Prep time: 15 minutes 

• 3.5-4 Cups Oatmeal Flour
• 1.5 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 4 Red Delicious Apples *or apple of choice. You want something sweet with a good amount of moisture ( 2 Puréed & 2 Cubed )
• 1/2 cup Honey
• 1/2 cup Coconut Oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, almonds and pecans (optional)
• 1/4 cup of Chia Seeds (optional)
• 1/4 cup of Flax Seeds (optional)
• 1 cup Prunes - Chopped into smaller pieces 
• A Sprinkle of  LOVE :)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Grease and flour a cake pan of choice. Muffins Pans work as well for portion control/meal prep.
3. In a pot you want to add coconut oil,honey and cubed apples. Bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 2-5 minutes then remove from heat.  
4. In a large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients
5. Purée 2 Apples, add in the water at to the apple purée
6. Add all wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix together
7. Add in Prunes and nuts.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
9. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Hey Loves,

Here's a quick video on how I fill and shape my eyebrows. This video is best seen in full screen. :)

I hope you enjoyed my quick eyebrow tutorial! Still trying to get the hang of recording and editing.

Products used:

• Eyebrow pencil 
• Angled Brow Brush
• Mascara Brush
• Sculpting Wax (You can use hair wax or moulding paste)
• Tinted eyebrow Gel
• Foundation 

 Quick tip.

Once your done this is a great time to tweeze! You have already created your desired shape, now just tweeze outside the lines. :)

When filling in my brows I always like to use a shade lighter then my actual brow. I don't like them too dark or harsh. Fresh and defined brows for me, please and thanks!

Have fun!

xo

J.R

Hey Loves!

I DID IT!

:)

I hope this inspires you guys to set your own mini challenges! Its good to step outside your comfort zone and prove to yourself just how bad ass you are! If you decided to create your own personal challenge I want to hear all about it! Lets create an army of #fitforward !!!

xo

#fitforwardjoritaaaa

Step 1) Cut the cooked squid into rings. Plate the squid.
Step 2) In a large bowl mix together tomatoes, celery, parsley and avocado.
Step 3) Squeeze all the juice from the Lemon into the bowl, add olive oil and salt n petter to taste.
Step 4) Mix together all ingredients. Pour over Squid and...ENJOY.

I didn't have these items handy at the time but cucumber and bell peppers would go nicely as well in this salad.

Enjoy!

xo
J.R

Happy Wednesday Loves!

I am now 3 days into my 30 day Squat & Lunge Challenge. I wanted to touch base with you guys and give you a little update.

I have done the squat challenge before and I don't remember ever being THIS sore. My butt cheeks are sore, the front side of my upper legs are CRAZY sore.  I definitely feel a bit of a burn while I am doing the squats but the burning sensation I feel while doing the lunges is BEYOND anything in  this world.

I am really impressed with the soreness I am getting from the lunges. I HIGHLY recommend to anyone doing the squat challenge to also incorporate lunges or just try doing the lunge challenge on its own. I feel like squats gets all the celebrity but (no pun intended..ha ha) lunges are pretty bad ass too!

Loves, let me tell you every time I get up from my desk at the office I am reminded at just how well the challenge is working. I may need a walker by day 30. lol I'm looking forward to  laying on the sunny beaches of Cuba unable to walk because of this challenge. Its like extreme leg day on roids.

 I just finished my 60 squats for today. I was feeling very ambitious and thought I would do my lunges right after. I was ready to go, in position and my legs pretty much told me to eff off. lol. Yep Wasn't happening. I'll get to them later in the day.

All in all great three days. Tomorrow is suppose to be my rest day but I'd like to have finished the  challenge by the time I go on vacation. I'll be skipping my first rest day and going strong!

Also I am so proud of my girl Elicia who decided to not only to the squat challenge but she also found a really tough ab challenge to do! You go girl!









xo

J.R

Hey Loves!


 I have a vacation coming up that I'm really looking forward to. One week all inclusive on the beautiful sunny beaches of Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba.

