Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Guilt free, DELICIOUS brownie recipe, and a new arms workout!

Hey Guys! 

Happy Hump Day!!! 

I have a couple fun things to share today. As I mentioned in earlier posts, I’ve been doing the Max Workouts program for the last 2.5 weeks (and I’m really enjoying it!) – but one thing I feel may lack a little bit is focus on arms. We definitely do arms in our classes, but if I have some extra time, I’ve been doing super quick but intense arm workouts (usually paired with a little extra core or cardio). 

So last night I threw this little beauty together.

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Hammer Curls

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Seated regular grip curls

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Stretch band cross body curls (hands face each other)

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Dips (ideally on a stand up station like me, but bench is fine too)

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Dumbell press ups

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Stretch band kick backs

I did this circuit 4 times through. I would aim for 8-10 of each exercise.
* For the seated curls, I only ended up doing 7 each round because I was trying to do heavier weight and push myself a little bit.
* For the dips, I only did 6 per round, but I did them unassisted which was a win for me! ๐Ÿ™‚

Oh, and incase you’re wondering – YES those shorts are new, and YES they’re awesome. SO COMFY!!! For tight shorts, they don’t cut into my waist at all which I LOOVVEEEE!!! AND… they’re on SALE right now. 20 bucks!!!

Find all the deets on my outfit here:
Shorts , Sports Bra (same style, different style, same colour), Tank top, Shoes, and undies (I LIVE in these!!!)

NOW… on to the food!

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So black bean brownies have been a thing for a little while, and I’ve tried a handful of different recipes. But I ALWAYS go back to the first one I ever tried. One that an old friend and co worker from Vega introduced me to. Megan has the original post on her blog right here.

I have a couple things I did a little differently. 
1. I like to make them mini muffin style. I’m not sure why… because I always have 2-3 anyway… which would equal 1 large one. But whatever – I feel better about it, plus they’re cute.

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This time, I added in a few walnuts to half of the brownies because I had some kickin around and knew it would be a delicious addition (it was!).  

I have two fave ways to eat these little gems. Either just plain on their own (always slightly heated though… so amazing!) … OR… the new way I’ve been eating them is put in a dish, smashed up a little bit, and with a small (1tsp-ish) of nut butter of choice on top.. then slightly heated.

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I can’t even describe the delightfulness you’ll experience. OMG.

Ok here’s the recipe.

Black Bean Brownies
gluten-free/ dairy-free/ vegan option
Makes 18-20 brownies
 
2 16oz cans of rinsed Eden brand black beans
4 large free-range eggs or 4T whole flax seed soaked in equal parts warm water for 3-5 mins.
6T coconut oil
3/4c freshly ground cocoa beans or 3/4c and a bit of cocoa power
2 pinches of sea salt
2t of organic pure vanilla
3/4c-1c raw organic sugar or coconut sugar (lower on GI scale)
1/2 C vegan chunky chocolate chips.
1 1/2 scoops of Vegaโ€™s Chocolate Protein & Greens
 
  1. Heat oven at 350 degrees and lightly grease muffin tins with coconut oil.
  2. Place all ingredients into food processor or blender and blend into a smooth batter.
  3. Spoon batter into muffin tins filling them 1/3 of the way.
  4. Bake for 18-25 mins checking regularly when bake time is nearing the end. When checking doneness fork should come out mostly dry. The inside of the brownie should be slightly gooey when done.

** If you’re baking with mini muffin tins like I did, I would bake for 15 mins and check them ๐Ÿ™‚ 

I urge you to NOT be super skeptic about these brownies tasting weird because of the black bean. They’re awesome… I promise! 
Give em a go and let me know what you think!! – Oh and thanks again Megs for sharing this recipe with me so many moons ago!! 

xxx
Andrea 

 

 

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