Easy, healthy zucchini soup that can be served hot or cold!

I absolutely LOVE this recipe and it is one of the easiest recipes to make, which means it’s right up my alley!! I originally learned this recipe when I was doing Beachbody’s Ultimate Reset program (a 21 day food and supplement program to help you detox your body and restore it to optimal health). The Ultimate Reset program is absolutely awesome and more info about it can be found here: https://teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/URComplete?referringRepId=183908).

I have used this soup recipe (and many others of the awesome recipes that come with this program!) ever since!!

The soup is vegan, gluten-free, and can be served hot or cold so it’s a perfect healthy meal for a cold winter day or a summer evening! Additionally, this recipe only takes about 5 minutes of actual labor time- how great is that?!

Ingredients:

2 medium-sized zucchini

¾ cup cashews

Himalayan sea salt

Basil (fresh or dried)

Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (soy-sauce substitute)- I’ll give alternatives down below if you don’t have this

Directions:

Cut up zucchini into chunks and steam until semi-soft (length of time for steaming will depend on size of chunks).

While the zucchini is steaming, soak the cashews in water to soften. Drain after about 10 minutes.

Throw the steamed zucchini and cashews into a blender. I think a Vitamix is the absolute best if you plan on making a lot of soups, especially with its variable speeds and tamper tool to help push/mix thicker concoctions. Here is the one I use: http://amzn.to/2lhHfb0 (disclosure: I get a small commission from Amazon if you buy this product). I’ve had this for years and it has never failed me- I always joke that it has the motor of a lawn mower haha- it’s a beast! For this particular soup though, since the zucchini is steamed and the cashews are soaked, everything should be soft enough that you shouldn’t have a problem using a regular blender.

Add Himalayan sea salt, basil, and liquid aminos to taste!

I’m gluten-free so that’s why I use Bragg’s Liquid Aminos instead of soy sauce. The liquid aminos can be found on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/2jqWfpj. Full disclosure: I get a small commission from Amazon if you buy this product but this is honestly what I use at home and they can be hard to find at grocery stores.

I go pretty heavy on these seasonings :)

Blend all of that together and enjoy! The recipe makes 3-4 servings.

Happy cooking!

Katelyn

I would be honored to help you with your health and fitness journey :)  Here is a link to sign up for a free account with me as your coach: https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=183908. Or you can go to www.teambeachbody.com, sign up for a free account, and enter any of my info in when it asks if a coach referred you: screen name: KatelynLesk, coach ID: 183908

You can contact me or find out more information using:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachKatelynLesk

Beachbody page: http://beachbodycoach.com/katelynlesk

Or my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/kate37721

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

Healthy traveling tips and healthy friends!

This past week I went to Las Vegas for a business conference with my incredible team of Beachbody coaches. We all stayed in a house together (the house was AWESOME! A tour can be found on my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/katelyn.lesk.3)!

Daily workouts, eating well, support, everyone making the extra effort to plan ahead/pack healthy food for the conference.... I actually lost weight on this trip and I FEEL amazing! How often does that happen when returning from a trip??

Moral of the story: the habits of those you spend the most time around WILL influence your health! Surround yourself with people with healthy habits or be the one who sets the trend for your friends and family!!!

If you’d like to see a special healthy tip I have for when returning from a trip, watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9OZyValTXw!

I would be honored to help you with your fitness journey :)  Here is a link to sign up for a free account with me as your coach: https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=183908. Or you can go to www.teambeachbody.com, sign up for a free account, and enter any of my info in when it asks if a coach referred you: screen name: KatelynLesk, coach ID: 183908

You can contact me or find out more information using:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachKatelynLesk

Beachbody page: http://beachbodycoach.com/katelynlesk

Or my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/kate37721

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

Healthy Chocolate Shakeology Candy and Treats!

Imagine chocolate candy, ice cream, pudding, and chocolate-covered fruit that are all actually GOOD for you! We’ve got it!!!

