Need to Bring a Little Party Dish?

This apple dip is literally TO DIE for... and it's gluten free! If you are looking for some easy, gluten-free side dishes to bring to your next party, this is an AWESOME contender!

Caramel Toffee Cheesecake Apple Dip

You'll need:

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 oz. softened cream cheese
• 8 oz. bag of Heath Toffee Bits (you probably won't use the entire thing)

What to do:

• Combine the sugar and corn syrup in a small saucepan. 
• Cook over medium heat, stirring until it becomes a dark caramel color (be careful not to burn!). Immediately add the butter and cream (be careful, it will bubble up). 
• Add the salt and vanilla.
• Spread the cream cheese into the bottom of a pie plate or shallow dish. 
• Pour cooled caramel over the cream cheese. 
• Sprinkle with Heath bits. 
• Store in the refrigerator 

Enjoy!

-A

Gluten-free Holiday Snack... REINDEER CHOW!

Looking for a really easy holiday snack to bring to your next party? These are really yummy, SUPER easy, and you can make them gluten-free!

Reindeer Chow

What you need:

2 cups Rice Chex

1 cup pretzels (if you use gluten free pretzels this recipe will be gluten free!)

1 cup mini marshmallows 

1/2 cup M&Ms 

1/2 cup salted peanuts

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate (I believe that's 9 oz. white chocolate)

What to do:

Combine the Chex, pretzels, marshmallows, M&Ms, and peanuts in a large bowl. Set aside.

Melt the white chocolate (if using white chocolate chips instead of baking chocolate, turn the microwave power down to 50% and stir every thirty seconds until melted). 

Pour the melted white chocolate over the Chex mixture and stir to coat evenly. Spread onto a large sheet of parchment and let cool until hardened.

Cupcake Alert! 30-Calorie Frozen Yogurt Cupcakes

Let's talk about these for a second... when I first came across them on the interwebs, I was doubtful. I mean, look at them. They're beautiful, but 30 calories? Come on, folks.

Let me just set the record straight. They are freaking delicious. And anyone who knows me KNOWS how I feel about my cupcakes. So at this point you're probably thinking, "Alright Alison, cut to the chase. How do I make these bit size delights?" Well let me show you...

Here's what you'll need:

• 9 ounces vanilla Greek yogurt
• 8 strawberries
• Half a ripe banana
•  teaspoon mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1.    Place 12 mini silicone baking cups on the top of an ice cream tray or small wooden cutting board.

2.    Fill each of the cups halfway with yogurt, using one six-ounce container.

3.    Puree the strawberries and banana. Add a small spoonful to each cup, so no white is showing.

4.    Add a dollop of yogurt to each cup using the last three ounces of yogurt. Sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips on top of each cup. Gently place the tray in the freezer for at least an hour.

5.    Remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 10 minutes before eating.

Makes 12 servings. Check out the nutritional serving for one mini frozen yogurt cupcake.

Clean, Dairy-free Pumpkin Spice Icecream...

... or did I mean iceDREAM?! Haha OK, I'll stop being corny. But seriously, y'all. This gem has the consistency of the real deal, and the taste of a pumpkin spiced heaven. Plus, it's completely clean. No dairy, no sugar added.

Bask for a second... doesn't this look beautiful?!

So I'm sure you're wanting to know how to whip this puppy up... here's the sitch:


You'll need:

• 4 medium bananas, sliced and frozen overnight
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup maple syrup (the natural kind)
• 1 and 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (no sugar added)

Directions:

Using a food processor, blend the ingredients thoroughly. I don't personally own a food processor, so I just use my Ninja blender. I pulse, then puree. Every 30 seconds or so I just push the "ice cream" that builds up on the sides down, then continue blending until the consistency is smooth. You can eat it right on the spot, or transfer it to a freezer-safe container and enjoy it later. 

Serving size: 1/6 of the recipe

Calories: 131

Total fat: 1g (no saturated or trans fats)

If you enjoy it, share it! :) That's what this blog is for. 

Much love!

Alison 

Looking for Some Gluten Freedom for your Sweet Tooth?

Ok... so I'll admit... it's pretty rare that I find a gluten, dairy, and egg-free chocolate chip cookie recipe that actually tastes good. However, these are definitely worth your time.

