Last Minute Muffins

I knew a week ahead of time that my parents and sister were coming on Saturday to help us with some things around the house. Mostly my Dad, and he helped us install a new toilet. Actually, I should say that he did all the work, and the husband and I watched while my Mom and Sister went shopping. Regardless, it kind of slipped my mind until that morning that I should have some food on hand. Normally I would turn to the interwebz for recipes, but we were in between providers and the new one wasn't hooked up yet. Sigh.

I checked the pantry for any easy baking mixes....no luck. I then looked at the packages on the backs of the baking staples, and found a little dandy on the back of the Splenda for Baking box. Blueberry muffins it is. I had everything I needed but then discovered upon opening that my frozen berries were a little old and freezer burned. A quick trip to the store for some cheap blueberries and we were in business. These were a nice, easy little muffin that tasted great and were only 160 calories a muffin. (See below for nutrition facts).

Splenda for Baking muffins
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup light margarine, softened
1 cup SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed

Directions
1. Place oven rack in top 1/3 of oven.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Lightly spray liners with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt, set aside.
4. Beat margarine at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener and honey beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Fold in berries.
5. Spoon batter evenly into paper lined muffin cups. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan immediately, and cool on wire rack.

Stats:
1 muffin (1/12 of recipe)
Calories: 160
Fat: 5
Carbs: 26
Protein: 4

p.s. I am still very excited about our new toilet. It's the little things, people.

My very first veggie from the garden (sort of)

I say sort of because we had our first actual cucumber about two weeks ago. My husband first noticed it on a Friday night. He told me about it the next morning, so before we got into the car to run some errands, I hopped the fence and took a look at the little guy. My very fist cuke! It was about 4 inches long so we wanted to let it get a little bigger. We came home about two hours later and went to do some weeding around the veggies. Low and behold, the cucumber is GONE. I am still undecided if it was a baby rabbit (the only size that would be able to fit through the chain link fence), a non-nocturnal racoon, or a roving gang of neighborhood veggie stealers. Fortunately this new one remained on vine long enough for us to pick it and actually eat it. Now what to do with it...

Lots of recipes for zucchini, but what to do with cukes? Besides eating them plain or in salads? Up until recently I wasn't the biggest fan, but the husband loves them. Any suggestions?


Edit: I wrote this post last night before my husband informed me that our one baby banana pepper had also been eaten or stolen! Thieves! Now I wish I would have taken a picture of it. It was so darn cute. Does anyone else have problems with pepper/veggie eating animals in the city?

Raw Chocolate Chip Cookies

Once again, I found myself drooling over a recipe by Angela at Oh She Glows. I love trying new alternative ways of making treats and her site is the epitome of creativity in the kitchen. And since my love of granola bars and all things granola knows no bounds, this recipe was perfect for me. And it was fun! I will definitely be making the chocolate chips from this recipe for other things. It was so fun to cut them out with a pizza cutter. My only substitution for this was using sunflower oil instead of coconut oil. Its what I had on hand. I also figured out the nutrition facts and they are listed at the bottom. Enjoy!




Raw Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Oh She Glows

Cookie dough:

-1 3/4 cups ground raw cashews

-3/4 cup ground raw oats

-1/4 cup Agave Nectar

-2 teaspoon vanilla extract

-1/4 cup coconut oil (I used sunflower)

Raw chocolate chips:

-2 Tablespoon coconut oil (again I used sunflower)

-1/2 cup carob powder

-1/2 cup cocoa powder

-4 T agave nectar

-2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Dough: Grind up raw cashews and raw oats in a food processor or blender. Place all cookie dough ingredients into a large bowl and mix by hand or with a spoon. OR simply place all ingredients in the processor and blend. Mix until a dough forms and you can make a large ball. Refrigerate dough while you make the chocolate chips.

Chips: Mix all chocolate chip ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Roll the dough out onto parchment paper and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Optional: Half way through at 15 mins., flip the chocolate sheet over for even freezing.

When chocolate is frozen, cut into chips. This is the fun part! I used a pastry slicer and it was SO fun making the chips. (I just used a pizza cutter)

Mix chips into dough. (I rolled mine into balls. I got 20 total.)

