January 17, 2012

Try It Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday!

Today I wanted to do something a little different. Rather than my typical, talk-about-food-and-give-a-recipe, I an going to do a product review! There are soooo many different products out on the market today, and some of them may seem like they are wholesome and nutritious choices, but in reality, the marketing gets tricky! (I've been a culprit of tricky marketing countless times.)

But the product I want to talk about today are Kind Bars! Many of my friends and various other blogs that I read have highlighted these "granola-type" bars, but until a week ago, I had never tried one.

But one taste is all you need, because after that and I knew I might have to be picking up a few more flavors to try.

In my first Kind Bar Experience, I tried the dark chocolate cherry cashew + antioxidants
Sorry about the glare
Oh my goodness, was it delicious! So many cashews wrapped up in a not-too-sweet dark chocolate with just the right about of cherry-chewiness (and I'm not the biggest fan of cherries). I ate my bar as a mid-morning snack, which held me over quite nicely until lunch. Many times, I get a little worried about eating a snack around 10 am because I'm afraid I will be too full for lunch. Not the case at all! It held over my hunger and I was still hungry for lunch at 12:30!

An overview of the nutritional facts of that bar are:

Kcal: 180
Total Fat: 9 g
Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
Carbohydrate Total: 22 g
Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 4 g

It's very low in saturated fat, and the other source of fats are healthy fats from the cashews. The best thing about these bars are the ingredient label... no long, hard to pronounce chemical words here! Everything in the bars are all natural and non-GMO. So Kind bars really are "kind" to your body!

Another great thing about this company is their philosophy. On their website, they proclaim:

"KIND was founded on the principle of holistic kindness, and we pride ourselves on creating new paths that avoid false compromises. Instead of "Or" we say "And". We choose healthy and tasty, convenient and wholesome, economically sustainable and socially impactful."

Not only do they have a wonderful philosophy, their products are delicious and a perfect choice to satisfy your mid-meal cravings.

If you get the chance, go try a Kind Bar!

For more information on this product, visit their website HERE!

January 16, 2012

Monday Funday!

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

On my day off from school, I started my day with a nice early morning workout! I go to an awesome bootcamp here in Dallas, which has many different times to get your daily workout in. So, after I got my muscles moving for about 30 minutes, I was starving!!


I rushed back to my apartment and made one of my favorite pre and post workout meals, a recovery smoothie! I call it a "recovery" smoothie, because the protein powder + fruit gives it a nice balance of carbohydrates and protein, both of which are important for muscle repair and to replenish your energy stores.
Consuming a cold smoothie in January, might not be the best idea, considering I was freezing after I drank it, but a nice light and refreshing smoothie is perfect post-exercise! My smoothie's main flavors are bananas and blueberries, but you can customize it to your liking!

Goal for the day: go get a nice, sweaty workout in and try my smoothie!

Print this recipe!


Recovery Smoothie


To start, put about 1/2 cup of low fat milk (my favorite: unsweetened almond milk) in your blender.
Next, add your low fat yogurt: vanilla or plain; greek or regular
Drop your frozen banana in! You just need one!
Add your blueberries too! About 1/2 cup
I like to add about 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds to my smoothie also, for a nice dose of omega 3's!
Don't forget one of the most important part: the protein powder! Use whatever brand is your favorite!
And just blend it up for a few minutes! You will probably need to add some more milk (up to another 1/2 cup) because it get pretty thick. Pour into your favorite glass and consume!
Pretty Purple Color!
And yes, I put my smoothie in a wine glass... I wanted to be fancy!