I have all my new clients submit a food log when they first start working with me. Often, I see store bought protein bars as morning or afternoon snacks on their food log, often without a workout prior to the snack. I think sometimes people buy and eat protein bars with a false sense of how healthy they are. While some protein bars on the market are less processed and much better than others, more often than not they are candy in disguise. Bars like Cliff and Builder's Bar are probably better suited to long outdoor hiking, biking, climbing or skiing expeditions than to a regular afternoon snack.
So I'll often suggest to my clients that they try making their own, less processed version of a protein bar. These tasty homemade protein bars are a spin off the Oh She Glows recipe. Give credit where credit is due. Here is my variation below: Ingredients: 1.5 cups of oats 1/2 cup of vega oh natural protein powder 1/2 cup of Kamut puffs (cereal) 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of Himalayan sea salt 1/2 cup of nut or seed butter (peanut, almond, etc) 1/4 cup of maple syrup 1 banana 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4-5 ounces of unsweetened bakers chocolate Directions: 1. Mix all dry ingredients in a food processor: oats, kamut puffs, salt and protein powder. 2. Add nut butter, maple syrup, banana and vanilla to the mix. If consistency is too dry, add splash of milk and mix again. (Milk, almond milk, coconut milk - your choice). 3. Press mixture firmly into square pan and place in freezer for 10-15 minutes. 4. Melt bakers chocolate in sauce pan and drizzle overtop of bars. 5. Keep refrigerated or freeze in air tight container. Enjoy non-processed pre or post-workout protein bars! -Nikki To learn more about fitness, nutrition and a holistic approach to weight loss, visit the Fit Chicks Fitness & Nutrition Expert Program, and the Natural Weight Loss Coach program. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter for outdoor fitness trips, recipes, and tips and tricks on everything Stand Up Paddle, & fitness.
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This Green Smoothie Breakfast Bowl is the perfect way to get your morning started! I love smoothies, but I also love to actually eat and chew my food in the morning - otherwise I often feel unsatisfied.
So I've topped this green smoothie with local North Van Cascadia gluten-free granola, almonds, banana, chia and hemp hearts - but feel free to mix it up. Smoothie Ingredients:
Blend together and enjoy! -Nikki To learn more about fitness, nutrition and a holistic approach to weight loss, visit the Fit Chicks Fitness & Nutrition Expert Program, and the Natural Weight Loss Coach program. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter for outdoor fitness trips, recipes, and tips and tricks on everything Stand Up Paddle, & fitness. These breakfast cookies are really easy to make: two main ingredients are oats and bananas, then toss in whatever else you fancy.
If you're hungry before a workout, these would also make great pre-workout snacks; carbohydrates for quick energy. You could also bring them along for long hikes, bike rides or on a ski day. Interestingly enough, the only time our bodies need fuel for energy to be used right away is during long duration exercise - as in long distance runs, bike rides, hikes, etc.. That's why triathletes, marathon runners, iron men, etc, will bring along quick release chews and other forms of carbohydrates to fuel the rest of their activity. Most of the time, during a one hour workout, our bodies are actually using stored fuel from previous meals - not fuel that we have just consumed 30-60 minutes prior. In any case, these are tasty, and can be healthy little treats depending on what you choose to add to them: Ingredients: 2 bananas 2 cups of oats 1 tsp vanilla Possible add ons: Trail mix Pumpkin seeds Sunflower seeds Dried cranberries, raisins or other dried fruit Slivered almonds Chocolate chips Unsweetened Coconut shreds Chia seeds Hemp seeds Cacao nibs Cocoa powder Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 2. Mash bananas in bowl, add oats. Use blender to mix. 3. Add vanilla. Mix. 4. Toss in "add ons" of your choice. Mix with spoon. 5. Roll Into balls with your hands and place on cookie sheet. Gently press balls flat-ish. 6. Bake for 9-12 minutes. 7. Let cool on rack. Enjoy! - Nikki To learn more about fitness, nutrition and a holistic approach to weight loss, visit the Fit Chicks Fitness & Nutrition Expert Program, and the Natural Weight Loss Coach program. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter for outdoor fitness trips, recipes, and tips and tricks on everything Stand Up Paddle, & fitness. Chocolate cravings are ubiquitous. Cravings can occur for a variety of reasons: nutritional deficiencies, emotional triggers (including stress and boredom), digestive issues and others.
But chocolate is by far the most common craving and nutritional challenge that I hear from my clients. To some, chocolate is comforting - it releases those happy serotonin hormones. But dark chocolate and cacao is also a natural source of magnesium - a natural muscle relaxant. So sometimes we crave chocolate to ease stress and help our bodies relax. The only problem is we might reach for sugar-filled milk chocolate rather than a pure form of chocolate, that is sugar free. Try this Cacao Chia pudding to satisfy those chocolate cravings without the added sugar. Ingredients: Chia seeds Raw cacao nibs Almond milk Banana (or any fruit to top your pudding) Unsweetened shredded coconut Cinnamon to taste Instructions: 1. Take a small glass, fill 1/4 with chia seeds, top with 1-2 teaspoons of cacao. 2. Pour almond milk to top of mixture, and mix chia and cacao nibs well. 3. Top with banana, berries or fruit of your choice. (For no sugar, don't add fruit). 4. Sprinkle with coconut shreds and cinnamon. Enjoy! - Nikki To learn more about fitness, nutrition and a holistic approach to weight loss, visit the Fit Chicks Fitness & Nutrition Expert Program, and the Natural Weight Loss Coach program. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter for outdoor fitness trips, recipes, and tips and tricks on everything Stand Up Paddle, & fitness. Quite simply, sweet potato toast is a breakfast miracle. No pre-cooking, just a tiny bit of slicing and toaster popping. Everyone can handle making this. I have been enjoying Sweet Potato Toast with my morning eggs and spinach 2-3 mornings a week, satisfying the "Complete in 3" rule that I follow for all my meals. My plate will always contain protein, fibre (the sweet potato) and healthy fats to keep me satisfied and balance my blood sugar levels throughout the morning. Literally, this is all you need to do to make sweet potato toast your morning miracle too: 1. Purchase sweet potato, preferably a smaller sized one. 2. Slice length-wise into long slices less than 1 cm thick. 3. Pop your slice of Sweet Potato in your toaster, and toast it three times. 4. Eat alongside eggs and spinach, or with avocado and cottage cheese, the possibilities are endless. Disclaimer: For step 3, depending on your toaster, you may have to toast it more than 3 times. However, if you find it is still not ready after 3 toasts, consider trying to slice each piece a little bit thinner. You're welcome. Halloween is over and a chill has set in. A light blanket of snow fell on the North Shore mountains this week and Whistler recently got 35 cms of snow. Winter is coming, which means it is more or less time to retire leafy salads for dinner. Tonight my husband went to walk the dog while I made dinner, and before he left he said, "Can we have something yummy for dinner? Please don't make me eat kale." I laughed a little because it is true. No one craves salads at this time of year. So here is a quick, easy, comforting and healthy dinner recipe that will keep you warm on a chilly night and that follows the 'Complete in 3' rule; healthy fats, protein and fibre on your plate to balance your blood-sugar levels. Simple, Comforting and Healthy Roasted Chicken and Veggie Dinner Ingredients:
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AuthorNikki Johnston Beaudoin is an outdoorsy Mountain Mermaid, and the Founder of Sea to Sky Fitness. Categories
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