Place in fridge (if you have any left that is) to harden for about 30 mins. They get real hard! Make sure to refrigerate them on parchment paper or they will stick to the plate.

Note: I made the chips first, then placed them in the freezer. I made the dough then put it in the fridge while I cut out the chips.

Nutrition Facts:
1 cookie (1/20th of recipe)

Calories: 192
Fat: 13.03
Carb: 17.02
Protein: 3.78

Back to Basics

Blame it on the weather, or my rediscovery of my love for running, I recently self diagnosed myself with program fatigue. I love lifting but hate going to the gym when the weather is so nice. I took a few weeks off of following a formal lifting program but knew I had to find one eventually. I have quite a few at my disposal, but having seen some other ladies at JP's dive back into New Rules of Lifting for Women, I decided that would be my next regime. I like that it switches every few weeks and will take me 6 months or more so my lazy self won't have to come up with a new plan in a few months. And it will be fun to see how much I can progress and improve this time around. If you are interested in learning more about the book or have questions, there is a great forum dedicated to it at JP's....check it out.

Work It Out

Each week I will post the previous weeks workouts. I am not going to post the lifting in detail out of respect for the authors of the programs. If I hit a PR or have a great lift I will report on that.

My weekly work out report for the week of July 20th:

Monday: 4 mile run, 34:34

Tuesday: made up lifting day
hang clean
8 x 45
5 x 65
5 x 65
5 x 65

supersetted the following pairs:

back squats
8 x 95
6 x 115
6 x 115
6 x 115
shoulder press/push press
6 x 25's
6 x 25's
8 x 25's

step ups
6 x 25's
6 x 25's
6 x 25's
inverted row on smith machine
6 x BW
6 x BW
6 x BW

then I did some random abs and two sets of lat pulldowns @ 90

jogged for 20 minutes

Wednesday:
treadmill intervals
5 min warm up @5.5 mph
1 min @ 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, 8.9
2 min in between @ 5.5
8 min cool down @ 5.5
8 min walk @ 3.7

Thursday:
at home workout, sorta circuit style
Did 4 rounds of the following circuit style with 1 min rest in between:

single leg Romanian deadlift
10 x 20lb dumbells
one armed row
10 x 20's
BSS
10 x 20's
push ups
10 x BW (body weight)
DB swings
10 x 20lb db
prone jackknife
10 x BW

-jogged for 20 minutes

Friday: 3 mile e-z run
Saturday: none
Sunday: 3.5 mile e-z run

The Go Wear Fit, Part 2

To continue from yesterdays post, I wanted to start out by explaining NEAT, or non-exercise activity thermogenesis. NEAT is the other stuff you do that isn't exercise basically. For me this is stuff like cleaning the house, laundry, cooking, yard work, shopping, walking to and from my car, pacing while on the phone, walking or biking to the store when possible, etc. So for me its anything I do that isn't purposeful exercise like running or lifting weights.

One of the biggest lessons the Go Wear Fit has taught me is just how important NEAT is to weight loss. You don't have to run for miles on end or slave away on the elliptical if you don't want to. But, you do have to stay active. I am sure my husband will tell anyone how hard it is to get me to watch a movie these days. I know now how little I burn sitting on the couch, so doing it for hours on end isn't appealing to me most of the time. If we are watching a t.v. show or movie, I try to get up during the commercials or pause the movie and walk around the house, maybe sweep the kitchen floor, do some dishes, or throw in a load of laundry. My husband will also tell you our house has never been cleaner! (well, maybe) Seriously though, I do clean the whole house once a week now. Yes, I like to have a clean home, but my reasons are much more selfish since I know how much I burn doing it! The same can be said for cooking. Cooking is a great way to burn calories. You are on your feet for probably an hour walking around the kitchen. So not only do you increase your NEAT, you get a healthy meal to boot.

