Confidence

I have to share one of the nerdiest things I have ever done. Since my business revolves around people, and human interaction I decided a few weeks ago it is my first priority to master the ART of confidence and communication. I was literally the shyest person in the entire world as a child. I couldn't even order my own food or phone my friends out of fear I would have to speak to their parent. No joke, that extreme (because you know, Stephanie does EVERYTHING extreme. Everything). When I became a teenager I learnt that I could overcome my fear of social situations with alcohol, and this new discovery, in it's own way, helped bring me out of my shell.

The other somewhat frightening thing (for me) about my mission to become confident with strangers, is that since I have made a promise to myself to abstain from alcohol for a whole year (46 days and counting). This year I am focusing on ME, my goals, and  not using alcohol as a band aid for my problems and social awkwardness anymore.

As an adult I'm not super shy- I'm actually kind of the crazy outgoing one when I'm in my own zone, or hosting my own party, or around my friends. I don't feel the extreme fear of social situations anymore. That said, something about being in public and striking up conversations with strangers, or talking to people I don't know at a party, is so scary to me. I've never been good at small talk. It's the weaknesses you KNOW are yours, that you need to work on the most.

So I have made it my mission to sit in public (like right now at a local coffee shop with my laptop) whenever possible. I am going to spend as much time out of my comfort zone, and around strangers as physically possible. The oddest thing that I've found over the last few weeks when putting this mission into action is that I actually ENJOY it. Who knew?  I have actually grown to love my time alone in public and talking to people I never would have before. The other odd thing is I think strangers can actually sense that I'm a happy and excited person, because lately everywhere I go, random people are talking to me.

The nerdy thing that I believe is the reason I have this newfound confidence I never knew I had..? Everday at 11 am. I have an alarm set to "Be Confident."

Yeah that's right.

Oh, and this: 

Nerdy, I know. 

30 Things happening before 30

1. Build a Business
2. Go  a year without alcohol in my life
3. Transform my life, and the lives of those around me in any way I can
4. Bungee jump
5. Run a 40 km
6. Read a lot 
7. Love bigger
8. Relocate (I need the ocean in my life)
9. Take a design course of some sort, I love it almost as much as I love fitness
10. Pay off my ridiculous car loan
11. Travel to at least one country i've never been
12. Sleep on at least 5 different beaches 
13. Conquer my shyness and fear of public speaking ('fake it 'till I make it in the mean time)
14. Reconnect with people I lost touch with
15. Get a tattoo
16. See Macklemore live
17. Go to Hornby with somebody I love, go nude
18. Spend time, not money
19. Get certified in some sort of group fitness activity 
20. Go to Disneyland
21. Go on a spur of the moment road trip to somewhere at least a few hours away for some length of time. Pack light.
22. Pack light. (yes, this one needed two numbers)
23. Master a cooky yoga-pose
24. Girls trip that involves all the things I loved about being 15 (like eating icing from a container, yeah, I said it) but with the luxuries of being grown up (like driving and ID's)
25. Say I love you
26. Go to a Bulletproof cafe, Drink coffee all day.
27. Learn to surf
28. Grow a garden
29. Let go of the past, and all the people in it that got left behind. Say i'm sorry
30. Smiles lines

Putting your aspirations into some sort of form you can see or feel, actually brings you closer to accomplishing them! keep your dreams, even the big ones, at the forefront of your mind ALWAYS. Nothing is too big, or out of reach!

Share your boards, or lists with me via email, or Facebook! I would love to see!

xoxoxo

Steph 

All things green! Spring Challenge, Emerald, and cleanses!

Hello again friends! Have I ever been BUSY!

I  have had such an AWESOME two weeks. So much to be happy and excited about. My first week as a Beachbody coach was busy and exhausting (to say the least) but I loved every minute of it. I actually was too excited to sleep and have been jumping out of bed at 5 am to get in my workout, and start my day. The early bird catches the worm, right?

