Sustaining My Energy + Giveaway

July 1, 2013 By Laura

Forced rest is tiring.

This may be the understatement of the year.

Energy begets energy… sitting around does just the opposite. Come 4 o’clock, my eyes have been glazing over and I am ready to be done working. Since that’s not an option, I’ve been enjoying a new pick-me-up.

Designer Whey – the makers of my favorite whey protein powder – came out with a new Sustained Energy Protein Powder. Thanks to Designer Whey and FitFluential, I received this package to try:

How is the different from the regular whey?

Each scoop has 16g of protein, 5g of fiber, 1g of sugar and 100 calories
The Endurance Blend™ is formulated to provide stimulant-free, sustained energy
Added fiber helps control hunger
High in vitamins A, C and E to aid in workout recovery, and in calcium and vitamin D for yer bones
19 essential vitamins and minerals, including the B vitamins that energize your metabolism
Flavors are Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Velvet

I 100% love the taste of both the chocolate and vanilla. I didn’t notice a sky-rocket effect on energy, but I did wake up after eating my smoothie bowl. At 4p, this was a great snack to curb hunger and tide me until dinnertime.

Unable to simply mix powder with liquid and drink it, I created a Cardamom Cheesecake Protein Bowl for my afternoon snack. With spinach… because isn’t everything better green?! The cardamom and ginger made for a fun, refreshing flavor on a hot Atlanta afternoon! (Recipe at the bottom)

Of even more interest to you…

Designer Whey is offering a giveaway!

SIX (6!!!) of you will have the chance to win your own Sustained Energy protein powder in either the Chocolate Velvet or Vanilla Bean.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***Giveaway OVER***

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New tasty protein powders and giveaways are obviously marvelous… so is the fact that Marvelous diva Katie, welcomed a new baby this weekend! Congratulations, Katie!!!

A few other Marvelous things:

I went to the Monday Night Brewery on Friday night. They were the location Gather‘s launch party. It was awesome. Lots of good food, good beer… and beer rests in the bathroom.

Saturday I took shots. Juice shots, that is. This is called the “Grand Slam” at Arden’s Garden. It’s shots of wheatgrass, ginger, lemon, and cranberry. That ginger is intense. They also gave me a little smoothie sample to chase it with.

Lastly, this girl’s recap of her visit to Atlanta and absolutely made my day. I miss her already. #bloggercrush

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Cardamom Cheesecake Protein Bowl

1 scoop Designer Whey Sustained Energy (or other protein powder)
1 C fresh spinach (optional)
1/2 C no-salt cottage cheese
1/2 in piece fresh ginger (or /14 tsp grated)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp fresh cardamom
Ice, to taste

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Add additional ice to achieve thicker, ice cream-like consistency.

Enjoy!

***

This morning I have my follow-up with the surgeon. He better clear me to workout!!!

What marvelous things did you do this weekend?

What do you do when you need a mid-afternoon pick me up?

Sweet Corn (Protein) Shake

June 28, 2013 By Laura

Since discovering my love of corn, there is only one thing to do.

Besides simply “eat it.”

Turn it into a smoothie. Duh. You have to trust me on this one. Corn seems strange, I know. but it’s good. I mean… have I lead you astray before?! ~~Don’t answer that.~~

Raw corn is super sweet. Actually most raw veggies are sweeter to me raw than cooked. This makes them perfect candidates for smoothies – Carrot Cake and Zucchini Bread smoothies happen weekly in my house – and you KNOW I add spinach to everything.

The avocado adds creaminess to the smoothie. You could also use banana (I was out). I never finish a whole avocado before it goes bad, so I eather bake with it or cut the leftovers into slices and store it inthe freezer for smoothies.

Lemon may seen weird, but that zestiness can actually bring out sweet flavors. I added just a twist here!

Ginger also gives this drink it a teeny zing… you could leave it out, but remember it (and lemon) is a great detoxifier!!!

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Sweet Corn (Protein) Shake

1/4 C raw corn
2 T avocado
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp ginger
6-7 drops vanilla liquid stevia (or sweetneer of choice)
1/2 cup almond milk (or other liquid)
Ice, to taste
Optional: squeeze of lemon, xanthan and/or guar gum (to thicken)

Put everything in the blender and mix until smooth.

Slurp away!

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How have you enjoyed making co-workers, friends, or family stare with strange but good creations this week?

The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above. In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends!

Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.

Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 🙂

***

#StrangeButGood turens 30 this week!!! And I turn 30 in 2 weeks. ~~Scary.~~

“Age is just a number. It’s totally irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine.” ~Joan Collins

Do you drink more smoothies in the summer? I can’t get enough!

What are your favorite veggies to eat raw? Do you ever use them to make them sweet treats?

Summer Salads & Summer Mistakes

June 27, 2013 By Laura

Winner, winner…

Chicken dinner!

I mean… FRS Healthy Energy! A random winner has been selected from Tuesday’s giveaway…

Congrats!!! Send me an email with your address and we’ll get the trial pack out ASAP. 🙂

I’m going to keep it short and sweet because I cannot WAIT for you to read Kat’s post today… I hope you love it as much as I did.

BUT first I have to say I am so proud of the Supreme Court overturning DOMA. This was the scene in ATL today:

And here’s Kat!!!

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Summer Salads and Summer Mistakes

Sometimes we make mistakes. You might not know about it right away, but then it bites you in the ass later. Sometimes literally.

Many of you who read my posts frequently know that I am an avid trail runner. Many of the reasons for trail running involve self-exploration and challenging yourself. Many times it’s to find answers and get some therapy.

Really, it’s the one of the only ways I really know how to “work out” all the emotional/psychological stuff that comes my way.

I really, honestly believe this.

Other times you find yourself on a trail, learning things the hard way… like when you wipe with poison ivy. Yes, that happened! On the beautiful Pinhoti Trail, near Dalton, GA.

I have been suffering with poison ivy, and going to numerous doctors to embarrassingly reveal the damage.

Pinhoti

Just a preview of these awesome trails!

While my itchy body heals, I’m learning to laugh through painful situations that resulted from a very very very silly/stupid mistake.

(I’m sparing you the pictures, but I really wanted to post some! haha!) Editor’s note: I saw the pics… they were nasty and NSFW. LOL!

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In the meantime, as I plug along with bar review, I have been experimenting with some fun summer recipes, and I have two for you today!

The first is so easy I didn’t think to post about it at first, but it’s a fabulous easy, cheap recipe.

It’s extremely refreshing! It only lasts about 3 days in the fridge, but is especially good the first two days! It’s a great snack or accompaniment to any meal. I think it even can serve as a healthy dessert!

Summer Melon Cucumber Salad

1 Organic Honeydew Melon
1 Pint Organic Grape Tomatoes
1.5 Organic Cucumber
4 Sprigs of Mint
1-2 Tbsp mild Olive Oil
1 Lime
1 Diced Jalapeño (optional)
Pinch of Salt

Cut the melon into cubes, cut the tomatoes in half, chop the mint, squeeze the lime, and toss it all together!

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The second recipe I want to share is the Hazelnut Curry Goat Cheese Balls that I made for Laura her first day home after surgery. (Editor’s note – this was AMAZING and I have Kat to thank for new-found my raw corn love.)

I tried it again a couple of days later, and it was just as good.

The whole meal only takes about 30 minutes to both prep, cook, and serve.

Hazelnut Curry Goat Cheese Balls

6 oz goat cheese
1/8 cup Hazelnut meal
1/8 cup premade Thai Curry Almond Seasoning*
1.5 Tbsp Coconut Oil
Salad Ingredients

*Admittedly I bought the curry seasonings at Whole Foods, but you could easily make this yourself. I would actually recommend it, because the seasoning alone is a little salty. The curry seasoning contains almond meal, Thai yellow curry spices, dehydrated garlic, and dehydrated onion.

Preheat the oven to about 425.

Mix equal parts the curry seasoning with hazelnut meal.

Scoop 1-1.5 inch balls of goat cheese and press it into the mixture, and form a ball with as much seasoning as possible.

Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Repeat until you have made as many balls as you want!

Lastly, drizzle melted coconut oil on the pan and rolled the balls in the coconut oil.

Bake 12-15 minutes until they are brown. Don’t worry if they aren’t hard right away.

When I was at Laura’s, she also thought the avocados would taste good in the mixture, so I coated a few avocados and tossed them on the pan with the goat cheese.

Serve on a summer salad. I think they pair best with arugula, dried cherries, fresh corn, and tomatoes. I also topped mine with some avocado, a little olive oil, and used the rest of the seasoning as a topping!

The combination of textures and flavors was fresh, fun, and something you can definitely rinse and repeat more than once in the same week!

***

I’m still stuck on Kat’s poison ivy mishap… I can’t even imagine!!! I saw pics… please send her healing thoughts!

What mistakes have you laughed about lately?

What is your favorite go-to summer salad recipe?