Here are some GREAT recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth while eating fully healthy foods! These recipes include no added sugars, no artificial ingredients/flavorings/colorings, and are PACKED with good nutrients! They all utilize Beachbody’s incredible health shake, Shakeology! If you don’t know what that is, you can check out my run-down of what I love about it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2loh3aOeBOs (and if you decide you want to get yourself some, purchasing info can be found here: http://www.teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/MDSUSH311G?referringRepId=183908)!

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease*

I am writing this blog post for a 7 Day No-Candy Challenge that our team is currently running, so I will start off with our candy recipes then get to some other sweet treats later!

ADD-ANYTHING CHOCOLATE

This chocolate recipe is REALLY easy and will be the base for a few of the other recipes. I’ll be honest, I make this a little differently each time so the amount of coconut oil and Shakeology is approximate. The mixture (before freezing) should be thick but still liquidy. The thicker it is, the richer your final product will be. You might want to try a few very small batches to get your mix to your taste preferences! Adding fruit also really helps balance out the richness. Nuts and other similar add-ins help too. AND they all make it even more delicious!!

My favorite add-ins are fruit (I make chocolate covered strawberries and frozen chocolate bananas this way- recipe down below in this blog), almonds, and pecans. I’ve only added them in separately but I'm sure using a combination of these add-ins would be good too! I plan on trying batches with cashews, pecans, and peaches soon (I’ll keep you posted)!

For this particular batch I used pecans as my add-in!

Ingredients:

Approx. 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil

Approx. 1.5 scoops Vegan Chocolate Shakeology (regular chocolate Shakeology works too but vegan chocolate is my favorite of the flavors so that’s what I always have stocked)!

Your add-ins (in this case, pecans)

Melt the coconut oil in the microwave. I add in the Shakeology a half scoop at a time so that when the mix starts to get thick, I stop adding. If it gets too thick, just melt more coconut oil and add that in. Hopefully you can judge by the picture (direct middle square in the above collage) what the final thickness should look approximately like!

Next, add your pecans or other add-ins! For nuts it’s easiest to stir the nuts in. For fruit, I usually pour the chocolate mixture over the fruit.

Throw it in the freezer for at least 30 minutes and you’ve got yourself an amazing treat!!

**Note about the container: My preference is to use this handy glass bowl but it is really hard to get the candy out once it’s frozen (I use a sharp, pointed knife to cut it within the bowl). The easiest way is to pour the mixture (before freezing) onto a small sheet of aluminum foil with edges rolled up. This makes it super easy to remove once frozen. The only reason I use the bowl is that it’s easier to fit in my freezer :)

HEALTHY REESE’S PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

This recipe is from my friend and awesome coach, Stephanie Wess (you can view more of her delicious recipes on her page: https://www.facebook.com/getfitwihsteph/). Thanks, Steph!!

Picture care of Steph! :)

Ingredients (this will make 8 peanut butter cups):

4 tablespoons of coconut oil

8 tablespoons of chocolate shakeology or raw cacao powder add stevia as a sweetener

4 teaspoons of natural peanut butter

Place 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds until the coconut oil is liquefied.

Stir in 4 tablespoons of chocolate shakeology. Divide the chocolate mixture evenly between 8 spots in a mini muffin tin. Place in the freezer for 5 minutes.

Pull the muffin tray out of the freezer. Place a half a teaspoon of peanut butter on top of each chocolate disk. Spread the peanut butter evenly over the hardened chocolate with a knife.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in the microwave. Stir in the remaining 4 tablespoons of chocolate shakeology. Use this to pour on top of the peanut butter layer. **You will want to do this in 2 batches so it doesn’t harden up on you while the first layer of chocolate is hardening in the freezer.

Place the muffin tin back in the freezer and leave it in there for at least 30 minutes.

The chocolate cups will slide easily out of the tin. Keep the cups stored in the fridge or freezer for the best consistency!