I could go on and on, but I think the graphs below tell the whole story; for me anyway. The first graph is a typical day for me from my Go Wear Fit. This graph is from Monday actually. I added in my own text to explain what happened at different points in the graph.


click to see the whole chart

So, what did my day include? Well I wake up around 5:45, get ready and drive to work. I sit on my toosh all day at work besides walking around the office every now and then. You can see the tiny little spurts where this occurs. You can also see when I drive (or shower when its not on me) because of the flat lined areas. After work, I came home did some various things in the kitchen, changed into my running clothes, and went for a 4 mile run as seen in the huge blob around 5:00 p.m. After that I showered and walked to our local store for some shopping. Then I came home and made dinner and then sat and watched t.v. and read a little. As you can see, the total for the day was 2598 calories burned from 12am -12am.

What is interesting is that my intense (for me) 4 mile run took me about 34:30. I also walked another 20-30 minutes, and stayed on my feet a majority of the time from when I got home from work until bedtime. Even with my intense exercise did I barely reach 2600 calories burned.

Now, take a look at this. Below is a graph from a busy Saturday. I did no formal exercise. What it shows is constant activity.


click to see the whole chart


So what did I do that day? Well, that was a day that I had my family over for dinner. So all day I was baking, cooking, doing dishes, and grocery shopping. General everyday activities that many people engage in. When they arrived, I sat a little more and chatted, but then had to make the dinner, clean up, do more dishes, and overall entertain. Granted, I don't cook for 6 people every Saturday, but I often have a similar graph on the weekend days since I am hardly ever sitting. So while the almost 3350 calorie burn is rare, hitting over 3000 without a formal workout isn't unheard of for me.

I hope it's apparent that NEAT is often times just as important if not more, then intense activity. You can make simple changes in daily habits to increase your calorie burn. Now these things aren't going to blow your mind in terms of greater burn, but every 100 calories burned adds up. For instance, park as far away as you can to the store. Pace while talking on the phone. If you can, do some body weight exercises in your office like lunges, squats, dips, etc. Always take the stairs. Become "less efficient." Meaning instead of killing yourself by loading your arms to the brink with grocery bags, take two at a time, or one at a time to make more trips. Or take multiple baskets of laundry to the washer instead of one giant basket. Clean your house more. Walk or bike to the store instead of driving. Try to reduce your sitting time as much as possible. For most this is tough since a majority of people sit in front of a computer all day. Make the most of your time away from the office by trying not to sit when you can help it.

For further reading, check out this information (link to PDF) from Apex fitness, the company that makes the Go Wear Fit and Bodybugg. It talks about under-reporting intake and over-reporting activity. Towards the end of the article there are some neat graphs that basically show the same thing that my graphs show.

So in closing, remember that exercise and training have its place in your life and are vital to staying healthy and reaching your goals. At the same time, weight loss can occur outside the gym just by staying busy.

The Go Wear Fit, Part 1

After spending some time at JP Fitness Forums over the past year and a half, I have learned about a lot of cool stuff. One of the coolest being the Go Wear Fit. I had heard about the Bodybugg and had seen pictures and thought it was pretty neat-o, but was hesitant because of its size and price. Right around December of last year, someone posted a link about the new smaller, more affordable Go Wear Fit.

After crunching numbers and always guessing how many calories I was burning in a day, (or not burning as I would later find out) I decided this little tool would make my life a lot easier. I decided to use some birthday money on it and it was in my hands by late February. I have worn it every day since then except for a few days in June when we went to Mexico. It is one of the coolest gadgets I have ever owned. (Well, maybe that is a stretch since my extreme love of my Nintendo Game Boy as a child is frightening. That thing was awesome.)

What is so cool about it you ask? Well, it tells me how many calories I burn in a day taking the guesswork out of how many I should be eating to lose weight. Calories in vs. calories out, right? Well now I know how many are "out", and just need to make sure the "in" continues to be right. It also keeps track of my sleep patterns. Even though it only shows me getting an average of 6 hours a night on weeknights, I don't feel tired or sleep deprived. I would love to get more though.

I would explain how it works, but I will direct you to a recent article by Leigh Peele who explains how both the Bodybugg and Go Wear Fit work, as well as a comparison of the two.

