Chocolate Cherry Chia Protein Nutella Nibbles

February 24, 2013 by 15 Comments

Nutella Protein Nibbles single

Ever find yourself without a recipe ingredient? I do, all the time. But I don’t like to drive to the store just to pick up one (okay, sometimes it’s two or three) things, so I substitute. No sour cream for last night’s crock pot cowboy chicken? No worries, greek yogurt will do. Soy sauce or tamari? Same thing in my house. Any vegetable is pretty much interchangeable with another. I’ve subbed so many things I can’t even remember. The results are, admittedly, interesting on occasion, but rarely disastrous.

Yesterday I came home from a 2 hr ride to find that we were out of Picky Bars, again. No worries, I would make my go-to protein bites recipe. Except there wasn’t any peanut butter to be found. In a house where only one person (my husband) eats peanut butter on a regular basis, this isn’t all that surprising, really. I looked around in the pantry (how did I wind up with six cans of chopped tomatoes?) and found the Nutella. I decided that would sub nicely. Looking down the list of ingredients, I noticed I didn’t have agave nectar. But I did have maple syrup so I went with that.

Seeing as I was already subbing two ingredients, I decided to come up with my own recipe. I’d been dying to use this Costco fruit & nut mix in something other than cookies, as it’s got a ton of cherries and cranberries in it along with almonds, walnuts, and pistachios, so I subbed that, too. Then it was just a case of adding the other ingredients in the right quantities, until I came up with the right consistency. The result was a dense, chocolatey, crunchy, nibble of which I am proud enough to share!

Chocolate Cherry Chia Protein Nutella Nibbles
Nutella Protein Nibbles

Makes 26 Nibbles

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Nutella
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup fruit & nut mix
1 tbs cocoa powder
I scoop Infinit Repair chocolate protein powder (can sub any protein powder, chocolate flavor preferable)
1/4 – 1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Directions:

Combine Nutella, fruit & nut mix, and oats in a food processor and pulse until fruit & nut mix is finely chopped and ingredients are well combined. Add the cocoa powder, protein powder, maple syrup (start with 1/4 cup) and chia seeds and pulse until combined. Add up to 1/4 cup maple syrup as needed to make the mix slightly sticky.

Take a tablespoon of the mixture and roll it in your palm to form a ball, then roll in coconut. Repeat until all mixture is used.

Place nibbles in refrigerator to harden slightly. Enjoy for up to two weeks…if they last that long.

Nutritional information per serving (1 nibble = 1 serving): 102.5 calories, 3.5g fat, 14.3g carbohydrates, 3g protein, 1.3g fiber, 9.6g sugar

Filed Under: Blog, Running and Triathlon Tagged With: , , , , , ,

2XU vs. 2XU

January 5, 2012 by 2 Comments

Funny how things work out. In my CW-X Stabilyx tights review I commented that I couldn’t afford 2XU. Not long after posting the review I discovered, along with many other people, the “Other” messages folder in my Facebook account…one of the messages in this folder was from 2XU, telling me I’d won a pair of Thermal Compression Tights! I contacted 2XU, apologized for the, um, several month delay in responding, gave them my address, and my tights arrived a few days later.

If only I could look as tough as Emma Snowsill...

I couldn’t wait to try them out. What surprised me was how lightweight they are for a thermal tight. The interior is “brushed PWX FLEX fabrication” (non-tech speak = fleecy) but not at all thick. There’s no key pocket. The tights are very form fitting, as you’d expect compression tights to be, but they’re actually much easier to put on than the CW-X tights. This is because the compression is graduated: it’s greatest at the ankle and gradually decreases further up the tight. This means that there’s much less of a compression feeling around the quads and hamstrings, and more on the calves. In fact, all of 2XU’s running tights are in the brand’s XFORM category, which means they’re suitable for both performance and recovery, so the graduated compression (a key feature in recovery socks) makes sense.

But I still wasn’t sure if my legs would be warm enough in the tights, given that they’re so thin. I took them for a test run in 28 degrees and they worked perfectly. My legs quickly warmed up but didn’t overheat, unlike some of my older thermal tights, which tend to cook my legs.

A couple of days after receiving the thermal tights I decided I wanted a backup pair and bought the Elite Compression Tights with a 40% off Schwaggle deal. I just couldn’t turn down that offer! The elite tights aren’t thermal, and are a bit thinner than the thermal tights as there’s no fleecy lining. However, these tights, being “elite,” offer additional calf and hamstring support “for athletes demanding more power and support.” I’d like to demand both of these, thank you very much. In addition, these tights do have a key pocket (yay!) and they provide UPF 50+ protection, should you want to hang out in the sun with them on… They fit in the same way as the thermal tights, but I’m not sure how cold I can go in these. I’ve worn them in temps in the 30s without issue, but I’m not convinced they’ll be warm enough when temps get into the teens…which they did last Wednesday, but I chickened out on 5:30am track so I didn’t find out…

In addition to performing well, the 2XU tights look cool. They have reflective Xs on the thigh and the 2XU logo on the calf. I’m no Emma Snowsill in them, but they look pretty decent…especially in the dark.

