Healthy Protein Eatmore Bars

I have an Eatmore Bar memory. Indulge me:

When I was 10 years old, my mother took us girls to stay at her friends house in Vancouver for the weekend. Before heading to Stanley Park to walk the trails, we had stopped at a near by convenience store and been allowed to choose a bagful of candy! During our playtime at the park, I greedily shoved all that sugar down my gullet, except for my prized Eatmore Bar. I was saving that one for the finale! Once we got back into our car, my mom had said no more sugar, and that anything we had left was going to have to wait until tomorrow. Gutted! 

The next day came and we were set to leave. I don't recall how exactly I had forgotten that precious candy bar, tucked safely beside the bed I had been sleeping in, but somehow I did! I begged my mom to turn around for that lone bar...the bar that I had saved especially for that grueling ride home. Alas, she never did turn back, and thoughts of the forgotten bar still haunt me.....

Right! Well, until now anyway. Check out the following recipe and re-create a little taste of your childhood, only healthier :)

 Recipe:

(adapted from damyhealth)

1 cup dates (soak to soften)

3 tbsp nut butter

1/4 cup hemp hearts

2 cups salted peanuts (unsalted for lower sodium option)

3 scoops vanilla protein powder

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp vanilla

In a food processor chop peanuts and set aside. Add nut butter, vanilla, cocoa powder and dates, process until smooth. Add wet mixture to chopped peanuts. Stir in protein powder and hemp hearts, adding water if mixture appears too dry. Mix with hands to form a large ball. Press ball between two pieces of plastic wrap and shape into a rectangle.  Slice into 16 bars, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the freezer

Once you sink your teeth into these little gems, you will realize that they are just like Eatmore Bars, only healthier with no added sugar and added protein!

Paleo Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies

I hate to be the one to say it....but summer is coming to a close and fall is right around the corner! Costco proved that last week with their Christmas tree display :/  I'm not thrilled about it either...not like my daughter Piper who can't wait to wear combat boots and warm, cozy sweaters! Alas, there is not much we can do to slow time, but we can get into the fall spirit by making these fabulous breakfast cookies!

RECIPE:

1/2 cup almond butter

1/2 cup pureed pumpkin (not pie filling)

1/4 cup maple syrup or honey

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp salt

2-3 cups of mix-ins of your choice

Mix all of the ingredients together and spoon onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes.

Mix-In Ideas:

chopped almonds

walnuts

pecans

craisins

pumpkin seeds

currents

raisins

dates

coconut

hemp hearts

chia seeds

dried fruits

cacao nibs

Try this delicious pumpkin breakfast cookie recipe as a great grab-n-go breakfast or snack! They freeze well, though I do stack them with wax paper in between. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

BBQ Mediterranean Chicken Packets!

Ahhh summer BBQ season is in full swing! This simple recipe requires little prep and because you cook it in foil...there's no clean up! My kind of dinner.

In a bowl combine:

1 yellow pepper, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

2/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives

2 large chicken breasts, cubed

Drizzle of olive oil

Small handful of Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 green onion, slivered

Salt and pepper 

Juice of half a lemon

Lay out 2 rectangles of foil and divide mixture evenly among the sheets.

Carefully fold up packets, being sure to seal all of the edges. This dish produces some juice from the tomatoes so use caution when removing from BBQ as the liquid inside will be boiling hot! I BBQ this on low heat for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked thoroughly. To add some extra flavour, top with crumbled feta cheese after cooking.

Delicious!

Vacation Workout Guide!

As a trainer I hear this statement A LOT , "Ugh, I wish I hadn't taken two weeks off from exercising! It's so hard to get back at it! How can I exercise for months, and then I take two weeks off and I feel like I've lost everything??" 

Sound familiar? 

I'm not going to give you a whole list of reasons why you should be Moving Daily on vacation. You already know why. You already know that it increases serotonin, decreases cortisol, burns calories from over eating "vacation food", starts the day off right, feels amazing, sustains muscle tissue, increases circulation and overall make you healthier and happier!!

Like I said, I'm not going to give you a list ;)

What I do want to give you is some workouts that you can take with you on your vacation, wherever you may go this summer, so that you don't have to be one of the people in the gym in September who is saying....

"I wish I would have worked out".

Hotel Room Workouts:

Deck of Cards Workout!

Take an ordinary deck of cards, minus the jokers, and shuffle.  Turn over 3 cards at a time, add up the numbers, and that’s the amount of reps you are doing for the first exercise!  Ace = 11, face cards =10.

You want to choose higher intensity exercises for this in order to keep the heart rate elevated! Here is a list of exercises you can choose from:

Squats – Prisoner (legs together) or Sumo (legs apart)

Jumping Jacks

High Knees

Butt Kicks

Pushups

Ab Bicycles

Burpees

Jumping Lunges (scissor jumps)

Tuck Jumps

Racer Jax (like a jumping jack, just lower, bent over like a ski racer)

Mountain Climbers

Side to side one legged hops, two legged hops

Fast punches

Ab crunches

Squat Jacks (jumping jack with a squat)

Circulate the list if you still have cards left over.  Rest, and repeat!

***
Most hotels have stairs. What a great place to get an intense workout in. Just head down the corridor to the stairwell and "hiit" this next workout! 

Stair Workout!

2 flights of single stairs (every stair) – warm up

At the Bottom: 50 squats (10 jump squats, 10 regular, 10 jump, 10 regular, 10 jump)

2 flights of doubles (every other stair)

40 Mountain Climbers (hands) on bottom stair

2 flights of crossovers (face one direction, crossover foot to the higher step.)

2 flights of crossovers (face other direction)

30 Butt Blasters each leg (place one foot on 2^nd step, then keeping that leg stationary, step up and touch, repeat 30x each leg)

Run up 2 flights, down 1 flight, up 2 flights, down 1 flight. Continue to top (this works well with 5 or more flights).

On the way down, come down 2 flights, up 1. Down 2, up 1.

20 Jumping Lunges

Race up to the very top as fast as you can, 2X!

10 Burpees

Lastly, two-foot hop up every step to the top!

***

Now, if you want to take things outside, there are so many options! Trail running, hiking, water sports, kayaking, canoeing. When we were down in Santa Monica, here is the beach workout I did:

Beach Body Workout:

Have a go at a few of these workouts and let me know how you did in the comments below! While on vacation if nothing else.....
move daily.

Remember, before participating in any exercise program, please consult a doctor.