Cinnamon Raisin Bars (Precision Nutrition)

Here is my new favorite POST WORKOUT protein bar from Precision Nutrition.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups rolled oats

8 scoops vanilla whey protein powder

1 cup raisins (be creative here!, we have used dried cherries and dried cranberries as well!)

1-1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce

1 tbsp Olive oil or flax oil

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Splenda or Stevia, to taste (about 1/2 cup or 10-15 packets)

(I also like to add a 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts to the recipe but that is up to you.)

INSTRUCTIONS

In a clean, dry blender, process 1 cup of rolled oats into flour (blend on medium for about 1 minute). Stir together the following ingredients in a large bowl: oat flour, remaining rolled oats (1 cup), raisins, protein powder, Splenda, cinnamon, salt. Stir the applesauce and vanilla extract together with eh dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Use some elbow grease people!

Cut 8-10 squares of aluminum foil depending on how big you want the bars to be. Lightly coat the interior with an olive oil cooking spray. Spoon out an equal portion of the mixture into each foil square, and roll them into a bar shape. Fold them like tamales (takes practice, be patient! it is so worth it!) Fold them like tamales, folding the ends over to prevent spillage. You can flatten them into bar shapes if you want to avoid a tube shaped bar.

Bake the bars in the foil in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 16-20 min (I ALWAYS COOK FOR ONLY 16 MIN, ANY LONGER AND A GOOD CHANCE THEY WILL BE VERY DRY, I WILL TAKE GOOEY OVER DRY ANY DAY!)

If you want any further awesome recipes you can get it from the Gourmet Nutrition cookbook. Click the picture below to order if interested.

Making an Investment in Your Health, Part 2-NUTRITION

I can attest that I could workout 7 days a week, 2 hours a day and still have a belly on me. That is because that exercise is only half the battle. Proper nutrition is the other half to this equation to invest in your health.

Yes. I have stated in the past that "I wish I could eat healthier but I just can't afford it". Nowadays you can actually SAVE money by eating healthier. Bulk food chains like Walmart, CostCo and Sams Club are starting to carry healthier foods like Quinoa and Flax Seed. They also have a nice selection of fruits and vegetables, many which are organic.

I also would like to say that PREPARATION is probably the best thing you can do to help you to make proper choices. Some tips for you from what has worked best for me.

WE WOULD LIKE TO STATE THAT ALL OF THIS SEEMS LIKE IT IS A HUGE COMMITMENT OF TIME. But in all reality, if you get it done in one day or a 1-2 hour block for 2 days then you really don't have to worry about preparing meals each night for dinner/supper and for the following day for breakfast and lunch. The work is practically all done for you. You have more time at night to do other things. Again, remember you are making an investment in your health.

1. TAKE OUT THE TRASH. Get rid of all the crap around the house that will allow you to make a poor choice. If we have chocolate and marshmallows in the cabinet, then that will be one of the first things we grab when we are hungry instead of something healthy.

2. GO ON A SHOPPING SPREE!!! Nikki and I usually hit about 2-3 different grocery stores to get all the things we need. We usually spend 1-2 hours getting it all but it is very beneficial for us. For example: We start out at costo for our veggies, eggs, milk, cottage cheese, nuts, flax seed, quinoa, and turkey burger. (Best price for our buck and healthy as well). Next it is off to walmart or harris teeter to pick up any remaining veggies that we would like to have but not in bulk. Finally we head to whole foods for canned pumpkin and flatbread (actually their "365" generic brand is very good and cheap!), usually we tend to go on a sample Saturday so we can treat ourselves to some treats!

3. PREPARE YOU MEALS AHEAD OF TIME. Before we go shopping we try to think of what our schedules are like and what type of meals we would like to have for the week. Then make a list and stick to it. Then sometime during the weekend we prep all our meals ahead of time and put them in containers so that all we have to do is grab and go when we need to pack our lunches and dinners for the week. In all actuality it is a great opportunity for you to get some "family time" everyone can have an assignment or meal to work on. I enjoy that time I get with Nikki and we both feel very accomplished afterwards.

4. VEGGIE AND LEAN PROTEIN WITH EVERY MEAL. Enough said.

5. EARN YOUR CARBS. Try to avoid processed carbs as much as possible, the body has the hardest times breaking this stuff down. Now, Nikki and I don't always stick to this rule 100% but if we are planning to have waffles on Sunday morning for fun we earn them. We have a workout before we have a processed carb or heavy carb meal and always throw a veggie/fruit and a protein with it. The body will use those carbs to your advantage after a good workout.

