Homemade Protein Bar Balls

                                                              In the kitchen with my girls!
                   

After becoming annoyed at the l  o  n  g  list of ingredients (many being hard to pronounce mind you!) listed on the box of protein bars at SAMS today, I decided to whip up my own Protein Bar Balls! This are super yummy, easy and satisfying! The kids happily sampled these, giving them a chocolatey thumbs up!  Best of all, each ingredient can probably be found in your kitchen.

3 speckled bananas
2 cups quick oats
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt (or substitute applesauce if you're wanting 'em vegan!)
1 scoop chocolate protein powder ( I used Beverly, made right here in Kentucky! Vegan? Use soy protein!)
1/4 cup vanilla almond milk
4 tablespoons peanut butter

Mix all the goodies up in a bowl. I used a small pampered chef cookie scooper to measure my dough onto the cookie sheet. As always, line your cookie sheet with parchment paper to avoid sticking! Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes (more or less depending on size of protein bar ball you want).

My batch created 41 protein bar balls. Each ball weighed in at 35 calories and 2 grams of protein each.
Since we decided to enjoy these as a sweet treat tonight, Morgan placed 2 chocolate chips on each ball, adding a teensy 4 calories per.

Our whole family gobbled up several a piece, with some to spare! These really would make a great alternative to store bought protein bars and even make a yummy companion on a long RUN :)

Saturday's Shake Up

A typical Saturday morning for me begins with my I phone beeping me awake, pulling on some running gear, and slipping out the door for my weekly long run. Today my little 'shaker' sons stirred my pot of normality. This was the day the boys began playing basketball! Not only had I signed Brody and Rolan up to play a little b-ball at our local Y, I volunteered my husband to coach as well! So the early hours of this Saturday were shook up with cheering, coaching and otherwise enjoying our little men experience their own dribbling and RUNNING!

Happy New Year!

I am sure we all have super fantastic goals to ensure this year is unlike any other....right?! I have a few ambitions myself and this seems like the perfect time to share my "new" New Year's resolutions.

Resolution #1
Get back to eating a plant based diet.  For me, this means eating a large variety of fruits, vegetables, and nutrient dense grains, and little to no meat.  In addition, I keep my dairy and egg consumption to less than 20% of my daily total calories. I just know that abolishing sugar from my diet would help me to lose that last 4 pounds, but if I can't enjoy sweets on occasion, I'd make for a grumpy wife and mommy! But as my husband teasingly reminds me, sugar and chocolate are technically plant based... ;)  I just keep these "extras" to a very limited amount.

Resolution #2
That even though I may get very impatient and aggravated with my kids at times ( Hey we do spend 24 hrs a day together!) I really hate the guilt that follows me when I raise my voice at my children. I don't want to yell, holler, scream (it's happened a time or two...) or otherwise bring further contention into our home with a harsh voice. My husband and I are constantly telling our children that they are solely responsible for their actions. I need to take my own advice to heart and not react to my frustration by yelling.

Resolution #3
To teach my children to study and love the scriptures. I know that if they are to ever gain their own testimony of our Savior, they must learn for themselves that the scriptures are true. We currently have a Book of Mormon reading chart we are following. Once we have completed it, we will start a chart for the Bible, Pearl of Great Price and Doctrine and Covenants. I am thankful for all of these witnesses of Jesus Christ in my life.

There are many more tweaks and adjustments I am sure to benefit from, but I figure these are a pretty good undertaking for 2013.

As a side note: my dad joined me for an aerobics class this morning at the Y. It was awesome to share my love of exercise with him :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Up and Running!

