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Amrita Bar Giveaway and Promo!

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NOTE: Sampler giveaway, and promo code information at the end of the post! 🙂  Enter or purchase some healthy, whole-foods protein bars for your start to a vibrant and health-filled 2019!

We eat with our eyes first. And Amarita was a treat from the moment the box arrived. I was delighted at the variety of flavors in the variety pack, and fell in love with the bold colors on the tote bag. First impression: colorful and energetic!

Nourish Your Passion Bag | USA

And then they get another bonus — an email from the company, asking if my bars arrived safely.  Well that’s a nice little check in!  I approve.

email confirmation

 

COMPANY HISTORY:

When I was looking in to protein and snack bars to try, this company caught my eye because they had the same mission I have as a Lifestyle Dietitian — to help heal health issues through nutritious, anti-inflammatory foods, and managing stress within the body. Owner Arsha and his wife started to create recipes for the bars while working to help their son recovery from a host of gastrointestinal issues and nutritionally-based autism. They have worked from the ground up, starting with hand-wrapped products sold at their local farmers market, and now are available nation-wide in various health food stores and online.

 

THE BARS:

I contacted two of my gym friends to sample these bars with me – I wanted a little more input and feedback. So, the three of us got to sample these whole-food treats, and compare notes.  Overall, we were all impressed! We liked the texture and taste, with each of us having a few differences based on personal preference. Whole ingredients, balanced macronutrients, enough sweetness from the dates without being overpowering, we all agreed these are a win!

Amrita Starter Pack | 7 Bars | USA

Ready to sample some of your own??

GIVEAWAY:

Want a chance to get your own bars? Here’s a Rafflecopter giveaway! No purchases necessary!!

ENTER FREE GIVEAWAY!

PROMO CODES:
Check out their website, https://www.amritahealthfoods.com/

  • 1st order: $10 off; code “AmritaLove”
  • Following orders: $10 off and free shipping on orders over $49; code “dublin”

 

Many thanks to Amrita Bar Founder, Arshad Bahl
for helping provide this opportunity for you all!

Recipe: No-Bake Protein Brownies

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*drool*

Most people would make you scroll through their entire blog post with all their inner most thoughts and humorous anecdotes.. but, if you’re like me, ya just want the freakin’ recipe! So, without fanfare, here it is!

No-Bake Protein Brownies

  • Servings: 12
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

INGREDIENTSIMG_20180102_154010867
Brownies

  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
  • 1/2 cup nut butter of choice (thin butter is easier to mix – I like almond, or peanut butter)
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup mashed sweet potato (great use of leftovers!)

Frosting

  • 1/4 cup Medjool dates, soft, pitted, soak if needed
  • 2 Tbs honey
  • 1 Tbs coconut oil, melted
  • 1/4 cup avocado (approx 1/2 fruit)
  • 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
  • 2 Tbs cocoa powder
  • 1 Tbs coconut milk if needed

DIRECTIONS
Brownies

  1. Line a small, deep baking tray with baking paper and set aside. (I like to use a bread loaf, and make thick, dense brownies!)
  2. In a large mixing bowl, add your coconut flour, cocoa and protein powder and set aside.
  3. If needed, heat and melt your nut butter with your honey until combined. Add to the dry ingredients, stirring well.
  4. Stir in the mashed sweet potato until dough is smooth
  5. If it’s too thick, add a small amount of coconut milk (or milk of your choice) If too thin, can add a little more powder of choice (I usually like to add more protein powder)
  6. Press dough into the lined baking dish. Set in fridge to firm up while you make the frosting.

Frosting

  1. Soak the dates first if they are hard. Once soft, drain any soak liquid and keep it. Put the dates in food processor and process to sticky paste. Use the reserved soak water in small amounts if needed to help process the dates.
  2. Add honey, avocado, melted coconut oil, and process. Add cocoa powder and protein powder, Process, scraping down sides as needed. Process until smooth and creamy. Add coconut milk if needed to thin.
  3. Pull brownies back out of fridge. Spread frosting evenly on top.
  4. Enjoy! Can also sprinkle with crushed almonds, cocoa nibs, dark chocolate chips, or other favorite garnishes.
Recipe from www.DublinDietitian.com

Ok, NOW for some of my thoughts! 😉 No wait, another picture first…

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I have made these brownies three times now. And every time, they are a little different as I work with different protein powders, different nut butters, and different garnish.

But every time, they have been delicious!

My Buckeye fans would probably enjoy using peanut butter rather than almond butter. It definitely adds a nice creamy boost to the flavor! But for chocolate purists, the almond is a milder flavor, allowing you to indulge in the rich cocoa goodness without interference.

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Have fun, play with it, and enjoy!

Nutrition varies by specific ingredients used and if/how much liquid you add to thin, but each serving is approximately 240 calories, 9g fat, 38g carb, 10g protein

Recipe: Rosemary Sweet ‘n’ Spicy Mixed Nuts

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This is one of my favorite holiday treats! (ok, being honest, cookies are the favorite – but this is one that comes with a little nutritional boost!) A little salty, a little sweet, and a little spicy – all rounded out with hint of Christmas pine, and rich comforting maple.

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In addition to being lower sugar than most holiday treats, a 1/4 cup serving of these provides healthy fats, copper, manganese, magnesium, and phosphorus.

