Healthy Fit and Fabulous!!!
Written by Healthychic, December 30th, 2011
With age comes clarity. I have realized that the more gluten and dairy I consume, the more pregnant I look in the belly (and I’m not) and the more my face looks like I am 14 with raging pubescent acne. Also with age- for me anyhow- comes an incredible sweet tooth. Things I was once able to resist easily, now are devoured before I have a chance to think twice. With that- I have begun making my own dairy and gluten free sweets so that I can enjoy with out suffering the consequences 
Preheat oven to 350
1 cup raw organic sugar
14oz semisweet chocolate chips
2tsps vanilla
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 cup quinoa flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
In glass bowl- melt 1 cup/8oz of chocolate chips into the 1/2 cup oil. Add sugar and vanilla to melted chocolate. Thoroughly mix in the 4 eggs. Add each of the flours and mix until all ingredients are completely blended. Finally add in the remaining 6oz of chocolate chips. Fold in to a 13 x 9 baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes. You won’t miss the butter or gluten. I promise!!
4 eggs
Tags: brownies, dairy free, gluten free
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Written by Healthychic, March 8th, 2011
After baby #2, despite getting back in to my regular pilates workouts, my body just wasn’t bouncing back the way I had hoped/expected it to. This is when I decided to order all of the DVD’s a friend of mine who lives in LA had told me about, to give them a try! My girl friend is super cute and tiny, but I watched her body (via facebook photos) change into pure perfection. Beautifully sculpted, long lean muscles EVERYWHERE! and her bum….. perfectly round and placed just so, in the small of her back. This was the body I was hoping to get myself and so I bought all of the DVD’s and decided to do them at home and give myself a 30 day challenge.
I did miss 2 days in the 30 consecutive days of my challenge, but in that time. I lost 4 inches on my waist, 2 inches off of each thigh, 1.5 inches from each arm and gained and inch around my bum! I could not have been happier with the results! Then-the best part!!! My friend in LA heard that someone was moving near Boston to open a Pure Barre studio!!! UNBELIEVABLE!! Now I get to take a “real” class!! And even more fun- after meeting the owner Rachel Roberts, a complete doll, I will begin instructing Pure Barre Classes as soon as we open!! Come take a class!!!
Read about Pure Barre in Stuff! The link is below!!
Barre None!
Tags: Karly Treacy, MA, Pure Barre, Pure Barre Newton
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Written by Healthychic, November 14th, 2010
Thanks to post-pregnancy hormone changes, I feel like I am losing 1/2 a head of hair a day. Thus leaving my once thick and shiny hair, wilty and lifeless. I remembered reading somewhere that champagne was a great volumizer so I went down stairs, put a bit of last nights champagne in a spray bottle and gave it a shot! I am pleasantly surprised at how full my hair is with out the usual volumizing styling product crunchiness! Only down fall is you may smell a bit questionable if using it first thing in the am
Tags: champagne as hair product, natural volumizer
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Written by Healthychic, November 12th, 2010
As a mother of 2 children under 2, I am EXHAUSTED on a regular basis. Not to mention the sleep deprivation from having a newborn. Needless to say, for a while, daily I felt extremely tired and that made me feel depressed. A friend had mentioned to me that I needed a vitamin B supplement for energy, so of course, I looked into it. I take a multivitamin everyday, but in addition to that, supplementing with a B complex could be just what I needed!! Vitamin B is essential to break down the fats, proteins and carbohydrates we eat. Vitamin B helps metabolize the foods we eat and convert them to energy. They are essential to the proper function of our nervous system and adrenal glands, which regulate hormone production (totally out of whack after having a baby). Vitamin B is also required for cell reproduction. Without enough we will have lack luster hair, skin and nails! Many of us do not consume enough of the B vitamin containing foods because we are avoiding dairy or carbs. Therefore, it is essential to bring your body back to homeostasis by taking a supplement. I was completely on board and immediately picked up a supply!!
In doing my research about lack of energy, I came across several journal articles regarding Vitamin D3 deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency is often associated with Seasonal affective disorder and depression. The UVB rays from the sun converts 7-dehydrocholesterol into vitamin D3 in the body. Given our obsession with sunscreen and the natural occurrence of seasons, we do not get any where near the amount of vitamin D3 we need. I concluded once again, that supplementing could make a HUGE difference!!
I am not over- exaggerating at all when I tell you that after 3 days of taking the recommended doses of my vitamin B complex and Vitamin D3 supplements, that I felt like a new person. I was completely back to my old feisty self! It has been 2 months now and not only do I have more energy, I am also very happy with my hair, skin and nails. Vitamins B and D are TOTAL game changers!!!
Tags: more energy, vitamin B, Vitamin D3
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Written by Healthychic, November 3rd, 2010
I apologize for my lengthy leave of absence!! For the past few months, I have been adjusting to having 2 children and figuring out how to stay healthy, fit, strong and energetic…..TBC!!!
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Written by Healthychic, June 24th, 2010
I’ve never been much of a make-up wearer, but every now and again I like to try something new-mainly with my eyes- and I find that I always end up looking like some kind of drug addict and not pretty at all!!! I’ve had a friend who is a very well known make-up artist come to my house to give me lessons, another friend has sent me kits that spell out EXACTLY where you are supposed to put the colors etc……. and I still can’t do it-this is just something that I cannot seem to master. If I can’t put it in on with my finger, then I can’t do it!! Through all of my trials and errors, I did realize a couple of things- 1. I wear contacts and have very sensitive eyes that water constantly (hence the dribbly eye make-up) 2.) I am obsessed with lotions and my eye cream makes the area around my eyes a little greasy so the color doesn’t stick. As a result, I end up with a significantly less than desirable look!!
