Holiday Solutions – Healthy Party Foods

Posted By Alyson on Dec 4, 2013

Eating healthy around the holidays shouldn’t be about restricting or feeling guilty.

What works best for me is to continue to eat how I do the rest of the year, and thoroughly enjoy a few select favorite treats. Skip the crap (tins of popcorn delivered to the office, standard candy that is somehow “special” because it’s now green and red). With that said, if your very favorite thing at Christmas is green and red M&Ms, then I take it all back, rock on and enjoy those. My personal favorites are probably french toast on Christmas morning (the last couple years we made baked eggnog french toast and it was worth every calorie!), lefse (a Norwegian potato tortilla) and a couple piece of Nut Goody (imagine layers of fudge, nugget, peanuts, and ganache).

But sometimes social events can be more of a problem. Close friends and family know I’m pretty particular about how I eat, but at larger social gatherings I never want to seem rude or make a big deal. I know friends that have dietary restrictions for allergy reasons experience similar things. My solution? Bring something you know you can enjoy and share with others!

The folks at Travaasa resorts are holding their annual #HolidayProblems campaign. Browse ways other health conscious folks address their holiday problems and enter their giveaway to earn a New Years getaway!

And know the perfect time to do that? While these Snickerdoodles are baking 🙂 Oh my goodness, I kid you not, this is the best cookie recipe I’ve come up with in a long time. I’m just learning to bake with almond flour, and I took out all the butter of standard cookies so I wasn’t sure if these would work at all, but wow. Just try them. Promise.

Eggnog Snickerdoodles 

Paleo inspired, Gluten-Free, Low-Carb

Quest vs. Perfect Foods Bars

Posted By Alyson on Nov 20, 2013

Comparing Quest’s Peanut Butter Supreme bar to Perfect Foods Peanut Butter bar

I spend a lot of time in front of the computer. I listen to a lot of podcasts and spend way too much time on social media sites (so if I “like” your Facebook posts within seconds, I promise I’m not stalking you). Recently I’ve been hearing more and more about Perfect Food Bars (PFBs), and have been wanting to give them a try. As ya’ll know I’m a big lover of Quest bars, so naturally a comparison was in order.

Taste: Perfect Foods

Solely based on just the peanut butter flavor, Perfect Foods definitely takes it. The peanut buttery goodness is ridiculous! It’s a bit on the sweet side (honey), so if that’s not your thing then this bar might not be for you (but I don’t think there is anything too sweet for me).

My favorite Quest bar flavors are Cookie Dough and Raspberry White Chocolate, so I’ll need to do another taste test with PFB’s Carob Chip to confirm overall taste preference.. gosh darn 😉

Texture: Tie

Again, I’ve tried too many Quest bars to be 100% impartial. Some of the Quest bars can be a bit stiff, however they are amazing if kept in a warm place or zapped in the microwave for 15-20s  (my 2 favorite flavors don’t require this). The PB flavor is definitely one of them that needs a little warmth. The Peanut Butter PFB was exactly opposite. It was super soft and a bit oily. It would be messy to try to eat in the car.

PFB in the front, Quest in the back

Nutrition: Depends

This is where these bars really very. Are you looking for a higher calorie bar, with good fats, carbs and protein? Or are you looking for a high protein, low carb snack?

Protein

Depends if you have a protein source preference. Quest goes with Whey, PFBs are Rice and Whole Egg protein. 20g vs. 18g, so pretty close

Fats

PFBs add flax seed, sunflower seed, olive, pumpkin and oil in addition to peanut butter. Quest bars use peanut butter, peanuts and almonds. 17g in PFBs, to 10g in Quest. Love the variety of fats in the PFB and that likely gives them a bit more staying power.

Carbs

PFBs have dried whole foods powders, and a lot of them at that! Quest bars have silly amounts of fiber in the form of isomalto-oligosaccharides (“natural prebiotic fibers derived from plant sources”).

PFBs sweetener of choice is honey, whereas Quest uses one or more of stevia, sucralose, erythritol and/or lo han guo (a fruit extract). I’m not going to go into the ‘what’s the best sweetener’ debate here, so suffice to stay you choose (see how I cheated there), but if paleo or ‘as whole as possible foods is your thing’, then PFBs win.

Even though the sugar from PFB comes from honey, 25g of carbs with 17g of those being from sugar isn’t as attractive to me as 2g sugar and 17g fiber.

Stats & Ingredients

The PB flavor is one of Quest’s highest calorie bars at 210 calories with others being as low as 160. PFB does have a Lite bar that comes in at 210 calories (Cranberry Crunch) and the rest are 305-310 calories.  There isn’t one better than the other based on overall calories, it really just depends on when you might be eating one and the amount (and density) level of calories you might need. For example, you might not go for a bunch of honey before bed but would be great for quick refueling after a good workout.

Cost: Quest

Well it depends where you buy.  For the most part PFBs are more expensive unless you can find a good deal, then they’re about the same.

Perfect Foods:

Website: $19.50 + SH = 30.41 / 8 = $3.80

Whole Foods: $2.69 (Crazy that this is the cheapest, by far, right?!)