Red Velvet Chia Cheesecake + WIAW

June 26, 2013 By Laura

Summer is here in earnest.

Convenient since I’m not supposed to get hot.

I am a sun baby, so not being able to be outside playing makes me sad. The follow-up with the surgeon is July 1st… I have a leg day scheduled with my trainer that night. If the Dr. doesn’t clear me to do it, I may cry. Restlessness is in FULL force. I do take walks, but have to be careful to keep them to the early morning or late evening when it’s (supposedly) cooler.

On my walks I have learned it’s impossible to “act natural” while taking pics of yourself along a busy street.

A few (more) fun post-augmentation updates:

Shaving your armpits is really, really hard when the girls are in the way. Hopefully this will get easier as they drop… there was a forest growing there until yesterday morning. Gross, I know.
I can now drive a car comfortably – at first I knew that if I had to make a fast maneuver I was a goner. I was very, very careful.
A lady at the mall looked right at the twins. Their first stare. Awwww!
Getting dressed is interesting. At time its frustrating because don’t look right while I’m still “settling,” but this weekend I was really excited to be able to wear 3 tops I (stupidly) bought and never wore because I lacked the chest to keep the tops from sliding down and showing my bra.
Insomnia has returned. I had it bad in my younger days, but once I started working out that changed. I guess I wore myself out! Now that I’m “resting” I’m just NOT sleepy. Also, I can no longer sleep on my stomach which makes it harder to fall asleep.

This WIAW marks my first day back in the office post-surgery. I actually was working last Monday, but there was NO was I could get dressed and be in an office all day. Thankfully, being a consultant means it’s really easy to do your job from anywhere – including the couch.

Read on for my post-surgery eats, and then check out Jenn’s link up for everyone else’s snack-y ideas.

Breakfast:

My morning cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos) remains a staple. I’ve taken to adding a shake of cayenne too. Because I’m hard-core.

I took my walk in the early morning coolness. Walking should be relaxing, but really all I could think about was breakfast. Inspired by Kammie’s guest post last week, I decided to turn Red Velvet Cake into a breakfast item. In the form of a cheesecake bowl.

I found beet powder at Whole Foods which gave this its red tint. If you can’t find that, you can use beet puree or simply omit it (Red Velvet cake is just cocoa cake with red food coloring anyway).

This high-protein, low carb, sugar-free bowl of cheesy cake is guaranteed to put a smile on your face to start the day. I’ve had it 2 days in a row. I used cottage cheese to cream it up, but Greek yogurt would work too. Make it vegan by using almond or coconut yogurt!

Mid-Morning Snack:

I love my seafood and fruit combos. This was salmon baked with lemon juice and fresh rosemary, then mixed with blueberries and red pepper flakes. Sweet with a little heat and hint of citrus.

Lunch:

Meal prep Sundays make it possible to bring food that my coworkers openly stare at. I was asked to explain what everything on my plate was, and then was told I bring “elaborate” foods. I was flattered.

Doesn’t everyone eat spinach shirataki noodles topped with ground turkey, broccoli slaw, and a sauce of nutritional yeast, spices, and apple cider vinegar? No?

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

I ordered these Keto Slim bars from iHerb.com after reading the good reviews they received. I’m pretty pleased! the sodium is a bit high (200mg), but the sugar is low (2g) and it contains 21g of protein!

It does have sugar alcohols. I don’t watch that too closely (it’s pretty rare I eat processed foods), but if you have problems with them you won’t want this bar. It also has fun stuff like almonds, spirulina, kelp, and beets greens!

Note: iHerb is also where I get my peanut flour and a lot of fun extracts/vitamins/random other things. Use my discount code – USO924 – for $5-10 off your order!

Dinner:

It was a long day at work. I struggle with one co-worker in particular and it was a major source of stress today. ~~I wanted a drink.~~ To sooth my nerves, I made pizza and took a twilight walk.

The pizza crust was my cheese-less cauliflower recipe. For a sauce I mixed together beer mustard, nutritional yeast, cayenne, and liquid smoke.

To top it, I sautéed onion and garlic, and wilted some arugula briefly at the end. I put than on the crust with crab and my sauce. Back in the oven to warm before adding cilantro and a drizzle of fig balsamic glaze to finish it.

Gluten free cheeseless cauliflower pizza crust

You can pick it up and eat it by the slice!

It looks like a lot of effort, but I had dinner on the table in under 30 mins. AND I made a second crust to keep in the freezer. Who needs store-bought frozen pizza?!