I decided to pop into Old Navy the other day to get some shorts and sun dresses for my trip. I was very pleased to find out I can now squeeze into a size 12! Its a Tight squeeze but I'm Still happy! WOO HOO. Non scale victory! :)

The not so exciting part was my legs. Since my weight loss journey there is definitely some extra jiggle and cellulite. I've always had BIG legs but they felt more compact. It was a bitter sweet moment for me. I'm proud at how far I've come, but it also makes me realize that a still have a LONG way to go. And that's okay with me.

I had gone to visit my sister in law that night and we got to talking about legs, squats and big butts. She had told me that she had been doing the squat challenge with her best friend via Face time. They Face Time every day and squat it out. I thought that was a such a great and fun idea.

Also, I was talking to my boyfriend about it this weekend and he agreed it's a beneficial and fun challenge try. He's really great about helping me out on my journey. Very Supportive and motivational. Any questions that I have in regards to working out or diet related he does his best to answer me. And if he doesn't know the answer he will Google his little heart out and answer to the best of his knowledge.







I have exactly 29 days until my trip. The challenge is on! BAM. I will be doing the 30 Squat and Lunge Challenge! I will be doing this challenge along with my cardio and weight training routine.


What better way is there to get some extra motivation then to look at your jiggly pale legs and realise they will be exposed for all of Cuba to see. I'm definitely being dramatic, but it works.


I hope this motivates some of you to do the challenge with me. I'm excited to see what changes can happen in in 30 days. I will be posting a before and after photo at the end of my challenge.

If you're feeling inspired check out this fun website I came across. 30 Day Fitness Challenge. I will definitely be doing some more challenges in the future.


xo

J.R

I was fortunate enough to receive and insane amount of P&G coupon inserts this past week. One of the coupons I have had my eye on is the " Get $1.50 off for every secret deodorant product purchased".

Hi Loves!


Okay so I know most of you are wondering why is this Portuguese chick trying to mess with Caribbean recipes. Well my boyfriend is half Trini and I love to cook for him, but lord knows I ain't got nothing on his mamas cooking. From time to time I try to make some of his favourite dishes but try to put a healthy mix on it.


Trouble is I don't really know what anything is suppose to taste like. Unfortunately I always have to wait till I'm done, pray for the best and then wait to get his feed back on. Generally my experiments taste really good. But when I cook Caribbean dishes I never know what flavours to look for or what it is suppose to taste like.


For our 2 year anniversary I decided to cook a Caribbean style home cooked meal. I made some of his favourites, jerk chicken, rices and peas and for dessert I made coconut sweet bread.

I didn't feel guilty or horrible about the main meal. The jerk chicken isn't a killer on calories and as for the rice it was a pretty clean recipes. What really hit me was when I was making the sweet bread. Boy oh boy, the amount of butter, sugar and fatty yummy goodness involved made me realize that Rick is going to love/hate me for this one.


All of a sudden it was like a light bulb had gone off. "DUH, HEALTHY RENDITION THIS BAD BOY". So I did :)


I will post the link to the original recipe below if anyone would like to try it. It's DELICIOUS. I just wanted something similar I wouldn't feel to bad about having. Because even when I am having a treat I will try and make sure its still sum what healthy, or clean.

Healthy Rendition : Caribbean Coconut Sweet Bread

Ingredients

1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
3 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Cup Coconut milk
1/2 Water/ Coconut Water
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 Egg
3 Cups Oatmeal Flour
1/3 Cup butter
1 Coconut , Grated
1 Tsp Angostura Bitters
10 Chopped Prunes
1/3 Cup Chia Seeds
1/3 Cup Cranberries
2/3 Cup Crushed Pecans
2/3 Cup Crushed Walnuts


Step 1) Mix the coconut, egg, butter, brown sugar, 1/4 of water, vanilla extract and bitters together in a bowl.

Step 2) In a separate bowl mix together all dry ingredients ( flour, chia seeds and baking powder)

Step 3) Mix the dry and wet ingredients together. Add coconut milk and remaining water.

Step 4) Mix  in dry fruits and nuts.

Make sure you don't over work the dough. You just want everything to mix in together.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 45-60 minutes. I generally check it at 45 minutes and use my judgement based on how it looks. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

This goes really well with a hot cup of coffee or tea!

Below is the link to the original recipe. Its DELICIOUS!

Hey Loves!