Amazon: $34.99 + SH = 36.98 / 8 = $4.62

Quest:

Website: $29.94 / 12 = $2.50

Amazon: $24.00 to 28.45 depending on flavor (no extra shipping with Prime) / 12 = $2.37

GNC: $2.49

Convenience: Quest

This is a combination of where you can buy, how they are stored and portability. PFBss are actually kept in the refrigerator. They stay good at room temperature for 2 weeks, but as I mentioned above they are already really soft, so I can’t imagine what they’d be like if left in the car or a gym bag. As far as where you can buy, it seems Whole Foods is the best option for PFBs, whereas Quest bars are easy to order and well priced at many retail locations  in person and online (GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, Amazon, etc).

Winner..

Oh this is hard! I don’t want to cop out with an ‘it depends’ .. but it does!

Pre/Post-Workout or as a meal replacement (I eat six 200-400 “meals” a day so calorie-wise this is a meal for me but may not be for you.. adjust accordingly) = Perfect Foods Bar

Snack, sweet-tooth satisfier or last “meal” of the day: Quest .. especially if it’s the Cookie Dough, Cookies & Cream or S’Mores flavors!

Just my opinion, but glad to have a couple fantastic options!

 Oh and one last category.. Marketing Slogans: Tie

You know I love a good motivational line.. and their’s are both good!

Wow.. I really didn’t mean to write that much.. but it was kind of fun, and now I know the cheapest way to get both 🙂

What’s your favorite protein/meal replacement bar? 

Caprese Spaghetti Squash – Recipe Refresh

Posted By Alyson on Nov 13, 2013

Here is my recipe from the Humana Vitality Recipe Refresh Challenge! This is not only a remake of a higher cal/carb pasta dish but also a remake of one of my old recipes from years back on Nourished Fitness. Once your squash is cooked, this recipe comes together crazy fast and freezes well so it’s perfect for weeknight ‘I’m hungry right now’ moments. Enjoy!

Caprese Spaghetti Squash

1-2c Spaghetti Squash, cooked (see cooking recommendations below)

1/2c Tomatoes, chopped

3oz of your favorite lean protein, cooked (chicken, ground turkey and shrimp would go great in this recipe)

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 oz reduced-fat Feta Cheese

Cook Your Squash

Preheat your oven to 375F. Lightly grease a baking pan. Cut the spaghetti squash in half (I promise this is the most difficult part of this whole recipe). Scoop out the seeds. Place flat side down on the baking sheet, and roast for ~30-45 minutes or until the skin is soft enough to prick with a fork. Remove from oven and let cool long enough to not burn yourself while handling. Using a fork, scrap out the squash.

Mix It All Together

Toss together the squash, tomatoes, protein, salt & pepper. Top with feta cheese. Enjoy!

Really that’s it.. it’s that simple!

This recipe will also freeze well. You could even portion out into individual tupperware servings and freeze for easy reheating later.

The stats (using 1c Squash and 3oz Chicken Breast):

What the done deal looks like:

Read More

Getting Uncomfortable and Fran Lessons

Posted By Alyson on Nov 5, 2013

Comfort ≠ Well Being

I was listening to this NPR interview a while back and the speaker said something that jumped out to me. He said, “we confuse comfort with well being.”

This is perhaps one of the strongest applications of Yoga philosophy and asana practice (the physical practice, what most people think of when they think of yoga) to CrossFit training – you gotta get comfortable being uncomfortable!

It seems many people who haven’t been exposed to yoga get the idea that it’s this easy breezy stretching thing where people chant, go around hugging each other all the time and don’t wear shoes. Perhaps you picture one of these..

But really, as one of my favorite teachers says, yogis play the edge. Yoga is about finding and challenging your edge, pushing yourself and in doing so extending where that line materializes. On your mat you can explore being uncomfortable in a safe space, becoming stronger mentally and physically, and as that develops you start noticing changes off the matt as well.

Sounds familiar right CrossFitters?!  😆

PWO Pumpkin Shake

Posted By Alyson on Oct 31, 2013

Seems like everyone has a version of a Pumpkin smoothie/shake, but thought I’d share mine!

Post-Workout Pumpkin Shake

• 1 scoop Whey Isolate (I used/love Cake Batter flavor)
• 1/2 frozen Banana
• 1/2 c Pumpkin
• 1/2 T Coconut Oil
• 1 c liquid (I usual do 1/4 c Unsweetened Almond Milk and the rest water, but some or all unsweetened Coconut Milk would be awesome too)
• Pumpkin Spice to taste
• Ice

Blend.. enjoy!

I took a picture.. but it really isn’t the prettiest thing, so how about fun Halloween pictures!

A mashup of Halloween’s from 2005, 2008, 2009 & 2011!

Alamo City Throwdown

Posted By Alyson on Oct 29, 2013

Last weekend I competed in my first “full-sized” CrossFit competition, The Alamo City Throwdown in San Antonio. It was a team-only competition with each team being made up of 3 girls and 3 guys. We ended up 4th, not as good as we would have liked, but after a bit of a rough start we came back with placements of 4th, 2nd (by 1 rep out of 1033!), 3rd and 4th in the last 4 events.

I’ll be honest.. I was pretty nervous! I’ve been a competitor and athlete the majority of my life, but I’ve only done individual sports. Letting myself down with a mistake, off day or bad performance is one thing, but letting a team down is another, and that’s what had my nerves going. I was also the major newbie on the team with everyone else being regional competitors and CrossFit coaches, so although ‘intimidated’ probably isn’t the right word, I probably had a bit of a ‘deer in the headlights’ thing going on, and it made me even more determined and anxious to do everything I could to carry my weight (literally and figuratively!).