Clean-Eating Power Protein Bars

Clean-Eating Power Protein Bars

1 Cup Whey or Soy protein
1/2 Cup quoina flour or flour of your choice whole wheat, amaranth, millet, spelt or kamut) (i used whole wheat flour)
2 Cups of rolled oats
1/2 Cup of oat bran
1/2 Cup ground flax seed
1/2 Cup wheat germ
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 Cup sucanat or agave nectar or organic honey (i used honey)
1 Cup dark chocolate broken into pieces
1 1/2-2 Cups yoghurt cheese (recipe will follow this one)
1/4 Cup avocado oil, canola oil or healthy oil of your choice
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp best quality vanilla (make sure it's real vanilla and not artificial, costs more but gotta keep it clean)


1. Preheat the oven to 350 F
2. Combine protein powder, oat bran, flax seed, wheat germ, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sucanat or other sweetener. Stir in broken chocolate pieces.
3. In another bowl mix yoghurt cheese, oils and vanilla. Mix well. Add mixture to dry ingredients. Use your hands to mix well.
4. Place mixture in greased (with olive oil cooking spray) 9 x 13 pan pat down. Cook for 15 min, then take it out and let it cool. Cut into rectanglar pieces and place on baking sheet bake another 15 min. Let cool and enjoy! Store in an air tight container.

Half way through the baking process waiting for it to cool to slice it and put in the baking sheet

Nutritional information per serving (1 bar): Calories: 290

Calories from fat: 73

Protein: 15g

Carbs: 40g

Fiber: 5g

Sugars: 11g

Fat: 8g

Sodium: 80mg

Yoghurt Cheese
Place 4 layers of damp cheese cloth in a mesh sieve or colander. Place clander over a bowl. Add yoghurt and let it drain over night in the fridge. 2 cups of yoghurt yields 1 cup of yoghurt cheese.


You can also use yoghurt cheese to make dips, whipped cream, cake frosting and chocolate mousse. I will post those recipes next time.

Busy next few weeks

Hey all just wanted to let you know that in 2 and a half weeks i will be moving! We bought our first house together! Yah! So that being said i am warning you that my posts may be a little sporatic as i may not have much time to write! Even in this busy time i will be keeping up with my workouts and eating clean as much as i can. I don't think it will be too hard! Especially since i workout at lunch time! Saves so much time!

My new workout rocks so far...i haven't done a full body tri-set workout like that one in such a long time! It is really hard which is great. I find when doing tri-sets it's a lot of cardio too because you don't take a break after every exercise. One of my favourite things to do is the box jumps. Basically you pile an equal about of stepper lifts and then put the stepper on top you squat and jump up and then jump down into a squat! They are hard and really make you sweat!

Today i decided to step up my interval workout out and did 30 min instead of 20 and wow was it hard. I don't think i have talked about this interval workout yet...but i may have in a past post. But i will post it again so you don't have to look back:

5 min of running at a moderate pace (you can still hold a conversation)
90 sec of running at a harder pace (harder to hold a conversation)
30 sec of running very hard (can't hold a conversation)
90 sec of running at a harder pace
30 sec of running at a very hard pace
90 sec of running at a harder pace
30 sec of running at a very hard pace
90 sec of running at a harder pace
30 sec of running at a very hard pace
90 sec of running at a harder pace
30 sec of running at a very hard pace
5 min cool down at a moderate pace

Today after the 5 min cool down i repeated the intervals! I am trying to get my speed and endurance up for the Grande Digue 15 k, April 24th. I want to beat last years time of 1:22:58.

Advanced Trisets workout

Just to switch it up for the usual work on body part a week routine i have decided to revert back to an old program from my old trainer Danny from the YMCA. I think i will only do this program for about 3-4 weeks just to confuse my body.

Here is the workout if you want to do it along with me:

Do each exercise in a row then rest 30 seconds.

Triset number 1
-Fly's with your back on a stability ball and your feet on a bosu ball dome side down 3 sets and 20 reps
-Vertical jump (squatting and jumping up as high as you can, pick a spot on a wall and try to reach it, make it high but not unatainable) 3 sets and 10 reps
-Single arm tricep extension while kneeling on bosu ball. 3 sets and 15 reps

Triset number 2
-Single leg calf raises 3 sets and 20 reps
-Back lunge to pull back (Stop in lunge position and hold) 3 sets and 20 reps
-Single arm curl on bosu 3 sets and 20 reps

Triset number 3
-Single arm front raise with inward rotation at the top 3 sets and 15 reps
-Bridge with feet on medicine ball, plate on hips. Raise your hips up and return 3 sets and 25 reps
-Side plank with external shoulder rotation 3 sets and 15 reps

Triset number 4
-Side step and tap floor 3 sets and 25 reps
-Dumbell pullovers with one foot up 3 sets and 15 reps
-Box jumps 3 sets and 10 reps

If you don't know what something is i would recommend looking it up on the internet for a picture. It's hard to describe at times in words.