CHOCOLATE COVERED FROZEN BANANAS

I warn you, NOTHING about this is pretty but if you can get past the looks, it is a delicious and nutritious treat! Make the chocolate using the “Add-anything chocolate” recipe above then pour over a banana in a bowl and freeze! It tastes JUST like the frozen bananas I used to get at carnivals and fairs as a kid! In fact, you could probably make it a lot prettier by putting the banana on a stick like at the fairs and freezing it on a sheet of aluminum foil for easy removal.

SHAKEOLOGY PUDDING

Shakeology pudding is amazing!!!!! And if you’re doing the 21 Day Fix, it easily fits right into the meal plan!!

SHAKEOLOGY ICE CREAM

Another AMAZING and healthy treat! Like the “Add-anything chocolate” recipe, this one also has a lot of flexibility to what you can add in to make it even more delicious. My favorites are blueberries and strawberries!

Recipe here: http://katelynlesk.blogspot.com/2016/03/healthy-shakeology-ice-cream.html

Happy, healthy cooking wishes to you! Enjoy!!!

~ Katelyn

Shakeology purchasing info: http://www.teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/MDSUSH311G?referringRepId=183908

I would be honored to help you with your fitness journey :)  Here is a link to sign up for a free account with me as your coach: https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=183908. Or you can go to www.teambeachbody.com, sign up for a free account, and enter any of my info in when it asks if a coach referred you: screen name: KatelynLesk, coach ID: 183908

Visit https://www.facebook.com/CoachKatelynLesk and http://beachbodycoach.com/katelynlesk for more info!

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

Free 5-Day Clean Eating Challenge!

We recently just wrapped up a free, 5-day online clean eating group. I LOVE hearing the feedback of happier, healthier clients like this (I especially love the comments that show that people are proud of themselves, empowered, and on board with a healthier lifestyle!!!):

In this group, we provided meal plan guides (plenty of recipe options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner) but we also allowed participants who didn’t want to go full-throttle for the week to just pick one or two things that they eat regularly and could, for the week, replace with something healthier. I gave some suggestions in a “This over that” series (posted below for your convenience)!

I also give plenty of guidelines and suggestions for my own personal tips for healthy eating, weight loss, what “clean eating” really means, and more in this video:

Clean eating video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKrNQGqz7zw

Feel free to follow along with your own challenge to yourself for the next 5 days! You are WORTH it!! If you’d like additional support, you’re welcome to sign up for free coaching with me or check out info on our upcoming groups!

I would be honored to help you with your fitness journey :)  Here is a link to sign up for a free account with me as your coach: https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=183908. Or you can go to www.teambeachbody.com, sign up for a free account, and enter any of my info in when it asks if a coach referred you: screen name: KatelynLesk, coach ID: 183908

Visit https://www.facebook.com/CoachKatelynLesk and http://beachbodycoach.com/katelynlesk for more info!

THIS OVER THAT Series:

"This over that" day 1!

Salads are always a great option for clean, healthy eating but dressing can be a big downfall of this. Lots of dressings pack a lot of sugars, artificial flavorings/colorings, and partially hydrogenated oils. Even "light" dressings have a lot of not-so-healthy stuff in them.

Making dressings yourself is a great way to take back the power and control exactly what is going into them!

If anyone is interested in specific dressing recipes, I have some super-healthy cookbooks that have a LOT of great options for every type of dressing you might like and I'd be happy to share. Beachbody's Ultimate Reset (a 21 day super healthy food program) also includes some dressing recipes that I LOVE and use regularly!

More info on the Ultimate Reset can be found here:

Ultimate Reset: http://teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/URComplete?referringRepId=183908

Ultimate Reset Challenge Pack: http://teambeachbody.com/shop/-/shopping/BCPCLN305?referringRepId=183908

But I find that the more convenient healthy foods are, the more likely I am to use them! So I posted all of my easy, super simple dressing replacement options below. These are also great things to ask for at a restaurant (every restaurant has the olive oil and vinegar option and if you're at a place with any kind of Mexican food, why not shake things up with a little salsa? also super easy to ask for lemon wedges)! My favorites to put on a salad:

- lemon juice and olive oil (this is my daily go-to- very easy, adds some healthy fat and vitamin c, and the vitamin c also helps with iron absorption from the spinach)

- seasoned olive oil- this Tuscan herb one is delicious

- olive oil and red wine vinegar

- salsa (regular or a peach or mango salsa is fun to mix it up!)

