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lots of samples

Posted on February 9, 2010 by Jen

It feels like Monday, since I took yesterday off!  I have been receiving some samples from different companies over the past few weeks and have not been very good about actually trying them, so that is my mission this week!

I started my morning with a fruit & protein shake.  I used a Blended Bliss You Shake sent to me by You Bar as the base and added some other goodies as well.

I have talked about You Bar before on my blog.  You can create your own bars, shakes, cookies, cereal or trail mix on their site!  I will post my full review after I finish my samples!

This shake contained: Whey Protein, Organic Cane Juice, Organic Strawberries, Organic Bananas, Organic Vanilla Powder.

So, basically it was a strawberry-banana protein powder!  To my shake, I added the following:

  • 1 frozen banana
  • handful frozen strawberries
  • ~ 1/2 cup greek yogurt
  • ~1/2 cup almond milk
  • Blended Bliss protein powder

Then, I blended it up to create a smooth and creamy Strawberry-Banana Shake!

Mmmm…it was good!  And, definitely tasted like a strawberry-banana ice cream shake.  I liked the addition of my bananas, strawberries and yogurt to make the shake a little more satisfying and filling, but the powder would probably taste just as good blended with the milk of your choice.

Normally, I prefer to make my own smoothies and shakes, instead of using a mix, but if I was in a pinch or travelling this would be great to have on hand!

Lunch was leftovers again!

I had leftover Israeli Couscous with a small salad.  To the salad I added some peppers, feta and pistachios from Sahale Snacks.

The yummy looking pistachios on top of my salad are actually the Ksar Nut Blend from Sahale Snacks.  The Ksar Nut Blend is Pistachios with Sesame Seeds, Pepitas, Fig + Moroccan Harissa.

From the website:

An exotic, piquant combination of Pistachios and Pepitas, sweetened by figs and honey, and finished with a peppery kick of Moroccan Harissa.

They were a great addition to the salad.  I love a little bit of crunch.  A little sweet, but definitely a spicy and peppery kick at the end!

A few hours later, I was hungry for a snack!  I decided on an Oikos Chocolate Greek Yogurt and a Trail Mix from You Bar!

I absolutely love this greek yogurt!

Chocolate on the bottom!!

The Best Trail Mix contains Almonds, Cashews, Walnuts, Blueberries, Cranberries, Sunflower Seeds and Sun Drops Chocolate Candies.

It was great, just like trail mix.  I love that you can pick your own ingredients because I always want to combine the different trail mixes that are out there!  I also liked that there is no added sugar to the nuts in the mix.  So many trail mixes add oils and sugars to their nuts, but these are just plain.  Normally, I love to buy nuts and dried fruit to put my own mix together, but this is perfect for a healthy snack on the go!

This bag contains 234 calories, 16 grams of fat, 20 grams of carbs and 5 grams of protein, so I only added about half to my yogurt.  With the chocolate yogurt and sun drops candies, I felt like I was having dessert without the guilt!

A sweet and satisfying snack, which was perfect to hold me over until dinner!

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healthy and fitness laps of the week – shopping & protein

Posted on February 9, 2010 by Jen

Sorry for the Tuesday post, instead of my normal Monday tips!

Healthy Lap of the Week – Shop the OUTSIDE of the Grocery Store!

(Source)

There are hundreds of products that line the shelves of our grocery stores, but not all of them are good for you!  In fact, the majority of grocery store aisles are filled with artificial and processed foods, which we really should not be eating.  By shopping around the store, meaning literally walking around and not up and down any aisles, you are more likely to buy healthier foods!  The items that line the outsides of the stores normally include the freshest items, such as produce, the deli and the bakery.  I find that the only time I really go down the aisles is for peanut butter, oils or grains.

Fitness Lap of the Week – Eat Healthy Protein 60 minutes After Your Workout!

While you are working out, your muscles are basically becoming damaged and getting small tears in them.  Just think of what is happening when your legs are pounding the pavement on your run, or your muscles are shaking while you lift weights.  This is normal and is really the only way to get increasingly stronger.  Because of this, it is extremely important to eat a good quality protein and some carbs within an hour (and preferably within 30 minutes) of the end of your workout.  This is the time when your muscles absorb the most amount of nutrients because they are trying to repair themselves quickly.  You should stay away from a lot of fat (even good fats) right after a workout because it slows down digestion and absorbtion, and at this point, you want the food to be digested and absorbed quickly!  If you refuel properly, your muscles will repair themselves and get stronger and leaner, which is exactly what we all want!

Examples of a good post workout snack are a small protein shake, a banana or 1/2 of a lean turkey sandwich.  I normally workout in the mornings, so when I get home I will whip up a little smoothie with frozen fruit and protein powder, or eat a banana to hold me over until breakfast.

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