Dessert:

Still wanting to treat my nerves, I broke out my Quest bar stash! I cut half a Chocolate Brownie bar into squares and baked it on a piece of parchment paper at 350 for 12 mins. I added a schmear of peanut butter to each bite before adding them to part 2 of my dessert.

Part 2 was a bowl of cinnamon–raspberry cottage cheese. I mixed no salt cottage cheese, cinnamon, almond extract, vanilla Stevia, and mashed raspberries together in a bowl. Then I microwaved it for ~15 seconds to warm it a bit.

Yes, I’m on a cottage cheese bender.

Red Velvet Chia Cheesecake

1/2 C no salt cottage cheese
1/4 C almond milk
1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 T chia seeds
1 T cocoa powder
1 tsp beet powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
8-10 drops vanilla stevia

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together. Cover and place in the fridge overnight (or at least an hour).

In the morning, remove from fridge and stir again. If too thick, you may add more milk.

Enjoy!

***

Don’t forget! Click here to enter the giveaway for a FRS Healthy Energy trial kit. Winner announced tomorrow. 🙂

Do you have to wear yourself out in order to go to sleep?

What is your favorite protein bar? Did you try Kammie’s Red Velvet Bars from last week?

Work It Out: Fueling with FRS

June 25, 2013 By Laura

Mornings are not my thing.

This may be the understatement of the year.

I try my best not to work out first thing in the morning. I need time to wake up! When you have a full-time job and play on sports teams, compromise is sometimes necessary. Today’s Work It Out is dedicated to one of my favorite ways to give my body a jump-start when I need to get moving early in the day.

And there’s a giveaway. 😉

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In addition to lifting, I also play softball. It was my first athletic love, and I aim to play for the rest of my life. The team I play on now, Laidback, plays on Sunday mornings. Early.

Ninja socks are necessary at 8am.

We are an all women’s team, but play in a men’s league. And we beat all the men. The man-beating requires wakefulness. We’ve discussed my lack of enthusiasm for coffee before; you know I was THRILLED to find an energy alternative in FRS.

I drug my tired self to the field, armed with my ninja socks, gloves, and my favorite FRS flavor.

I’ve actually be drinking the Healthy ENERGY drink for awhile (proof), but as a Fitfluential Ambassador, I given the opportunity to try out the entire FRS Healthy Energy line.

My favorite flavor of the canned drinks remains the Peach Mango. The low-cal drinks are my preference because they are low in sugar – just 2g!

FRS is full of vitamins and green tea extracts, but FRS also contains something special: quercetin. Quercetin is a powerful antioxidant which is found in the skins of blueberries, apples and grapes and has been shown in clinical trials to provide sustained energy, increased endurance and immune system support.

One of the coolest things about FRS is the reason it was developed. It’s original intent was to provide energy to chemotherapy patients while supporting their immune systems. Natural, healthy, sustained energy without the crash (sorry coffee lovers) is also important to athletes, so this line is great for the fit-minded crowd.

I love this quote.

The chews were a new product to me. I loved them! I ate mine before a run on a morning when I was particularly dragging and I ended up doing 6 solid miles with a smile on my face. 2 chews are around 40 calories and 6 grams of sugar, and PACKED with nutrients.

Last was the powdered drink mix. I love the portable packs it comes it. They were easy to grab when I was running out the door late for work. It may not be the intended use, but I drank one to fuel my work day! It gave me a kick and helped me stay awake and focused through an all day meeting.

FRS is available at GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, Kroger, Walgreens, Harris Teeter. You can also order at a free 10 day supply at FRS.com! Make sure to download a coupon for $1 off 2 cans or bottles of FRS.

Or you can win it!

Giveaway

I’m giving away a FRS trial pack (retail value of $30)! Just visit FRS.com and leave a comment telling me in which product/flavor you want to try. I’ll randomly select a winner on Thursday, June 27th.

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Disclaimer: I was compensated for this review but I assure you my opinions and MINE.

How do you like to fuel workouts? What about work days?

Which product and flavor do you want to try?

Marvelous Piña Mezcalita

June 24, 2013 By Laura

Smokey booze is fun.

Ok, all booze is fun.

My friend Karen was nice enough to invite me to a little Mexican-themed dinner party last week. I think there was a basketball game on too… but that’s of little interest to me. Is it football season yet?!

Mom taught me never to show up empty-handed, so I brought one of my favorite summer salads – Watermelon Cotija. With its salty cheese, sweet melon, and a little bite from onion and jalapeno, I think it qualifies as #strangebutgood.