- pesto (be sure to check the ingredients to make sure they are all healthy unless you are making your own)

- not pictured: hummus (I also have a super easy to make hummus recipe if anyone is interested)!

"This over that" day 2!

I LOVE making my own yogurt parfaits! It saves you the added sugar (and/or artificial sweetener), flavorings, and colorings that come in regular yogurt and it's so much more filling and satisfying! My favorite combo is plain organic yogurt with strawberries, raisins, and walnuts. Other fruits, nuts, and coconut are also good toppings. Have fun experimenting!!

“This over that” day 3!

It is very difficult to find a pasta sauce without added sugar. For the longest time, I never considered making my own because I always assumed it was a complicated process! Turns out- it’s not!! Majority of the time it takes to make it is just letting it simmer on the stove. And this recipe is DELICIOUS- I like it so much better than jarred pasta sauce!! It is seriously so simple and easy!!

AND, you get a 2-for-1 today because this recipe also includes my recipe for zucchini noodles!!

Recipes here: http://katelynlesk.blogspot.com/2015/11/zucchini-pasta-with-homemade-sauce.html

Here’s my full demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY5w3dHoyL0

“This over that” day 4!

Better carbs!

Again, here is where single ingredient whole foods win out over things like bread, noodles, and canned baked beans that have a variety of additives and are highly processed. I checked the label on a can of baked beans recently- on top of a lot of added sugar, there is also caramel coloring- why is that necessary?? And why should we be putting that in our body?

My own personal favorite carbs are rice, oatmeal, quinoa, and beans. I much prefer zucchini pasta over regular noodles. And a great alternative for things like pancake mixes are to make your own (if anyone is interested, I have a great recipe using coconut flour)!

These are all things we can control :)

“This over that” day 5: YOU PICK IT!

Since today is the last day of our group, we’d love to be able to help out with anything you’d like to replace with a healthier version but are struggling to find a good substitute! Let’s hear it!!

And in the meantime, let me leave you with this quote from Tosca Reno’s “The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged” book. I hope it inspires you to continue incorporating what you learned and implemented in this group!

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

What I love about our Health & Fitness Online Challenge Groups

The online challenge groups that our team runs are honestly SO much more to me than just health and fitness. I LOVE the incredible friendships we build in these groups- we get SO much inspiration from each other. I always feel like I'm on a TEAM that's rooting me on and supporting me no matter what (even when I miss a workout or slip from my eating plan). I love knowing I have a place to share my successes and ask for help when I'm struggling. I love the FUN we have (seriously- believe it or not, these groups make working out and eating well FUN!!)- we joke about the not-so-fun parts of the workouts and laugh at ourselves when we can't do all the moves (like the time I accidentally shot a resistance band across the room trying to get into an all-4s position during the pilates workout of 21 Day Fix Extreme)! We share health tips (it's SO helpful having a ton of creative minds to pull from- TONS of good ideas for how to stay on track). All around, these groups are one of my FAVORITE parts of my coaching job!! Couldn't be happier or more honored to be a part of these groups every month with some absolutely incredible people. If you want to know how to get involved, PLEASE- just ask!! I love talking about these groups, I will NEVER pressure you into anything you're not ready for, but I want to make sure everyone knows and understands what they're all about so that you're not missing out on something that might bring you a ton of joy (not to mention health improvements)!! Let's chat ;-)

Visit https://www.facebook.com/CoachKatelynLesk and http://beachbodycoach.com/katelynlesk for more info!

