10 Tips For A Flat Belly

Today is May 1st and we all know what that means - it's OFFICIALLY bikini season. So I decided to share some tips that I do on a daily basis that help keep my tummy flat. Good news, not one of them include endless ab exercises! 

(Bikini's - for motivation)

Implement these daily and I promise you will see results...

1. Drink hot lemon water as soon as you wake up.

2. Follow up that hot lemon water with at least one more glass of cold water before you eat anything. 

3. Avoid sodium and don't add salt to anything. 

4. Drink 8 glasses of water per day.

5. Eat LOTS of fruit and veggies. 

6. Drink 1 cup of green tea a day.

7. Get enough sleep (8 hrs a night).

8. Reduce stress levels (meditation, yoga, deep breathing)

9. Avoid processed foods. 

10. Give up sodas, sports drinks and alcohol. 

ProjectSunny247@gmail.com :)

Homemade Sweet Potato Wedges + Avocado Dipping Sauce

I cannot lie - I was very impressed with myself here. These babies came out delicious. Some of the fries were crunchy, some were still a little soft... it's a combo anyone could ever hope for. And the avocado dipping sauce was a great addition.

Homemade Sweet Potato Wedges:
(This recipe yield's one serving (one potato). So you will need to increase the ingredients for every potato used)

You'll need:
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 tsp of olive oil
- 1 pinch of ground cumin
- salt & pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Wash and slice sweet potato into wedges (I did not peel mine)
3. In a bowl, combine your wedges with all ingredients and make sure to coat the sweet potatoes well.
4. Lay wedges flat in a baking dish

5. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping the wedges after 15 minutes.

Avocado Dipping Sauce:
(Prepare while wedges are baking)

You'll need:
-1 avocado
-1 tsp lemon juice
-1 tsp of sriracha

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients until well blended.
2. Can add salt and pepper to taste

Enjoy :)

Stuffed Pepper Enchiladas - Vegan Style!

Hi everyone! I wanted to do a quick post about the Stuffed Pepper Enchiladas I made last night. They were incredibly easy to make, totally guilt-free, cruelty-free and pretty tasty too! (BTW - I made mine with all organic ingredients and it was still a cheap meal!) Let's get started...

You will need:

• 2 green bell peppers
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1/2 cup of quinoa
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1/3 cup of cilantro, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can of enchilada sauce (or mexican style tomatoes, diced tomatoes, etc.)
• squeeze of lemon juice
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• black pepper to taste 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prepare quinoa in a sauce pan (1/2 a cup calls for 1 cup of water and about 15 minutes cook time)
3. In a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa, zucchini, beans, onion, cilantro, garlic, lemon juice, paprika, ground cumin, and black pepper. Be sure to mix thoroughly. 
4. Place peppers in an oiled baking dish, openings facing up, and fill each pepper evenly with mixture. 
5. Pour your choice of enchilada sauce over the peppers.
6. OPTIONAL STEP - add vegan cheese to the top. 
7. Cover with tin foil.
8. Bake for 30 minutes

After letting your dish cool for 5 minutes, dig in!

Questions: ProjectSunny247@gmail.com :)

(Half Portion of What Recipe Yields)

Baked Tex-Mex Lettuce Boats

Hi guys! So this recipe is quite off-the-wall. I wasn't even sure what to name it! I was late night and I just threw a bunch of ingredients together. But to my surprise... it was super delicious! It

requires some prep, frying, and baking.

Heres what you'll need:
1 cup of quinoa
2 cups of water
1 tbs of olive oil
1 red onion, diced
1 jalapeño, diced and seeded
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 yellow pepper, diced and seeded
1 orange pepper, diced and seeded
1/3 cup of cilantro
Romain hearts
Lemons/lemon juice
Pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and oil a baking dish.

2. Combine quinoa and water in a large sauce pain. Bring to and boil and let boil for 5 minutes. Then cover and let simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until all the water is gone.

