Manitoba Hemp Heart Bars Review (plus contest and discount!)

I tried these bars over a month ago, but it’s been a sleepy month!  That doesn’t mean these Manitoba Hemp Heart Bars were any less good!

I ate half before my workouts…one of the toughest times for me to eat lately, for 4 days.  They were tasty, though not overly flavored (not a bad thing!) and I really liked the texture…almost like a grainier larabar if that makes sense.

Nutrition info

A note…hemp in this form will NOT get you high 🙂 just full!

Chocolate close up

Apple Cinnamon close up

These were great to grab before my workout and fueled me without weighing me down…perfect!  I’d eat a whole one for a snack too!
Tag @manitobaharvest #hempheartbar #fuelledbyhemp #sweatpink @fitapproach for a chance to win a box of your favorite flavor of Hemp Heart Bars!

A winner will be chosen each month!

Eligibility: open to US and Canada residents

The discount code hhbarlaunch1015 will get you 15% off!

Expires 3/31/2016

My Go-Go Juice

So, if you’ve followed along on Facebook, you’ve heard how I’m not a big fan of vegetables this pregnancy (or last one, though the things I do like are completely different!).  I like to be healthy though, so I’m finding ways to sneak them in on myself, especially now that even fruit doesn’t sound great.  If you know me, you know that that is just plain crazy for me!  I adore fruit!  I know they say no one is obese because they ate too much fruit, but I do have to (usually) reign in how much I’d eat otherwise…it is nature’s candy after all!

Enter my new Shakeology recipe (if you can call it that!).  I’m usually a plain Shakeo, ice and water kind of gal (because I’d rather eat my fruits and vegetables separately…love volume!), maybe with a flavor extract.  But now that I’m just not eating them, it’s been a great way to sneak them in!  And when I finish it…oh boy!  I feel refreshed and rejuvenated with so much more energy than before I drank it.  This is a true testament to fueling your body WELL, with the right foods.  Something I’m having such a hard time stomaching right now.

AGF’s Go-Go Juice

Ingredients:
– 1 scoop chocolate Shakeology (vegan chocolate would work well also, in fact this could go well with almost any flavor!)
– 1 cup spinach
– 1 cup frozen cherries
– water

Then…blend!!

The frozen cherries work as ice too here…which is why if I do put fruit in my shake, it’s frozen!  It can be hard to fit fruit and ice in a single serve blender cup!  I love this shake, and the way I feel after it.  It’s become my daily go to, at least until I feel up to more variety in my foods.

Do you have a favorite shake recipe?  Share it!

What I ate yesterday

I run groups for accountability doing fitness programs.  Yesterday, I gave the task of food pictures for everything they ate…yes, on a Saturday!  Accountability doesn’t mean just when you’re on…it’s all the time.  Though i think I was the only one who posted most everything, I think just the reminder is a good thing to keep you making good choices!

So then I had pictures of everything I ate.  And planned to post them up here.  But my dinner was questionable,  We went out to eat and changed places last minute.  I wasn’t ready and took a chance.  And the dish came out with vegetables covered in a cheesy tomato based sauce.  And my thought was to skip posting.

But that isn’t real life.  This is.  And accountability is for all the time.  So, here we go!

I started a new program on Thursday that I’m super excited for.  I’ve been using the streaming service to get started and plan to post more once my package arrives.  I’m able to do the full plan with just the online materials, but i like them in hand too…I’m a bit old school like that!  It’s called The Master’s Hammer and Chisel and mixes the trainers from two of my favorite programs, 21 Day Fix and Body Beast.

Some test group results!

I’m trying to rock this program, and I know that the nutrition is the magic!  So I’m all in nutrition-wise, but sometimes you do your best.  I think that the key to my day yesterday was not throwing in the towel like I messed up.  Because I didn’t.  I made choices, and when they didn’t go as planned, I did my best!

Let’s get to it!

First up is my pre-workout combo, made at 4am most days!  I have 25oz of water with cayenne pepper and lemon along with Energize, which gives me the energy to get a good workout that early!

 

Energize and Water with Cayenne Pepper and Lemon (drank a bunch first!)

Then for during my Hammer and Chisel – ISO Strength Chisel workout (strength training with isometric holds…tough, fast, fun…just how I like it!) was Hydrate and plain water. This stuff keeps you hydrated (you never would have guessed!) and replenishes electrolytes without all the sugar of other sports drinks

Hydrate and water

Post workout is my new BFF, Recover, that tastes like hot chocolate, mixes so easily and helps with soreness and muscle recovery…which helps me push more in my next workout than if I was hurting!