Planning my first challenge has been a lot of work but I have honestly loved every minute of it! I am excited to welcome my first personally sponsored coach, and friend, Ashley (who introduced and did the Whole 30 diet with me) to our Strength and Beauty Nation team. This is HUGE in my first week of coaching. We are going to be a power team, just like we were in highschool English! I've been thinking about how funny it would have been then if we had a looking glass into the future! It's so funny how life works, and everything has a way of falling together. She will be co-coaching my first challenge and I am absolutely ecstatic to have her!



My challenge group starts February 23rd (Monday) and I actually managed to fill all 20 spots with some beautiful and determined women! I can't wait to see their transformations and be there day-by-day! Today I opened there challenge group for a week of prep assignments so everybody can be well prepared to have the best success!



I just started my second week of Insanity Max 30, and am already seeing an improvement in my max time! Which is incredible! I've tried almost every kind of workout under the sun, and I have honestly never worked so hard in my life. The first week I was as sore as I was after running emperors (a 20 km Mountain run!)

So much exciting things since becoming a Beachbody coach! I made EMERALD (my first big coach milestone, which is a huge deal in the BB world) which I was so happy about I actually cried tears of joy. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful and inspiring team leader to show me the ropes, and make sure I have the best training to provide my challengers with the best coaching I can possibly give!

This week I am also doing a 3-day Shakeology Cleanse with some of the ladies (and a gentleman) from our strength-and-beauty-nation team! Today was day one. Also I had to give up coffee, today was this first day in a long time I have gone without (And I normally drink it black anyways so to give it up completely for a few days feels too extreme) Anyways, I actually felt really energized all day! Hungry, but energized! This is unusual because i'm the biggest coffee addict I know. It's incredible how much ENERGY Shakeology gives you! I can't wait to see how clear and clean I feel at the end! By far my favorite cleanse so far (and I've done them all!)

Going to start my morning with some pre-work out organic-cucumber-orange-lemon-raspberry green tea in the morning! Can't wait! Stay tuned!

My next post will be FUN I promise!;)

xoxoxo
Coach Steph

Coconut Paleo Pie Crust

I pulled this recipe out of my archives, i'm sorry I don't have a photo to go with it, I will post one when I make again as soon as I can!

Ingredients

2 Tbs ground chia1/3 cup water1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut1/2 cup coconut flour (maybe a couple extra tbs if it seems to wet)2 tsp raw honey4 tbl cold coconut oil or grassfed unsalted butter (I used butter)2 tbl coconut oil + a little for greasing the pie dish

Method

Combine 1/3 cup of water and chia and allow to sit. I've used both my ninja and a mini coffee grinder combined with a hand mixer and both methods work well. You must grind the coconut flakes until the become the consistency of bread crumbs and starting to release their oils (you'll be able to tell when they start sticking to the sides of the bowl). Then start adding the rest of the ingredients and mixing, by the end the mixture should be almost like dough but still sticky. Press into a well greased (I used coconut oil and parchment paper) and bake on 300 for 20 ish minutes (watch the edges will burn easily). Cool before filling.

This recipe was adapted from another blog I follow and love.

Cauliflower Crust

Ingredients: 

 I used all organic ingredients, this isn't necessary but I recommend it :) 

-1 medium sized head if cauliflower ;about 4 cups if cauliflower 'rice' 

-1 egg

-2-4 Tbs coconut flour 

-1tbs basil 

-1tbs oregano 

-1tbs crushed garlic 

-tbs olive oil 

1/2tsp sea salt

The method:

Preheat oven to 400c. Wash and dry cauliflower. Cut florets (you don't want much stem) and put in food processor (I used my ninja food processor, which I LOVE:), pulse for 30-40 seconds until it resembles little round bits like rice but more round. Preheat a pan to medium heat, add cauliflower 'rice', cook for about four minutes (this will release the moisture)  stirring a few times. I used paper towel but you could use a dish cloth to squeeze as much of the moisture out as possible, this is very important!! Then I add the remaining ingredients (add 2tbs coconut flour, if it still seems too moist add another 1tbs-2), cauliflower rice, and blend with my dough paddle/setting (in my ninja) until well combined. The dough should be sticky and forming a ball but not quite the consistency of 'real' dough. Then I pat onto a parchment covered pizza pan and bake on 400 for about 5 minutes ( until the sides are just browned) Enjoy!!!!:)

