3 ingredient HEALTHY Peanut Butter Cups

I have a weakness for chocolate, and I know I'm not alone. I love peanut butter cups, but I don't love the processed gunk that comes with them or the high amounts of sugar. I needed a guilt-free alternative to have when the craving strikes.

BEHOLD!!!! Guilt-free peanut butter cups. It's a thing.

3 Ingredients are:

• Coconut Oil 
• Chocolate Protein Powder or Chocolate Shakeology- I used Beachbody Performance Protein Powder because I didn't have chocolate shakeology on hand
• All-natural peanut butter- don't be fooled, look at the ingredients. It should be very simple, "roasted peanuts and salt". Most peanut butters have tons of stuff added and it just isn't necessary or good for you. Don't be fooled by "natural" labels, read the label carefully first. 

Melt about 2-3 TSP of coconut oil in a microwave safe container. Add protein powder/shakeology to the cocout oil until it has the consistency of melted chocolate, it isn't exact, just make sure it's not too thin and runny. I used about 2 scoops of protein powder.

Once it is mixed well, spoon or carefully pour enough of the mixture into cupcake cups to coat the bottom. I used 4 paper cupcake cups. Next, spoon about a tablespoon of peanut butter in each cup. It doesn't have to look perfect or be laid out just right, it can be a little hunk on top. I promise it will still be delicious.

Lastly, pour the remaining mixture over the tops. Try to make them equal so they're all the same size. Now put them on a plate or a small cookie sheet and freeze them for 15-20 minutes or until firm. I would let them warm just slightly in room temp before you try to eat them. Store in the fridge! (It's important to store them in the fridge because if your kitchen gets too warm, they'll melt very easily!)

Voila! A healthy treat for when you just need to tame the sweet tooth!!! They are so easy and sooooo delicious!!!! Enjoy!

Enlisting News!!!!

I am extremely happy to report that I have been approved to go to MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) for my physical and for the ASVAB!!!!

This has been a lonnnnnng wait, between applying for Officer Training School and now enlisting.... it has been nearly two years of "Hurry up and wait".  I have put in a lot of hard work and exercised a lot of patience in order to get to this point in my journey. It's not a done deal yet, I still have to pass the physical. I'm not necessarily looking forward to it (who does??? lol) but I'm looking forward to being a step closer to enlisting.

One of the things that has made getting to this point possible was losing the weight in order to even be able to go to MEPS. When I first spoke to a recruiter, I weighed 157 pounds (7 pounds over the 150 pound limit for my height). I now weigh 144. I would still like to lose another 4-9 pounds, but I have worked very hard to get to where I'm at.

When I started, I couldn't even do sit-ups at all, and my push-ups were pitiful. Seriously, after having two titan babies, my core was destroyed. Thankfully though, after consistently working hard with doing Insanity Max 30, running and practicing sit-ups and push-ups, I can exceed the minimum standards for the Air Force. (If you're joining the AF or even currently in, check out the "PFA Calculator" app, you plug in your gender, age, etc. and it shows you what your PT score would be. It has been super duper helpful in doing mock PT tests to see where I'm at.

Now I'm just going to keep working hard, eat extremely clean (so I stay under the weight limit) and study hard for my ASVAB so that I can have a good array of jobs to choose from. :)

If you're considering enlisting, feel free to check out my "contact me" section of my blog and reach out to me. I'm no expert, but I have learned a lot and I'd be happy to help you in your journey too!

For fun, here is my favorite AF Jodies video!!

Conquer Fear

Fear holds us all back way more than we realize in all aspects of life. Think about it for a minute.... what are you afraid of?

I'm afraid of people's judgements. I'm afraid of looking stupid. I feel socially awkward. I'm afraid of doing things I've never done. I'm afraid of failure. I'm afraid of people saying "I told you so". I'm afraid of falling short. I'm afraid of wasps and other stinging insects. I'm afraid of getting chronically ill or getting cancer. I'm afraid of anything that could threaten the safety of my kids. I'm afraid of skydiving. I'm afraid I'll never lose the last 10 to 15 pounds. I'm afraid people will think that Beachbody is a scam and that I'm just another salesy fake who only cares about selling stuff. I'm afraid my other art-related business won't be successful.

Ok, you get it, but I have a point. We all have a seemingly un-ending list, right??? We're all afraid of things. It's a normal human emotion. It's essential when there is something we should actually be afraid of.

Let me tell you a little "secret". There are two different kinds of fear; those that are very real and those that are all in your head. You're probably thinking, "Well, DUH, Meg." Hear me out. Even though we KNOW this, we still let fear rule our lives and prevent us from living our dreams far too often. Think of it this way: If you do what you're afraid of, what will happen? Will you die? Will bad things happen? Or is the consequence just silly?

If I jump off a 10 story building, the consequences are going to royally suck. I'd be extremely lucky to survive and I'd likely be injured for life. It's not a good idea, and it's a good thing I am afraid of doing so. Legitimate fear keeps us from making terrible, deadly mistakes.