BUT being creative in the kitchen doesn’t have to stop with food. You need libations to go with it! Margaritas are the natural pairing with Mexican… that’s a little too normal for me.

What I came up with is a sort of pineapple margarita, but rather than tequila, I used its smokier cousin Mezcal. Like tequila, mezcal is made from agave. It differs in that for mezcal the agave is usually roasted in rock-lined pits, which give it a fantastic smokiness. I like to say that it’s Mexico’s version of scotch.

In this mezcalita, the flavor is balanced with sweet grilled pineapple and a lightly sweetened limeade. I like a boozier drink, but if you like yours on the sweeter side you can add agave or even some orange juice. You can also just use tequila if you don’t like smoke. 🙂

We did eat something other than the salad and the drink! Karen grilled chicken, peppers, and onions in a fantastic homemade cilantro sauce. It was delicious with her sides of Mexican rice, beans, guacamole, salsa, corn tortillas, and cheese.

You never leave Karen’s house hungry. And that, my friends, is marvelous.

Check out Katie’s link up to see what else is marvelous on this Monday!

Piña Mezcalita

1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1″ slices
1 jalapeño, sliced
¼ cup cilantro leaves
2 C mezcal
15 oz limeade (I used Odwalla)
1/2 C lime juice
Optional: agave syrup or other sweetener

First, grill the pineapple. Heat a nonstick grill pan over high heat, or heat an outdoor charcoal or gas grill to high. Place the pineapple slices flat on the grill, and cook, flipping once, until charred on both sides (~4 mins). Remove from pan and let cool completely.

Place the grilled pineapple, jalapeño, and cilantro in a pitcher. Using a muddler or wooden spoon, crush fruit and herbs until broken down.

Fill with ice, and then add mezcal, lime juices, and syrup (if using). Stir well and pour into glasses filled with ice, to serve.

***

I know that’ first shot isn’t the ~~breast~~ best pic… did you catch the one I posted on Facebook this weekend?

Did your parents teach you to never show up as a guest empty-handed?

Have you ever had mezcal? What is your favorite Mexican food or drink?

Strange But Good: Berry Corny Salad

June 21, 2013 By Laura

I don’t particularly like corn.

I really am a terrible Southerner.

On a cob it’s too messy, off the cob it gets all mushy when cooked. When Kat brought corn over to add to our dinner Monday night I realized something – I just don’t like it cooked. She cut the kernels off the cob and topped our salads with it… uncooked. Duh.

Raw corn has a pure, crunchy sweetness to it. That fantastic flavor was lost for me in all the cooked renditions I’d tried before! How strange to me! But oh man, it was good.

Inspired by the sweet, I decided to create a spring salad using corn and my latest berry-obsession: blueberries. The two treats were a natural fit! I also added cucumbers for a refreshing crunch.

Spinach was my base, but arugula would also be good here. Shallot was my last add. The mild onion provided a slight edge to the sweeter flavors without overpowering.

To dress the salad, I wanted to keep it light but thought a creamy dressing would be a nice contrast to my crunchy veggies. I used Greek yogurt as the base for a lemon and rosemary-laced creation.

It was berry good.

Berry Corny Salad

Spinach
Raw corn kernels
Blueberries
Cucumber
Shallot
2 T Greek yogurt
1 T lemon juice
~1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 tsp cumin
Pinch of garlic powder
Black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

Mix together veggies and berries in a salad bowl.

In a small bowl, stir together yogurt, lemon, rosemary, and spices.

Dress salad and enjoy!

How have you enjoyed making co-workers, friends, or family stare with strange but good creations this week?

Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.

Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 🙂

***

I cannot get enough raw food lately! It’s such a relief after winter to begin eating fresh, local veggies again.

Have you ever eaten raw corn?

What are your favorite salad toppings?

Homemade Red Velvet Protein Bars

June 20, 2013 By Laura

Cake is my favorite.

It’s my Achilles heel. And wine.

I can pass on candies all day long. I don’t like process packaged “treats.” I’m not crazy for chocolates (though those are tasty). Baked goods – homemade cakes and cookies – get me every time.

My favorite cake is Carrot Cake – which is why I had to make a healthy protein microwave version. I did the same for my beloved Chocolate Cake. That chocolate cake was the last meal I ate before the pre-surgery fast:

With melted cherries, peanut butter, and cacao nibs

The last on my list of cake “favorites” to re-create would be red velvet. Kammie must have been in my head, because her guest post today does just that!

