Chocolate Peppermint Protein Brownies

Just because the holidays are over doesn't mean I still won't be baking all kinds of festive food.
Whipped up some Peppermint Chocolate Chip brownies a few weeks ago - they're not super fluffy but they are really dense and thick which is how I prefer my brownies anyway. I used pumpkin to make them a little more dense which sounds kind of funky but I promise you can't taste it; the peppermint extract does a good job at masking it. 


Peppermint Chocolate Chip Brownies: 

Dry ingredients:
1.5 cups old fashioned oats
1 T chocolate fudge SF hello mix
2 T cocoa powder
1 scoop whey (I used chocolate chip cookie dough by @cellucor)
1/2 tsp baking powder
Stevia to taste

Wet ingredients:
2 eggs
1 egg white
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
1/4 cup pumpkin purée
 
Mix both wet and dry ingredients individually and then add together. Fold in chocolate chips and pour into greased dish. Top with crushed candy cane pieces if you like.  

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes and cut into 9 slices. ✨Macros for 1 slice: 117 calories, 3.4g fat, 16g carbs (2.4 fiber), 7.2 protein✨
 
Macros will differ based on the chocolate chips/candy cane you use.

Life Without Numbers: Week 1 Update

I can't believe I'm saying this but I did it - a full week without logging a single macro or counting a single calorie or even stepping on the scale.

I had always thought that in order for me to fully transition to this kind of lifestyle that I would have to do it in stages; first, only track some meals of the day, then stop weighing food and just eyeball or maybe just track breakfast, etc. All of these rules made me scared to stop counting. I had no idea the easiest thing to do would be to just go cold turkey once and for all with numbers.

This past week, I expected to feel lost and preoccupied with food but instead I just felt free. It felt so, so good to just eat when I was hungry and exactly how much I wanted of that thing, not stuff myself crazy at certain times of day when I wasn't hungry to make up for later or some other excuse. It felt so good to give myself a snack after dinner just because I was hungry for one.

Part of the reason I think this transition was easier for me is the fact that along with stopping counting macros/calories, I focused on eating less processed foods and more wholesome, single ingredient foods (namely, a LOT more vegetables). While IIFYM did help me get over some fear foods and learn how to eat in moderation, I do believe that eating lots of fruits and veggies and single ingredient foods is the best thing you can do for your body. Meeting your macros with wholesome foods is undeniably better than to do so with Oreos and doughnuts. Again, not trashing IIFYM at all, but for me, IIFYM was causing me to lose sight of what it means to fuel my body properly. If you are able to track macros and treat yourself occasionally while keeping your mental health in check, then I see no problem with it.

I did losely keep track of my meals throughout the day and I will admit to sort of estimating each meal's macros, not because I was scared of gaining weight or anything but because I wanted to make sure I was eating enough. I find that a lot of people are scared to eat intuitively as it opens them up to sell themselves short. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't restricting myself in anyway and that I was listening to my body.

Thursday in particular was a great day as I got Chipotle with a friend and stayed over at her house for dinner and instead of obsessively trying to estimate macros, I went with the flow, made the healthiest decisions I could, and paid attention to how my body was feeling.

It hasn't been easy but it's felt way too good. On to week two!

NuGo Slim Protein Bars Review

Hey all!

So recently I was sent two protein bars from NuGo nutrition to try out and review! I was so excited to try these out since, if we're going to be perfectly honest, protein bars are expensive and..um...#poorcollegekidproblems. But also because these bars are vegan and I love getting the chance to try protein bars that aren't made from whey isolate. One of my favorites is the Larabar ALT bars that are made with pea protein. They're also gluten free, perfect for all you Celiacs and others trying to be trendy (kidding!) ;)

These bars are also made with REAL dark chocolate and are the only protein bars out there to do so. Both bars I tried were entirely coated in rich and creamy chocolate, it was so freaking good.

The first one I tried was the Espresso flavor. The first thing I noticed about this bar was how rich the dark chocolate coating was. Not too thick, not too thin, jusssstttt right. The espresso flavor was also perfect. It came through nicely and wasn't overpowered by the chocolate; the two flavors complemented each other nicely. I also really loved how crispy this bar was! Not crumbly like a lot of protein bars and had a great and satisfying crunch.

Look at all those perfect crispies! So delicious.

 The  next bar I tried was the Crunchy Peanut Butter flavor. I knew this one would be good because, I mean, it's peanut butter and chocolate. Kind of hard to mess that up. Luckily, I was right. This bar was the perfect pairing of smooth and rich peanutty goodness paired with rich, dark chocolate. Again, same awesome texture as the Espresso bar and equally as crunchy.
                                             
All in all, these were awesome protein bars that I'm so happy I got to try out. Normally vegan protein bars have kind of a bad rap but I straight up forgot these were vegan while I was eating them. The macros for these bars are also great for those of you interested in that. I'll post them here:

Espresso: 170 Cals, 5g fat, 20g carbs (7g fiber), 16g protein, 3g sugar
Peanut Butter: 180 Cals, 7g fat, 18g carbs (7g fiber), 17g protein, 3g sugar

Click here for more information about these bars and here to use their store locator to find where they're sold near you (US and Canada only).