Low carb Chocolate peanut butter cookies

Well i have slacked over the holidays! Posting to the blog anyways. I stayed on track with my workouts and managed to still get in my 6 days a week:) I also ate clean about 80% of the time. I did indulge in a decent amount of chocolate and felt pretty guilty about it. We had to throw out some and i even brought the majority of it to work for my co workers to eat! I am evil i know. I just feel bad throwing it all out. I am going to ask people to not give me chocolate next year. I am so good when it's not in the house. But as soon as it's in the house i loose my willpower. For those chocolate and peanut butter lovers out there i have discovered a new recipe that will cure those cravings in a healthy way! I made these with plain protein powder and almond butter last week and they were to die for so i decided to change the recipe up a bit.

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 scoops chocolate whey protein powder (Vanilla or plain can be used too)
• 1/2 cup Sucanat* or sweetener of your choice
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all natural peanut butter (I used 1 cup pb & added about 1/4 cup water) (You can also sub the peanut butter for almond butter
• You can also add chunks of a dark chocolate bar when using plain or vanilla protein powder. I think it would be a little much with the chocolate protein powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. In a large bowl, lightly beat egg. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well
3. Form little balls with a spoon or your hands and place on a lightly greased or lined baking sheet.
4. Bake for 12 minutes. Balls will puff up and lightly brown. Cool for a few minutes before eating.

* If you are using sweetened protein powder, cut back Sucanat to 1/3 cup.

Tips & Bonus Information

Calories: 100, Total Fats: 6 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Trans Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 5 mg, Sodium: 90 g, Total Carbs: 7 g, Dietary Fiber: 1 g, Sugars: 5 g, Protein: 5 g

December is a busy, busy month

Well December is now upon us and many of us have attended holiday parties already and have lot's more to attend. December can be one of the hardest times of year (other than summer and beer and patios) to keep to your clean eating lifestyle. I struggle like the rest of you. I am not perfect and never will be. However to avoid that dreadful 5-10 lbs weight gain during the Christmas season minding your portions, only enjoying a glass or two of wine and keeping the sampling of Christmas baked goodies to a minimum. Here are some tips on how to avoid gaining weight over the Christmas season.

1. Limit alcohol consumption. Map out how many drinks you will have at a party and stick to it. Aim for only a drink or two at that holiday party and abstain when you can. Avoid all sugary drinks/high calorie drinks and aim for dry wine, soda water with vodka and a dash of lime/lemon or a lower calorie light beer. Drink plenty of water after each drink. If you plan on drinking more than that really ensure you eat clean and healthy for a whole week prior and have that as your only cheat for the week. You don't have to drink at every party either. Make sure to tell yourself that. You can always be the DD people won't harass you as much.

2. Be prepared. If it isn't a dinner party eat before you go so you are full and not tempted to eat the "dirty" food at the party. Be prepared bring a healthy snack that is quick and easy to eat so again you aren't tempted by the dirty food.

3. Plan ahead. If attending a dinner party of some sort offer to being a dish or two of yours own along. Then you can ensure that at least one thing you will be eating will be clean and limit your portions of the potentially unclean food as much as possible. Casually ask how the host/hostess made the dishes and choose the cleanest dishes offered. You don't want to offend the host/hostess. So this is a touchy area that i often struggle with as well.

4. Be mindful. If you do decide to indulge on a sweet goodie. Keep it at just one and pick something you don't get to have often. Make sure it's worth it and don't feel guilty about having one little baked good. But keep it at a minimum and don't over indulge. I used to be so restrictive with what i ate that the times that i did give in and have some dirty food i'd binge and feel so gross and unhappy after. So if you keep that willpower up and just have one it won't derail your clean eating regimine too much and just make sure you get back on the clean eating train after that. Moderation is key! Never forget that. As well another good reason to limit your alcoholic beverages is because it lessens your willpower and you don't care as much about what you put in your mouth.

5. Don't skip your workouts. They are crucial during the busy Christmas season to destress and keep you happy. Invite a friend or family member along so you can still spend time with them too. They could use the de-stressing of a workout just as much as you do. Plan family walks or hikes as well. This is a great way to keep active and spend time together! Suggest attending a hot yoga class together. A great way to de-stress, get a hard, sweaty and awesome workout in.