Post Workout!

After that, I had my usual coffee with stevia in the raw and coconut oil.  I was in between workouts, so I look a bit nutty, but the coffee was good.

After that, I taught PiYo Live.  Super fun. When I got home, I’d been up about 6 hours and was hungry!  So I made my typical breakfast of hard boiled eggs with smoky southwestern seasoning, steel cut oats with cinnamon and grapes.

Lunch came once it was naptime!  I had spinach, ground turkey and some dairy free cheese.  I would have liked it best if I chopped up the spinach, but I was a bit lazy!

We head out for the rest of the day after my daughter never actually napped and played with some cream instead (as the 3 year old set likes to do!).  So I took some food on the go!  Shakeology to help with fullness and keep me away from picking something up at the mall or brewery we went to, carrots, grapes and walnuts.  I did try a bit of a soft pretzel at the brewery because I was told they were delicious.  But I stayed away from more than a taste, and kept to my water and snacks.

And we eventually get to dinner (over 4 hours after leaving the house).  We’d planned on one place with great salmon and salads, but that didn’t work out.  So I tried this salmon at the place we went to.  It was supposed to have even more cheese.

Salmon, with roasted vegetables and potatoes in a tomato cheese sauce (not the menu text!)

I ate the salmon and what vegetables I could manage to scrape sauce off of.  The salmon was good, but the rest wouldn’t have been worth the calories!  At least not for me.

I finished out the day with vanilla Recharge, not pictured because I drank it quick and forgot!  But it’s delicious and helps your muscles reboot while you sleep.  It’s slow absorbing so it works through the night and attacks inflammation so you can be all set in the morning.

I know I have added a bunch of supplements in here…they’ve helped my intensity so much recently!  I don’t use them every day, just when my workouts call for them, and they have helped so much, especially with soreness.  Which means I can push harder and move more throughout the day.  Definitely helpful for intense programs!  This is the whole line that I use (there’s also creatine!).  You can read all about it and more of the science here!

Energize, Recover, Hydrate and Recharge

So there it is!  A Saturday with me.  Not perfect, but within my calorie plan and mostly on plan for Hammer and Chisel…which you can get discounted with Shakeology or the combo of Energize and Recover…and an additional $20 off in December!  Get it and join in my next group (must have me as your coach or not have a coach!  If you have one, I’m sure they’d love to have you!) so you can have additional accountability…and do fun things like post pictures of your food all day!

 

 

On my wishlist – 11/8

I’m starting a (hopefully) weekly feature of things on my wishlist that you might be interested in!

First up, this tracking water bottle!

So, this is by Zak Designs and the colored bands can be moved up to the top of the bottle so you can easily track how many times you filled the bottle.  Sounds like a super helpful system to me!

How do you track your water?

Dragonfruit!

Have you tried dragonfruit?

  
We tried it today, and though it was fun to try, we weren’t big fans!

   
 
What’s the last new food you tried? Did you like it?

Vanilla Chai Oatmeal

Had you come over for breakfast the other day, you might have wondered why I had a bowl of tea brewing on the counter…

 

Not exactly your typical tea vessel!  But I had been inspired to make this oatmeal recipe, so tea in a bowl it was!

This is almost a non-recipe.  But it was something I never would have thought of!  I haven’t gotten all of the measurements down yet (mainly tea to oatmeal ratio!) but I wanted to share.

So, you brew chai tea…so far 4oz or 1/2 cup worked best for me.  Let it steep, then add 1/4 cup of oats.  I used quick oats, but I want to try with regular oats too!  Let that sit for a minute.  Then add cinnamon, vanilla extract and your sweetener of choice to taste.  And viola…

breakfast!  This is 1 yellow on the 21 Day Fix.

If you try it out, let me know!  I want to hear about it.

Meal Prep – For Reals!

So so so many people ask me about meal prepping!

Do I spend all day Sunday cooking?  Is my refrigerator full of portioned out meals?  Do I cook every day?

Nope.  Nah.  Not usually!

So how do I do it?  I’ve spoken before about my “method” that I refer to as the garanimals of eating, and that’s part of it.  But a big part of getting the food into the fridge is my other…secret?  If it can be called that, it’s not going to be one anymore!

Don’t cook more often, cook more at a time!

Making chicken?  Make a bunch!  Making sweet potatoes? Bunch!  Oatmeal?  You know it…bunch!  Cutting up vegetables?  Cut more!

