Jalapeno Hummus

 Hummus is something I find myself using in my everyday life, I use it on crackers, veggies, sandwiches  chips, etc. So I decided to recreate my own version of one of my favorites... jalapeno hummus. Making your own hummus may sound like a daunting task if you haven't tried it before, but in reality it is so simple to make. Besides the ingredients, the only tool you need is a food processor.

First open a can of chickpeas and add them to the food processor.

 After that you can add the remaining ingredients into the food processor and blend them until creamy. It's as simple as that!

If you refrigerate the hummus it can last for up to a week, try it on veggies or crackers, or whatever else you want to try. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 1 1/2 jalapenos seeded (you can always do less if you don't like it too spicy)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbls olive oil
• juice from 1 lime
• 3/4 cup of cilantro
• sea salt to taste

Justine's Weightless Journey

Good Morning!
Today I wanted to talk a bit about my weightloss over the past year and a half. I'm sure I will mention little plugs about it here and there and I wanted to share more here. In 2011 I decided It was time to lose weight. I was topping the scale at 230 and started to really notice how much I hated my body. Up to a certain point you see yourself as normal looking into the mirror, as if it's totally fine. For me there was a distinct time that I realized what I had grown into. I was at the Mcdonalds on Harbor, (across from Disneyland) going to the bathroom. When I sat in the stall I thought to myself, "Wow, they sure are making these stalls smaller..." but then it hit me... No... they were not making the stalls smaller. I was just getting WAY bigger. That was one of the defining moments that made me start thinking before I ate something.

(thats little Campfire Kam to my left in that top left photo)

The first thing I did was try the HCG diet. I know I know, its crazy dangerous and was a bad idea probably. But..  I was desperate. I wanted fast results. On this diet you take drops under your tongue and you eat 500 calories a day. Thinking about it now I want to slap myself, but something good happened! I lost 10 lbs in the first week and got inspired! I didn't last the 21 days and gave up an gained it all back, but I saw how fast I could lose weight if I tried.
I really recommend the GM diet. I have done it a few times to clean my system and kickstart me, and it's worked WONDERS. You will love your results.

Next step: Treadmill. I was housesitting a house that had a treadmill and I decided to get on it. Everyday I did 10-12 minutes. That's it. I paired that with eating lean cuisines and no sweets. What happened? I lost 20 lbs in my first month. My body was so shocked at the exercise that it dropped crazy fast. If you are over 200 lbs and you are reading this, YOU CAN DO IT. That is, if you want to.

Now: Now I am around 165 lbs give or take a couple in either direction. My body has stayed here for awhile and doesn't want that second number to be a 5. I know it's my eating because I work out way too much to not be losing. I am part of a small gym in our city Riverside that provides you with as much personal training as you'd like. You can go 3 times a day or stay for 5 hours at a time. Since your weight is really determined by what you put into your body I need to really hone in my calorie intake. I am by no means eating terrible, but I am eating enough calories to maintain my weight and not lose it.

Next: I am trying to run. I have tried for so long to be good and I am not. Running outside makes me want to fall on the ground and I know its so much better for you than the treadmill but on the treadmill I can run 30-40 minutes where outside I want to die after 5! Tips please anyone?!
-I also have fallen in love with Climbing at our local rock climbing gym!! It's so fun and challenging but in a way that you don't realize you are working out! It's so important to find a workout that doesn't make you hate your life, (read:burpees and kettle-bell swings)

Paleo Diet- Rebecca and I are going to try out the Paleo diet and record it here. I have read so many things about it helping your mood (even when your PMSing! I need this), sleep and general happiness. Let alone it's a great diet. Have you ever tried the Paleo Diet? Any good results?


My goal weight is to be in my 140's by August. So, I'd like to lose  around 25 lbs in 4.5 months, seems reasonable right?! I need to get cracking!

I will post more on this subject with some specific things that changed my habits/life that hopefully change yours!

We Have Chickens!

We have chickens! And are building a coop!
Rebecca's family is incredibly handy, and her mom D'ann bought 5 chickens(hopefully they are all hens, it's too soon to know yet) to have eggs for us! So, this week we have been building a coop! (Read Josh, Rebecca's brother has been building a coop and we sit and watch and take photos).
A little back story. Justine is currently living with Rebecca's parents and brother. Rebecca lives 10 minutes away in a cute little house with her husband David.
We will keep you updated throughout the process!
Have you ever had or known anyone to have Chickens?? We are so excited about this adventure!
Have a great weekend!!
XO
R&J

Samoa Bars

Sometimes during the month of February I realize how little self control I have. And the prime reason? Girl scout cookies. WHY are they so good? And why do I have to inhale an entire box if it's sitting in my kitchen? This is why we wanted to make these delicious bars. Coconut and chocolate in a dessert? Sign me up please every day. Well... not everyday, I'd gain the 70 lbs I have lost.. but maybe once a week ;).