6. Get your sleep. It's even more important during the holiday season. If you are tired or exhausted you are less likely to eat as well or make it to the gym or outside for a workout as you simply don't have the energy too.

7. Lift weights. If you are short on time do a weight workout instead of cardio. Doing weights ensures that you build muscle. The more muscle you have the faster your metabolism. A weight workout also revs your metabolism for the rest of the day this will help your body compensate for some extra calories you may be taking in.

8. Stick to your eating schedule. Make sure to still eat your 6 meals a day. Again this keeps the metabolism revved up and working optimally. If you skip meals in anticipation of eating a big meal later in the day you are setting yourself up for disaster not only do you slow your metabolism down but you will be so hungry when you do eat that you will binge and overeat.

9. Drink plenty of water. You don't want to forget and become dehydrated plus water helps make you feel full so you are less likely to reach for dirty foods. Water also flushes out your system. Aim for at least 2-3 liters a day. I bring my 1 L bottle everywhere i go to ensure i am getting enough water throughout the day.

I hope this list helps you all stay happy, healthy and fit over the holiday season. And remember holiday parties aren't all about the food and the alcohol it's about spending time with friends and family and talking and enjoying their company.

Goal for Hypothermic Half

So i have been meaning to check out for weeks what my time was for last year's hypothermic half. It was a PB (personal best) but i for some reason couldn't remember what it was! So it was 1:56:38. I hit the wall for the last 5k it sucked. I pushed myself way to hard for the first 5k and then slowed down from there and then once i was at 15k i was done but i dug in and pushed as hard as i could manage with the energy i had left. I was disappointed in myself but at the same time proud of my PB. So i need to start upping the ante on my training and start working harder on my speed.

Now to think of a reasonable new PB. I am thinking i want to be semi modest with this and feel like 1:53 would be a good goal. Definitely achievable. I never have brought any food or gels on any training runs or any of the past 3 half marathon's i have done. I always thought gels were way too processed and not for me. But i have recently learned about Clif bars version of gels so i plan on giving that a try for probably my 15 k run and then continue using is up to and including race day. Clif bars strives on making their products as natural and organic as possible. I think that will help prevent me from hitting that wall! I will keep you all posted on the taste and how well they work for me! Fingers crossed i can find something that works for me. I think this is the key to me hitting another PB.

Have any of you tried the clif shot gel's? If so what did you think and what is your favorite flavor?

Hot yoga'ing it up

Well i have finally tried hot yoga! And let me tell you i loved it! There is nothing like dripping of sweat and having it bead on your skin to know you are having a kick ass workout. Dynamic Fitness, Moncton's newest yoga studio, which also carries a TON of Lululemon gear had a promo weekend where all hot yoga classes were FREE and everything Lulu was tax free. Now i am kicking myself for not buying anything but i was so hungry after i had to get out of there to get some food in me. I need at least an hour to pick out what Lulu gear i want with my birthday gift certificates. $178 won't go far in that store. BUT it's so worth it because it lasts. I am going to Hali in a few weeks where they have a full blown Lulu store. So i will wait until then!

If you haven't tried hot yoga yet i recommend that you do! It is intensely hard and detoxifying. You feel amazing after! I think there is a hot yoga high much like a runner's high, but not completely the same. While it is hard don't let that scare you away. You can come out of any of the poses at any point and take a break and have some much needed water (i did lot's). I drank a liter of water in the hr and 15 min class, whew.

Now here are some of my tips before venturing to a class...make sure you drink 2 liters of water before class (i only drank a liter) and EAT. I did it on an empty stomach and that's why i was so desperate to get out of there to get home and eat. My body needed fuel after that intense workout. I was beat. They say to eat 2 hrs before class and i only woke up an hour before class. So next time i happen to go on a Saturday i will ensure i wake up at least 2 hours before class. It has to be 2 hours before class because when you practice hot yoga it should be on a fairly empty stomach, don't want to puke in the middle of class now do ya?