These are deliciously chewy chocolate chip cookies, and yes... no gluten. No dairy. No eggs. SO DELICIOUS. Wanna try them?

Here's the recipe:

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: about 2 dozen
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (butter would also work)
• 1/3 cup coconut milk (or rice, almond, or real milk)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3/4 cup white rice flour
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 2 tablespoons potato starch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (you can buy dairy free chocolate chips if you want to)
•  
• Mix together the sugars and oil. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until well combined. 
• Mix together the dry ingredients and add the the sugar mixture. Add the chocolate chips. 
• Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Bake cookies on a well greased cookie sheet for about 10 minutes or until desired "doneness" is reached.

Healthy Holiday Cookies? Ummmm YES PLEASE!

So I DO realize that it's been a while since I've written... honestly, I had to really think about the direction I wanted to go with this thing, and really make it worth your while. It's also very important to me (and hopefully to you, too) to remain true to myself.

With that said, anyone who knows me well (or, hell.. at ALL) knows I have a massive sweet tooth. I absolutely LOVE desserts. Since losing 25lbs this year, I've been working toward my own personal goal of becoming the healthiest and fittest me possible. Dessert doesn't exactly fit into that equation often. Don't get me wrong... I'm still following my "80/20 rule" that I blogged about during Easter, I'm just at a point where I'm starting to collect CLEAN versions of some of my favorite treats, and they taste amazing... and they are guilt-free! Part of the 80%! Is this cheating? Maybe. But honestly... do you care?

Since the holidays are fast approaching, I'll be posting some healthy (or healthiER) holiday decadence, along with clean versions of some of my favorite comfort foods. If you like what you see, please share the wealth!

First up: Triple Threat Peanut Butter Cookies.

I could basically eat an entire jar of peanut butter with a spoon if I wanted to, so these really hit the spot. It makes sense, with my peanut butter obsession, that these would be the first to share!

Yield: 24 cookiesServing Size: 1 cookie

These cookies are packed with peanut butter flavor! Be sure to pull them out of the oven by 12 minutes to ensure they stay really soft.
¾ c all-purpose flour
½ c whole wheat flour
½ c powdered peanut butter (such as PB2)
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
3 egg whites
2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 c light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ c peanut butter chips

Directions:

1. Lightly spoon the flours into the measuring cups, and level with a knife. Add to a medium bowl, along with the powdered peanut butter, baking powder, salt, and cornstarch. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and egg whites. Stir in the peanut butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in 1/3 cup of peanut butter chips. Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Drop spoonfuls of batter onto the prepared cookie sheets. Shape the cookie dough so that it’s as tall as it is wide. (This is important!!) Press 2-3 of the remaining peanut butter chips into the top of each dough ball. Reshape the dough if necessary (make sure they’re as tall as they are wide!), and bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Note: The cornstarch and taller-than-normal balls of dough help ensure that the cookies stay soft. 

Enjoy! BTW, if these look yummy to you, don't forget to pin it or share it on social media!

How I Managed to Avoid Attacking These like a Ravenous She-Wolf...

So. It's my birthday tomorrow, and my amazing friends and colleagues surprised me with one of my favorite indulgent treats...cupcakes! Now this isn't your average "hey-it's-your-birthday" cupcake... as you can see, it's a delicious array of gourmet cupcakes of various flavors on a PLATTER. If heaven were made of cupcakes, this platter would be a slice of just that.

Enter Alison. In years (ugh, let's be honest... months) past, I would have attacked these with as much vigor as a lioness would attack the last gazelle left on the planet... and most likely, I would have left no prisoners. So what's different about today?

See those little "bite sized" cupcakes at the bottom? I ate 2. And no, I didn't forget to put a number in front of that. Just two. And I was satisfied. I'm bringing a red velvet (from the top, the big'uns) home to my husband tonight, and we'll split it for dessert after our birthday dinner tomorrow. I shared the rest with my friends. Anyone who knows me KNOWS I'm not big on sharing when it comes to dessert. A few months ago, I would have never dreamed of splitting anything. Especially if the number one ingredient was sugar!

I know it doesn't sound like much, but that's a big advancement in my quest for a healthy lifestyle. To be able to show such restraint and not feel like I was depriving myself is a huge accomplishment. Y'all... it didn't even take effort! There was no will power involved at all! Fact is, that was all I wanted.