If I approach a new person and start up a conversation, there is a possibility to make a new friend and connection with another human being. There's also a chance that *gasp*, I might look stupid or say something silly or awkward. However, the consequence of looking stupid is that I might just make that person laugh, because they've likely been there before. The absolute WORST thing that can happen is that they don't want to be my friend and they think I'm weird. Am I going to die? Nope. In fact, I'm probably better off.  If that person is super uppity and judgy, why would I want to be their friend anyway?

I will keep myself and my loved ones safe from the things that I can. Wasps won't kill me. Their stings will hurt like a b&*ch but I'll live. People's judgments won't kill me either. I am not a fake salesperson, I genuinely believe Beachbody works and I will continue sharing it to those who seem interested (and I will not pester people who aren't). I will work hard and take a chance on my art business, and if it fails, I will learn from it. I am going to join the military, because I don't need anyone else's permission and I don't need others to understand my journey, so long as my husband and children are ok with it.

I will ABSOLUTELY face some failure (and so will you). Failure is part of life. I will probably face people saying "I told you so" at some point. Not everyone is going to like me. I will probably get stung by a wasp at some point. That's not what matters.... What matters is what I stand to gain from accepting those possibilities.

What I stand to gain is too precious not to try for. I stand to gain financial independence, pride in myself, a happy family, a solid life, and the satistifaction of knowing that I conquered my fears. I stand to gain the ability to laugh at the doubters and shout to them, "Who is laughing now????" And when I fail, I stand to gain experience and growth. I stand to learn from my mistakes and STILL become a better person, even when I fail.

If you've ever watched "The Magic School Bus" as a kid, (my god, if you haven't, find it on netflix and get to watching because your life isn't yet complete....) you'll remember Miss Frizzle saying, "Take chances, make mistakes!"

Get out there. Try something new. Get a new job. Start a new degree. Start that workout program you've convinced yourself you could never succeed in or commit to. Write that book you've always dreamed of writing. Start that business. Talk to that person you think you'd like to be friends with. Try that new hobby you thought sounded fun.

Learn. Grow. Conquer. Repeat.

Haters Gonna Hate.

Fear is something we all have and it is often the only thing holding us back from our true potential. That fear becomes more nagging when we have people's doubts whispering in our ears that "we can't". This post is all about shutting out the haters.

I battle fear a little bit every day; fear of what others think of me, fear of failure, fear of proving to myself that my fears were right.

6 years ago, I hadn't even run a 5K before. Heck, I struggled to run around the block. I weighed 170 pounds when I started. I was considered obese, I got out of breath walking up a flight of stairs, I was a MESS. If I had a crystal ball and told anyone that 6 years later, I'd march 26.2 miles through dust and sand, someone would have rolled their eyes.

When I signed up for my first half-marathon, I remember telling someone I know who is a fitness professional. I remember she gave me a very obviously skeptical expression followed by, "Oh... that's a very long distance". It stung, because I expected her to praise me and say, "You go girl, you can do it!" because that's what I'd say to anyone ballsy enough to commit to a new goal. I had to get over that though. I don't need anyone else's permission or approval for my own goals.

Several months later, despite my child having major reconstructive surgery, my husband being hospitalized for a severe bleeding ulcer, and despite my own gallbladder surgery; I crossed that finish line. I had every excuse to throw in the towel and stop training but I was determined to do this. I did it! Despite a personal trainer telling me I couldn't, I proved that I could. Who's laughing now? :)

Same goes with the Bataan. I know people who kind of looked at me like I was crazy. People said, "Oh, I could NEVER do that. No thanks". Ok, it's none of my business if you decide to refuse to try things because you've convinced yourself it's impossible, but if we're going to be honest here..... It IS possible. Other people do it. I did it and I was rewarded with realizing all over again that I can do whatever I put my mind to.

One thing recently that has been extremely difficult for me is "coming out" to the world about wanting to join the military. I thankfully have many supporters and loved ones who believe in me and push me forward. I do, however, have a few doubters. Admitting this giant, potentially impossible goal (because I need medical clearance) to the world made me feel very vulnerable but I was tired of keeping it a secret. I was ready to own it, despite any judgement I may face. I am proud of my choice to try to enlist. I'm admittedly afraid of being disqualified both because a very important dream will die and the doubters will have the opportunity to say, "I told you so". Despite that possibility, I move forward and I will keep doing so until forced to take another path.

The takeaway is that people are going to doubt you. They are going to make comments. They are going to roll their eyes. Not everyone, but some. You have to realize that it says more about them than it says about you. No one else has the power to decide what you are capable of. You are the only one with that power.  

Dream big, and don't let the mediocrity of others slow you down or dull your shine. It sounds a little uppity and a little narcissistic but it is ESSENTIAL that you believe you are capable of living your dreams and being the person you were meant to be. Other people settle, but it doesn't mean you have to.

Don't settle. Don't give up. Don't let that nagging voices drag you down. Keep going. When you fail, find another way. Never stop getting back up. Overcome. Do all the things on your bucket list. Be exactly who you envision yourself to be. Surround yourself with the people that believe in you and ignore the people who don't.

Life is way too short to live according to other people's comfort zones. Bust out of the mold and be unapologetically you.