To my small following of blog readers...this is an apology.  Shortly after my last blog entry in February of 2011 I hit a major obstacle in my marathon training.  I found out just a month before running the St. Louis Marathon that I was pregnant with a fourth little shaker!  My blog slipped from my mind as nausea and tiredness set in.  I felt unfit to run April's marathon.  I bowed out, sure that I would revisit this challenge again. So...with another sweet baby shaker on my hip...I'm back! I've more running experience under my belt this time around (ever heard of the Bourbon Chase?) and just this past weekend I set a PR of 21 miles. I'm registered for round 2, St. Louis Marathon, April 2013. This time around I've a bit more vying for my attention- a fourth shaker and (betcha didn't know!) we have been homeschooling for a year now! There have been several huge changes in life, but my goal is the same...RUN that marathon!

Hitting the Wall

Last Saturday's goal was to run 20 miles.  I woke up after only a rough 3 hours of sleep, hesitant to even attempt this particular run.  Not wanting to disappoint my running pals and myself, I chugged a protein shake and headed out the door.  It was clear to me before the first mile was even ran, that this was going to be one heck of a challenge.  I was excited to enter into the '20's'.  That was until fatigue set in around mile 13, after a couple miles of running (er, tripping) over gravel roads.  It was at this point I was no longer excited for this adventure.  I loathed it, hated it, despised it.  I trudged on a bit more. Somewhere between mile 14 and 15 I hit that very real wall.  I hung my head low and shamefully called my dear husband.

"Come get me" was all I needed to say.  He loaded our three children in the truck and rushed to my rescue.
In order for him to find me, I needed to back track about a mile to an old country post office.
Holy cow, that beaten wooden bench adorning the front porch felt SO good on my butt!

As I waited for him to arrive ( hey, I'd ran to a whole other town!), I felt so embarrassed.  How could I have failed? Why couldn't I have kept going?  Was I ever going to be capable of running a marathon in just 2 months?
It was not until some food, a bath, (encouragement from my husband), and a nap that I realized this: I am human.  I fell short of my daily goal.  But, I will not give up on my ambitions and dreams.  Come April, I will triumphantly cross that finish line. 
What doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

sugar pie, bye bye!

This week I have decided to take my marathon training to the next level.  Through running, cross training, and weight lifting, I have built some impressive ( I use that term loosely) muscles.  But I have not taken my diet as seriously as I should to get the full benefit. I'd like to not only be able to run 26.2 miles in April, but also look like I'm able to. I'm not your stereotypical runner, with lanky limbs.  I'm built more like a gymnast, muscular-like.  Which I'm happy about, except I'd be thrilled to loose some of the extra 'fluff' so that my muscles might actually be seen!  So I am on my fourth day of a 'Sugar Detox', trying desperately to avoid all processed sugar.  But, as I have already confessed to a close friend and my dear hubby, I slipped up and ate 3 Hershey kisses yesterday. (Hey, I'm trying!)  Aside from this, I've been eating tons of yummy produce, protein enriched smoothies, and ground turkey breast.  Good bye sugar pie, hello healthy eating!

Big Bonk

In the world of running, the term 'bonking' refers to running out of energy during a run.  I'm taking the liberty of using the word in reference to my training.  After Saturday's awesome 17 mile run I felt invigorated and quite elated.  These feelings of euphoria only last for a couple of hours.  By that evening my body became very tired.  I even felt feverish.  Thinking that a good night's rest was in order, I retired to bed early.  I woke up sleepy, endured the day wore out, and finished the evening feeling yet again feverish.  Monday morning was not any better.  After taking Morgan to school and then grocery shopping, I checked into the Y.  I reminded myself of my commitment to this Marathon and mounted the treadmill.  I wanted to cry, I could barely jog at a 5mph hour pace for 30 minutes.  What was going on with me?!

