Roadtrippin' with my mom :)

Amazing week and a half! My mom and 13 year old brother were visiting us here in Maui. My mom stayed for a week and my brother will continue his trip here for a MONTH! Lucky teen ;) My mom and I talked, hiked, shopped, ate, enjoying each others company the WHOLE time. When you live 2,560 miles across the Pacific ocean from your momma, vacations are definitely necessary! Luckily we’ve set up our trips for the whole year, so we always have something to look forward to.

This trip to Maui, my mom wanted to explore more of the outdoors, so we did. We visited beaches, we went on lots of hikes and roadtrips... Here are a few pics of our trip to Hana.
(in the new formatting of this blog, you will need to click on the blank picture to see the beautiful image.)



Banyon Tree in the middle of our hike on the Pipiwai trail.



Seven Sacred Pools
Beautiful Waterfall!



A famous “roadtrip” visited by thousands of Maui tourists each day. It’s breathtaking views of waterfalls, cliffs, tropical plants and trees and of course the BEAUTIFUL Pacific. The views, food and beaches we visited while she was here were wonderful, but the BEST part of the whole trip is when we are just sitting and talking. There is nothing better than having a good conversation with my mom that goes on for hours! It doesn’t matter where we are, we can ALWAYS chat. I absolutely love that about our relationship. She’s not only my mom, but my best friend. She is so wise, encouraging and caring. I have always adored my mom, but it’s not until I have become an adult and a wife that I see the amazing woman she really is. I am VERY blessed to have such a wonderful role model and mentor in my life. Thanks MOM!

::Turning A Bummer into Spaghetti::

It's Monday, my FAVORITE day of the week! This one was going to be especially fantastic, because my family was scheduled to arrive here in Maui, yesterday. After long delays and flights being moved around and cancelled, they aren't arriving until tonight! I was totally bummed, driving home from the airport yesterday without them, but it gave me the opportunity to spend today doing homework, finishing laundry and making a delicious spaghetti dinner for my husband and I.

I've been making this marinara sauce for about a year now. I was tired of buying jarred sauces, they're expensive and not really that tasty or good for you! I had some extra zucchini left over that I needed to use up so I added it in, making it even healthier.

 

Recipe as follows:

• 32oz can of Organic Crushed Tomatoes


• 1 Yellow Onion


• 3 cloves of Garlic


• 3 T Italian Seasonings


• Handful of fresh Basil


• 1 Zucchini sliced


• Organic Spinach Spaghetti Noodles


• 2 T Olive Oil


• Shredded Parmesan to top finished meal

Dice Onion and slice zucchini, and add to medium heat skillet with 1 1/2 T Olive Oil and 2 T Italian Seasonings. Let cook until onions are soft, about 5-7 minutes, then add 2 cloves of garlic, chopped, and let cook for another minute, making sure to not burn garlic. Add Tomatoes and the rest of the italian seasoning, let simmer for 10 minutes. Add fresh chopped basil, and let simmer for 5 more minutes.

For the noodles, just cook as package suggests, but I add 1/2 T of Olive oil and 1 clove of garlic to my water to add more flavor.

SIMPLE & DELICIOUS! Enjoy!

 

3 Ways to Lose Belly Fat

THREE tips to say GOODBYE to belly fat!

Isn’t this THE question of ALL questions??

People are always asking me, how did you get a flat stomach? What abdominal workout do you do?

Well, I can tell you this, I didn’t put one of those abdominal belts on to electrify the fat away, nor did I do 700 crunches a day, and I don’t even have a fancy ab machine...

The honest truth! Abs are made in the kitchen, by eating fiber rich veggies, lean proteins and drinking lots of water. YES, abdominal exercises definitely help, but if you’re not eating right, your belly fat WILL NOT go away!

Here are my FAVORITE tips --->  {that work!}

 

1)  Eat foods rich in FIBER and PROTEIN.