Here’s a look at the features of both tights:

Thermal Compression Tights

PWX FLEX® + THERMAL

  • Using brushed PWX FLEX fabrication for softer, warmer feel.
  • Greater regulation of core body temperature for comfort + warmth in cool climates.
  • High power denier to support hamstrings, quads, abductors, gluts + calves.
  • Reduced muscle fatigue + damage.
  • Graduated fit promotes increased circulation.
Elite Compression Tights:
PWX FLEX® + PWX WEIGHT®
  • For athletes demanding more power + support.
  • Combination PWX FLEX front panel + extra powerful PWX WEIGHT in rear panel for added calf + hamstring support.
  • Also delivers support to quads, abductors + gluts.
  • Reduced muscle fatigue + damage.
  • Graduated fit promotes increased circulation.

 

Filed Under: Blog, Running and Triathlon Tagged With: , , ,

Checking Out

May 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment

My body has packed its bags and is floating in a geothermal pool. I leave for Iceland tonight and the timing couldn’t be better. After what I thought was a sufficient post-ultra recovery period, I ramped my training back up and quickly felt the effects of too much, too soon.

I actually thought I had recovered from my sinus infection, but Wednesday’s swim attempt revealed otherwise. I’ve learned to listen to my body and interpret whether the complaints are just whining or really genuine. I know that when I’m underwater and feel like I’m inside a plastic bag, it’s time to stop.

I should have seen the signs on Sunday. I ran an easy 6 miler to see how my legs felt. The legs were fine but my head was so full of gunk I started overheating. It was a humid morning and I felt like I was running in a sauna. A water break and removing my shirt helped, but I should have known then I wasn’t fully recovered.

On Monday I went to yoga. Yowza, I was tight. Then I went for a 25 mile bike ride, which felt great, but soon after I felt really, really tired. I fell asleep on the couch around 4. I was planning to swim in the evening, but I found out my coach was out of town and I decided to bail. Just as well, because my husband was out biking with a teammate who blew a tire and didn’t have the right spare (read more about his adventures at http://triforfun.wordpress.com/), so he wouldn’t have been back in time for me to hand off the kids anyway.

After strength training on Tuesday I decided to do a tempo run. On a hilly route. I decided to do that because Wine Country Half Marathon, which is coming up sooner than I’d like, will be hilly. I sweated and wheezed and puffed and cursed VDOT or whoever is responsible for turning part of the path I run into a rocky mudslide, and only hit tempo pace for one of the five miles. Granted, I don’t expect to hit the pace this entire run because it is so hilly, but my performance isn’t usually this pathetic or exhausting.

Looking back, I realize I have fallen asleep – unintentionally – almost every afternoon for the past week. And I haven’t been sleeping well at night, either. Now my body has moved beyond hinting at needing a break and has checked into a nice hotel. I’m off to pack my bags and follow suit. See ya in 5 days!

Filed Under: Blog, Running and Triathlon Tagged With: , , , ,

Wipe Out But Never Wimp Out

April 16, 2011 by 2 Comments

When I talk about trail-running, people often ask me if I fall. Of course I do. Not often, but yes, I do fall once in a while. When I do, I make sure it’s really good. I used to run in Rock Creek Park and a hill there was renamed “Butt Hill” after I fell at the top and slid on my butt all the way to the bottom. I still have a scar from that one.

Yesterday I made sure it was a fall worth talking about. Less than one hour into a 3.5 mile run on Bull Run trail, I slipped while rock-hopping across a river, smacked one leg under the knee, the other above it, and fell butt first up to my waist in the river. What’s worse, I ripped my shorts. ;)

wipe out

Looking at my legs after 3.5 hrs of running

Thankfully, my running partner Adam rescued my sunglasses. What a relief! Actually, it was good that he did because 2 hrs later, the gnats came out in force. Although it was dusk I put my sunglasses back on so they couldn’t fly into my eyes. They still flew into my mouth but I was tired of eating GU anyway…

Once I extracted myself from the river and checked that I hadn’t broken anything, Adam and I continued on our way. My knee was a little sore, which made running downhill hurt, and my other leg was scraped up badly, but the river water had stopped the bleeding. We had run less than 5 miles and I had no plans to wimp out and turn back.

The hills and my knee slowed us down a lot, so when we turned around at 1 hr 45 mins we had only gone 9 miles, but the sun was due to set right at 3.5 hrs from the time we started and I didn’t want to run the trails in the dark. We were working hard but walking the hills like ultrarunners are supposed to, so I wasn’t really concerned about mileage. I did expect to run more than the 17 we ended up running, but the run was for time, not distance, so I didn’t feel the need to go and blast out 3 extra on the road or anything like that. I did say to Adam that I was a little worried about the fact that we will have to run 14 miles further than that in 3 weeks, but I’m hoping that the adrenaline that goes with racing and morning (rather than evening) running will help.

Aside from the scrapes and bruises, which are a wonderful shade of purple right now, my legs aren’t at all sore from the run. When I got home, even though it was 8pm and I was getting cold, I made myself sit in an ice bath. Some people think this is torturous but I have found a way to make it less painful. First, I fill the bath with cold water high enough to cover my legs completely. Then I get in with my clothes still on and a hooded sweatshirt on top. This is important because clothes do take the edge off. I find it especially essential to keep my socks on, as my feet really sting otherwise. Once I’m in, I dump a bag of ice in the bath. Then I grab my hot chocolate (really helps!) and phone and check e-mail, go on Facebook, etc. It’s amazing how quickly those 15 minutes go by!

Once I’m out of the ice, I take a hot shower. The ice helps to remove all the waste products from your legs, while the heat helps pump in fresh blood to promote healing and recovery. Now I just need some warm weather so I can show off my latest war wounds…

Filed Under: Blog, Running and Triathlon Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,