There are a few drawbacks, I will admit it. One being the fact that you have a thing on your arm 24/7 and can get strange looks and questions from people. I almost always have sleeves on, so its not usually an issue, and if I am going to be wearing a dress or tank top, I will just take it off for that time. (You can enter your activity manually if need be.) The other is certain activities don't register as high as you might be burning in actuality i.e. biking. Movements where your arm is stationary don't record as high since the sensor is on your arm. Some other examples are yoga and strength training. This isn't really a problem for me, since I would rather have an underestimate of how many calories I am burning since I am trying to achieve a deficit.

I have learned a lot from the Go Wear Fit in the past 6 months about my activity levels and where I was going wrong with exercise and food. Tomorrow I will talk about what I learned and how my shift has focused in regards to activity and intake.

Work It Out

Each week I will post the previous weeks workouts. I am not going to post the lifting in detail out of respect for the authors of the programs. If I hit a PR or have a great lift I will report on that.

My weekly work out report for the week of July 13th:

Monday: 4 mile run, 35:10. Felt good and easy.
Tuesday: Barbell complex
7 rounds, 6 reps each exercise, 1 min rest in between rounds, with Olympic (45#) bar

bb row
hang clean
front squat to push press
reverse lunge
good morning

then I did 3 sets of db swings with 25# dumbbell, then I jogged for 20 min

Wednesday: Treadmill intervals
w/u 5 min @ 5.5 mph
1 min @ 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.9, 9.0
2 min @ 5.5 in between
8 min cool down @ 5.5
8 min walk

Thursday: just wanted to throw some heavy stuff around today

hang clean
8 x 45
5 x 65
5 x 65
5 x 65

deadlift
8 x 95
5 x 115
5 x 135
5 x 135
5 x 135

bench press
3 x 8 x 65

cable row
6 x 75
10 x 60
10 x 60

then 13 mile bike ride with DH - little under an hour.

Friday: e-z 3 mile run

Saturday: 25 mile bike ride, little under 2 hours. I have been wanting to tackle this ride for a while now and finally did it. It was a beautiful ride and my energy was high. Legs were pretty tired the rest of the night. It was a great confidence booster.

Adapting

I won't waste your time on a traditional recipe post Rachel Ray's Mexican Lasagna, because chances are, you have made it or at least seen it somewhere. I find her show kind of annoying, but I will admit that I really like most of her recipes. At least the ones I have tried anyway.

What I wanted to write about though, was how my husband and are able to cook meals together that he enjoys and that we can adapt to suit both our tastes. RR's Mexican Lasagna is one of them. The first thing I do when I come across a new recipe like this is try to see where I can lighten things up.

One of the first big things is the meat, chicken, or fish. Although more expensive, lean ground beef has a fairly decent nutrition profile. I don't go out of my way to eat red meat, but I do enjoy it. Another way is to use chicken breasts instead of wings of legs. This is pretty obvious. Another easy way to lighten a recipe is to use shredded chicken breasts. I have seen ground chicken breast at Whole Foods and other stores, but it is quite expensive. You can make your own in a food processor or simply shred the chicken with a fork after cooking. It works great for any recipe that calls for ground beef or turkey, especially Mexican dishes.

This recipe calls for flavored tortillas or wraps. I always buy La Tortilla Factory low carb whole wheat tortillas. Each one only has 80 calories. Compare that to the tortillas my husband bought recently, Mission brand Jalapeno and Cheddar, that had 210 calories for the same size!

When it comes to oil, I almost always use olive oil. I usually use less then a recipe calls for, or will use cooking spray if its applicable. Remember that cooking spray is not calorie free, so don't overdo it.

Cheese is another area where you can save some calories and saturated fat. I again use less then called for and try to use reduced fat if its on sale. Otherwise we buy our cheese in bulk to save some dime. Just remember to use it sparingly. Cheese, although so so good, packs a dense calorie punch.

When all is said and done, 1/8th of my pan was roughly 350 calories. Not too shabby. It also goes to show that what looks like a seemingly unhealthy recipe can fit into most diet plans as well as you eat the correct portion size. Another benefit of cooking at home vs. eating out - you know what's in there!

So remember, most things are not off limits. They just require a little fine tuning to appease many appetites and attention to portion size.

PB2

Do you like peanut butter?

Do you like chocolate?

Do you like them together?