3. In a large frying pan, combine your olive oil, onion, and garlic. Let the ingredients cook on medium for 5 minutes.

4. Add your peppers and let the ingredients cook another 3 minutes on medium.

5. Add cilantro, lemon juice (I squeezed about 3 lemon wedges on mine), and pepper to taste. If you'd like to add any other spices this would be the time.

6. Add quinoa to frying pan and thoroughly mix up all ingredients.

7. Add mixture to the baking pan and cover with foil.

8. Place your baking pan in the over and let cook for 20 minutes.

9.  Remove foil and let back another 10 minutes.

10. Enjoy! After your dish is done baking just pour it out onto your boats and top with whatever you like! I added some avocado, tomato, and alfalfa sprouts.

Questions/Comments: ProjectSunny247@gmail.com :)

Grapefruit: The Flat-Belly Fruit

Citrus season is here and it's time to show grapefruits some love. Grapefruits have powerful health benefits (including weight-loss) measuring right up with oranges and clementines. 

"How can eating grapefruit get me a flat belly?"

• Grapefruits are naturally packed with fiber and water, so they help to keep you feeling more full and satisfied longer. 
• Because grapefruit is low in sodium, it aids in removing excess water weight put on due to eating foods high in sodium. 
• Grapefruits are high in fat burning enzymes.
• A great source of potassium, grapefruit removes waste build-up in the body (leaving you with an energy burst). 
• Contains only 6 grams of sugar! 

Weight loss is only one of the reasons you should be getting grapefruit into your diet regularly. Here are some other facts about the powerhouse citrus fruit and it's importance: 

• One grapefruit contains 77 mg of vitamin C! Thats 70% of your recommended daily value. 
• Contains citrus limonoids. Limonoids have been shown to fight mouth, skin, lung, breast, and colon cancers. 
• Just one serving of grapefruit a day will lower your risk of cancer and will prohibit the growth of cancer causing cells. 
• It also contains lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that may also protect you from certain kinds of cancer such as prostate and colon. 
• Lycopene also combats harmful free radicals, which are responsible for aging your body's cells. 
• Helps lower your risk of cardiovascular disease and high cholesterol. 

*Dietitians recommend 1 full grapefruit or an 8oz. glass of grapefruit juice daily. Enjoy!

ProjectSunny247@gmail.com 

3 Steps to Overnight Chia Seed Pudding

I have discovered my new favorite breakfast dish - Chia Seed Pudding! It is so delicious and so easy to make. Three ingredients and three easy steps. Here is how I make mine...

You'll need:

1/3 cup of chia seeds

1 1/2 cups almond milk (or coconut milk, soy milk, etc.)

1 tbsp of agave (honey or maple syrup works too)

Directions: (*preparations are done the night before*) 

Step 1 - Combine the above ingredients into a jar and stir. Place the mixture in the fridge for one hour.

Step 2 -  After one hour has passed, simply shake the mixture about 5-7 times and place back in the fridge to sit overnight. 

Step 3 - Wake up and enjoy delicious Chia Seed Pudding! You can add fruit, nuts, and flax seed to your pudding to make it even more delicious! 

Questions can be sent to ProjectSunny247@gmail.com :)

10 Minute Workout for Summer-Ready Abs!

Hi Everyone! This year is going by SO fast and it's going to be summer before we know it. That means it's time to start working on that tummy! I've created a quick and efficient routine that will have your belly summer-ready in no time. The routine will only take you about 10-15 minutes. Thats nothing... No excuses! Give it a try :)

10 Minute Summer-Ready Ab Routine:

 (3 x week) 

-25 basic crunches

-25 right oblique crunches

-25 left oblique crunches

-25 alternate heel touches

-25 bottom ups

-25 bicycle crunches

-25 elbow to knee crunches (alternate between right elbow to left knee and left elbow to right knee)

-50 second plank

If you have any questions feel free to email me at projectsunny247@gmail.com