Spring Cleaning, Body edition

So not only is my plan to clean the house from North to South to East to West before Easter (which this year is March 31st!  I know right!!!)  But I am also re-re-committing myself to healthy living.  *I probably should add a couple more re-re’s on there since I’ve committed many times already.  Like I’ve said before I’m not completely unhealthy – but I do like to snack and my snacks are usually in triangular salty form…  Hee hee.

My nemesis…

I mean I can’t help myself…I say they are for HunBun but do you think that HunBun actually eats those Hint of Lime Tostitos?  Heck no…that’s all me!

Anyway.  I’ve renewed my quest for a balance of living healthy and healthy living.  I am really motivated this year to get my 2:00 goal time at my next half marathon (Disneyland in September).  I’ve been working on speed intervals on the treadmill combined with weighted & body weight exercises.  This morning I did 8 sprints at 7.0mph with 5.0mph rests between with a 7.7mph on that last one.  I did each sprint/rest at 1 min each.  My plan is to do that for a week then increase those sprint/rest times to 1.5 min and up and up until I’m running at 7.0mph for long stretches of time.  I think that gradual approach will get me used to turning my feet over faster and keeping that speed consistent.

To support my running/toning plan I’ve returned to my blended approach to eating.  I use the Tone It Up plan for both eating and exercise.  I also refer to a great book I read, S.A.S.S. Yourself Slim by Cynthia Sass, which helps with balancing each meal with healthy elements.  Both are super easy plans and don’t ask you to give up anything – which I like a lot.  Here’s what I’ve been eating the last 2 days (Oh, I didn’t take photos of the 2 handfuls of peanut M&Ms I shoved in my piehole after dinner, HA!).

Protein pancake and fresh fruit

Yesterday’s snack – blueberries & coffee

Bought something new for quick lunches…and Gluten Free to boot!

Rice & Bean Veggie bowl for Lunch

Tuesday’s breakfast. Oh yeah, that is a green pancake.

So I’m doing pretty good and feeling pretty good too.

Later today after work I’ll be doing a crafty project to get all my race bibs out of the drawer and on display.  I’ll post the finished product when it’s all done(hopefully this week  🙂  ).

Crafty project for later

See ya later!

Cathy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bar Review

In the last couple of days I have had snacks or meals in bar form so I wanted to give a review in case you are looking for some new portable eats.  **Get it…bar review, hee hee hee.  On with the reviewing!

Oskri Apricot Almond Bar = Snack recommended!

Oskri Apricot Almond Bar

This is a Kosher, Vegetarian, Gluten Free bar with 4 listed ingredients : Apricots, Almonds, Dates and Peaches.  The bar is 1.9 oz and is 131 calories with some pretty good protein (1.9g), fiber (5.3g), total fat (1g), sat fat (0g), sugars (26g) and sodium (6mg).

This bar is really tasty with a very nice texture.  Even with a primary base of fruit there is still some “bite” to the bar and requires some “chew” that makes the bar feel really substantial.  Every now and then you hit a piece of almond in your bite and that is a nice texture change.  If you like softer bars that keep their shape (meaning they don’t just flop over when you open the package) this is a good one to try.  You can taste the individual fruit flavors, which is nice and they balance well.  The bar leaves you feeling full and satisfied.

Rating = Recommended snack option

Mrs. Mays Almond Rice Stix = Snack recommended, when you’re not that hungry…

Mrs. May’s Almond Rice Stix

This is an interesting take on a rice crispy bar…except for being ooey gooey from marshmallows it has a dry texture.  I tried the Roasted Seaweed (Nori) flavor and the 12yo and I ate them up over a couple of days.

This is a Gluten Free treat with no saturated fats, no trans fats and low sodium.  The serving size is about 1 oz or 4 pieces (each piece is about 1/2 inch x 2 1/2 inches – I should have taken a photo but we ate them all 😀 ) for 130 calories.  Best bet is to portion these out as you just start dipping your hand in the bag and pretty soon they are all gone.  The listed ingredients are: Rice, Almonds, Raisins, Rice Malt, Cane Sugar, Sesame, Nori, Sea Salt.  Details: Protein (4g), fiber (1g), total fat (5g), sat fat (0g), sugars (5g) and sodium (85mg).

These are really tasty and have an asian flavor with the nori.  They remind me of furi kaki or japanese rice crackers that have a soy and nori flavor.  I recommend these as a snack…but they aren’t really that filling so choose on a day that you’re not that hungry but wanting an asian flavor twist.

Rating = Tasty snack but not that filling

Two Moms in the Raw: Gojiberry Granola= Acquired Taste

Raw bar: Gojiberry Granola

So I grabbed this bar on the way to Back to School night instead of a tried and true Kind Bar.  I wanted to try something different and I liked the sound of a Gojiberry bar since I know how full of antioxidants goji’s are.

This is a Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and Wheat Free with 100% organic ingredients.  The serving size is about 2 oz or the entire bar for 210 calories.  The listed ingredients are: organic oat groats (huh?), organic agave, organic sunflower seeds, organic buckwheat, organic pumpkin seeds, organic gojiberries (yay), organic millet, organic apples, organic sesame seeds, organic flax seeds, organic pecans, organic almonds, organic cinnamon, and sea salt.  Details: Protein (6g), fiber (4g), total fat (7g), sat fat (1g), sugars (18g) and sodium (45mg).

I unwrapped the bar while sitting at the stoplight and took a bite.  Hmmmm.

Let me think on how to describe this bar.  The texture when you bite it almost seems like it’s stale – but I know it’s not.  There isn’t a lot of crunch which you would think it would have because it’s a pretty “hard” compressed bar.  You can tap on it and you hear the taps.  It also falls apart…meaning little bits of the bar fall off like it fell out of the “glue” that bound the bar together.  (Not so great when you are driving and can’t follow where that piece fell.)  The taste is pretty good – it’s sweet enough without being overly sweet and you can taste all the different types of grains that the bar is made of.  Soooooooo, the rating right?  I’d say it’s one I’d have to eat again to have a definite opinion on eatability or not.  I ate the whole thing so it’s not like I was heebed out or anything and I wouldn’t put it past me to eat another one if it was set down in front of me.  It also kept me full for the entire Back to School night (I ate a bowl of Dulce de Leche Cheerios when I got home) which is what you’d expect a bar of this size and calorie count to do for you.  I’d say I’d need to try another Raw bar to decide…it may have been the texture that threw me but I can’t say for sure.

Rating = Need a second taste to decide.

Cathy

What are some of your favorite bars for snacks or meals? 

Have you tried any of the bars I reviewed?  What did you think?