Category Archives: Recipes
#TBT 7
It’s Thursday, which means another throwback blog post! :) Last week I experimented with the “Thirteen Things Thursday” but it didn’t fare so well. I was excited to share this article as “thing #1” but only 18 readers clicked on it…..less than 2%. (yes I see stats!) And so, #TBT returns :)
Double Days & Quest Bar Crunchies
Originally posted on: June 25, 2014
Ever have one of those days where one workout just doesn’t seem like enough? ;) Yeah I’m guessing it’s pretty rare. Cross country, track and summer training introduced me to “Double Days.” Yesterday was one of those days.
Double run = double shot cappuccino.
Run #1: My high school teammate Matt & I covered just over 5 miles around the neighborhood in the misty morning June Gloom. It had to be quick becuase I’m on the road to work before 7am!
My training goals right now require more than 40 minutes a day, which is all I can fit in the mornings. Solution: add a second round after work. A double run day means a 5:00am five-miler and a 5:00pm five-miler. (And a 2:00pm iced coffee from the shop next door!)
Run #2: took place in the air conditioned LA Fitness cardio section while watching the College World Series. Two words: Baseball boys. Or three words: College baseball boys. (I take advantage of treadmill sessions to watch whatever news or sports are on to stay up to speed!)
Performing 2 workouts in a 12 hour period can require a bit of extra motivation and fueling. Morning is the easiest time for me to run, on an empty stomach with cool air. Evenings after a couple of meals and snacks, the hot sticky air and some exhaustion from the previous effort needs some preparation:
Motivation: What is the purpose of your second workout? Sometimes I need to finish my mileage for the day. Other times the second run is a “Shake Out” run to start eliminating lactic acid from the morning’s more taxing workout. Somedays it’s to burn off the unexpected chocolate pretzels I splurged on at lunch ;)
Set yourself up for success with a different route from the morning, some music or entertainment, and remind yourself that sleep is only a few hours away!
Fueling: After your morning run, it’s important to put some protein and carbs into your morning meal to kickstart recovery before Round 2! Running “double” does burn a substantial amount of calories, like my ten-mile total yesterday. But consuming your “extra” calories in between runs might hinder your evening effort. Give your body at least 2 hours to digest before the second run. Hydrate all day long to replenish what you lost from the morning and prepare to sweat it all out again!
Protein Snack: Quest Bar Crunchies
My lunch hour yesterday took me to GNC to make a beloved Quest Bar stop. I stuck with my favorites: White Chocolate Raspberry, Cookies & Cream, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. (Sweet tooth much??) Which were immediately devoured in the form of: Quest Bar Crunchies!
The bars are so versatile because of their soft chewy texture.
*I promise this is not an endorsement, I am just a loyal customer ;)
Quest Bar posts a bunch of fun and low-sugar recipes on their web pages, and the simplest one is definitely the cookie crunch. Break up a bar, bake at 350 for 8 minutes, flipping them over half way through.
Like tiny cookies, best devoured hot from the over. (I also love mine with almond milk and a spoon, like cereal. Ridiculously good cereal, not that shredded wheat crap.)
I used 3 different bars and split the pan with my mom an dad. We couldn’t choose a favorite flavor! One bar is about 180 calories, 2 grams of sugar and 3 grams of net carbs with mega protein.
So good I could eat double :)
You have a finite number of college weekends!
There are approximately 128 weekends in your college career.
There are currently 3 left in mine.
In marketing, we learned about the “scarcity phenomenon.” When a product or service is presented as “limited time” or “limited quantity,” consumers tend to feel a larger sense of urgency or need that they wouldn’t otherwise feel to demand that product.
When the number of weekends left in college is in the single digits, the scarcity phenomenon sets in.
Like most college kids, we begin freshman year with the idealistic goal of making as many new friends as possible. And as we change and develop new priorities, that initial number of friends typically decreases. But the quality of those existing friendships only strengthens.
Friends from freshman to senior year have been a part of some of your best memories, seen your embarrassing moments, know your habits, and love you anyways. We are spoiled by the fact that all of our friends are in a concentrated little area by the university, all within a one-mile radius. We took complete advantage of this sunny and gorgeous April weekend to cram in as much of our favorite activities as possible.
I love making dinner with friends, probably more than I like going out to dinner. The whole process is fun and active, rather than sitting at a table and waiting. I’ve made Pineapple Boats before, but Kerri hadn’t and she added a quinoa stir-fry twist. This dinner paired with decaf coffee, the best study playlist, homework session around my dining room table, healthy dessert = one of our college night staples.