So what are you waiting for get out and try it! I plan on attending about once a month. That's all my current budget will allow! At $15 a pop it is pricey but so worth the dripping sweat!

Pumpkin Chocolate chunk granola bars

I got this recipe off the Eat Clean Diet website under community, then Kitchen table section. It's where eat clean fanatics like me can post their recipes. Great and free place to get ideas to bring into your weekly meal planning. I find the easiest way to eat healthy and clean is to plan your meals and snacks for the week on either Saturday or Sunday whenever you get your groceries. I try to get all my groceries at my local market but didn't make it there this Saturday. I then hit up the Bulk bar for the rest. Although i do still have to make a stop at my local grocery too at times.

I love Sundays...so relaxing and it's the day that i make my main snack for the week and my granola for the week...after this it's time to hit the books. I don't know if i have mentioned yet that i am taking Grade 12 Biology. I need it to apply for the Bachelor of Nursing at UNB Moncton. I have all my application stuff in and done for next year, just have to finalize my life sketch, essentially an entrance essay and send that off some time this week. I will keep you all posted on whether or not i get in this year. I am a little worried since i won't be finished my biology until February as that is when i have to write my provincial exam. The program fills up very fast too, and biology is a prerequisite. So i need it to get in! Ekkk!!!

Ok now for the recipe:

3 1/4 cup of rolled whole oats
1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
1/3 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup of canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark chocolate in pieces (i hammer mine with a rolling pin in the package until it's in pieces)
1/2 cup slivered almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 8 x 8 baking pan.
2. Combine oats, spices and salt, set aside. Combine in another bowl pumpkin, apple sauce, honey and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour over oats and stir well until all oats are moist. Stir in chocolate pieces and almonds.
3. Evenly press mixture into pan. Bake 25-35 min until golden brown.
4. Let cool for 5 min on a rack and then use a sharp knife to cut into bars.

Makes 10-12 granola bars.

My infamous granola

I have been making my own granola for months now and i LOVE it. I am a big time cereal/granola monster so i make big patches of it weekly...the great thing about granola is that you don't have to use the same nut/seed or dried fruit/raisin combo. You can basically put anything in granola (of the aforementioned add-ins).

Mix in a large bowl

4 cups of rolled oats (i usually do 6 cups at one time)

3 cups of nuts and seeds (i used slivered almonds, crushed walnuts, sunflower seeds, ground flax and wheat germ)

Mix in a pot on the stove

2/3 cup canola oil (i used about 1 tbsp and 4 tbsp of coconut butter (or can be olive oil)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 agave nectar (you can also use all honey or a combo of honey and pure maple syrup)

2 tbsp cinnamon (i also add cardamom and nutmeg to make it Tosca Reno's apple pie spice)

2 tsp of real vanilla

Directions:

1. Stir to combine the "sauce" with the dry ingredients.

2. Bake at 300 for 15 min, take out and stir, then cook another 10-12 min. It will seem soft when you take it out but it will crunch up.

3. Continue stirring as it cools so it won't stick to the pan.

4. Then stir in craisins, raisins or other dried fruit.

Enjoy!

I store mine in a large plastic container that seals well.

Hypothermic Half training program

For those of you interested here is my training plan until Feb 13, 2010! I plan on either doing Body pump (a goodlife endurance weight class) or one of my own full body workouts on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have decided to switch it up and surprise my body I have been doing Monday, Wednesday, Friday weights forever. So now i am moving it to Tuesday and Thursday the days i used to do cardio and abs. I am curious to see what this will do for my body. I do yoga on Fridays as it's something i need mentally and it's a great physical workout too, the class i take anyways. So yoga also strengthens me in a different way though without the weights.

Here is a link to my schedule:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0Akn5XDjoNX-cdDF1clJKSmtBNWpUMVNuOUhEajd3T2c&output=html

Sundays are my days off unless i don't run on Saturday for some reason. I am replacing my Nov 20th 9km run with a 10km race "Clear the Trails". Also please note above where it says the days. Mondays is 8km of speed training, Wednesdays are 10km tempo or hills. For hills i run 3 km for a warm up, do the hills and then a 3 km cool down. Saturdays are long slow runs where i run 10 min and walk 1 min.