Brownie Batter Bowl & Burpees

Chocolate, there are just some things we can’t live without!

Have you ever made brownie batter, and then realized that you’d rather just eat the raw brownie batter instead of baking it, so….you eat 1/2 of the raw brownie batter and then realize you no longer have enough batter to make the brownies, so….you just put the other half of the batter in the fridge for tomorrow!?? Well, after you have eaten the brownie batter, you probably realize how you just undid all of your workouts and healthy eating for the past couple of weeks and then beat yourself up about it…

To quench your brownie batter craving (or chocolate craving, or craving for something sweet and decadent), I have put together the below guilt-free recipe that you can whip up in just 10 minutes. Use this recipe as a foundation to build upon and create your own sweet treats that satisfy your personal taste and cravings. Just make sure that if you add ingredients to this recipe, they are in line with your health & fitness goals!

Brownie Batter Bowl: *Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Grain-free, Egg-free, Low-sugar

• 2 tbsp organic Almond flour
• 2 tbsp organic Coconut flour
• 1 tbsp organic Ground Flax seed
• 1 tbsp organic Chia seed
• 2 tbsp organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
• 2 tbsp organic Raw Cacao or organic Baking Cocoa
• 2 tsp of organic vanilla extract
• 1-2 dashes of Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
• 4-5 mini spoons of organic Pure Stevia Extract Powder

Start with 1 cup of water in a small 2-3 quart saucepan. Turn heat on low-medium. Add the almond flour, coconut flour, and ground flax seed and stir until mixed thoroughly. Then add in water (a tablespoon at a time) until a cream of wheat or cupcake batter consistency is achieved. Now add in the rest of the ingredients, adding water as needed to maintain a cupcake batter consistency.  Do a taste test before turning off stovetop heating element. Add salt or stevia to your liking, the more coconut oil you use, the creamy it will be. Pour brownie batter into your favorite bowl. This recipe makes two servings, so either share with a worthy soul or eat half and save the rest for tomorrow! Whatever you do, please don’t eat the brownie batter right before doing the workout below….it won’t end pretty…

P.S. – you can make this batter and pour it into a cupcake pan and then bake at 350F degrees in an oven for about 10 minutes to make actual brownies. Or make pancakes or waffles with the mix. If you opt to bake the mix or cook up pancakes or waffles, I would add in 1-2 tsp baking soda (and 1-2 more tablespoons of coconut oil – for brownies only) to make the turn out better! OR…you can take the brownie batter (recipe as-is above) and throw it in the freezer and in about four hours you have some pretty amazing brownie batter ice cream…

100 Rep Burpee Challenge:

Warm-up:Do jumping jacks for 1-2 minutes.

Burpee Challenge: Perform 100 reps of BURPEES!! My tip is to do 10 reps at-a-time until you reach 100 reps.

The key to this workout is to take it one move at-a-time. Tackle each burpee with passion, and tackle in sets of 10 reps at-a-time, until you get to 100 reps. Then move onto the bonus round if you dare! Your arms, bum, abs & heart rate will be on fire when you are done!

Bonus round:Grab a jump rope and jump rope for 5 intervals of 45 seconds jumping rope and 15 seconds rest (5 minutes total).

Push yourself, but remember, always modify any workout routine to your preference, skill level, and for your individual health & fitness goals.

Pin below “Workout Roadie” to your Pinterest board so that you can take this workout on the road with you to the gym or at-home!

Also, take a look at the newest additions to our Brave Angel Motivational Workout Clothing Line!

Yours Truly,

Brave Angel

What are YOU Allergic too? Could it be making it difficult for you to lose weight?! Want flat abs?

Post 30 Day Challenge. I’m still vegan/macro and let me tell you a little story why! This past weekend was my first weekend since my 30 Day Macrobiotic/Vegan challenge. So, I tested the waters a bit and went out to dinner with my fabulous boy-partner.
Friday night we hit up a local authentic mexican joint that I had been dying to try. Beforehand, I checked out their menu to make sure they had food that fit my preference. This is always good to do so that you aren’t caught in a bind when you are already seated and everyone’s ready to order…and there is nothing on the menu for you, been there and done that!

