2019 Vikara Fitness and Yoga Retreat

04.27.2019 by awellpacedlife // Leave a Comment

I recently had the pleasure of being invited to the first ever Vikara Fitness and Yoga Retreat in Scottsdale, AZ! It was some of the best 3 days of my life, and certainly the healthiest. I’ve gotten so many questions about the event and what all it entailed, so I thought I would break it down for you!

2019 Vikara Fitness and Yoga Retreat

I received my itinerary a few days in advance and it listed all of the fitness & yoga class options for each day I would be there, and that there would be chef made meals provided at breakfast, lunch & dinner. A vacation where I get to workout multiple times throughout the day, and eat healthy, chef prepared meal 3 x’s a day=HELLO AM I DREAMING? I can’t think of anything more up my alley! Did I mention yet that it was hosted in the beautiful land of Scottsdale, AZ where it’s always warm and sunny? It couldn’t have come at a better time, since Missouri was getting one of its worst and longest winters EVER!!! To top it off, one of my best friends (who happens to be a certified Health Coach), and loves fitness and health as much as I do, got to come along with me to the event! If you’re interested in any coaching, check out her site here. She will get you onto the right track!!!

Hotel Adeline

Let me start with telling you that packing for a trip was never easier. When all you need to pack for a trip is workout gear, a swimsuit, and a yoga mat, you know its going to be great!!! I hopped on the plane to Phoenix where I couldn’t wait to step off into the warm/sunshine! I took a 15 minute Uber ride to Hotel Adeline, located in Old Town Scottsdale. VERY COOL! Immediately stepping out of the Uber, I noticed a modern, bohemian and fun vibe of the hotel. It was light, airy and very cool elements in the boutique-style hotel. When I first walked into the hotel, I immediately noticed the oh-so gorgeous white oak flooring throughout. The front desk was designed with gorgeous tiling, a 3D background with the saying “Home is where the heart is” on it. You couldn’t help but, well, feel at home! The lobby was spacious and had plenty of comfy seating with several live plants and the neatest modern fireplace with bohemian decor above it. You can find out all the details of their hotel and book a stay here!

In visiting my room, it was the cutest, modern designed and newly renovated(the entire hotel had been renovated), along with one of the most comfortable beds I’ve ever slept in, at a hotel. I literally had to check the mattress and it was a Simmons Beautyrest(for those looking for a comfy mattress)! The room had a quaint bathroom with a beautifully tiled shower and glass front. All of the rooms facing the inside of the pool overlooked the pool and gorgeous palm trees. We also had a picture-worthy view of camelback mountain!

Menu Options

It was the coolest thing that Vikara Events had actually reserved the ENTIRE HOTEL specifically for the event! That just put a personal touch on the whole event! Each day we would get up, eat breakfast from the OH SO DELICIOUS buffet that they had, freshly squeezed juices, coffee or freshly infused water. Every meal was a special menu planned just for the event, which made us all feel so special! I have to mention that the staff from the hotel was incredibly “on it” and so sweet, always checking on us. Swipe left, below, to see a sample of the menus we had to choose from. Everything was so good, I have to say. After working out multiples times each day, my appetite was huge! Each meal was very health conscious, clean eating and nutrient dense foods. It really motivated me to stick to eating clean after I got home.

Class Schedules

Typically while we were having breakfast we would figure out which classes we wanted to take each day. In the front of the hotel, outside they had a H.I.I.T area set up in the parking lot for classes throughout the day. Covering a portion of the pool they had an actual stage set up over the water for all sorts of classes, ranging from Buti Yoga(which was new for me), Hip Hop Vinyasa, Core power, just to name a few). Think of Buti Yoga like; African dance meets yoga!!! They had spinning classes, Aerial yoga, Acrobatic yoga near the pool as well, and inside the main ballroom were more of your Aroma Flow, Restorative Yoga, Goddess Workshop and classes you could sit in on. Each night they would have a night-time yoga class to wind you down for the night. One of the classes I especially loved was the Ayurvedic medicine and holistic healing system. I found it so interesting!

They had top-notch trainers there that were so friendly and definitely motivational! The amazing sound system in each workout area, pretty much made everyone want to dance! The vibe was incredible and I have to say it is such an awesome feeling being around a bunch of HEALTHY people. Everyone was happy and the whole mood those few days was just electrifying! The hardest part of those 3 days was deciding how many and classes could we fit into each day!

It was just such a casual, relaxed setting. If you wanted to just hang out by the pool and relax, you could. It was a very relaxed environment, helping you feel free to decide for yourself what you wanted to do. They even had vendors set up poolside so you could shop. Also, we watched true yogis for a couple of hours, do out of this world poses that they made look easy. I would have just fallen in the pool and embarrassed myself! Each day there were cooking demonstrations and different speakers came in and speak about nutrition, mindful eating, etc.

Camelback Mountain

On my last morning there, we decided to take a 5 minute Uber ride to hike Camelback Mountain. This was so beautiful and a must do, if you are visiting Scottsdale. It certainly was not like any hiking trail Missouri has to offer! To see the view when you get up on top of the mountain was just beautiful. I can certainly see why people move there!!! An exhilarating, sunny hike is just what we needed before we flew back to snow on the ground. P.S. Bring your water bottle with you and possibly a backpack that includes a first aid kit(you never know if you’ll get scraped up, etc. because it’s pretty steep). To read more about the mountain, visit here.

If you’ve always wanted to go on a healthy/fitness vacation, my 2 words would be “DO IT“. It would be one of the best trips you’ll ever take. This would also be a great couples trip, to reconnect or celebrate a birthday/anniversary! There were couples, friends, siblings there, etc. It’s such a great way to learn some new styles of fitness, reset your fitness routine, get in tune with your mind/body, and most importantly—DESTRESS yourself.

