Protein Bar Recipe

Vanilla Oat and Flax Protein Bars

3 cups gluten free quick oats
1/2 cup freshly ground flaxseeds
1 packets of stevia
3 egg whites, beaten
1 cups applesauce, unsweetened

1-1/2 cups pitted prunes
5 scoops protein powder (any flavor) I used vanilla
1/4 natural almond butter
1 tsp baking powder
flavor - vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg all spice (I used pumpkin pie spice and a little vanilla.  A little goes a long way!)

 

1.    Pre-heat oven to  325 degrees.

2.    Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl (oats, flax, baking powder, protein powder, spices)

3.    Blend together well the rest of the ingredients in a high powered blender (stevia, egg whites, applesauce, pitted prunes, almond butter).

4.    Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients.

5.    Spray a large glass dish (size depends on how thick you want them.  Thicker takes longer to cook).  You could also put on a prepared (sprayed) cookie sheet for thinner bars.

6.    Pour bar mixture into glass dish or pan.

7.    Cook for 15-20 minutes depending on thickness.  Try not to over bake!

8.    Cut into 12-16 bars.  I cut into 16 bars and they were perfect as a snack or after workout protein/carb source.

Variations: Add berries to the mixture for more flavors.  Sprinkle with organic shredded coconut before baking.  Sprinkle lightly with very dark chocolate chips for a treat!

~Recipe adapted from a recipe I found on Spark People http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=929614

Time to blog...

It is officially time to dust off the old blog, start anew, and blog my way to health!  I am training for a half marathon with one major goal: lose weight.  One minor goal, however, sticks in the back of my brain.... finish closer to my first half marathon time!  My first half marathon was around 2 hours 34 minutes.  My last was a little over 3 hours.  Ugh!  What is slowing me down?  Weight!  Thankfully, in the year since my last half, I have lost a little over 10 pounds.  I still have a long way to go though! 

I know it's not all about weight, it is about health too.  I currently take medication for high blood pressure, and I would love to get that lowered or even get off of that pill.  I hate taking medication, specially for something I know is partly my fault; letting myself get unhealthy.  I could play the blame game; house to take care of, kids, work, etc.  That does NOT help though, it only gives me excuses.  And in reality, there are no excuses for not taking care of yourself.  I rock Jillian Michael's 30 day shed on occasion and she mentions those that are on the Biggest Loser as able to do a full set of jumping jacks, so I definitely should be able to as well. No Excuses! I wish I had Jillian to push me daily!  Wait, I can, I just have to make time for it... the elusive time of a working mom...  NO EXCUSES!

So, where am I in my journey?  What steps am I taking?  Let me share!  I am two weeks into a 90 day ViSalus Challenge.  Visalus is an awesome tasting protein powder.  The company promotes healthy and weight loss through their challenges.  I have lost 4 pounds!  I am also, like I said before, training for a half marathon.  Signing up for a race forces me to stay on track, so I can't slack off and say I'll just walk it.  I have goals man!

Here are some pictures from last year's Rock and Roll Portland half marathon.  I am in the pink on the lower right, wearing the visor in the rest of the photos.  Anyways, I was 10 pounds heavier last year.  I am going to hopefully update this blog regularly with my journey.  Also, I come up with some fun recipes that are gluten free, as I have a sensitivity.  So stay tuned and follow me!