Coconut Curry Prawn Bake

 

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

-1 package of prawns thawed and peeled

-1 tbs coconut flour 

-1/4-cup shredded coconut

-4-5 carrots (washed & chopped) 

-1 green bell pepper

-1 yellow pepper 

-3 cloves of garlic 

-1 yellow onion 

-4 tbs butter or coconut oil (divided) - you'll need 2 for the bake, and 2 for the prawn saute 

-4-5 tbs curry spice 

-1/4 cup coconut milk. (+ More if needed)
-1 lime juiced 

-1 tsp Himalayan or sea salt 

-pepper to taste 

-fresh cilantro for garnish 

The Method:

Preheat oven to 400c

Chop carrots, peppers, crush garlic, 

add remaining ingredients, bake 

in an oven safe dish uncovered for 

about an hour, stirring occasionally 

(if it starts to stick add a bit more coconut milk) 

In the last 10 minutes: preheat pan to medium heat, and melt 

coconut oil, Rinse and dry prawns, 

roll in coconut flour and flakes, when the oil is melted sautée over medium heat until cooked (only a few minutes once they 'curl' and are pink ) could serve over cooked rice or  keep it paleo and serve over quinoa, garnish with cilantro. Enjoy <3

Paleo Power Balls

Ingredients:
(use organic ingredients whenever possible)

10 dates (I used medjool)
1/2 cup leftover almond pulp (OR raw dry almonds, or other nut)
3/4 cup leftover coconut pulp (OR dry coconut flakes, or any nut)
1/2 cup nut butter (I used almond)
1/4 cup of coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
2 tbs cocoa powder
1 tbs cinnamon
1tsp vanilla
1/8th tsp sea salt
1/4-1/2 cup coconut flour (this will vary depending on if you used the leftover pulps, or dry nuts, as the pulp is wet, if you are using dry nuts it may not need much flour)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

For Rolling
1/4 cup flaked coconut optional
1/4 cup sesame seeds (or other seed) optional

The method:
In a food processor (I used my Ninja), combine all ingredients (excluding the coconut flour and chocolate chips, coconut flakes, and sesame seeds) until well mixed. At this point it will probably be quite dry, add coconut flour, 1/4 cup at a time, and mix until its cookie-dough consistency. Add chocolate chips and hand mix, then roll into 1.5 inch balls. In a small bowl, add flaked coconut and sesame seeds, and roll each ball. Refrigerate in an air tight container for at least an hour. My batch made 12 balls, but this could vary depending on if you used the pulp or not.

12 minus one, thanks to a little Summer cutie

I also made another batch  to try and use up all the leftover pulp I had These ones were more coconut based... let's call them.

-1/2 cup leftover almond pulp (OR raw dry almonds, or other nut)
-3/4 cup leftover coconut pulp (OR dry coconut flakes, or any nut)
-1/2 cup coconut 'Manna' butter (By nutiva, I find mine in the peanut butter isle at my local Pricesmart, I posted about this awhile ago but in case you missed it, it's pure coconut flesh in a jar the consistency of a butter)
-1/2 cup coconut flakes
-1/4 cup of coconut oil
-1/4 cup honey
-1tsp vanilla
-1/2-1/4 cup coconut flour (this will vary depending on you used the leftover pulps, or dry nuts, as the pulp is wet, if you are using dry nuts it may not need much flour)

For Rolling
1/2 cup of hemp seeds optional (you could also use any other seed or coconut flakes it's all whatever you like best!:)

The method:
In a food processor (I used my Ninja), combine all ingredients (excluding the coconut flour) until well mixed. At this point it will probably be quite wet, add coconut flour, 1/4 cup at a time, and mix until its cookie-dough consistency. Roll into 1.5 inch balls. In a small bowl, add hemp seeds, and roll each ball. Refrigerate in an air tight container for atleast an hour. This batch made 10 balls, but again this could vary depending on if you used the pulp or not.