Chocolate Cherry Delights

Cherry Chocolate Delights

Good Tuesday morning to you! I hope you all followed up on the links I posted yesterday & are well informed about your supplements! It is so important that we all stay on top of the things we put into our bodies! But, I have to say that after yesterday's serious subject, I am excited to blog about peppier & yummier things today!
Yesterday began the 3rd week of Jamie Eason's Live Fit Trainer for me & I did shoulders, abs & usually would have done cardio, however, Sunday my mom (aka my hero) & I laid 200 concrete blocks in about 4 hours on our back patio, so....... I skipped out on my cardio due to the fact that my back was killing me & I strained my right wrist. I was actually surprised I made it through shoulders & abs with the way I was hurting. I am still feeling it in my back & wrist today so I will have to be careful doing legs here in a bit but I am going to give it all I can without injuring myself. It's crazy but, even though I did all that..... I still felt like a total gym slacker for skipping out on my cardio yesterday! Oh well......I'll take the guilt! It motivates me to get back at it & anything that motivates us to workout & train hard is worth it, right?!
So, if you want to see what I am doing in my training, here is the link to the Shoulder workout I did yesterday. (I took an ab routine from another day) I am not going to post the whole routine as I did last week because if you are interested in following the program yourself, then you will need to read about it & start from the beginning & customize the days for your own schedule, as I do mine.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer-phase-2-day-46.html 

Now for this recipe which I know you all want! Do you ever have those moments when you are craving just a bite of something? I am a nibbler, so I have lots of those moments throughout the day! Sometimes, you  just need to practice willpower & other times......you really do need a bite of something healthy, sweet & satisfying! That's why I love these! The recipe I base these bars from is one I got from the Busy But Healthy recipe page I follow on Facebook. It's a very versatile bar that is really easy to change up however you want  to make it different! This time, I changed the typical berry topping to cherry chocolate! And they truly are nothing short of delightful! 

Cherry Chocolate Delights

bar ingredients:

2 c oats

1/2 c natural peanut butter (or almond butter)

3/4 Stevia

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1/4 c coconut

1/2 c + 1 tbsp h20

topping ingredients:

1/2 c cherries ( I use frozen)

1 tbsp cornstarch (for thickening)

1 tbsp cocoa powder

Stevia to taste 

(I used about 2 tbsp but you can use more or less to achieve desired sweetness)

Mix all the bar ingredients until well coated & press into 9 x 11 pan.
For the topping:
Simmer all ingredients until melted & thick (adding cornstarch if needed but be  take in to account the extra calories & carbs if you do) After it's nice & thick, pour over on top of bars & either refrigerated until cooled & cut into 16 squares or you can bake for a few minutes until top is bubbly then remove from oven, let cool & cut into squares. Either way! You can bake it or no bake it! Pretty simple huh?! ........ I think i want to try one heated up & crumbled on top of some Greek yogurt! Yum!!
These little treats ring the healthy bite bell at around 50 calories, 5 carbs & 2.5 grams of protein each!

Cherry Crumble Overnight Oats

Yesterday I started Phase 2 of the Jamie Eason Live Fit Trainer & I had a GREAT workout! I was ready to get up & do it all over again before I even went to bed last night so needless to say I wanted to go ahead & prepare my morning fuel that would be perfect to take my through a tough leg workout! What better time to try overnight oats Since I had never had them before?! There are a lot of different ways to prepare them but I stuck to the basics since it was my first time. I took a half cup of oats & added 1/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk & a little water (I added a little extra since the purpose is for the oats to soak it up) & i covered it with foil & stuck it in the fridge overnight. (I heated mine this morning because I love a hot breakfast but a lot of people flavor it & eat it cold) I waited till this morning to add anything else to it but I guess you could add stevia & whatever else you want to season it with the night before if you wanted to.  I just wanted mine to be fresh. This morning, since today is leg day at the gym, I decided cherries would be my fruit nosh of the day since they help reduce inflammation & soreness from strenuous exercise! 1 serving of cherries is a cup, so this morning I added 1/4 c to my oats w a tbsp of crushed natural almonds (small dose of healthy fat & muscle building protein!) & after I workout, I can add 1/4 c to a protein shake, cottage cheese, yogurt or just eat by themselves throughout the first part of my day to get in a whole serving! Anytime I eat fruit, that's how I eat it..... A little spread over the first part of my day. It's best to try to avoid all fruit after lunch because fruit is high in carbs & sugar but if an energy slump hits, it's still better to reach for a piece of fruit than a candy bar! Just try to choose one with the least amount of sugar & carbs!

Read what Muscle & Fitness magazine has to say about this bright & beautiful fruit!:
"If you're interested in keeping your strength up while suppressing muscle soreness, it appears that cherries are a sweet solution. Consider using cherries or cherry juice to help reduce inflammation and delayed-onset muscle soreness and promote muscle recovery.
One to two cups of whole cherries are a great source of preworkout carbs since they're slowly digested, providing a steady supply of energy throughout your workout and keeping insulin levels low. (When insulin rises during exercise, it can limit fat-burning.) Two to three ounces of concentrated cherry juice mixed in with your whey protein shake provides a good source of carbohydrates postworkout (not to mention a tasty bonus), as the carbs in the juice are digested faster than whole cherries. This helps to spike insulin levels when you do want a spike to get that protein into your muscles."