The top 4 things I would bring to a Fitness & Yoga retreat are:

1)Yoga Mat- Here are some foldable options that go in your suitcase easily!

2)Water Bottle

3) Sunscreen & your swimsuit!

4) workout clothes

Easy enough, right?

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions on the event, please email me at heather@awellpacedlife.com. The next Vikara Fitness & Yoga retreat is being held in San Diego-August 22-25th. Visit here to sign up, you wont regret it!!!

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Protein Peanut Butter Blondies

09.06.2018 by awellpacedlife // Leave a Comment

I love trying out new “healthy” desserts for my family. There’s little guilt in eating them, and I can eat a lot more at a sitting……just kidding! I made these Protein Peanut Butter Blondies recently, and you know you’ve made a good one when, even the kids ask for seconds, and the batch barely lasted 2 days in the house. They’re also more inclined to eat something that they’ve helped make! Have you guys noticed that holds true at your house? They’re always so proud of themselves, so of course they want to try something they’ve had a hand in creating!

Protein Peanut Butter Blondies

I like recipes that are overall lower in sugar. Most of the time I will swap out a recipe for swerve confectioners sugar. It’s great to bake with, and I think it tastes better than Stevia. Another reason is (and I’ve mentioned that my Dad is Type 1 Diabetic), I like to find recipes that I can make for him, when I see him.

I found this recipe off of Kaged Muscle, so I can’t take credit for it, myself. Again I swapped out the coconut sugar for the swerve . I also didn’t have their brand protein powder, so I used the Vega Vanilla that I had (which I love the taste of it)! The key here is to try to not eat them all at once—-wink!

Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 25 min Total time: 35 min Serves: 9

INGREDIENTS:
Protein Peanut Butter Blondies
½ cups oat flour
⅓ cup rolled oats
1 ½ scoops Vanilla KASEIN protein powder
¼ cup coconut sugar
¾ tsP baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
½ cup peanut butter
Peanut Butter Drizzle Topping
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tbsp almond milk
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp vanilla KASEIN protein powder

DIRECTIONS:

For the Peanut Butter Oat Blondies

Preheat oven to 350℉. Line an 8×8-inch square pan with parchment
In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
Add vanilla, milk, and peanut butter, and whisk together. Batter should be thick, moist and sticky.
Transfer the batter to the lined pan and use your fingers to spread evenly.
Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the edges are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Transfer the pan to a cooling rack.

Peanut Butter Drizzle (Optional)

Place peanut butter, maple syrup, almond milk, and coconut oil in a small microwaveable bowl.
Microwave on high for 45 seconds. Stir, then add your vanilla KASEIN protein powder.
Using a spoon, drizzle over top of blondies.
Transfer finished product to refrigerator and chill for 10 minutes.
Cut into 9 even squares. Serve.

***Keep these refrigerated

Nutrition Facts (per blondie square): this will vary a little due to using swerve instead of coconut sugar

10g protein, 11g fat, 12g carbs

Let me know how your recipe turns out, I’d love to hear!!!!!!

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Low Carb Cabbage Lasagna

08.01.2018 by awellpacedlife // Leave a Comment

Low Carb Cabbage Lasagna

I was so excited to make this recipe! For the most part, we eat either Keto or a Low Carb dinners around our house. It really is hit or miss on whether or not the kid’s will eat what we eat(I’m not going to lie). Sometimes they’ll eat what we do, and sometimes not. I think that is across the board at everyone’s house, am I right? Its a constant struggle. All we can do is emulate a healthy lifestyle and eating habits and hope they follow. My husband and I found this recipe DELICIOUS! There were plenty of leftovers for the next night, which is always nice not to have to cook, but it had set up from being in the fridge and was quite a bit easier to cut, and it all stayed together better vs fresh out of the oven.

Make it with Ground Chicken or Ground Turkey

There are pretty easy steps to follow, and not a ton of ingredients. If you want to tweak it with ground chicken or turkey, that would also be delicious! Two things I might change in this recipe is adding in either a little pasta sauce or tomato sauce(at least 1/2 cup or more) and I would steam the cabbage leaves before(to soften them up more). I prefer steaming instead of boiling, because I always want to make sure I keep the most nutrients in vegetables as I can. I have heard by boiling, that some nutrients are leached out into the water. The leaves didn’t turn out as soft as I would have hoped and I think if they were surrounded by tomato sauce, that would really help also! Another popular twist on low carb lasagna is to make it with zucchini noodles, to keep it low carb, as well.

Fresh is Best!

I didn’t have fresh basil on hand and it would have made such a huge difference in flavor! I used our dried spices that we had, and while it still tasted delicious, fresh is always best!!!! Same with garden fresh tomatoes, would have been amazing in this recipe.

Low Carb Cabbage Lasagna

Yield: 8 Servings Prep Time: 25 Minutes Total Time: 1 Hour and 10 Mins

INGREDIENTS

1 large head cabbage, leaves separated

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for baking dish

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 lb. ground beef

1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1/4 c. torn basil leaves

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 c. ricotta

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 c. grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

3 c. shredded mozzarella

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and cook until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and ground beef, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon. Cook until beef is no longer pink, about 6 minutes; drain excess fat. Add crushed tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Bring mixture to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper then stir in basil.
In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, and Parmesan.
Grease a large baking dish with olive oil. Spoon a thin layer of sauce into bottom of baking dish. Add a layer of cabbage leaves, then top with more sauce, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella. Repeat layering twice more.
Bake until cabbage is tender and mozzarella is bubbly, about 25 minutes. Garnish with more basil.