wakeupwithzespri.com/sg/

Please don’t be scared to come. Whether you’re a beginner or you’ve been doing Blogilates for over 5 years…doesn’t matter. The energy and happiness you will feel at the event will be something that will invigorate you forever. Not only do I want to meet you, I want you to meet other fellow POPsters in your hometown. These are the friendships and relationships that will bring so much laughter and joy into your life. I promise.

If you’re from any of the countries above, can you please comment and tell me what I should check out while I am there? I don’t have too much time in each place, so I would really appreciate any tips from the locals!

Thank you and I cannot wait to see you!

Best Homemade Pizza and Breadsticks with Cauliflower Crust!

Hey guys!

Sorry for being MIA for so long on the blog. Traveling really messes my schedule up and it’s hard for me to sit down and type. It is something I am trying to overcome. I was talking about this issue with my friends last night, and I never want to sound like I am complaining, but I do want to honestly share my thoughts with you.

Before there were like a billion different types of social media, my blog was my #1 place to share my thoughts, feelings, and basically anything that was going on in my life. I remember the days when my blog was hosted on Tumblr and it got so popular that Tumblr would crash every time I posted something that drove a ton of traffic. So then, Blogilates moved to WordPress. I was still blogging about 7x a week – in fact, I would not let myself fall asleep until there was a blog post up!

Now I find myself blogging when I find time, and that really crushes my soul! But the thing is, now that there’s Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, Twitter etc…there are SO MANY CHOICES for thought sharing that sometimes I get overwhelmed and find myself not sharing at all. Do you know what I mean? Sigh.

I am going to try my best to blog more, like I used to. Because this blog is my open diary and it is very therapeutic to write to you. And it’s nice to write to people who will actually read – unlike on IG where people take a look at the pic, and make a comment asking where I got my dress when it says it in the caption – LOL.

ANYWAY!

That was a major tangent!

Are you ready to learn how to make the best Cauliflower pizza I have ever tasted IN MY LIFE!!!! The crust does not taste cardboardy or bland at all. In fact, the texture tastes and feels like real bread! I am really excited to share this gluten free, low carb, vegetarian pizza and breadsticks recipe with you!

CAULIFLOWER MARGHERITA PIZZA

Yield: 8 servings

Serving Size: 1 slice

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 45 min

Ingredients:

1 large head cauliflower (about 425 grams, riced)
Pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup mozzarella/parmesan blend shredded cheese
1 egg
2 tablespoons almond flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of sea salt
Nonstick cooking spray
3 tablespoons tomato sauce
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
1 tomato, sliced thinly (optional)
Basil leaves for garnish

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove stems from cauliflower and chop florets slightly. Place into a food processor and “rice” until it resembles short-grain rice.
Lay cauliflower on a nonstick baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool slightly and then place in a clean dish towel. Squeeze out all liquid (you’ll only be left with about 1 cup of packed cauliflower rice). Increase oven temperature to 425°F.
Place back into the food processor with the cheese, egg, almond flour, garlic powder and salt and pulse until it resembles dough.
Using your hands, flatten dough onto parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet coated with cooking spray into an 8-inch pizza crust. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
Spread tomato sauce and lay down fresh mozzarella. Return to oven for 5-6 minutes or until cheese melts. Sprinkle with fresh basil, top with tomatoes, and serve.

Nutritional Info:

Calories: 89 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 6g | Net Carbs: 2g | Fiber: 2g

CAULI-BREADSTICKS

Yield: 4 servings

Serving Size: 2 breadsticks

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 25 min

Total Time: 45 min

Ingredients:

1 large head cauliflower (425 grams riced)
4 tablespoons liquid egg whites
1/4 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup plus 1/2 cup mozzarella or vegan cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Pinch of pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Remove long stems from cauliflower and chop any large florets. Place in a food processor and pulse to “rice” the cauliflower. You want pieces no larger than short-grain rice. Transfer to a nonstick baking sheet or parchment and roast for 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 450°F.
Place riced cauliflower into a clean dish towel and squeeze out all liquid (you might get as much as ½ cup!). Transfer to a bowl.
Stir in the egg whites, quinoa, cheese, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Line parchment paper on a baking sheet, and form a rectangle about 8-by-3-inches, and pat down.
Bake for 20-22 minutes, then top with remaining cheese and bake 5 more minutes.
Cut into 8 sticks and serve with marinara sauce.