What if I told you there is a healthy, low calorie combination of the two out there that wasn't full of artificial sweeteners and other miscellaneous crap? Don't beleive me?

Check this out:




This my friends is PB2. Made by the Bell Plantation company. I first heard about it about a year ago. It could be one of the greatest things for people watching their intake and wanting to enjoy a treat while being healthy at the same time. First off, lets talk taste because I know you have probably had sugar free or low calorie stuff like me, that just doesn't do the job. To be honest, I will usually save up some calories and just have the real thing. Like real peanut butter, homemade brownie or chocolate chip cookie. This stuff tastes so much like natural peanut butter to me. Now, if you don't like the less sweet taste of natural nut butters over Jif or Skippy type peanut butters, then this may not be for you. I personally only eat natural butters these days. The consistency can be as thick or thin as you want it because you add water to the powder.

There are two flavors available - regular and chocolate. Their nutrition stats vary slightly in that the chocolate has a few more carbs. Either way, these are a great healthy, low cal option when you need a peanut butter or peanut butter AND chocolate fix. Here's the rundown:

PB2*
2 tablespoons (12g)
54 calories
3g Fat 3
4g Carbs
4g Protein
Ingredients: roasted peanuts, salt, sugar

Chocolate PB2
2 tablepsoons (12g)
52 calories
1.42g Fat
6g Carbs
3.85g Protein
Ingredients: roasted peanuts, cocoa powder, sugar, salt

*the nutrition facts on the website and label vary slightly - these are from the label

So, you got your PB2....now what? The first thing I did with mine was use it in everything in place of peanut butter. I added it to my chocolate protein shake, my cottage cheese, as a topping for a healthy muffin, and I made sauces with it. One that came out quite decent was a Thai peanut sauce. I mixed some PB2, some water, soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger and put it over noodles and even used it as a sauce for a Thai chicken pizza. The first time I made it my husband had no clue I didn't use regular peanut butter for the pizza. Its a great way to save some calories and extra fat in cooking. (To be clear, healthy fats are essential and shouldn't be avoided, but rather used in moderation).

My latest shipment of chocolate PB2 arrived yesterday and can't wait to experiment with it. Today I added it to my Amazing Grass Amazing Meal Chocolate Infusion and Almond Breeze Unsweet Vanilla milk shake. If you head over to the Bell Plantations website, they have a user submitted recipe section. Make sure to check it out to get ideas for cooking and baking. Lastly, it compares quite well cost wise with other natural nut butters. Shipping is kind of a pain, but it still ends up being reasonable. The more you buy, the cheaper it is. And it is available in some stores, unfortunately the closest one to me is 60 minutes away.

Enjoy!

My first shout-out

I was quite humbled to be mentioned in Leigh Peele's latest blog post. Leigh is one of the reasons I started this whole thing. Her work is amazing. You must get thyself to her site! Her book, the Fat Loss Troubleshoot, has helped so many people achieve fat loss. Her latest post includes a few success stories with pictures - see for yourself. I also recommend her podcast, Ask Leigh. Sign up on itunes or simply find it on her site. I always listen to them at work - that and the Fit Cast which she is also a host of answering questions and delivering a no-nonsense approach to fat loss. Thanks Leigh!

Work It Out

Each week I will post the previous weeks workouts. I am not going to post the lifting in detail out of respect for the authors of the programs. If I hit a PR or have a great lift I will report on that.

My weekly work out report for the week of July 6th.

Biggest thing to note is that I finished up Built For Show Spring Phase.

Monday: 5 mile run, roughly 44:26, this was a bad run. Was not feeling it at all. I think I took it out too fast. Still working on pacing.
Tuesday: Built for Show Spring Phase II, A9 4x10, 20 minute jog
Wednesday: 4 mile e-z run. Time was about 36:00. I am pretty meh about it. I wasn't feeling great and tried to take it easy.
Thursday: Built for Show Spring Phase II, B9 4x10, 20 minute jog
Friday: 3 mile e-z run
Saturday: No formal exercise, but got in plenty of activity.
Sunday: Walked with husband about 4.5 miles.