Let me know if you try this workout out and what you think!

Have a great weekend. Keep sweating:)

Tosca Reno's Turkey meatloaf

I love meatloaf but have since made the choice to no longer eat beef or pork due to myself not being able to digest them properly. I do love beef but what's the point when i have a hard time with it. So i decided to make "Turkey loaf to live by" from Tosca's "Eat clean diet cookbook". I did alter it with ground chicken and i didn't use  the 2.5 lbs it called for...i also made lot's of other little alterations, i didn't add the spinach/argula in the middle while yummy i didn't have any.


I really didn't follow this to the letter and while mine was delicious it didn't look like the picture in the cookbook. Lol...but here is a picture anyways!

2 tbsp olive oil
2 purple or vidalia onions
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
6 cups of baby spinach leaves, washed
6 cups of baby argula leaves
1 tsp water
1 cup basil leaves (if using fresh)
1/4 cup minced cilantro (if using fresh)
4 egg whites and one yolk
1 tbsp of tomato paste
3/4 cup low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2.5 pounds of ground turkey (or chicken)
3/4 cup oat bran
1/4 cup of flax seeds
Cooking spray


Nutritional value:
Calories: 222 Protein 33g Carbs: 11g Fiber: 3g Sugars: 2g Fat: 5g Sodium 139mg


1. Preheat oven to 375 F (make sure there is a rack in the center of oven). Heat olive oil in pan and cook onions and celery until translucent but not brown. Season with salt and pepper and add to a bowl to cool
2. Add baby spinach and argula leaves to the pan with 1 tsp of water, cook until greens wilt. Remove from heat and cool. Add basil and cilantro to greens and mix well.
3. In large bowl add egg whites and yolk, tomato paste and stock. Mix well. Add ground turkey/chicken, oat bran and flax seeds along with cooked onions and celery. Mix well.
4. In a loaf pan coated with cooking spray place half the turkey/chicken mixture. Spread evenly. Using clean hands transfer wilted greens and herbs to loaf pan. Then place remaining turkey/chicken mixture on top and spread evenly.
5. Bake the loaf for 1.5 hrs or until meat thermometer registers 160 F. Remove from oven and let the loaf cool for 15 min. Cut into 1 inch thick slices.

Check out this story

The story ran in today's Times and Transcript and is about my mom and i and our running! Check it out:) http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/lifetimes/article/976699

Fuel your body before and after a workout

Nutrition plays a very important role in your workout results. One of the two most important meals/snacks are 1.5-1 hr prior to a workout and within 1 hr after a workout.

What you eat before a workout is imperative to the type of workout/performance during your workout. You need to make sure you eat in order to have enough energy throughout and to be able to push yourself as hard as you can. I recommend a carb/protein mix. Throughout the week i have my 10am snack and then go off to the gym at 11am. I really need to create some variety with this meal. I don't find it always fuels my workout as much as i want. Today i had my usually frozen fruit, plain yoghurt and cereal (varies between granola, go lean and optimum slim cereal) and 12 almonds (a serving). And i still got hungry and a little weak during my workout. [A little side note is that you have to be VERY careful with the granola you get. Not all granola is as healthy as you think. It is higher in calorie and can be high in sugar as well....so read your labels. Or make your own (i will post a recipe later this week).] So my new goal is to find something else for my 10am snack that will fuel my workout better. I also tried eating a bigger breakfast in hopes that that would help too...it did a little but not that much. I will let you know when i come up with some new snack ideas. If you have any please feel free to share. I find i have better more powerful workouts on the weekend as my breakfast really helps. I usually eat oatmeal and a banana or my protein pancake recipe (see earlier post for the recipe).

After a workout you need to have a protein shake right away to replenish those hard worked muscles and to battle fatigue and tiredness. Protein shakes are a fast absorbing and give your muscles that fuel immediatley. Then within the hour you should have an actual meal to fuel your body further and help repair those muscles. Throughout the week i have my lunch right after. So that varies for sure. I normally have a blend of veggies, protein and carbs. On the weekends i will have some sort of blend of carbs and proteins. One of my favourite things to enjoy after a workout is a a whole grain wrapped covered with natural peanut butter, 2 broken up pieces of low sodium turkey bacon and a banana. Sounds crazy i know. But it is amazing. This is based on the wondering Bountiful Bananas from Cora's Breakfast and Lunch. They use bacon and regular peanut butter so that is one of my cheat meals. I do get it on a whole wheat crepe though. Try it out, you won't be disappointed!