Sunday November 5, 2017

HAPPY SUNDAY!

What a weekend...yesterday Chloe, Ryan and I competed in a CrossFit competition at CrossFit East Providence. It was a blast. The person in charge of the competition added a few things to each workout so our strategy went out the window. As Ben Bergeron says, you must be able to "adapt" to these situation and we did. The best part of the day was being partners with my daughter. I never imagined Chloe would love CrossFit the way I do. It is so cool and so much fun. Chloe is an amazing CrossFit athlete, a photographer, artist, videographer and the best daughter a Mother could ask for. Today I am running the South Shore 1/2 marathon in Norwell. It is a great morning. To be honest I am looking forward to this afternoon when I can relax. Lol

I created this recipe for the competition. I can't eat a lot during these events so I needed something with carbs, protein and fat. The fat content keeps you satisfied for a longer period of time. The last thing I wanted was a stomach ache from eating too much in between workouts so these worked perfectly. They are filled with fiber, antioxidiants, vitamins and minerals. Walnuts are an excellent source of anti-inflammatory omega-3 essential fatty acids, in the form of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Walnuts are also rich in antioxidants, including being a very good source of manganese and copper. Pecans contain more than 19 vitamins and minerals – including vitamin A, vitamin E, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, several B vitamins and zinc. One ounce of pecans provides 10 percent of the recommended Daily Value for fiber. Chia seeds are among the most nutritious foods on the planet. They are loaded with fiber, protein, Omega-3 fatty acids and various micronutrients.

Give my Paleo Pumpkin Protein Granola Bar Bites a try. You will LOVE every bite!!

Ingredients

Serves 16(cut into bite size pieces 1.5"X1.5")

1 cup pecans
1 cup walnuts
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup raw cashew butter or raw almond butter
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
1/3 cup natural maple syrup
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
2 tablespoons ground chia seeds
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
3/4 cup enjoy life chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper so it is easy to remove.
Place pecans and walnuts in a food processor and chop into small pieces.
In a large bowl, use a spatula to mix together the chopped pecans and walnuts, shredded coconut, cashew butter or almond butter, vanilla protein powder, natural maple syrup, pumpkin, flaxseed meal, chia seeds, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and egg. Once combined, fold in 1/4 cup enjoy life chocolate chips.
Press batter into baking dish and spread evenly throughout. Place in oven to bake for 20-25 minutes, until the middle is cooked through and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 20 minutes before removing from pan.
Melt the remaining mini chocolate chips in a microwave or double boiler then use a spoon to scoop out the chocolate and then spread the chocolate on top of the bars. Slice into 8 bars. Store in refrigerator. You can also freeze these bars so you are not tempted to eat them right away(:

MACRONUTRIENTS: 241 Calories/ 12 Grams of Carbs/ 20 Grams of Fat/ 6 Grams of Protein