Butternut Squash

Just last night a good friend and I went for a walk and were talking about our atrocious eating habits in college. We both got in a habit of eating one big meal a day which for a long time, I thought was horrible for me. Turns out, it really wasn’t that awful…especially when you consider the results of Leigh Peele’s One Big Meal Challenge. But I digress. Point is, our eating habits were less then stellar. For me it was a lack of knowledge about how to cook or to be adventurous enough to try new things.

Among the things that I have learned over the past 2 years is how to cook. Maybe cooking in my case is a loose term, but I have come a long way from pre-made frozen dinners, boxed pasta meals, and tons of sugary cereals.

One of my favorite discoveries is butternut squash. It was a little daunting at first working with the big gourd. It’s not exactly easy to cut it up, but it’s worth the work. Trust.

I usually take the easy route and cut it up, seed it, and microwave it face down on a microwave safe plate with some water on the plate. It usually takes 8-10 minutes depending on the size of the squash.

If you have more time, you can do the same in the oven. Place it face down with a little water and bake around 350-400 for about an hour. Just check it with a fork periodically for tenderness.

Once its cooked, I scoop the flesh out with a spoon. For a quick easy meal, mix the squash with some butter and salt, or go savory and use some butter, cinnamon, and sugar. Another addition I make is chicken sausage. I know it sounds strange but the combination of flavors is just right. I usually buy Trader Joe’s brand in the Sweet Italian or Andouille. Applegate farms also makes a delicious Andouille chicken sausage also found at Trader Joe’s. It’s a little spendy, but a little goes a long way.

Another popular use for butternut squash is soup. I haven’t yet tried my hand at homemade butternut squash soup yet, but it’s on my to-do list this fall. It’s just too dang hot to be making soup in the summer. Another recipe on my butternut to-make list is butternut squash risotto. Risottos are heavenly, creamy pasta like dishes that can sometimes be very heavy. You have to go for the good stuff every now and then, just make sure to watch your portions.

Here are some other benefits and the nutrition profile of butternut squash:

-low in fat
-high fiber
-low calorie per gram
-full of carotenoids, shown to protect against heart disease
-high levels of beta-carotine
-great source of potassium
Nutrition Breakdown

Per 1 cup cooked, approximately 205 grams (I usually buy a medium to large squash and end up with 500g total)
Calories 82
Total Fat 0.2g
Sat. Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 8mg
Total Carbs. 21.5g
Dietary Fiber 2.1g
Sugars 4g
Protein 1.8g
Calcium 84.1mg
Potassium 582.2mg
Vitamin A 1144 mcg

On The Glo Bars

I love experimenting with new granola bar recipes. I stumbled upon Oh She Glows a few months ago and pretty much want to try all of Angela's yummy recipes. (Or live in Canada so I can order some of her amazing treats!) I had good intentions to make the exact recipe, but ended up with quite the variation!

I set out to buy the ingredients needed at Whole Foods, but wasn't able to find brown rice syrup, so I thought regular old maple syrup would be a good substitute. I couldn't quite muster the strength to buy hulled hemp seeds either...they were $11.99 for a small bag. Yikes! I also skipped the sesame seeds because they don't have much flavor to me and had some pecans at home to use up. The recipe also calls for unsweetened coconut. For some reason when I made my list, I thought coconut milk, which I had at home so didn't buy. Umm yeah - coconut milk and coconut is a little different. No biggie, here is the original recipe with my edits:

On The Glo Granola Bars
by Ohsheglows.com
(my edits/omissions)

3/4 cup brown rice syrup (used maple instead, about a 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (added about 1/2 cup to help absorb the coconut milk)
1/4 cup ground flax
1/4 cup hulled hemp seeds (omitted)
1/4 cup sesame seeds (omitted and used 1/2 cup pecans instead of the sesame and hemp)
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut (whoops - used 3/4 cup coconut milk instead)
1 t vanilla
2 T natural cane sugar

Heat brown rice syrup, vanilla, sugar, and peanut butter over low to medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then set to low. Be careful because it burns easily. In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Add syrup mixture to dry mixture and stir very well. Spread into a 9x9 inch baking dish and simply leave at room temperature to harden up. Cut into 16 bars.