I would be honored to help you with your fitness journey :)  Here is a link to sign up for a free account with me as your coach: https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=183908. Or you can go to www.teambeachbody.com, sign up for a free account, and enter any of my info in when it asks if a coach referred you: screen name: KatelynLesk, coach ID: 183908

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.

Leave space for the possibility that you may someday feel differently

I had a discussion with a friend last night who’s making some AWESOME healthy changes in her life. The one thing she told me is a struggle at this point in her journey (and I can totally relate because I absolutely remember saying the same things a few years ago) is that she feels like it will always be hard to resist unhealthy (yet delicious) food. My advice to her was just to be open to the possibility that she may someday wake up and feel differently about that.

I’m very all-or-nothing when it comes to food so I absolutely remember a time feeling like I had to try SO HARD to avoid temptation. I couldn’t make eye contact with the treats my coworkers would bring into the office. I couldn’t keep junk food in my house at all. If I went to a party, I would try to wait as long as possible before starting on the snacks because once I started, it was nearly impossible for me to stop.

The amazing part is that somewhere along the line in the last few years, that has completely neutralized. It’s not that I don’t still want to snack at parties or have some treats from time to time but my internal feelings about it now are just so…. indifferent.

Over the past 4 years, I have put a lot of systems into place to avoid junk (like not bringing it into the house). I’ve cut WAYYYY back on all processed foods. I eat a much cleaner diet. I drink my Shakeology every.single.day, which means my body is getting fully NOURISHED. I cut out gluten, which was originally due to a sensitivity but also helps me avoid a lot of the things I would tend to overeat.

My taste buds and my brain have literally CHANGED! I no longer crave the things I used to crave. It is much easier for me to have a small treat without it unfolding into a total overboard treat-stuffing session. When I’ve gone to the restaurants I used to go to all the time in college and chose to treat myself to some of my unhealthy favorites from back in the day, they just don’t taste that good to me anymore. During a snowy day last winter I ordered some delivery from a Thai restaurant and the brown sauce that I used to love so much tasted so sweet and artificial to me I couldn’t eat it.  

For ANYTHING that I have struggled with in life, I always forget that there’s another side to it once you’re over the hump. It’s hard to endure the hard parts of making change and we always assume it’s never going to get easier, which makes it really tempting to quit trying. I’m here to tell you that just about ANYTHING gets easier.

I remember times in my life where I HATED push-ups. I remember Chalene saying during ChaLEAN Extreme that she used to hate push-ups because she never did them. Now she does them all the time and she loves them. I CHOSE to believe her. And you know what? I love them now too. There used to be things I would worry about constantly with my old job (the direction our company was going, if we’d have funding to continue, if I’d have a job, etc) and even worried about some similar things when I first started as a Beachbody coach. Somewhere along the line, I was shown enough times that things always have a way of working out that I just stopped worrying and learned to trust the process! There are things I do regularly as a coach that I thought I’d NEVER be good at or that it would always take a lot of discipline for me to keep at it- now those things are second nature! I remember many heart breaks and disappointments in relationships that I thought I’d never feel ok about. Each one of those has found a way to sort itself out in time and be replaced with peace about the situation.

During the hard parts, make sure you are giving yourself credit for how far you’ve already come. And more importantly, remember that IT WILL GET EASIER. I, of all people, know that it can be HARD to believe there will ever be a day where you feel differently or it feels easier. But promise me you’ll leave space for that possibility. Be open to the possibility that it MAY someday get easier, feel better, or be different. Because YOU will have changed and grown without even realizing it :)

Visit https://www.facebook.com/CoachKatelynLesk and http://beachbodycoach.com/katelynlesk for more info!

I would be honored to help you with your fitness journey :)  Here is a link to sign up for a free account with me as your coach: https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=183908. Or you can go to www.teambeachbody.com, sign up for a free account, and enter any of my info in when it asks if a coach referred you: screen name: KatelynLesk, coach ID: 183908

Disclaimer Copy: Katelyn Lesk is an Independent Beachbody Coach.