Precision Nutrition System

Dr. John Berardi just recently went on a TV show in Canada to talk about different topics in diet and weight loss. Nikki and I both use his Precision Nutrition system and absolutely love his 2 cookbooks! Check out the whole interview by clicking the Title above.


Part 2 - On The Line With Christine Williams
How much protein should we eat, the body mass index, how to gauge progress, and more…



Part 3 - On The Line With Christine Williams
Advanced nutrition, healthy food/supplements, metabolism boosting foods, cravings, and more…

Gooey Chocolate Chip Muffins

Can the gooey chocolate chip muffins overtake the pumpkin pie bars and my new heavenly treat?

Maybe........Just Maybe........

I got the recipe thanks to my lovely wife who bought me the precision nutrition cookbook a while back when I was feeling blue. She has been eating healthy and delicious ever since.

You can get the cookbook at Perform Better. Just type "gourmet nutrition" in the search for field.

Ingredients (I modified a few things due to my available ingredients)

1/4 cup unsalted butter (if not using unsweetened applesauce, use 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce (this helps to cut down the fat a bit)

1 cup of egg whites from the carton (4 whole omega 3 eggs in recipe)

1/4 cup skim milk (recipe asks for coconut milk)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups whole wheat flour

6 scoops Chocolate protein powder (i love the syntha 6)

1 tbsp dark chocolate or chocolate cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp splenda

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup dried fruit chopped (I ended up buying a package of dried fruit that had dark chocolate pieces, raspberries, cranberries and almonds and chopped it all up)

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Put all ingredients together in a mixing bowl and stir (I used a fork cause a wooden spoon was quite the workout! This stuff is gooey!) Lightly coat a mini muffin pan with cooking spray and fill each muffin tin. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the tops of the muffins are set.

What I did next helps with the gooeyness of the muffins. I placed them in a container with a sealed lid and put them in the fridge. This helped some of the condensation to go back into the muffins. Sooooo Yummy!

I sprinkled a little coconut on top before I baked some of them, up to you though. Makes 40 muffins.

Calories 70

Fat 2g

Carb 8g

Protein 4 grams

Great for a pre/post workout snack!

Turn Your Protein Shake Into A Super Shake

Nice ideas on how to make your shakes taste better and have more nutrition value.

Kettlebell Bootcamp #9

Two full weeks performed of kettlebell bootcamp.  Already had three comments this week of "have you lost weight" which is always welcomed.  Feeling stronger as well.  Nikki bought me as a pick me up when I was a little down in the dumps a cookbook called "Gourmet Nutrition 2.0".  I am so stoked about the cookbook as it comes from the precision nutrition line.  This is where the pumpkin pie bars came from.  We are going to try some recipes this weekend and I will report back next week.

As for the workout, after quick warm up:

• Circuit of body weight lunges, kettlebell presses, and one arm bent over rows (30 seconds R  side, 30 seconds L side, rotate to next station during 30 seconds rest)
• Kettlebell swings (45 seconds on, 45 seconds rest)  did 6 rounds I believe

40 minutes later and 460 calories torched, more of a strength portion today which was different since we went high on endurance last two sessions.  Still max heart rate got up to 175. 

Uncomplicated Dieting

Are all of you confused with all these different rules and regulations you have to go by to diet correctly? Want something a bit easier? I am going by a simple 4 rule system and it is paying off very well. I weighed in at 200 pounds this morning and am well on my way to breaking below the "mendoza line" sort of speaking. What is even better is I measured out on my body impedance scale at 19% body fat. I have not broken 20% since high school. Okay now back to the rules.

1. With those 5-6 meals per day make sure you are eating a vegetable (or fruit but not all the time) and a protein source with every meal.


2. Limit your carbohydrate intake (don't count veggies) to first thing in the morning and right after your workout, that is really when your body needs them the most and utilizes them in a very good way.


3. Of those 42 meals you are supposed to eat every week (6 meals per day X 7 days) you are allowed to cheat 10% of the time. This gives you 4 meals per week to have a little fun.


4. SLOW DOWN! (My biggest problem). Enjoy your food! If you are using one of those cheat meals then enjoy every little bite and chew! This will allow you to get full faster and you end up enjoying one brownie instead of 3!

There is no way you should count calories and do all that other crap if you cannot adhere to these simple rules. Then once you get really good at these rules and are still not getting the results you want, then you can get more detailed. A food and workout journal still helps to see if you are taking to these rules, but you don't need to get detailed unless you like it that way.

Hope this helps everyone. Comment back or email us at sghumanperformance@gmail.com if you have any questions or concerns.