Nutrition Info:

Calories: 111 | Protein: 11.5g | Fat: 4.7 | Net Carbs: 7.7 | Fiber: 4.2

And if you’d like to watch the fun YouTube video I filmed for this recipe, here it is!

 

Hope you guys enjoyed this! Comment below and let me know what your favorite pizza toppings are! If you love this recipe, I have more amazing clean recipes and a meal plan at the28dayreset.com.

 

 

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Fave Places to Eat & Visit in Oahu, Hawaii!

 

Hey guys!

I just got back from Oahu last night. I was a little sad to be leaving the beautiful island, but work is fun too, so I’m not upset at all :)

This was a half work – half vacay trip, which are always the best kinds because I feel like I get 2 things done with just one flight! Great for someone like me who despises planes and the act of traveling. Although, the flight was actually very nice. The plane was supposed to be filled to 220 or so passengers, but there were only 70! Got to spread out and lay down! Oh and I finally got to watch “JOY“. Have you seen it? It was inspirational, BUT I felt like they could have gone soooo much deeper. I wanted to get to know Joy Manzano (inventor of Miracle Mop) as a person and as an inventor better. Read reviews later and learned that the real Joy is a private person, so I guess that’s why I felt like I wanted to know so much more.

ANYWAY!

I want to share with you what I did while I was on Oahu, in case some of you are planning to go to Hawaii in the future! Ready? Let’s get started!

As soon as we got into Honolulu, we rented a car and drove straight to our hotel – The Outrigger Reef. The hotel is LITERALLY right on the beach. This is the view as soon as you step out of the hotel. YAH. Seriously.

As I mentioned, this was a work-vacay, so the first duty was to teach a big POP Pilates class at the local 24 Hour Fitness to welcome POP into all gyms in Hawaii! Look at all the POPsters who showed up! Everyone was so kind. And I’m not just saying that…literally Hawaii has some of the warmest, sweetest people I’ve ever met. It’s in the Hawaiian blood!

Sweaty selfie post class! I was a sweaty mess too. It was increds.

Thank you to everyone who gave me a lei and gifts. I usually never get gifts at meet ups, so it was such a warm welcome onto the island! After the meetup, my Program Director and Master Trainer, Jules, led our POP Instructor workshop and got this fine group ready to TEACH! Welcome to the POP Army Hawaii!

After the class and training day, we were ready to start the vacation part of the trip!!! I had to get my macadamias to prepare for island beach snacking of course. Onion & Garlic is my fave flavor, but it leaves your breath pretty stinky and not nice for kissing, so have a mint on hand.

I could tell you about all the beaches we went to, but this place stood out the most to me. This is the Lanai Lookout. It’s about 15 minutes north of Hanuama Bay (which is so incredible for snorkeling, very commercialized, but amazing nonetheless).

Technically, you’re not supposed to go out after the mini rock wall that gates this beauty from the parking lot, but we saw people doing it, so we did it too! The view is just breathtaking. These pics do NO JUSTICE to what you can experience with your eyes and your body. You need to go here.

Another MUST-SEE spot is the Waimano Waterfalls. It’s not easy to get there though. The hike I mean. I read on a blog that it was considered “Beginner” but I have to honestly admit that it felt more like intermediate-advanced to me! I think I will do a whole blog post dedicated to the hike because IT IS WORTHY. For now, I’ll show you what you will see when you get there.

The falls has 3 pools. The first one is shallow with the huge waterfall, probably about 30 ft tall or so. Then there’s a mini pool in the middle, about the size and depth of a hot tub. And at the final and lowest pool, YOU GET THIS. TARZAN ROPES!!!! All the water is fresh and no there aren’t any weird fish or bugs! Just tiny baby fish but I didn’t encounter any Lochness Monsters, so I think you’re pretty safe here :)

OK, can we talk food please? All my friends told me we HAD to go to Gionvanni’s Shrimp Truck on the North Shore, so we trekked there to see what all the hype was about!

I got the Spicy Shrimp, and within a minute I regretted it. On the menu it said something along the lines of “This is VERY SPICY. We will not offer refunds!” I was so cocky, I was like yeah, whatever, it’s gonna be a piece of cake. Honestly guys, for a girl who puts habanero sauce on her salads at lunch, I was DYING. THIS IS SPICY!!! Very spicy!!! Luckily Sam got Garlic and Butter shrimp (the most popular dish) and I traded him some of my shrimps so that I could survive.