Start your day off with a protein shake or fiber cereal. Eat foods like carrotsticks & hummus, an apple, almonds, cheese and whole grain crackers for snacks. For dinner, make a huge salad with lean protein. Dark, leafy greens are best! Don’t ever completely cut carbs {supposable belly fatteners} out of your daily meals. If you’re going to limit carbs, try to limit them in the evenings when you body will most likely not burn them as fast. Personally I lower my carb intake after 3, I don’t completely cut them out, I just don’t make them the main focus of snacks or dinner.

2)  Don’t “spot train”.

What I mean is don’t just do abdominal workouts! To burn fat you have to get your heart rate UP... CARDIO! Doing a million sit ups, isn’t going to work. You have to do an all-over body routine. There are some AMAZING fitness routines to scorch calories and burn fat, if you need help finding one for you, E-mail me! Getting your heart rate up means, jogging, running, brisk walking, jumping jacks, jumping rope, kickboxing, swimming, sprints, ashtanga yoga, etc. When you can feel your heartbeat in your chest, you are doing cardio!

3)  Hydrate. WATER!

It’s essential for life, it’s also essential for belly fat loss. Water has a TON of nutritional benefits, too many to list, but here are a few: Helps your muscles and organs to work properly, clears your skin, fills you up, gives you energy, promotes a higher metabolism. I know, I know, water is so boring. Well, glam it up, add fruit slices, mint or cucumber. It may be boring, but it’s benefits are amazing, so drink up!

 

 

Protein Zucchini Bread

CARBS = They are my weakness, so whenever I can make a bread/cake like food that’s NUTRITIOUS for me, I’m all in! This is a recipe for a healthy, filling and protein rich zucchini bread.

Here's what you'll need to make it:

• 3 Egg Whites


• 1/2 C Oatmeal


• 1/2 C Zucchini (shredded)


• 1 scoop Vi-Shape or protein powder of your choice


• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract


• 1 tsp Baking Powder


• Touch of Cinnamon


• 1 tsp Honey


• Coconut oil spray (for pan coating)

So simple, mix everything together and pour into (greased) mini loaf pan.

Everything mixed together!









Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes!






















Amazing! When it came out of the oven, we spread some raspberry jam on it and enjoyed.

SO easy, SO delicious AND healthy!

[Omelets + Beach Friends]

I had a GREAT Sunday! How about you?




My husband made me a DELICIOUS breakfast, egg omelet with sour cream and fresh salsa on top! Lately we’ve been on a egg kick. Eggs every morning! At least they are good for you, satisfying protein & healthy fats {we mainly use egg whites}

He made this with:

• 1 whole egg


• 1/3 C egg whites


• Diced yellow, red peppers


• Green onion


• Sour Cream & Salsa as toppings

Sauté peppers/onions in small skillet, Whip eggs together until evenly mixed, Pour into pan with veggies {once the veggies have softened}, Let sit until bottom of eggs are cooked, Fold. Once it’s cooked, add your toppings and enjoy!

After breakfast, we drove to church, listened to a great teaching on not following the crowd as a christian, but leading the crowd. Just because the world says it’s ok and everyones doing it, doesn’t mean it’s right. Great message.

We went to the beach with friends after church. We try to do a big beach party at least 2 Sunday’s out of the month. It’s a great time to spend with our Maui friends/family, laugh, boogie board and BBQ. Living in Maui is SO low-key, you just go with the flow and enjoy each others company! We are very blessed to have friends who accept us for who we are, laugh with us, encourage and support us.

Dave & I boogie boarding, SO MUCH FUN! South swell was happening today!

Some of our FAVORITE people!

 The view from my chair.

Getting Started :)

One of my HUGE goals this year was to create a fabulous blog/website! It's FINALLY come to pass and I am very excited to be sharing a little bit of ME with YOU. My savvy, computer guru friend helped me with everything <-- THANKS Will, and I can now start sharing!

What will Hannah share, you ask? Anything and everything!

• Daily blog posts


• Fitness Tips


• My Fav Products


• Daily Ponderings


• Recipes


• Pictures


• My obsession with Grizzly & Wednesday (my fur-babies)


• Diet plans


• Health Tips


• Wellness

Who knows what other topics will be covered, all I know is I'm excited to start!

Thanks for reading & stay in touch!

XO

-H