My nutrition stats per bar:
137.5 calories, 6.68g fat, 16.9g carbs, 3.06g protein

-I put these in the fridge to harden up. I think my extra liquid caused them to be much soggier. Overall my mistake wasn't too bad! These still tasted great and are a powerful snack bar. My family loved them, too.

The family that plays together stays together, and why I love Golf.

A couple of my pictures from Kavanaugh's Resort


This past weekend my husband and I joined my parents, brother and sister at a resort North of here for a few days of fun and sun. It was just another reminder of how great my family is. We have so much fun together and I feel so fortunate. One of the reasons we have so much fun is our adventurous spirit and willingness to try new things together. Over the weekend we played 18 holes of golf (where I got my FIRST birdie!), tennis, basketball, soccer, frisbee, paddle boated, swam, walked trails and went running. A lot of activity packed in to 3 days!

We have always been an active family though. All 3 kids played and (still play sports) nearly year round. We were busy, but I think like most families that are active, wouldn't have it any other way. We are also competitive with each other. It wasn't long before my brother, who is five years younger then me, was able to beat me at almost everything. I grew to accept it, although I don't know if my little sister has quite learned how to lose gracefully to him. She still wants to win at everything.

Someday I hope to instill these same values in my own children. Being active together has so many benefits. First, you have the bonding aspect of it all. Even though we all want to win, we become closer as we engage in these activities. Second, you have the exercise and activity benefit. With TV, video games, Facebook, computers, and kids being more sedentary in general, it takes a lot to get them off the couch and away from the computer screen these days. By having Mom and Dad engage in sports with their kids, they are setting an example of leading a healthy, fun life. Even yard games like bean bags, golf ball toss (Norwegian Ladders), bocce ball, washers, or croquet are fun and easy games that level the playing field so to speak for younger kids so that they have a chance to be competitive with the older kids and adults. We need to get better as a society to get our kids out and play. Even big kids like me love to play outdoors.

As we get older though, our interests obviously change. This is why I am happy to have recently started golfing. It is one of the harder things I have ever done sports wise. It takes so much focus and mental ability. But, every so often I hit a great shot and all those frustrations are worth it. Not to mention the beauty that is found on golf course. Walking a course can take about two to three hours for nine holes and four to five for eighteen. Not too shabby, when you consider walking at a moderate pace can burn about 300 calories or more an hour for a 150 pound person. Fortunately, everyone in my family all has their own set of golf clubs, so golfing has been added to the family activity roster. And to the list of activities my husband and I can partake in. One drawback is the cost. Golfing is not a cheap sport, but many courses offer twilight specials and deals on their slower nights. Clubs can also be spendy. Luckily, I was able to find a starter set for just over $100 on ebay. Usually Women's clubs can be found on sale cheaper then men's toward the end of the season. But, for me the clubs to not make the golfer since I am just happy to hit my driver straight and make contact with my pitching wedge.

Summer is just underway, so get out there and play with your family. Grab a soccer ball and get out in the back yard and kick it around. Pick up a cheap yard game set at your local Target and head for the grass. Or, take the plunge and hit the links. I am sure glad I did.

Work It Out

Each week I will post the previous weeks workouts. I am not going to post the lifting in detail out of respect for the authors of the programs. If I hit a PR or have a great lift I will report on that.

My weekly work out report for the week of June 21st.

Monday: Built For Show Spring Phase II, A8 5x5, 20 minute jog
*last set of front squats @ 95# next to two guys doing back squats @ 95....felt cool :)
Tuesday: 5 mile run, 44:17
*this was my first 5 miler in years. My goal was to keep a 9 minute mile pace and I did. Felt amazing.
Wednesday: Built For Show Spring Phase II, B8 5x5, 20 minute jog
*I think a new PR on lat pull down for reps...did 100# for 6 reps
Friday: 3 mile run and 18 holes of golf
Saturday: played a rousing game of doubles tennis. Me and hubs vs. Mom and Dad.
Sunday: 3 mile run and 25 minute walk with husband

Peer Pressure

Sometimes I envy my friends that work from home. The few hours I have been able to do it I actually feel like I get more done in less time. Not sure if its less distractions from co-workers' music, the phones, or the general office atmosphere hustle. Whatever it is, I feel like I can focus more at home. But then there are days where I wonder if I could do it and keep my hands out of the proverbial cookie jar that is my kitchen at home. Its easier for me to bring my planned meals to work and control my food intake that way. In the end, I usually decide that it would be nice to work from home maybe one day a week, but not everyday.