How, you ask? I can honestly tell you that my change in mindset and the reduction of my physical cravings can be attributed to just two (as in the number of mini-cupcakes I ate today) things:
1. Shakeology. I hate to admit it, but investing in that bag o' goodness was one of the best damn things I've ever done. Looking back, the only thing I wish I had done was bite the bullet and get it sooner. It totally eliminates my cravings. And y'all know I have a fierce sweet tooth.
2. The network of support I found with my fellow fitness challengers. I know that at any given moment, I have individuals who will be there for me and talk me through any of the obstacles I might face on a daily... with the understanding that I can do the same for them.

I have literally stumbled upon a goldmine. Happy birthday to me. :)

Have a Happy (and Guilt Free) Easter!

Hey friends! Happy Easter!

Not gonna lie... holidays always used to give me anxiety when I was on a diet in the past... ESPECIALLY the year and a half before my wedding. Coming from a fairly traditional Italian family, my mom goes all out... Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Easter, birthdays... hell, even the 4th of July. Each time we sat at the table last year, while the family was calmly saying grace, my inner monologue sounded like she was on speed: "Can I control myself? How much do I need to workout today to burn the calories I'm about to eat?  What do I eat? Wait... is that chocolate?!"

Yikes.

Enter reformed Alison. The 80/20 rule. And SANITY.

Anywho, in the spirit of Easter, I wanted to share 5 treats with you that promise tasty goodness without the expected side of guilt... courtesy of one of my favorite magazines, Cooking Light. Enjoy!

1. Black and White Angel Food Cake
 
 2. Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
 

3. Strawberry Almond Cream Tart
 
4. Gingery Banana Pudding with Bourbon Cream



5. Pina Colada Cheesecake Bars

OK So Seriously... Counting Calories is the DEVIL.

My relationship with food has not always been the best. Don't get me wrong- I love to eat. LOVE, I say! In fact, there are very few foods on this planet that I dislike (ehem, brussell sprouts... you fiend).

It's what used to happen AFTER I ate that was the problem. The guilt. God, the guilt. Have you ever felt like your entire life was revolving around just one thing? And you tried so hard to control it? And if you couldn't, you felt like you just might spin out of control? Well, this "one thing" consumed me.

When I was trying to lose weight and get "slim" for my wedding, I counted every single calorie that passed my lips for the better part of a year and a half. I had a little purple notebook FULL of dates, foods I ate, their caloric value, grams of carbohydrates, sugars, protein, fiber, blah, blah, and BLAH. Then, in a completely neurotic way (isn't hindsight 20/20?) I plugged them into a strange concoction of algebraic equations that would tell me exactly how much I could eat throughout the day and lose X number of pounds per week. Oh, and don't forget to subtract calories burned during your daily (hourly) workouts! What's the order of operations again? I swear, rocket science might seriously be less stressful.

Y'all, it was exhausting. And I must have been burning more calories than I thought while I was so busy calculating the calories that needed burning... because I'll be damned if I wasn't hungry all the time. And those nights when I couldn't control my cravings, I would spin out of control. Those were the nights I'd find myself face-deep in the Halloween chocolate stash. Or the Christmas chocolate stash. Or the Valentine's Day chocolate stash. Or the Easter choc- well, you get the idea. The same holiday chocolates, mind you, that I was planning to bring to work for my colleagues as a "present." I'd hide in my closet and try to think of ways to cleverly dispose of the wrappers so that my husband didn't see them. Please. Who's kidding who?

I know what you're probably thinking. Crazy chick says what? But seriously. Have you ever obsessed like that over anything? Maybe not to that degree. It doesn't even have to be food. Maybe it's your workout regimen, or your car, the clothes you wear, that meticulously manicured yard, or even the work you do at your job. And if, at some point, things start going wrong, you have a melt down. This can't be what life is supposed to be like. In fact, if I really take a step back to think about it, it isn't really life at all. I was just existing.

So what now? Well, I promise you, I'm not toting around that purple notebook anymore. Although, to be honest, it's taken me a while to loosen my Vulcan grip. Actually, where is that thing? Hopefully back where it belongs... in hell! Bwhahaha!

Anyway.

