These look good, taste good, contain good quality ingredients, and are gluten and dairy free (perfect for anyone who has dietary requirements). However please be aware: it is a desert! So enjoy with consciousness and on the occasion.

Here is my quick and easy recipe to follow:

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees before you prep.
You will need two large bowls (one for the dry ingredients and one for the liquid ingredients).

In one  bowl prepare:

1/2 cup of brewed coffee 
1/2 cup of Pure Canadian Maple syrup
1/2 cup of melted Organic Coconut Oil
1/2 cup of melted canned Organic Coconut Milk 
(depending on if it's your winter or summer, your coconut milk may be hard so. I had to melt mine before mixing it)

In a separate bowl mix these dry ingredients:

1 cup of Cocoa Powder 
1 cup of Buckwheat Flour
1 + 1/2 tbsp of Gluten Free Baking Powder
Pour the liquid mixture into the dry and stir until the consistency is a smooth batter. Add in 1/4 cup of Organic Raw Cacao Nibs and mix again.

Pour the batter into a muffin or cake tray. Bake for 10-15 minutes (but ensure you check up on it as some ovens cook faster then others). Once out of the oven, let them cool down for 10 minutes and then serve.

I hope you enjoy them and look forward to seeing your creations! Feel free to comment below on how yours turn out or post a photo of yours on my Facebook page.

I created the best visual of a 
real life food pyramid today. 

I was inspired to draw this due to the questions I get asked relating to diet and what should and shouldn't be eaten. This illustration is exactly what pops up in my mind and what I try to teach everyone because the standard government results do not work for the majority of vastly different people in our society.

As a health and fitness professional, my job would be a lot easier if I could give everyone the same nutritional and training advice and if that were the case, I probably wouldn't be working as a coach. I enjoy the challenge of dealing with different types of people and their individual needs based on their profile. However getting people to understand that they are different and that their training and nutrition may not be the same as their friend or ideal super model, is easier said then done. A lot of people want quick fixes and don't like to be consistent in the long term to get their desired health results. 

I cannot change peoples behavior or desire for quick fixes, I can only try my best to positively influence them in a S.M.A.R.T direction. Thankfully I have been able to guide many people in a S.M.A.R.T direction, however, I believe they deserve a lot of credit to their success because they came to me with a good attitude, They understood changes weren't going to happen over night, they knew they were going to need support throughout their journey and they knew they were going to take have to take ownership of their goals and be consistent! 

If you're willing to change your attitude about nutrition and lifestyle you'll first need to understand what S.M.A.R.T goals are. 

S - Specific
M - Measurable 
A - Attainable
R - Realistic
T - Time 

Be specific with what you want to achieve (a healthier lifestyle, fat loss, muscle building/tone), make a plan to measure your progress (will you be testing strength, measurements, ensure your goals are attainable (is your goal sustainable for the long run ex: eating a 500 calorie diet for 3 months. I can assure you it won't be), set goals that are realistic (ex: losing 2 kilos in a month rather than trying to lose 20 which would be unrealistic), and last but not least - set goals that are time bound (ex: how many times/week are you going to exercise or how many months do you expect to achieve your desired results). If your goals are not S.M.A.R.T and you go out to try and achieve them you may end up not succeeding or even going backwards. 

The quote "a failure to plan is a plan to fail" is very true when it comes to your health, well-being and fitness. 

After understanding what S.M.A.R.T goals you want to create you can start to create your own personalized real life food pyramid:

• It will alter day to day 
• It will change on days when you're sedentary and when your're heavily active
• It will change if you undertake a sport event, pre post and during
• It will change if you're trying to lose fat or build muscle
• It will change if you have extreme health problems
• It will change when you're stressed
• It will changed when you do shift work or lack sleep
• Modifications will be beneficial during festive seasons
• It will change during season changes
• It will change when you're feeling sad or lonely 

It can be a very overwhelming for many and with so many external and internal factors surrounding us everyday. Therefore, making decisions on what we should and shouldn't eat or is 'acceptable' in our personal food pyramid needs to be reviewed when regarding your goals. If you feel stuck or lost, don't be afraid to reach out because the sooner you can find a way of eating that fuels your lifestyle, the sooner you will be happier and on your way to an energized life! 

If you're not eating for health and happiness, you're doomed! 

I thought I was going to break it to you nice and slowly but I just couldn't find the words other then to be so direct. 

Women today struggle to eat for improving their health and well-being because they are too busy trying to eat to look like the girl on the cover of the magazine. (Not that it is wrong thing to look like a model - but it is wrong to put too much pressure on yourself when positive health habits and realistic goals/time frames need to be established first).  We are all unique and instead of embracing this, we compare ourselves to other people, bringing our self-esteem down. When we have motives to change, it's the most illogical thing to do, because when we put ourselves down, we push ourselves so far away from what we really are able to achieve. 

If we start to eat for health and well-being purposes we will glow, feel happy, perform at our best and find our optimal weight and body figure. What's the point in dieting to reach an aesthetic goal when you don't even know if your body and mind will be happy in that state or be able to sustain that goal. It makes much more sense to strive for a state of health, love and happiness - because clearly that is the problem. Women are unhappy and lack self-love. When we do reach happiness and a self loving state we will feel the power and transfer that energy to perform in a way that will physically match up.

Eat and train for happiness and your ideally body will form.

My number one recommendation is either to start logging your foods down in a diary or create an incredible photographic memory of all your foods/meals in a day and log how you feel. Does the meal make you feel sad, happy, content, full, or sick? Food is so emotional and if you can't realize this from the beginning of your healthy eating program, you will always be a step behind. 

When you find meals that keep your emotions happy, ensure this reflects upon your physical performance. If you can perform optimally and be in a happy state of mind, embrace this! Learn everything you can about the experience and try to replicate it every day.

Without realization, your body will transform because your positive mind will guide you!

If you're mind is not happy, you cannot progress. You can train as hard as you want or eat the strictest diet (neither would I prescribe) and you will never be satisfied. You will always feel less than good because you haven't been prioritizing what matters first.

You.
Your mind. 
Your state of happiness.
Self love - no matter what shape or size.

Happiness reflects performance and performance reflects how we feel about our body.

Eat foods that make you happy.

It might take some time for you to learn which foods keep you feeling optimal, so embrace the journey! ;)