Happy Monday!
First, I want to thank you all for your encouraging pre-date comments and tweets on Valentine’s Day. The first date stories you shared in the comments section left a huge grin on my face. 
As for the date? Was it a success? A complete bust?
I’ll let you decide.
Mr. Match.com officially knows the way to this girl’s stomach. 
As for her heart, it remains to be seen. But culinary delights are a good start. Gentlemen, take note.
(And yes, I’m that girl who interrupts the conversation on a first date to take an Instagram photo. Oh, the risks and sacrifices we make as bloggers!)
In exchange for the strawberries, I offered Mr. Match Reece’s peanut butter cup hearts. Who got the better deal?
Definitely him.
Just kidding! Those strawberries were delicious! I ate two, and shared the rest with my housemates when I got home. Thank you, Mr. Match.
MILKBITE REVIEW
Keep thinking along the lines of chocolate and strawberries, because I’m about to discuss both…but in bar form
A few weeks ago, the generous folks at Kraft sent me two boxes of MilkBite, their new line of refrigerated granola bars.
I know what you’re thinking.
You think I’m selling out.
Well, before you jump to conclusions, let me remind you that I only review products on the blog that I truly enjoy. But more importantly, let me remind you that I’m a child of the 90′s. The 90′s were the era when Kudos, Nutri-Grain and Quaker Chewy made big waves in the supermarkets. I, along with every kid at my elementary school, found a granola bar at the bottom of my lunch box each day. Oh, and let’s not forget: granola bars were the post-game snack of choice amongst soccer moms.
Yeah, I’m getting nostalgic about granola bars.
The sad news is that most bars are packed with artificial ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and preservatives. I prefer to fuel my body with natural foods that I can contain ingredients I can pronounce.
The good news is that MilkBite Bars surprisingly fit that criteria!
And the best news is that they’re irresistibly delicious!
The Chocolate, which is by far my favorite of the two flavors I sampled, reminds me of oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough. It’s soft, chewy and packed with chocolate morsels.
The Strawberry is what I’d imagine strawberry shortcake would taste like if you smashed the biscuit and fruit into a bar and then drizzled it with icing.
I’m not typically a fan of fruit-flavored packaged goods, but if you are, then this will be right up your alley!
A few MilkBite Bar facts:
- No artificial flavors, colors or preservatives
- 140 calories
- 3 grams of fiber
- 5 grams of protein
- 30% RDA Calcium (same as a glass of milk)
- 10% RDA Vitamin D
- Five flavors: Chocolate, Strawberry, Peanut Butter, Oatmeal Raisin & Mixed Berry
If you’re a nostalgic child of the 90′s granola bar lover like me, (or just a granola bar lover in general) definitely give MilkBite Bars a try. They’re a convenient snack option that offer a low glycemic energy boost when you’re on-the-go.
FITNESS AND MEAL PLAN UPDATE!
*FITNESS*
As you may or may not remember, I embarked on an unofficial Body For Life challenge in January. I say unofficial because I didn’t actually register on the website; however, in my mind the challenge was very official. I wrote an entire post about my commitment HERE.
You see, when I started BFL, I was excited. I was excited to follow a structured plan. Excited to experiment with my macronutrient ratios. Excited to not have to plan my workout each morning because it would already be planned for me.
The first week went off without a hitch. I felt great and had tons of energy.
However by the end of week two I was bored. The workouts were repetitive and I felt uninspired. It was also at this time that I spoke with a personal trainer about my goal of gaining eight pounds of muscle mass. He suggested that I abandon the thrice-weekly upper and lower body BFL workouts and instead focus on a 4 or 5-day split.
After doing a bit of research I settled on a new plan: Jamie Eason’s Live Fit Trainer. Unlike BFL, Live Fit is divided into three phases which build on one another. Within each month-long phase, workouts are repeated only a maximum of two times. (If you blog or read blogs frequently, you’re probably already well versed on Live Fit, so I’ll spare you the details. However if you’re unfamiliar with the plan, check it out HERE.)
So after two weeks of Live Fit, what are my thoughts?
I LOVE it! I’m excited to workout each day because I know I’ll be doing an entirely different routine than I did the day before. Keeping things fresh in the gym is the key to staying motivated.
I have, however, made a few modifications. Phase 1 calls for no cardio whatsoever, but after going just one week without running, I felt off. I longed to stretch my legs, and the inability to do so was driving me crazy!
I firmly believe that working out should make us feel good both physically and emotionally. I also believe that no plan is perfect for everyone. We live inside different bodies, so it only makes sense that our reactions to any given regimen will vary considerably. I am a runner. And I want to gain significant muscle mass. The two don’t necessarily go hand-in-hand. 
However, I’ve decided to not give up running because I’ve realized that depriving myself of something I love has more negative ramifications than positive ramifications. SO… I’m going to fit in one weekly run during Phase 1, and see how it goes. If it feels like too much, I’ll cut it out. 
*MEAL PLAN*
Even though I’ve dropped the fitness portion of Body For Life, I’m still (sort of) following the BFL-style of eating. However instead of focusing on macronutrient ratios (I was eating 40% carbs 40% protein and 20% fat on the BFL plan), I’m now following a super flexible and personalized Jim White Fitness & Nutrition meal plan. The ratio’s have already been calculated, so all I have to do is think about dietary exchanges. It’s easy peasy to follow, and it’s done wonders for my energy levels.
Why am I following a meal plan?
A few weeks ago, Jim White reached out to me and offered a free nutrition consultation. Since I love talking about nutrition, I happily accepted! Why not try something new? After explaining my fitness and nutrition goals to Sue, one of the dietitians on staff, she created a meal plan tailored just for me. Sue and I follow up with each other about once/week and make modifications, as needed.
If you’re looking for some structure in your fitness training, or if you’d like guidance with meal planning, definitely check out the services offered by Jim White Fitness & Nutrition!
HEALTHY FATS
Before I go…one more comment about those ratios: The 20% fat thing definitely didn’t work for me. Limiting my intake of avocado, peanut butter, olive oil, hummus, coconut oil and chocolate—basically everything that is delicious in this world—made me sad and a bit cranky. I feel my best when I include lots of healthy fats in my diet, so healthy fats are back in abundance!
And that, friends, is a perfect segue to this.
Meet The Healthy Fat Muffin.
This recipe, which was originally featured on the Dr. Oz show, came recommended by Mr. Match.com himself!
A “muffin” that’s fast, easy and loaded with healthy fat and fiber! I top mine with melted coconut oil, but I bet it would also be delicious drizzled with peanut or almond butter.
One Minute Flax-Coconut ‘Muffin’
1/4 cup ground flax
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coconut oil
1/4 cup egg whites or egg beaters
1 packet stevia
1. Mix all ingredients together in a mug and microwave for 50 seconds. Allow to cool and enjoy!
*Drizzle with coconut oil, syrup or nut butters of choice.
Per muffin: Calories: 214; Fat: 13.8 grams Carbs: 14.8 grams; Fiber: 10.4 grams Protein: 12.7 grams
ENJOY!!
Sharing time!
What was your favorite granola bar as a child? Favorite now?
I loved chocolate-covered Kudos (peanut butter flavor)!
Are you a plan follower? Or do you prefer to do you ‘own thing’?
I tend to use plans as a baseline and make adjustments, if needed.
What is your favorite healthy fat?
I listed a few of mine above, but if I HAD to pick one, I’d go with peanut butter.
Are you on Instagram?
Follow me at Sarabeara2!
