Happy last day of January! I hope you had a wonderful new year and an excellent beginning to 2020! Now that February is practically here, I know that it be tough to stick to any new year resolutions or habits that you tried very hard to make and maintain. However, remember that it is never too late to restart and regain that healthy mindset going into the new month! With that, I pray that this coming February is filled with nothing but love, happiness, and prosperity! This brings my 5 Friday Favorites for January post! This Friday Favorites list includes easy-to-make chocolate-covered strawberries (with collagen protein!), homemade, healthy granola, HIIT workouts, a soothing face mask, and meal-prepping throughout the month of January!
Let’s get into them!
1. Collagen chocolate covered strawberries
These are PERFECT for Valentine’s Day coming up! Not to mention, they’re delicious AND made with collagen protein! Plus, they’re incredibly easy to make.
Ingredients:
All you need is some strawberries, natural, dairy-free melting dark chocolate, – I found this one on Amazon and some collagen protein powder. I use the Vital Proteins Collagen brand. And that’s it!
But why include collagen? For me, I add collagen to anything that I possibly can. And chocolate-covered strawberries are a perfect example! Collagen protein is essential for your overall health and wellness. It’s important for all-around hair, nail, joint, and skin health as well. Check out my blog post on the powerful benefits of collagen and how to add more collagen into your daily diet. Not to mention, collagen unflavored and can pretty much mix into anything!
Instructions:
First, melt the chocolate (according to the melting directions on the package). Then, quickly mix in 1-2 scoops of collagen protein powder. Lastly, dip the strawberries into the chocolate and set them to dry on parchment paper. After that, let them chill for several minutes and then enjoy! 🤗
Let me know if you give them a try and how you like them!!
2. Homemade & healthy granola recipe
I’ve been loving and making this recipe for homemade, all-natural granola a lot recently! It’s very simple and quick to make and you can add it to so many different things! I have used this granola as a substitute for cereal, as a yogurt topping, on acai bowls, or to add some crunch to your oatmeal/overnight oats!
Ingredients I use:
- 1/2 cup of raw unsalted cashews
- 1/2 cup of raw almonds
- Optional: Pecans or walnuts (1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup of almond meal
- 1/4 cup of honey or maple syrup
- 1/2 tbsp. of cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions:
Chop nuts and combine with all other ingredients. Bake at 325F for 8-10 minutes. Then, using a spatula, flip over and back for another 5-8 minutes until golden brown. Store in an air-tight container for up to 2-weeks!
This granola typically lasts me about a week to two weeks depending on how much I make or how often I eat it. Nonetheless, it tastes amazing and I love keeping it in my fridge at all times to either snack on throughout the day or add on top of other foods!
3. H.I.I.T workouts
This January is the month that we decided to fully create our own garage gym! My boyfriend, mom, and I recently went out and bought a lot of equipment including, a smith machine, weights, a bench, extra accessories, etc. And I couldn’t be more excited! With the added equipment in our gym, I have been loving my workouts a lot more recently, and this has positively altered my overall workout motivation that I was lacking several months ago!
With that, I have been loving HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts! A lot of the time, I program my workouts using supersets that compliment certain muscle groups. However, when I do HIIT cardio, I like to focus on every muscle, do my favorite workout moves, and simply have fun! Of course, I always have reps and sets included as well! Since I was lacking a lot of motivation and inspiration when it comes to working out the past several months, the power of HIIT has really helped me overcome that negative, obstructed mindset that I had towards exercising.
Therefore, HIIT has become a weekly habit, or I include at least 20 minutes of HIIT in 2-3 days out of my 6 days of lifting weights each week. With this, I wanted to include a workout that I have been loving a lot recently, that way, you can try it out too and burn some calories! Keep in mind, the whole point of high-intensity training is to kick up the intensity of your cardio.
Here is the workout:
(Do each move 12 times and then make sure to do a total of 4 rounds!) All you need is a space to complete the workout and a water bottle! 😉
1. Pop Squats (Easier on the knees compared to regular jump squats. Start off in a wide squat position (focusing on glutes and inner thighs) and jump as if you’re doing a normal squat jump. But instead of landing back down in the same wide squat position, you’re hopping in and landing with your feet together.)
2. Jump lunges (or stationary lunges one side at a time to modify!)
3. Mountain Climbers
4. High Knees
5. Pushups
6. Bicycle Crunches
That’s it! Complete 12 reps 4 times through!
4. Primally Pure’s soothing face mask
Now that we are in the dead of winter, my skin has been so incredibly dry and dull! This is why I have been LOVING Primally Pure’s newest face masks! Especially the soothing face mask for the wintertime.
However, each of the Primally Pure facial masks are handcrafted with raw & local honey, mineral-rich clay, organic herbs, vitamin-rich oils, and active plant-based ingredients. Plus, the masks are made to gently exfoliate, refine texture, and infuse the skin with vital nutrients.
All you have to do is apply a thin layer to your face 1-3x/week after cleansing, while the skin is still moist. Relax for 15-30 minutes (not gonna lie I’ve enjoyed mine for a solid hour lol!), rinse with warm water and finish with toner and skin-specific serum. This mask feels incredibly soothing and hydrating on the skin and I couldn’t be happier with all 3 of Primally Pure’s new masks! Plus, if you want to try out any of these masks, be sure to use the code CM10 to save you 10% off your entire order! 😘
5. Meal prepping
Now that I am back to work and winter break is over (I am currently a 3rd-grade teacher), I’ve been utilizing meal-prepping more than I ever have done before. Every other Sunday morning, I go to the grocery store with a list of essential groceries that I need in order to stretch out my daily meals for 2 weeks. Typically, I choose Trader Joe’s since they have the best prices and the great selection of everything that I need! For my go-to groceries, definitely check out this post (G.Y.S.T) where I have either a downloadable meal planner PDF or a picture of my current list! Including everything else that I use to “get my sh*t together lol!”
After I grocery shop, I then spend about an hour or two on Sunday to prep my main protein for the week. Usually, this protein of choice is lean chicken or 99% lean ground turkey breast. Using one of these proteins can create a wide range of meals for the entire week! Then, I simply switch it up the next week and use whatever protein I didn’t use the week before. If you would like a post soon on meal-prepping tips, please let me know in the comments or send me an email! I would be more than happy to do one and share some of my favorite tips!
I hope you enjoyed this month’s 5 Friday favorites post!
Let me know if you try any of these 5 things out, especially the recipes!
What was something you LOVED this January?
Let me know in the comments!
xo, Cydney
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