The point is, since I started with Beachbody and T-25 in late January, I've learned a very important rule when it came to my eating habits. It's simple. It's direct. It's the 80/20 rule. Let me explain: 80% of the time, eat clean. Follow your plan's guidelines, try not to eat anything you can't pronounce, get plenty of veggies in, and drink your Shakeology (I'll discuss Shakeology later... best thing to ever get in my stomach) daily. Easy. 20% of the time, allow yourself to indulge a little. Have that piece of chocolate cake at your Dad's 60th birthday party, but don't have two. Drink that glass (not the bottle) of Cabernet at happy hour on Friday. Don't deny yourself the simple pleasures in life, but don't live in them either. The more you "forbid" yourself from having something, the more you want it. Seems adolescent, but it's totally true. It's almost primal.

Sometimes it can be hard to let go of the guilt, but to get to a happy, healthy place it's totally necessary. The things I've learned may seem simple, but they were hard lessons. I'm a stubborn girl, and it took me a while to get my mind right. We all need a little help along the way. Even though it may sound cheesy, I can be that help if you need me to be.

So this is me. Real. Raw. And on a journey...

So here's the sitch. My name is Alison VanArsdalen, and I am a middle school Social Studies teacher by trade. I love the kids, I love my job, and I love the teachers I work with. I'll be turning 31 this May, and I just got married last June. It took me a while to figure things out, but I finally found the love of my life in my husband, David. We live outside of Charleston, SC and we have an orange and white cat named Sadie. She is our one and only child. :)

I'll be honest with you. I'm a woman, which means I'm no stranger to vanity. Like many of us out there, I've experienced my share of inner turmoil when meeting with my early morning bathroom reflection. I've also had my share of ups and downs, which includes my weight. In fact, Yo-Yo Dieting is an old fair-weather friend of mine; we met in my mid 20's. I can finally say that as of last year, we've agreed not to see each other any more.

About a year ago, I was at a very different point in my life than I am today. I was in the throws of preparing for a wedding, MY wedding, and everything had to be perfect. To be fair, I'm super happy with how everything turned out. What I wasn't happy about, however, was what happened 7 months later. After my wedding, I gained back all of the prior weight I lost (with the help of my "friend", Yo-Yo Diet) to get ready for those part-of-your-life-forever wedding photos. I became extremely depressed about my body. Come January, I couldn't fit into any of my jeans. Or dresses. Or skirts. Or.... well, you get the idea. I knew I had to do something but going to the gym everyday just wasn't practical for me. Plus, I had been there and done that with minimal results. I needed a fitness regimen I could easily slip in before or after work... something that would fit into my busy lifestyle. 

So, I did what any normal person would do and I started googling. I had heard a lot about Beachbody's Focus T-25 program on TV, so I searched every imaginable site for reviews... I wanted to know the good, the bad, and the ugly. The transformation photos I came across really inspired me. 

After much internal debate, I decided to take the plunge. As instructed by the program, I reluctantly took my before photos at my all time highest weight of 141 pounds (on my 5'3" frame). I had never weighed this much in my ENTIRE life. They were selfies, and I showed NO ONE, not even my husband. I was too embarrassed about how I looked. Those puppies didn't see the light of day for the entire 10 weeks. Meanwhile, I took an updated photo after 5 weeks, and another after the completion of 10. It was what I saw when I compared them that opened me up to finally sharing my results. 

Although I am STILL really self-conscious, I think the message that these photos sends totally overpowers my cowardice:

This shit works.

I'm not going to claim I have all the answers, nor am I perfect. Despite all I've learned, I still slip up from time to time... but now, when I stumble, I finally feel like I have the tools to get my behind back in the game. If you're looking for motivation, accountability, and honest support, you've come to the right place. Heck, I'll even share some tips and tricks I've picked up along the way. The point is, no matter where on the continuum of fitness you are, going it solo makes the road to success long, hard, and really boring. If anything, I can help keep you honest and the journey a lot more interesting.

If you are interested in getting fit, more healthy, and getting HAPPY you can email me at alison.e.kenny@gmail.com .  You can also visit my page at www.teambeachbody.com/AlisonVanA .

So that's my story. I'd love to hear from you in any capacity. For all you do for others, choose YOU for once. And at the risk of sounding like a L'Oreal commercial, because you're worth it.