Apple, Spice and Everything Nice Bars

By October 26, 2017

Our past weekend was filled with creativity, screws, and paint! Once we had a plan, we spent Sunday building a studio in our dining room. More details to come once the paint dries. Also – I’ve finally posted my training schedule from August to present and new marathon preparation schedule. You can read about my goals [and my long knee healing process] on my new workouts page. I love working out. I love eating. The two really were made for one another. Problem is, so many people don’t know what to eat before or after a workout to maximize their energy, results, and performance.

Changing needs

Changes in our activity levels require changes in diet, both in total calories and in the type of foods eaten. If you’ve taken on a new exercises program, your body requires different nutrients at different times, and usually more of them!

The art of fueling yourself

As many of you know, I’m a huge advocate of breakfast. There will be no recommendations of heading to the gym on an empty stomach. That’s crazy talk. So… what should you eat and why?

Before

  • Avoid high fat foods. They take forever to digest and we want to make sure that whatever you’ve had before a workout isn’t going to slow you down!
  • Sugar will give you a quick burst of energy, but will ruin your stamina quickly.
  • Carbohydrates will give you a constant source of energy.
  • Protein will keep you satiated.
When: 1-2 hours before. If you don’t have that time, make a smoothie. Enjoy half of it 30minutes before the gym and the other half afterward. Foods:
  • 1/2 sliced banana with 1/2 cup yogurt
  • Smoothie: 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup berries, 1 tablespoon hemp protein powder
  • 1 hard-boiled egg wrapped in leftover turkey
  • 1 slice of whole grain toast with 1 tablespoon almond butter and 1/2 banana, sprinkling chia seeds on it would be good too!
  • Grapes and 1/2 cup cottage cheese
  • 1/2 cup sweet potato with hard-boiled egg
  • Apple and almond butter

After

Your body is like a sponge after a workout, ready to soak up any, and all nutrients that come it’s way. We want to make sure then, that the snack you have afterward is full of high quality ingredients. A snack with a combination of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates will hit the spot! When: 30minutes to 1 hour following your workout Foods:
  • soaked chia seeds in 1 cup almond milk with 1/2 cup organic granola
  • oatmeal or other warmed grains with apple sauce, egg white and nuts/seeds
  • chicken salad wrap – chicken, fresh vegetables, and Cashew Caesar dressing
  • Apple, Spice and Everything Nice Bars!…With a tall glass of almond milk
 
Apple, Spice and Everything Nice Bars
Author: 
Recipe type: Gluten free, Dairy free, Vegan
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12 meal sized bars
 
Perfect as a post workout snack, these bars have high quality ingredients with loads of fiber, carbohydrates, and protein.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup Enjoy Life crunchy rice – alternatively, you could use rolled oats [wouldn’t be gluten free though]
  • 1 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup crushed almonds – I used my food processor to grind them up
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 2 cups (250g) dried apples, diced
  • 3 tablespoon ground flax
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • ⅓ cup brown rice syrup – you could use honey as well [wouldn’t be vegan though]
  • ¼ teaspoon all spice
  • 1.5 tablespoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • pinch ground cloves
Instructions
  1. Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper. Set aside
  2. Combine crunchy rice, sunflower seeds, crushed almonds, raisins, apple, and flax in a large bowl. Set aside.
  3. In a medium frying pan, add molasses, brown rice syrup, all spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground coves. Heat on low heat for 5 minutes.
  4. Pour sugar mix into large bowl and stir until everything is coated
  5. Push mixture into pan, making sure the mixture lays flat. Place in fridge for 30 minutes.
  6. Remove from fridge, cut into bars, and wrap each in saran wrap.
  7. Return to freezer. Will keep for up to 3 months.
View Nutritional Information (once on page scroll down) What do you enjoy before/after a workout?      

This entry was tagged: protein bar, snack bar


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Hi! I’m Leanne (RHN FBCS)

a Keto Nutritionist, host of The Keto Diet Podcast, and best-selling author of The Keto Diet & Keto for Women. I want to live in a world where every woman has access to knowledge to better her health.

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