Enter Smashbox eye shadow primer and Dior waterproof liner~ I have probably tried every eyeliner out there- All of the drugstore brands and most of the department store brands and finally, FINALLY I have found one that stays put!!! I haven’t stopped using my eye wrinkle cream or wearing my contacts, I have found something that works!!!
I love the Smashbox primer because it evens the skin tone on your eyelids and just makes any color go on smoothly and stay put!! The Dior eyeliner does not budge!! The only bummer about the eyeliner is that you have to work a bit to wash it off at night. I just wash my face normally and then use a baby wipe- Yep a baby wipe to remove the excess and there you have it!!!
Had to share!
Tags: dior waterproof eyeliner, eyeliner for sensitive eyes, smashbox eye lid primer
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Written by Healthychic, June 23rd, 2010
This is such a great question~ globally people spend millions on vitamins and supplements. If it isn’t any benefit, perhaps we could save ourselves the cash!
My personal feeling is this~ I eat a very healthy diet, but I still take my vitamins daily and here’s why. The USDA recommends that we get at least 5 cups a day of fruits and vegetables and some Dr.s argue that we need double that to keep our immune systems strong, cells replicating properly and to fight other environmental stressors. So imagine you need to eat 10 cups a day to “be all that you can be” that is an ENORMOUS amount of food! The main argument against vitamins and supplements is that your body cannot absorb all of the nutrients they contain. I think that if you are eating well and getting a boost from your daily vitamin then you are doing yourself good!
Another reason I opt to take vitamins is I feel that thanks to pollution in the air, rain and soil and importing, our fruits and vegetables do not contain anywhere near the amounts of nutrients that they contained even 50 years ago. We have the benefit and pleasure of enjoying strawberries year round, but I assure you in the dead of winter in Boston, no one is growing strawberries! It is difficult to calculate how much is lost during transport because the fruits and vegetables are picked before they have ripened so they do not spoil on their journey.
Bottom line~ eat well and take a multi-vitamin. One does not discount the other. You cannot eat crap all day and take a multi-vitamin and expect that you are keeping yourself healthy. Since it is difficult to consume all of the recommended daily allowances for nutrients from food alone, adding a supplement will give you that extra boost!!!
Tags: do I need a multivitamin?, why take a multi vitamin
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Written by Healthychic, May 19th, 2010
I love dessert and always feel so much better if it contains fruit, is healthy and satisfies the craving for something sweet. I have done this recipe with both rhubarb and fresh strawberries, both are delicious, but I find that the tangy tartness of the rhubarb tantalizes my taste buds just a bit more!! This recipe makes 4 servings…. or 2 if you are gluttonous like my husband and me
You will need:
2 cups chopped rhubarb
3 tbsps agave nectar
4 bananas
4 tbsps Nutella
2 small containers of Greek yogurt or about 1 3/4 cups
2 tbsps raw honey
To prepare rhubarb:
in a small sauce pan combine:
1/2 cup water
3 tbsps agave
2 cups chopped rhubarb
bring to a boil and let simmer 5-7 minutes until soft, but not mushy. Set aside to cool 20 minutes.
Slice 4 bananas. One each into 4 bowls.
Melt 4 tbsps of Nutella and drizzle over bananas.
In a small bowl combine two small containers of greek yogurt and 2 tbsps of raw honey. Using a fork, whip until creamy.
Add rhubarb atop the Nutella covered bananas and lastly, spoon yogurt and honey mixture over rhubarb.
Be prepared for every one of your taste buds to be happy!!!
Tags: healthy dessert, Healthy recipes, nutella and banana, rhubarb recipes
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Written by Healthychic, May 19th, 2010
Overheard today in the women’s locker room at the gym…..two women discussing fitness and “why” they workout. One exercised in order to eat what she wants, the other to battle her “saddle bags”. So of course this got me to thinking why I workout. I can’t put my finger on just one reason, but if I weighted (no pun intended) my answers, I’d have to go with- I want to look good naked. I figure if you look good naked then you will definitely look good in clothes. Next on my list would have to be health and energy. It’s amazing how much more energy you have when you exercise regularly……next..I love challenges….and so on and so on….
I am sharing this, because it was incredibly motivating to consider all of the reasons why I choose to make exercise a regular part of my life. I am currently 8 months pregnant and it’s a little tough to want to drag myself to the gym or studio for a workout right now. So- I’ve made a list of all of the reasons I like working out and all of the benefits it provides me and posted it where I will see it several times a day.
I’m guessing that even on those days where I don’t necessarily WANT to go exercise, I’ll be able to choose any # of motivating reasons to find that get up and go!!!!
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Written by Healthychic, April 16th, 2010
Last Saturday afternoon, my family and I were out for a walk. We passed a cute little farm stand that had the most beautiful organic blood oranges. I insisted to my husband that we NEEDED these because I was going to make him a yummy dessert…… he wasn’t sold until he was actually eating them and then of course asked if we can have these “every night”. In my opinion blood oranges are the perfect combination of tart and sweet and nothing accompanies them better than a little bitter dark chocolate. They are a match made in heaven!!!
You will need:
1 large piece of parchment or wax paper
2 blood oranges peeled and separated
2/3 cup dark chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli 70% cocoa chips)
2 tbsps unsalted butter
Heat chocolate and butter together in microwave for 30 seconds. remove and stir. Continue to heat and stir at 15 second intervals until the chocolate is soft and dippable. Drag each slice of orange through chocolate until one end is coated on both sides. Place on paper to cool for 15 minutes. Remove from paper, serve and enjoy one of this season’s most beautiful fruits!!
Tags: blood orange, desserts, healthy dessert
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