Rosemary Sweet 'n' Spicy Mixed Nuts

  • Servings: 10
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups Mixed Nuts, unsaltedIMG_20171218_155651608
  • 2 Tbs chopped fresh rosemary, or 1/2 Tbs Rosemary powder
  • 1 pinch Cayenne powder
  • 2 Tbs Brown Sugar
  • 1 Tbs Purse Maple Syrup
  • 1 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
  • 2 Tbs Butter

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F
  2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper
  3. Spread nuts onto baking sheet, bake 10 minutes
  4. Remove nuts and let cool
  5. While cooling, melt 1 Tbs butter. Set aside
  6. Mix remaining ingredients to make sauce
  7. Pour nuts into a large bowl and stir in melted butter, tossing to coat.
  8. Add sauce and toss to mix evenly
  9. Spread nuts back onto baking sheet, and bake 5 minutes. Stir, and bake another 5-7 minutes until golden and bubbly
  10. Cool for about 20 minutes; serve warm

Serving Size: 1/4 cup

You can heat the sauce mixture on the stove top over low heat to thicken it up. Then instead of a nice sauce, it becomes a thicker syrup and makes this treat more like a brittle.

 

Recipe from http://www.DublinDietitian.com

Rosemary Nuts

Have a great holiday season, however you celebrate!

10 Reasons To Eat More Fresh Produce

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(*At the end of this post, there’s a special bonus offer for Dublin Life Time members!*)

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In my research, I have come across many tidbits and studies that help shape my nutritional philosophies. Other times, I find information that doesn’t tell me anything new, but states it in a new way, and makes a bit of an impact. This was one of the things that jump-started my own transformational journey.

In Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s book Eat to Live, he had a graph that depicted the correlation between fruit and vegetable consumption, and risk of disease. Now, I know we’ve all been told to eat more fruits and vegetables, but I guess I’m visual, and this graph just grabbed me! The almost perfect correlation was just so glaringly obvious in his graph that it really struck home for me.

QK motivation (90)

The left side indicates HIGH disease state, and LOW produce and plant-based food intake (“unrefined plant foods”)… then you gradual move to the right, and see that as that produce intake begins to rise and finally peeks at the top right corner with HIGH produce intake, the disease rates have dropped significantly!  Pretty much a perfectly proportionate shift. (Yes, I’m aware correlation is not causation)

The old USDA adage was “5 a day,” but Life Time recommends 5-6 cups per day. Wahl’s protocol recommends 9 cups per day of a variety of categories.

And I am on board with that high amount with Wahl’s as the ideal to strive for.

So, what can a high produce intake do for you?

  1. SATIETY: Fill your stomach with a large volume of low-calorie foods, thus helping you feel full while staying low in calories.
  2. NUTRIENTS: Boost your vitamin and mineral intake in a natural way
  3. IMMUNE SYSTEM: Boost your body’s ability to fight infection
  4. MORE ENERGY! ’nuff said
  5. BRIGHTER EYES, SKIN, AND HAIR: Begin to heal your body on the inside, you start to glow on the outside.  You can “Grow Younger!” as your old and tired cells are replaced with nutrient-rich healthy new cells!
  6. REGULARITY: Get extra fiber that can help with keeping you regular, which helps fight that awful bloated feeling you may get on other foods
  7. DETOXIFY: helps your body with its natural elimination of stored up toxins in your system.
  8. HYDRATION: Get extra water that remains in the fresh produce, which means extra hydration for you! (and your skin – helping to keep it from looking tired and dry)
  9. CRAVINGS: Lessen cravings for other processed foods, over time. You crave what you eat, believe it or not, and eventually people who eat more fresh produce crave more fresh produce as they break old habits and sugar addictions

I aim for vegetables at every meal – you can add veggies to omelets; add spinach to smoothies; have salads; sautee, stir fry, and roast vegetables; puree and add to soups. Fruit is a great snack, mixes into oatmeal well, and can add a sweet tang to many dishes. Try something new!

Have a wonderful, fresh-filled day! I’m going to go eat a fruit salad 🙂

LIFE GREENS AT LIFE TIME

If you are struggling to get your high intake of fruits and vegetables, I recommend trying the Life Greens. It’s not a permanent replacement for fresh fruits and vegetables, nor an excuse to bail on produce, but while you are working to make new habits and increase your whole-foods intake, it is a beneficial way to supplement your diet and help keep you healthy!

Use Trainer Code 208455 in the Cafe or Online to get 10% off; Set it up for Autoship, and get 20% off.

WHY YOU’LL LIKE LIFE GREENS FOR GENERAL HEALTH

  • Reduce risk of obesity, cardio vascular disease, mental health issues
  • Helps balance thyroid and stress hormones
  • Protects bone density
  • Reduce blood pressure
  • May help with increased fat-burning
  • Improved immune system
  • Improved glucose metabolism

WHY YOU’LL LIKE LIFE GREENS FOR PERFORMANCE:

  • Balances anabolic hormones (muscle building)
  • Preserves muscle and protects bone health
  • Reduced carb fuel utilization
  • Improves time to exhaustion

RECOMMENDED DOSING: 1 scoop up to 3 times daily. There are non-shake ideas on the handouts at the booth.

Life Greens

Article Summary: The Five Things That Happen to Your Body When You Quit Working Out

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When you stop working out (even for just a week or two):

  1. Blood pressure increases (within a day, potentially!)
  2. You develop insulin resistance (body converts sugar into fat rather than using it as energy)
  3. Muscle size can shrink within a week (but not necessarily strength)
  4. VO2 max drops (ability to utilize oxygen well. “for every week you remain idle, it takes about three weeks to regain the lost adaptations” Yikes!)
  5. Grumipness takes over (“When you stop exercising, your body forgets how to handle stress. Because you’ve allowed your natural fight-or-flight response to atrophy, you’re less likely to experience something tough—whether an interval workout or a stressful workplace relationship—in a positive way. Instead, you get anxious.”)

 

The good news? They’re all pretty simple to reverse—or prevent entirely. Just keep moving! 😉

 

From <https://www.outsideonline.com/2175671/five-things-happen-your-body-when-you-quit-working-out>Â