I heard some great things about this restaurant (Los Amigos) AND it had vegetarian dishes that I could easily ‘make’ into vegan (if I wanted to). I ordered the vegetarian fajitas which came with rice and beans and a little bit of guacamole and lettuce. This was a ‘celebration’ dinner for making it the WHOLE 30 days without cheating, so yes…I allowed myself two corn tortillas lol…this is the thing about life, enjoy yourself! If you’ve been consistent with exercise and nutrition for 4 weeks, IT IS OK to include SOME things in your meal that aren’t usually part of your diet (such as the 2 corn tortillas). Just don’t go out to McDonald’s and get a 1/4 pounder with cheese…

I ate correct portion sizes and it was for the most part a pretty well rounded meal, as well as very tasty! I even had a corona light! HOLY S**T! It is 2012, so I’m trying to enjoy myself a bit before the zombie apocolypse… ANYWAYS, I felt good after the meal, meaning I digested it fine. I was worried that after 30 days of VERY clean eating, mexican food might be a bit too much to handle… BUT I WAS GOOD TO GO! Basically, this macro/vegan thing is fantastic because it has really helped heal my digestive system. Before the challenge there was no way that I could eat a mexican meal and feel fine after. So 1st test night…check!

My second test night, Saturday, we went to a spiffy little joint called Pazo’s that serves tapas and entrees. I stuck to somewhat vegan/macro tapas plates with the exception of some CHEESE in one dish (zucchini ‘no pasta-lasagna’) and I ate a few scallops…and maybe a little crabmeat lol. Again, I felt reasonably good after the meal and was pleased to see that eating seafood wouldn’t disrupt my balance.

Things that I’m ‘Allergic’ too: Tofu & Cashews (Nuts). Not seeds. Every time I include tofu in a dish I notice that afterward I just can’t digest it properly. It may either make my stomach hurt, cause a little heartburn or indigestion, or a ‘sour stomach’. Same for nuts, cashews especially. After eating just a handful of cashews I will immediately feel bloated, have ‘sour stomach’, indigestion and so on. Seeds however, I can handle in small amounts…thank god! Because I love me some hemp seed. Also, almonds are okay with me to.

I’m rambling on about this so that maybe you can identify and start becoming aware of different foods that you may be ‘allergic’ to. I use the word ‘allergic’ and define it as an unwanted, negative body/mind reaction to the consumption of a food or beverage. When you have a negative reaction, when a food makes you feel crappy, this is your body telling you, STOP EATING THAT FOOD!

It may cause an acidic response in your body that you just can’t tolerate, and we don’t want high acidity in our body. Read post about pH level, acidity/alkalinity here. It may cause some of your organs or bodily systems to work in overdrive which makes them not able to perform their important daily functions (ex. alcohol = liver overdrive = liver can’t metabolize fat at normal capacity). It may cause inflammation, and more specifically inflammation in your digestive tract, which we really don’t want! (inflammation of intestines = inability to absorb nutrients from food). It may cause a ‘back up’ or better known as ‘constipation’ in which we will hold in a lot of excess waste, you will feel crappy because your full of it (barf!) Read this:

(Constipation) “This leads to weight gain problems, because of poor nutrient absorption. When sludge begins to line the colon walls it becomes harder for nutrients to be absorbed into the body, as the body must now try and extract nutrients through this wall of fecal matter.

When this occurs, guess what happens?  Your body tells you that you must eat more!  You are not getting the right nutrients so you continue to eat in a vain attempt to get what the body needs!  Cravings kick in because of a lack of certain key nutrients.

Further. colon or bowel blockage results in several bodily problems. As the colon becomes impacted, just like an old rusty drainpipe, the hole in the middle becomes smaller and smaller.  The more impacted the colon becomes, the more weight you carry. Not only does weight become an issue, but diverticulosis (herniated bowel pockets filled with trapped fecal matter and caused by constipation), colon polyps (a tumor that rises from the colon’s surface and then protrudes into the inside of the colon), and cancer can be down the road.  This is a progressively degenerative disease where eventually you end up with total colon blockage, cancer and even death…. regularity will help to give you that flat stomach that doesn’t bulge out, and it will aid you in losing weight and keeping it off.”

Well, I’m so glad we had this talk…probably the last thing you wanted to hear! BUT it is important. You’ve got to start eating clean, do a 30 Day Challenge like I did (heck, even two weeks will help!). Then after your 30 days of clean eating, you will be able to slowly add in foods you used to eat to see what you may be ‘allergic’ to. And eliminate these foods you’re ‘allergic’ to because they only cause your mind and body harm! As well as your waistline!

Yours Truly,

RawFitnessTV.com: Teaching others how to fuel & condition their mind, body & soul towards optimal wellness.