So did it live up to the hype? Yes, it was yummy! But have cash on hand! There’s an ATM machine at the McDonald’s across the street though if you forget, like me.

When in Hawaii, you MUST have an Acai Bowl! This one is from Nalu Health Bar & Cafe which is in Kailua, HI. There are plenty of places to choose from (just Yelp it), but make sure the fruits they put in your bowl are FRESH! I bought another bowl from another place the next day, and it seemed that they were using pre-frozen fruit over pre-blended acai. Not cool. You can significantly taste the difference. This one had bee pollen crunchies on top and it was spectacular.

Finally…THIS.

Obscene much? Yes. Very very much. If there’s one thing you don’t know about me, it’s that I am very egotistical when it comes to bragging about how much food I can eat in one sitting. I LOVE watching food eating competitions – it’s just so fun! There’s one food challenge that I’ve ALWAYS wanted to attempt, and that’s the Macdaddy’s Pancake Challenge at MAC 24/7 in Honolulu. The challenge is to eat this ENTIRE stack of pancakes in under 90 min and you get a free t-shirt, your face on the wall of fame, and your pancake bill paid for. I believe these were about $25.

I went in thinking I could totally take it down – easy peasy.

BUT BOY WAS I WRONG.

I FAILED SO HARD.

GUYS IT WAS EMBARASSING.

I ate way less than a quarter and nearly passed out.

Nope. This was my first food eating challenge and I am officially going to say that there is no need to ever attempt any food challenge again.

So those are the highlights from my Hawaii trip! You can see more of my pics on Instagram @blogilates. Like I said, I will blog entirely about the hike because I think it is something you guys will TRULY enjoy. So stay tuned for that!

Have you been to Hawaii yet? Do you plan on going?

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LIFE BARS! How to Make your own Nutrition Bars

 Hey guys!

I am soooo excited to share with you the most delicious homemade nutrition bars you will ever eat. LIFE BARS!

What are LIFE BARS you ask? Well, they are delicious energy bars that are healthy, clean, and vegan! THEY ARE LIFE!!! You no longer have to go to the store and buy prepackaged bars. Instead, you can make your own nutrition bars at home! You save on cost, and you know exactly what ingredients you’re putting into them. Perfect snack to take on-the-go, bring to school, or work!

Okay, here are your recipes:

PEANUT BUTTER BLISS

Serving Size: 1 bar

Prep Time: 5 min

Total Time: 5 min

Ingredients:

20 large pitted dates

1 cup lightly salted dry roasted peanuts

2 tablespoons natural peanut butter

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Method:

-Place all ingredients into a large food processor.  Be sure to check for pits, even in “pitted dates.”

-Process for 1-2 minutes or until contents have broken down and resemble a thick dough.

-Press into the bottom of a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.  Press the top firmly and evenly.

-Place in refrigerator for 30 min – 1 hour. Cut into 8 bars and wrap in saran wrap until ready to eat.

The method is the same for the rest of the bars!

Nutrition Info: Calories: 200, Protein: 5g, Fat: 9g, Carbs: 31g, Fiber: 4g, Net Carbs: 27g

COCONUT CASHEW CRAZE

Serving Size: 1 bar

Prep Time: 5 min

Total Time: 5 min

Ingredients:

20 large pitted dates

1 cup lightly salted dry roasted cashews

1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

2 tablespoons cashew butter

1/4 -1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Nutrition Info: Calories: 200, Protein: 5g, Fat: 9g, Carbs: 31g, Fiber: 4g, Net Carbs: 27g

CHERRY ALMOND CHEER

Yield: 8

Serving Size: 1 bar

Prep Time: 5 min

Total Time: 5 min

Ingredients:

20 large pitted dates

½ cup lightly salted dry roasted cashews

1/2 cup raw almonds

10 unsweetened dried cherries

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon sea salt (optional)

 

Nutrition Info: Calories: 233, Protein: 5g, Fat: 11g, Carbs: 33g, Fiber: 6g, Net Carbs: 27g

Alright! There you have it! The most delish homemade bars ever! These were so fun and easy to make. You may even think it slightly resembles a Lara Bar! But they are better…hahaha and not so crazy sweet! After taste-testing them right after I made them (because I couldn’t wait -they looked so good!!), my favorite was the Peanut Butter Bliss bar because well, peanut butter is life. AM I RIGHT!!???

Which one are you DYING to make first? Let me know in the comments!