Snack Lovin' & Questbar Cookie How-to

As a major foodie, I definitely enjoy my snack time.  Whether at home or at the office, I'm sure to keep lots of healthy snacks on hand to keep me full and energized throughout the day! I'm lucky enough that my work keeps a stash of healthy snack options (especially my favorite Special K Red Berries cereal).

At home, my go to snack is a Questbar.  If you haven't tried one yet I highly advise that your get yourself a few asap :) Snack time will never be the same.  Besides the insanely delicious flavors (chocolate chip cookie dough, double chocolate chunk, cinnamon roll, banana bread--just to name a few) These bars are low carb, low fat and loaded with protein. (20g!)  My favorite way to eat them is to make cookies! They're super easy to make and a great snack to have throughout the day.

Want to try them out yourself? Here's how I make mine:

Cut bar into 8 squares and microwave for 30 seconds. (Squares should start to expand while cooking)  You can flatten the tops of the squares with a fork if you want more of a cookie shape.

Set your oven on the high broil setting and transfer squares to a cookie sheet.  Place in oven for 30-60 seconds, until tops are slightly browned. 

Enjoy! :)

Daily meal prepping!

Thought I'd share my weekly meal planning routine! Planning my lunches ahead has always helped me to stay on track and eat healthy when I'm at work.  I use myfitness pal to keep track of my daily macro intakes (protein, carbs, and fat), so I usually plan out what I'm going to eat and pack lunch the night before. This way, I'm not rushed in the morning and it leaves room for my daily coffee run ;)

I try to change up my daily lunches, so I don't get tired of eating the same boring meals each day.  For example, today I packed a salad topped with pear slices, almonds, grilled chicken and poppyseed dressing.  As a side, I packed plain chobani greek yogurt topped with a bit of granola and cinnamon.  

Some other lunches I tend to pack include turkey wraps or bagel thin sandwiches with a side of fruit and veggies.  I also pack snacks to keep me full and give me energy before I head to the gym after work! (questbars, larabars, protein powder + iced coffee, etc.)

Later this week, I'll give a more detailed post about how I track my macros and a daily example of eating + workouts.  Any questions are welcome! Post in comments or email us at pushupsandpopcorn@gmail.com :)

73 calorie pumpkin spice protein muffins!!

Finally got around to using the rest of my pumpkin! Made some yummy pumpkin spice protein muffins. Best part? Only 73 calories per muffin.  Since I'm a college student, I don't have a lot of ingredients on hand so I tried to come up with a recipe using what I have in my kitchen.  They were super easy to make and taste SO good! 

3/4 cup rolled oats

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use Gold Standard Whey)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin spice

1/2 cup pure pumpkin

1/2 cup almond milk

2 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grind oats in blender until you have a powder.  Combine ground oats with rest of dry ingredients then add wet ingredients and stir until smooth.

Fill muffin cups until halfway full and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until the tops are slightly browned.

Recipe makes six muffins!

73 cal per muffin (May change depending on the protein powder you use. Mine is 120 cal per scoop)

13g carb, 1g fat, 6g protein

Texas got the best of me

So I know I've been talking about how I need to get back into my normal gym routine but after getting off work early I couldn't help going for a run once I got home! Guess it's the Ohioan in me coming out. Hard to resist outdoor workouts when the weather here is super nice everyday. I was also sporting my new IU tank courtesy of Taylor :) got her birthday package in the mail filled with lots of goodies (pumpkin Lara Alt bars, loads of candy, magazines, Starbucks Blonde Roast via packs to name a few) ;) 

Also, SO happy that tomorrow is Friday! I plan on heading up to Whole Foods to stock up on ingredients to make more pumpkin goodies- recipes to come :) I'm also going to a Noah and the Whale concert (& ACL after show) in downtown Austin with my roommate! 

We know we're new to the blogging game so we'd love some feedback from our readers! Are there certain posts you'd like to see in the future? Perhaps daily workouts? More on our daily eating habits? Recipes? More random updates on our lives?  If ya'll have any questions feel free to email us at pushupsandpopcorn@gmail.com! We'll be happy to answer any and all questions!

Switchin' it up on you!

Surprise, surprise! No oatmeal for breakfast this morning. Thought I'd change it up so I made this delicious Greek yogurt bowl!

6 oz plain Chobani

1/2 cup frozen berries

1/2 banana 

2 tablespoons Bear Naked granola

M2 is an apple with 1 tablespoon of PB and an iced coffee with half a scoop of vanilla protein powder! Gotta have my morning work snack :)

IT'S HERE! New Questbar review and WOD

QUEST BAR LOVIN'

So I know you've all been waiting patiently for this day but MY NEW QUESTBARS came! If you haven't tried these yet I highly recommend that you do! They're low carb, low fat, and have 20g of protein! You can find this yummy flavor along with many others at GNC. Normally, I'm strictly a Cookie Dough girl but I couldn't resist trying out the new flavor. Never thought I'd say this but I definitely have a new favorite.  This literally tastes like a candy bar. I'll definitely be investing in more.  The best part about Questbars is that you can put them in the oven for a few minutes to make delicious cookies. Snack bar and cookie dough in one? Definitely okay in my book

WORKOUT OF THE DAY

After a streak of post birthday gym-avoidance I finally made it back to the gym on campus.  I was in a pretty good mood after work today and it paid off in my workout.  Started with a 3 mile treadmill jog followed by 30 min of weight training (today was arms + abs). Definitely felt good after this workout! Inspired me to get back into my workout routine.

Pumpkin spice oatmeal recipe and today's lunch!

Started off the day with a DELICIOUS fall-inspired oatmeal recipe! Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal! Was struggling pretty hard this morning in terms of being on time so I failed to take a picture of the scrumptious concoction but I'm happy to share the recipe with all of you! I'm sure I'll be making it again soon so I'll be sure to snap a pic.

RECIPE FOR PUMPKIN SPICE OATMEAL

1/4 cup canned pumpkin- I used Libby's brand

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup milk or water (I  use unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

1/2 packet truvia

1 tsp pumpkin spice

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 sliced banana (optional topping)

TOTAL: 245 calories per serving (with half banana)

Combine oats and milk or waters in bowl, microwave for 2 minutes (I usually pause to stir mix twice). Once done add all other ingredients and mix.  I like to add bananas, berries or walnuts as yummy toppings!

Today's lunch was a Flatout filled with spinach and turkey, along with a side of fresh strawberries, carrots, and bell peppers! FINALLY trying my new Questbar flavor as an afternoon snack!!