When it comes to food though, there are sometimes more temptations in the workplace. My office isn't as bad as some of my friends' offices that I hear about. We have some kind of donuts or ice cream birthday cake about once a week. And don't even get me started on the holidays. Everyone and their nephew sends holiday treat baskets, buckets, or plates. It takes will power to avoid these things when they are staring you in the face. Now don't get me wrong, life would be boring without the occasional treat and I will have a bite or small piece of candy every now and then. This is a big difference from the me of 2 years ago when I wouldn't think twice about grabbing something every time I passed said treat and was known for seeking the biggest piece of cake with the most frosting. (Are you a corner piece frosting lover like me? I am able to gross out my husband with one giant bite of the sugary stuff.)

The problem I have lately, is the peer pressure. Whenever a co-worker has a birthday, the office pitches in for a ice cream cake. The past 6 months I have chosen not to eat the cake. Not because I don't like it, but when I tune into my body, I am not really hungry for it nor do I need a 730 calorie sugar bomb of a dessert for lunch. (Yes, its true - 1/10 of a 10" Reese's PB Cup Dairy Queen Blizzard Cake is 730 calories). I still chip in my share of the money for the birthday treat because I feel its not fair for the others to pay more simply because I choose not to partake. Even then, I get flack for not eating it. One memorable quote was "C'mon Beesknees, you have to live a little." I have a few problems with this statement. While I completely agree, my co-workers do not see what I eat or don't eat the other 16 hours of the day, not to mention the weekends. Its true - we need to live a little, and I will not sit here and be a hypocrite and say I don't enjoy desserts and sweet treats, but everything in moderation. I choose to indulge in other things at other times, and don't always feel the need to eat that frozen slab of deliciousness. (Can you tell I like ice cream yet?) I don't know where this quote came from, but I read it on JP Fitness Forums in someones signature....it says "Living does not mean living in excess." I think this can be applied to many aspects of life. Including indulging in every opportunity that is presented to us.

Life would be horribly boring without enjoying your favorite foods. But finding a balance is the key to staying healthy - mind and body.

Here are a few tips to avoid the W.F.P.P.G. (workplace food peer pressure gang):

-If its a meal where you have no choice on the food, choose the best options available. Load up on veggies or salad if possible. If its a box lunch style catered meal with sandwiches, avoid the greasy chips and probably stale cookie. Eat half the sandwich and try to reduce the mayo and dressings.

-For treats like birthday cake, tell them you are full or not hungry. Stand your ground. Misery loves company, and you choosing not to indulge makes others conscious of their own choice. Especially women. Its not your problem that they might be feeling guilty. If you aren't comfortable saying no, take a small piece and just eat a reasonable amount. Like I noted above, these cakes and treats can be a calorie bomb, but a few bites to avoid social awkwardness won't ruin your day.

-If you go out for lunch with co-workers to restaurants, try to choose the lightest thing on the menu. This sounds obvious, but surprisingly a lot of times the things you assume are good for you are anything but. A lot of places offer a lunch menu that has smaller portions, or a side salad and soup can be a good option. Watch out for cream soups and heavy dressings. Luckily, a lot of places now have their menus and nutrition facts posted online. Check it out before you go so you can make the right decision beforehand and not be tempted by the hungries when you get there.

Overall, remember that indulging now and then is good for the mind and body. Strict dieting and avoiding the things you love will only lead to binging later on. Pick your battles. For me personally, I like to eat my biggest meal of the day for dinner and enjoy the time cooking healthy, delicious meals with my husband. And we both have a pretty decent sized sweet tooth, so small dishes of ice cream or candy are not out of the question. But like I said, I would rather save that treat for the evening rather then at the workplace. When you choose your treat is up to you...its all about balance.