Kate Rita- Personal Trainer and Diastasis Expert

For all of you chocolate lovers, here are some things that have satiated my cravings! Chocolate Avocado Pudding: 1 avocado 1 Tbsp Coconut Milk Cocoa to taste Honey to taste Serve with bananas, strawberries, on toast, crepes, etc mmmmmmmm Hot Cocoa: 1+ Tbsp cocoa  1 + Tbsp coconut milk Honey to taste Eat chocolate with nuts! Try semi sweet chocolate chips mixed with raisins, cashews, walnuts, almonds, pecans, or sesame snacks. The protein will satiate your appetite and reduce your craving. The flavors are delicious!

Shake recipe, makes approx 9 cups: 1 cup milk (or substitute- almond milk, coconut milk (1/2 cup), soy milk (not my favorite) rice milk) 1 cup juice (sometimes I use a scoop pf frozen concentrate + 1 cup water)   1 cup yogurt 1-2 bananas ( I freeze brown ones for smoothies and microwave them for 30 secs to peel) 1/2 avocado (this cuts the sweetness of the protein powder and makes it creamy) 1 tablespoon coconut oil 2 scoops whey protein powder 1/2 cup frozen berries Blend well. Keep in fridge in blender. I give it a quick blend before serving each time. My kids also love it. You can mix it up from here. Today my smoothie has 4 kiwis, 1 banana, no milk, and raspberries. Use this as a basic guideline and get creative! *Use the protein powder as just a fortified ingredient, not a base.

Here is a Challenge I put on Facebook: OK Folks.... It is THAT time of year again. Halloween is upon us. 'Tis the season of wee chocolate bars and wee bags of chips, wee bags of cheezies, candy, and more chocolate. Some of us have already dug into Halloween stash and have had to buy more- this year I bought none and therefore have eaten NONE. You know I am all about my strategies! After Sunday there will not only be leftovers, but also piles of loot from our kids who rarely notice when it goes missing, little by little :) It's time to get strategic with this CHALLENGE! I am leading a NO sugar for 7 days challenge, beginning tomorrow. The only sweeteners allowed are honey, maple syrup, agave, etc and natural sugars in fresh food. No added sugar in coffee, no bon bons, ice cream, chocolate, donuts, cake, pie....... c'mon it's only 7 days! WHO IS WITH ME? Join us on Facebook for support!

I made my first raw meal! Raw Carrot & Ginger Soup Green Beans w/soaked quinoa with a splash of soy & sesame oil Green salad with chopped spinach & with a peanut/garlic/ginger splash ...Bean sprouts with a splash of soy & sesame oil Cherry Tomatoes I am excited! It was yummy. This meal I just ate is taking awhile to "hit" me, but I think it will be... filling & satisfying in about 10 minutes lol. I feel pretty hollow from this raw food cleanse (Day 3) but I know I am nourished. This is very reminiscent of drinking soy milk and eating tofu for the first time- the texture of the raw soup is very different, and although I am sure I can get it tastier with each batch I make, it's still taking quite some getting used to. Wow. P.S. I should have taken my pictures BEFORE I ate, but I was ravenous!  I will say this- when I set up this "raw food" challenge/cleanse I thought it would be easy. Then I started reading about raw food die...

Some of you may be asking "What is sugar?" Are condiments "sugar"? What about gum or Diet Coke?   For the sake of this challenge sugar is sweets. However, I hope that this exercise brings us all more consciousness over the food choices we are making- therefore "sugar" may encompass a broader range of foods- deep fried, salty (chips), etc. I leave that up to you, and I look forward to your feedback.   My tip (hopefully helpful) #1- Every time you think sweet, drink a glass of water. Lastly, we are now up to 25 people participating in this challenge, and I am already scheming a new challenge for December to help us manage our fitness programs through the Christmas Season.  

Here is a challenge I put out on Facebook: OK People.... Halloween is upon us. 'Tis the season of wee chocolate bars and wee bags of chips, wee bags of cheezies, candy, and more chocolate. Many of us (ahem) have already dug into Halloween stash and have had to buy more. After Sunday there will not only be leftovers, but also piles of loot from our kids who rarely notice when it goes missing, little by little :) So I have a CHALLENGE to get us through. Are you WITH me? C'mon! Let's do a NO sugar for 30 days challenge. At the end I will meet all of you at Starbucks for a round of mochas and a celebration of our iron will :) 30 days begins on Sunday, so for the month of November we will be sugar free! The only sweeteners allowed are honey, maple syrup, and natural sugars in fresh food. No added sugar in coffee, no bon bons, ice cream, chocolate, donuts, cake, pie....... c'mon it's only 30 days! WHO IS WITH ME? We have 18 people on board, and it is Day ...