A Craft & A Recipe!

So, like I told you last week I am trying to start getting back to crafting again. It's one of my most favorite ways to get in "me" time! I love doing all sorts of creative things. I'm into beading, doing puzzles, painting, drawing, decorating, writing & I could go on & on! I want to get into decoupage soon & I am about to start painting & decorating wine glasses! So, needless to say, I can be on Pinterest FOREVA looking at crafty & creative ideas! I wanted to share with you something I made today out of a wine bottle & glass stones! 

It came out so pretty! 

I call it a Glowing Iced Wine Bottle!

Glowing Iced Wine Bottle

All you need:

A hot glue gun & lots of glue sticks!

A wine bottle (remove any stickers)

Glass beads in whatever color combination you choose!

1 mini light strand (these could be colored too if you want!

*I used alcohol to remove the sticker from my bottle then dried it really well & just started hot gluing the stones on in no particular order! When you are done just slide lights in & plug in & you have your own handmade elegant night light! This would make a great gift too! :)

Now for a quick indulging yet figure 

friendly snack! 

I bring you another protein bar recipe! The "bar" was set so high after those Pumpkin Peanut Butter ones I made last week I knew the next batch had a lot to live up to! I wanted to try to make one of my personal favorite comfort foods into a bar & it came out super yummy! They are an indulgence though even though they are clean & healthy &They are a great choice for a post workout snack while your body is in calorie torching mode! I am going to try to make them without honey next time & see how they come out! I usually eat 1 Tbsp of natural peanut butter every day for my healthy fat & to satisfy a sweet tooth. If I have nuts that day, then I skip it.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Yum Bars!

Peanut Butter & Jelly Yum Bars

1 C Oats

1/2 Cup of Natural Peanut Butter

1/2 C Natural Honey

2 Tbsp sugar free grape jelly

1 Scoop of Vanilla or Peanut Butter flavored protein powder

Melt the pb & honey until you can stir it (don't get it super hot & really runny,  you just need it warm enough that you can stir in the oats). Add the oats, protein powder & grape jelly & stir until well mixed. Then press into a 9 x 9 pan & pop it in the fridge! After cooled, I cut mine into 12 bars but you could also do 16 squares if you wanted to & just adjust the nutritional content!

*Per decadent bar - 130 calories, 15 carbs & 6 grams of protein! 

YUM!!!!!

Punkin' PB 'n J Protein Bites

TGIF!!!!! Today Kristei & I finished the first week of Phase 2 of the Live Fit Trainer! It was a great week workout week but I am ready for next week because the routine is familiar now so we will be able to move at a faster pace. The one thing I have been struggling with for a long time is the issue of how many calories I really need to reach my fitness goals. I have talked to a few different trainers & everyone always has different advice. It is really a frustrating issue for me but I think I have found someone who is going to help me with that! I was referred to her from a good friend & I am hoping after talking with her next week I will finally have some concrete information that will help me get to where I want to be! So, I will be posting more about that when I find something out! Until then...... here is a yummy treat for you to make & nosh on this weekend!
I made a batch of punkin' protein bars & had em in the fridge, but yesterday, I wanted to try to kick em up a notch......so, I took 2 bars, sliced em in half & spread 1 tbsp (1/2 tbsp each) of natural peanut butter on the bottoms & 1/2 tbsp (1/4 tbsp each) of sugar free strawberry jelly on the tops then sandwiched them together! I know what you are thinking....... pumpkin & strawberry, right?! But, trust me........ it waks soooo good! It was rich & creamy & ooey & gooey & very tasty! One thing I have learned from spending so much time in the kitchen trying to create healthy foods is to think outside the box! Because sometimes things that don't seem like they would go together, end up being a match made in healthy food heaven!

Punkin' Protein Bars

1  c oat flour

1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

4 oz vanilla carb smart yogurt

2 egg whites

1/2 of a 15 oz can of pure pumpkin

1/4 h20

1/4 tsp cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp of baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Blend wet ingredients in 1 bowl & dry ingredients in another then mix all together until really well blended. (I throw all of mine in my Ninja!) Pour into a 8 x 8 square baking pan pop into the oven heated to 350. Then mix up 1 tbsp of stevia & 1/2 packed tsp of brown sugar splenda in a small dish &after the bars look slightly firm but are still wiggly, take them out & spread the brown sugar - stevia mix all over the top & barely pat down so they really stick to the top of the bars. Then pop em back in the oven & bake until done & a toothpick comes out clean! 

*Per bar (without pb & j) they are 34.5 calories, 4.8 carbs & 3 grams of protein

Tuesday Treat- Strawberry Lemonade Protein Bars

Today was a great Tuesday! My first leg workout of the week was fierce! (I thought i was going to fall out at one point!) I have been working on getting my new MacBook Pro set up which is a lot of work & gives me a headache but I love it so I enjoy it! I got my new Scentsy Catalogs for Spring along with all the new testers & I am really excited about all their new products! I made plans to hang out with a good friend of mine on St. Patty's Day (yay!) before she moves FAR away (sad sigh) & then that got me thinking about planning something to do for my upcoming birthday in April (YAY!)..........I ate a piece of my deep dish pizza for dinner tonight & the season finale of one my favorite shows, Parenthood is coming on at 9! .........there was a lot of other stuff in between but I'll stop there.
On with the good stuff!...... I know you want to the recipe for these bars so I'll get on with it.......
Let me just say that experimenting with protein bars has become an obsession! I am always trying to come up with something new! Jamie Eason's lemon protein bars have always been one of my favorites & I was craving those so i came up with these based off of that recipe. I cut the calories  & carbs down from her recipe & bumped the protein up! They came out perfect! Tart yet sweet like a good lemonade! They were really cake - like  with a rich, thick & moist taste! I think I am going to have to try one warmed up & crumbled over a vanilla carb smart yogurt!! Mmmmmm.........Try em for yourself! Here is the recipe!   
*1 c oat flour (I make my own out of old fashioned oats)
*2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder (depending on the brand, the nutritional content will be different. I use MRM)
*1-2 qt lemonade crystal light packet
*2 egg  whites
*1/2 c stevia
*1 container of strawberry carb smart yogurt form Kroger
*4 oz water
*1/4 tsp salt & 1/2 tsp baking soda
-Grind oats and add all dry ingredients together. Add all your wet ingredients & mix until well blended. Bake at 350 in a 9 x 9 pan. Let cool (if you can stand it) & cut into 16 squares!
Each square has 39.25 calories, 3.8 carbs & 5.13 grams of protein!