I’m really excited Kammie volunterred to post. Every time I read her blog I am inspired. I don’t know how she comes up with post after post of healthy food porn! Read on for Kammie’s latest tasty, protein-rich cake creation.

Homemade Red Velvet Protein Bars

Hey Everyone! I am so glad to be here posting for the lovely Laura! I’ve been following Laura’s blog ever since I started my own so this is a huge honor. Thank you, Laura! Hope you are feeling better!

Let me introduce myself – my name is Kammie and I am the blogger behind Sensual Appeal. I have gone through many ups and downs in my life and finally I have adapted the Intuitive Eating approach in the last couple of months. It has allowed me to finally begin accepting myself for who I am and learning to trust and love my body. I gave up on dieting in March and I haven’t looked back since. My blog and life mantra ever since has been that everything in life should be: Delicious, Mindful, and Happy!

If you do know me as a blogger, you know I’ve always had a slight infatuation with using protein powder in my recipes. I had a phase where I used protein powder ALL the darn time.

I don’t use it as much anymore but it does find its way into my meals here and there. For example, my guilt-free Pumpkin Carob Chip Donuts, Strawberry Cheesecake Protein Shake, Chocolate Chip Protein Cookie Pancakes, or my favorite Double Chocolate Microwave Mug Cake!

If you are confused by all of the varieties of protein powders that are out there – check out this handy guide I created Protein Powders 101: Which is the best Protein Powder for you?

Anyway, I knew right away that a protein-rich recipe would be perfect for Laura and Laura’s readers! So a protein-rich recipe it is!

I realized I haven’t ever actually made protein bars but I do eat them frequently. So I bring you this easy, no-bake, VEGAN and full of protein snack.

The reason why this is red (and called Red Velvet) is because I used Cocoa Cardio instead of cocoa powder – it’s basically cocoa powder with dehydrated beet juice for extra nutrients. You can use regular cocoa powder to make this a regular chocolate protein bar instead. I am not affiliated with Cocoa Cardio, btw. It’s just a cool product I found recently.

Homemade Red Velvet Protein Bars, ladies and gentlemen. Enjoy!

Homemade Red Velvet Protein Bars

¼ C vanilla protein powder
2 T + 2 T coconut flour, separated
2 T almond flour
2 T Cocoa Cardio* (or cocoa powder)
½ C almond milk
¼ tsp vanilla extract
¼ C dark chocolate chips

Add the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix. Add almond milk by 1/4 cupful and mix. Add the rest of the milk and vanilla in the bowl and mix still. If the batter is still too liquid-y add the other Tbsp of coconut flour. The batter is supposed to be thick enough to mold into shapes.

Take a little bit of the thick batter and shape into balls. Once you’ve formed them into balls, press and mold them into the shape of bars and put on parchment paper. Put the bars in the fridge for a couple of minutes to harden.

Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave or on the stove and once it’s melted dip the bars into the chocolate to coat.

Scoop the rest of the melted chocolate onto the bars with a spoon. Put in the fridge for at least an hour.

Remove from fridge and enjoy!

*I order my Cocoa Cardio from iHerb.com. Use my discount code USO924 for $5-10 off your order!

So what do you think? Easy enough?

If you enjoyed this recipe, I’d love for you to check out my blog for more recipes, healthy living musings and other posts over at Sensual Appeal Blog. Show me some love by liking my Facebook page and subscribing to my YouTube channel!

xo, Kammie

***

I read this post when Kammie sent it and almost begged her to deliver.

Do you like candies or baked goods better? What can’t you turn down?

What is your favorite health-ified treat?

Sustaining My Energy + Giveaway

Designer Whey is offering a giveaway!

Cardamom Cheesecake Protein Bowl

Sweet Corn (Protein) Shake

Sweet Corn (Protein) Shake

Summer Salads & Summer Mistakes

Summer Salads and Summer Mistakes

Summer Melon Cucumber Salad

Hazelnut Curry Goat Cheese Balls

Red Velvet Chia Cheesecake + WIAW

A few (more) fun post-augmentation updates:

Breakfast:

Mid-Morning Snack:

Lunch:

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

Dinner:

Dessert:

Red Velvet Chia Cheesecake

Work It Out: Fueling with FRS

Giveaway

Marvelous Piña Mezcalita

Piña Mezcalita

Strange But Good: Berry Corny Salad

Berry Corny Salad

Homemade Red Velvet Protein Bars

Homemade Red Velvet Protein Bars

Homemade Red Velvet Protein Bars

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