Anyways, since it was February and since we both have men to make tasty treats for we decided to make Samoa bars for our boys for Valentines day. These are no way "clean" or healthy, but sometimes you have to make wonderfully bad for you treats for the people you love!

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart:

• 3 cups finely ground cookies (12 ounces), such as graham crackers or chocolate wafers, or a combination (we used a box of grahm cracker crust that we found on sale at Target)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup pecan pieces
• 1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly splash a 15-by-10-inch rimmed baking sheet evenly with water, then line with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, stir together cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter until combined. Evenly press onto bottom and up sides of prepared baking sheet. Bake, rotating halfway through, until firm, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; cool, about 20 minutes.
3. Sprinkle cooled crust evenly with pecans and chocolate. Pour condensed milk over the top, spreading to cover completely (do not let it drip over the edges). Sprinkle with coconut.
4. Bake until coconut is toasted, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool completely. Trim edges, if desired, and cut into equal-size bars.

DIY: Pore Cleanser

The other night I (Justine) and D tried out a face mask we had seen on Pinterest for removing black heads! It took 3 minutes to prepare (including washing our faces) and was super simple. Let me tell you though.. it hurt SO BAD. We were over zealous and thought we would put it on our whole face. No no no no. You should just do your nose at first, otherwise you will be cursing my name the whole time! It did really make our skin crazy soft though, but man, that saying beauty is pain REALLY stands out here.
All you need is:

• 1 packet of original gelatine unflavored!
• 2 tablespoons of milk
• A microwave

You mix the milk and gelatine together until it is a thick consistancy. Then microwave for 10 seconds! Then use your fingers to apply to your nose! Or your whole face if you decided to not take my advice and do what I did:

Leave it on for 15 minutes or so and rip off! Your skin will feel so smooth and lovely!

Do you guys have any other homemade skin care routines you've tried? We'd love to test them out!

Yoga For: Sleep

Doing Yoga before bed is one of the best ways to make sure you are relaxed and ready for a good nights sleep. Today we will go through a few poses that will help you relieve stress and tightness after a long day.

Our first pose is Downward facing Dog. You want to have you feet about hip distance apart and hands shoulder width apart. Reach your tailbone upward in a diagonal and hold the position for at least 5 long breaths.

Next we are going to go through Cat and Cow positions. The position above is Cat pose. Arch your back and look up and take an inhale.

After you inhale in Cat pose you exhale and round your spine to come into Cow pose. Then move through Cat and Cow pose 5 times inhaling into Cat and exhaling into Cow. These poses will stretch out your spine and shoulders.

The next pose is Cobra. Start by lowering your hips to the floor and lifting your chest off the ground. You want to keep your elbows slightly bent and keep your shoulder blades on your back. Hold for 5 breaths.

Next come to a seated position and bring the soles of your feet together. Unlike a normal Butterfly pose you will want to bring your feet about an arms length away from your hips.

Take an inhale and exhale your body forward over your legs. This is a great way to open up your hips, hold the pose for 5 long breaths.

After Butterfly, go ahead and lengthen your legs out in front of you for a Seated Twist. Bend your right knee into your chest and inhale your left arm up in the air, exhale and cross it over your right knee. Hold the pose for 5 breaths.

Repeat the Seated Twist on the left side. Sometimes its helpful to use the opposite hand to press into the ground to lengthen out your spine.

Our final pose will be a variation of an inversion. Bring your hands under your lower back for support and bring your legs up into the air and hold for 15 long breaths. It doesn't matter if your legs are straight or not. You can also do this pose with your legs up against the wall. This is a great pose to do for sleep because it lets all the blood flow out of your feet, so if you are on your feet all day this is a great pose to help with circulation.

Let us know if you have any yoga night routines or if you try this out!! <3
Rebecca

Healthy Trail Mix

The other night my husband and I decided to make our own version of a healthier trail mix. By making your own trail mix you can skip out on so much added sugar, have a fresher taste, and its delicious! Start by preheating the oven to 325 and placing 1 cup of almonds in a bowl.

Add 1 Tablespoon of Agave or Honey and the zest of 1 large orange

Add half a cup of unsweetened coconut and stir until all the almonds are coated completely.

Place the mixture on a foil lined baking sheet and place the almonds in the oven for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through to prevent burning. While the almonds are in the oven you can mix together the rest of your trail mix. You can basically use whatever you want in your trail mix as long as all your choices are measured out equally. I used one cup of unsweetened dried fruit (blueberries and raisins) one cup of sunflower seeds, and one cup of yogurt chips. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and when the almonds are done, add them to your other choices!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 Tbls agave 
• zest from 1 large orange
• 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup dried fruit (blueberries, cherries, raisins, etc.)
• 1 cup additional nuts or seeds
• 1 cup yogurt chips or chocolate