You’re already making stuff, dirtying dishes, etc..make it worth it.  You’re probably thinking that this is the same as what we all think of as meal prep, but it takes very little extra time to make more of something!  I’m not saying to make all of this at once.  I’m saying that when you cook, make extra.

It’s all about the leftovers!

What are some of your secrets?

Grilled Brussels Sprouts

I have salads for dinner most nights.  If we’re grilling up dinner, it’s whatever protein I’m having on a salad!  But last night, I was really in the mood for some Brussels sprouts.  And my husband was grilling up steak for him, chicken for the rest of us…so grilled Brussels sprouts it was!

I cut up my Brussels sprouts (this is two greens on the 21 Day Fix) and put them in a foil “bowl”…two layers of foil with the ends crumpled up to make it bowl-like.  I threw on some 21 Day Fix All purpose seasoning, but you can put on any seasoning you like.

Then we put them on the grill for about 20 minutes, stirring every so often.

So pretty!

So here’s my dinner…1 red, 1 orange (homemade balsamic vinaigrette that I dipped the chicken in and then drizzled what was left on what Brussels sprouts I hadn’t eaten!) and 2 greens…filling and so good!

My dinner!

What’s for dinner??

Bulu box Review

Have you heard of Bulu box? Bulu Box is the first health, nutrition and weight loss discovery box designed to help you feel your best. Each month, you’ll get a custom box filled with a new mix of 4 to 5 premium samples from top brands to try. Every sample is sufficient enough to decide if the product is right for you.  I received one to review and wasn’t disappointed!  You can try it too!

What was inside!

I tried almost everything (I haven’t had a need *ahem* for the Yerba Prima yet!) and loved trying them.  The best part about subscription boxes like these are that I wouldn’t necessarily buy any of these separately to try.  But getting them together to try was a great way to check out some new things!

I’ll tell you in order that I tried them (I think!).  My first was the Mediterra Sundried Tomato and Basil bar.  You heard that!  It’s a savory granola-like bar (really more like a Kind bar – lots of texture!)

See all that good stuff?

I wasn’t sure what to expect here.  I’m not sure if I’d buy these regularly, but I would definitely get one for on the go.  It tasted like it sound, with the great crunch and flavor that I expected from seeing it and knowing the flavor name.  The only reason I wouldn’t get them regularly is that I go for the sweet stuff!

Next up was probably what I was most looking forward to!  The Quest Peanut Butter protein powder had to be delicious since I already trust Quest to be crazy good!  And it was.  I still have the second packet too, so having two was pretty nifty. I knew that if I didn’t like it with just water and ice (I did!), I could try it another way.  I may mix it with some chocolate protein powder to see how that is (how could it go wrong??)

Next, I tried these Movit Energy gummies.

I brought these for a preworkout boost while away for the weekend so I didn’t have a baggie of my usual preworkout, Energize, in my carry on.  I ended up not actually getting in my workout, but it wasn’t lack of energy!  These were delicious and definitely gave me a boost!  Loved them, though gummies at 4am don’t sound like a great way to start the day.  So I may get these to have for late workouts or when I’m on the go.

Okay, the last of what I tried was kind of a surprise.  I really didn’t expect much from the Earth’s Care Anti-Itch Cream.  But then, I had a need for just that.  I was recently stung by some fire ants…a totally new thing for me.  I had no clue what to really do for them, and it would be fine for a bit, and then itch like crazy for a while.  This went on for about a week, until I realized I had this cream to try.

Well, that’s the last time they itched!  This is now in my purse for easy access.  I’ll be buying more soon, though I used so little with such great results that I may not need more for a bit!

So, do you want to check out this box and get some samples to heck out??  Use code SWEATPINK for 50% off a 3-month subscription and let me know how you like it!

Raspberry Frozen Yogurt

Now that I have most of my kitchen back, it’s time to get cooking…if you could call this that!  Basically it’s “put items in food processor…eat the deliciousness” but you do need the food processor!

So…what do you need??  I measured in my 21 Day Fix portions, but you can use whatever amounts fit in your day.

The picture says it all…a purple of frozen raspberries and a red of plain Greek yogurt.  Put them in the food processor (add your sweetener of choice if you like!  But the raspberries do make it sweet on their own.) and blend it up!  I had to stop to push down the sides a few times.  Then enjoy…after you’ve rinsed out the food processor.  It will make your life easier!

What super simple recipes have you made lately?