The next day we dressed up to go downtown, shopping, dinner with friends from cross country, then to frozen yogurt and the new movie The Longest Ride.
CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT THE LONGEST RIDE FOR A MINUTE?
I saw the trailer while watching McFarland, USA with friends. Right when the “Waiting” song by Banks came on, I was intrigued. A chick flick about a college girl and a cowboy, set in North Carolina and flashing back to the 1940s and 50s…..it is quite perfectly my dream life. (And 4 million other girls’, right?)
We knew that a Nicholas Sparks movie would have a predictable level of cheese but Scott Eastwood makes that completely forgivable ;) I would honestly rate this as one of my top 3 Nicholas Sparks stories. I would go see again for sure!
After the amazing sushi rolls and sinful frozen yogurt, I am feeling quite motivated to get out there and do my long run today. ;) But it was another college weekend for the (scrap)books.
All of these pictures from the last four years make me happy. A colorful life = a good life. I’m not sad or nostalgic that my college days are coming to an end, just pointing out the fact that when you have a limited amount of time left, you have to make time for the important stuff!
And because social media is the new resume and my current profile picture makes me look like a Backstreet Boy, Kerri and I made a pit stop for one last Flagstaff sunset picture while we were all dressed up. Immediately we had to laugh at this one…..I didn’t know what to do with my hands! #AwkwardCurtsy
Hope you had a fantastic weekend :)
XOXO Kenz
Saturday Night + Dark Chocolate Avocado Cookies
My Saturday evening was a low-key night at home. Sometimes, when the weekend comes around I am ready to dress up and go out with friends. Other times I’m so ready to spend time at home in comfy clothes and messy hair. Last night was one of the latter. It was a perfect compilation of making a healthy veggie-filled dinner, sipping on Sprout’s coffee, listening to new music (Echosmith’s album obsession), watching the latest Grey’s Anatomy episode, reading some of 50 Shades of Grey (more on that further down) and spontaneously creating a vegan-ish, gluten-free, and (most importantly) super-chocolately dessert.
Last weekend was full of craziness; next weekend I have all sorts of fun plans. So I really didn’t mind a casual Saturday night at home this weekend. It was so relaxing :)
Before last night, I hadn’t watched any television shows (including the news or Sports Center *gasp*) in over two weeks. Too busy playing catch-up from missing a week of school due to my internship! But now that I’m getting back on schedule, I had the series finale of Parenthood and the return of Grey’s Anatomy waiting for me in my Hulu queue.
In between though, I was struck with inspiration to raid my kitchen cupboards and create something for dessert that was still semi-healthy. Also….Sprout’s had avocados on sale this week so I bought 5. Then all 5 proceeded to ripen at the same exact time. This is my alternative to guacamole:
That adorable mug is from one of my best friends, Miss Chelsea! It is too perfect for me. (Chelsea and I are no strangers to baking with avocados, either!)
Chocolate Avocado Cookies:
Makes 20 soft cookies
- “meat” of 1 very ripe avocado
- 1/4 cup stevia (or substitute regular sugar)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup Chobani Greek yogurt (0% fat, plain flavor)
- 1 egg
- 1 tps. vanilla
- 1 Tbs. instant coffee granules
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup oat flour (ground oats)
- splash of almond milk (approx. 3 Tbs)
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix the avocado, stevia, and sugar with a mixer until smooth.
3. Add in the yogurt, egg, and vanilla.
4. In a small bowl, combine oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and coffee granules. Add this dry mixture to the wet mixture. Stir to combine.
5. Add in almond milk as needed to thin out the batter.
6. Use a spoon to place batter on baking sheets. **Note: this batter will not flatten out or expand, so the “shape” it goes on the pan is the shape it will come out in.
7. Top cookie dough with chocolate chips. Bake for 10 minutes, and allow to cool before enjoying with a steaming mug of delicious coffee or a cold glass of milk. Sharing is highly recommended.
The recipe really was just an experiment, and thank goodness it turned out. My roommate and I polished off that place seconds after this photo was captured ;)
Now on to my reading material…. I love to read. My book shelves at home are completely filled with novels I’ve read but can’t bare to get rid of, mostly fiction. When I received a book for Christmas that I had already read, I decided to exchange it for 50 Shades of Grey and finally see what all of the hype is about.
Guys…… the writing style and the conversations between the characters are so weak, it ruins my interest in the plot! I know this book has millions of fans and maybe it improves? I wanted to finish reading the book before the movie comes out next week but honestly, I’d rather just read some blog posts instead :)
What’s your ideal Saturday night?