My dear running pal Shelia constantly reminds me during our runs, "Slow down! You're surging!".  I have a very hard time keeping a steady 6mph pace for the duration of our runs.  I want to go really fast.  After a bit of consideration yesterday afternoon, I came to this conclusion: I'm also surging with my training.  Just as I feel the need to pick up speed  and then struggle to keep up with the girls after a 'surge' in my running, I believe I'm doing that in my daily life.  Though the schedule may only call for thirty minutes of cross training on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I typically take a 1 hour class, followed by 1 hour of running.  Instead of jogging for 30 or 40 minutes on Mondays and Fridays, I normally jog for closer to 2 hours.  Going over what is scheduled for my body has finally caught up to me.  I have bonked.  From here on out, I will more faithfully follow my schedule in hopes to have enough energy to finish it in April!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good

being healthy, feeling strong, still laughing with friends (even after 17 miles!), experiencing the outdoors, setting an example for my children

The Bad

chaffing (in extremely odd spots!), walking like I'm 90 years old the morning after a long run

The Ugly

my second to biggest toe (honestly it's the ugliest thing ever!)

Training Statistics~
Longest run to date:   17 miles in 3 hours and 5 minutes on January 29th, 2011
Miles ran so far this years:   65
Hours spent training and running so far this year:  21.5

Meet my shakers!

Yesterday I decided to take the day off from 'training'.  Instead, I stayed home with my three sweet children, a.k.a. 'my little shakers'.  Why shakers? Because they are always shaking and stirring up something, constantly keeping me busy.  We spent the day making crafts, reading books, and creating shadow puppets with our flashlights.  In between all of these activities, I somehow managed to clean our entire house.  I may not have gone to the gym, but I still worked hard!
Cardio?  Covered... I chased the kids! 
Weight training?  Covered...by hauling the vacuum up and down the stairs!
Plyometrics?  Covered...squatting down to scrub the toilet and bathe the children!
I am a woman of many talents!  After all, I'm raising a runner and three shakers!

Instruments of torture?

I have read recently that a runner's greatest asset (sic) is a strong behind.  Yes, a tough butt makes for a better runner.  So, with this knowledge in hand I have decided to widen my fitness horizons and join a 'Body Blast' class at my local Y.  I'm ready to sculpt, lift, strengthen and otherwise torture my behind.  Pictured above is a deceitfully cheery colored array of fitness tools.  It was not until our hour class closed, that I realized  these should more accurately be described as 'instruments of torture'.  I repeatedly lifted my 6 pound hand weights over and under, up and down, in and out....  I bobbed up and down grunting through hundreds (yes, you've read that correctly, hundreds!) of abdominal crunches while balancing my wobbly body on a large ball.  I wrapped my feet with obnoxiously slippery resistance bands and kicked 'to the beat' of a girls rock band screaming "we are strong!".  All of these exercises were making me feel less than "strong".  But none of these exercises compared to the partnered squats I conquered today.  After balancing a ball between my back and friend's, we squatted up and down courageously.  After warming our quads up with several of these lovely moves, we performed heel rises while in squatting position.  Ouch!  My poor legs and butt burned worse than hot sauce, seriously.   But, in the journey of marathon training, a tough tushy is must! 

Where is my cute t-shirt?

The last time I ran this many miles was in October of 2010 at the Evansville Half Marathon.  A gun signaled the beginning of my 13.1 mile journey through the humble city of Evansville, Indiana. Every couple miles I was given a paper cup of water, a smile, and a 'Go, Lyndsey!' (though don't be deceived, I am not that popular. Instead the generous station volunteers spotted my name on my race bib.)  Many citizens of said humble city lined the streets to 'ooh' and 'aah' those of us committed (crazy) enough to show our raw selves fight the good fight of our race. And at the end, the glorious 'Hallelujah' was heard (or at least to my delusional self. Hey, you run that many miles and I bet you'll be hearing it, too!). I crossed the finish line with a glowing (ok, sweaty) smile and arms victoriously punching the air. I came away from this battle feeling worthy, strong, jubilant. Carrying with me a sense of conquering, and oh yes, the t-shirt. So I guess what I would like to know is, 'Where is my cute t-shirt?'.


Training Statistics~
Longest run to date:   15 miles in 2 hours and 57 minutes on January 22nd, 2011
Miles ran so far this years:   41
Hours spent training and running so far this year:   15