My Weekly Top Ten #5 and my favorite pre-workout snack lately!

First thing is first: music.  It has been too long since I got a chance to share my music obsessions with you all.  My workouts have been varying a lot lately, so the music goes along with that.  (I put what type of track this song could be used for in your workout in parenthesis if you're looking for specific tempos.)

 1. Stressed Out- Twenty One Pilots (cool down, warm up)
2. I Come Apart (feat. Florence Welch) -ASAP Rocky (cool down)
3. Fear (feat. Imagine Dragons) - X Ambassadors  (intervals, climb)
4. Bruk Bruk -Dillon Francis (intervals)
5. Look What We've Become (climb)
6. Golden (feat. Sia) - Travie McCoy (climb)
7. Tom's Diner (feat. Britney Spears) - Giorgio Moroder (intervals)
8. Hysteria (feat. Matthew Koma) - Steve Aoki (intervals)
9. Beating Heart - Ellie Goulding  (intervals)
10. Ride Wit Me- TI (climb, cool down)


Comment with your favorite motivation song below!  I'm always in need of new tunes.

I have been OBSESSED with dates.  I have no clue why.  I love freezing them and pairing them with nut butter.  This pre-workout snack consists of half a frozen banana, 3 frozen dates, some blueberries, and a few strawberry slices.  I used coconut peanut spread  (Earth Balance brand)  to top the frozen items.  Absolutely delicious.  They were a teensy bit of protein and healthy fats, natural carbs, and natural sugar to fuel my run.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! I've been eating this as dessert sometimes, too.  Trust me on this one.

Product Review: No Cow Bars

Hey all! This last month has been quite a whirlwind of things from getting into school and then wrapping up at my teaching job. Now, I have a little more time on my hands to blog(:

I have been searching out for a new product to review and came across No Cow Bars. I go through many protein/snack bars, and I get sick of many brands easily. I wanted to find something that is sensitive to as many dietary needs as possible while still maintaining a good taste. This is what I found!

Thank you for the samples, D's Naturals!

This is and up and coming company, so, they have three flavors. I liked that this product is sensitive to 3 things while being wholesome as a snack in the first place. Those that must stick to a gluten free diet, like Celiac, lactose allergies (which most protein bars use whey), and those that are watching their soy intake can look to this bar as a great way to make it from meal to meal.

Personally, I am not sensitive to any of these things aside from a slight sensitivity to lactose. I try to be careful with my soy intake, as a woman, too.  I have heard from a lot of friends that are vegan that they wish they could find a nice protein alternative to tofu and beans, and this is a nice change of pace.  They cannot eat whey protein bars because they are made from animal products; therefore, I recommend these for my vegan peeps.

 

 If have to say, my favorite was the peanut butter cookie dough flavor. All of them were delicious, but I'm a peanut butter addict. I knew before eating it for the first time I'd favor it. It was soft and had 

 some cacao nibs added for crunch!

The mint chocolate chip was delicious as well. It was extremely chocolate-y, with a bite of mint and a small amount of crunch added by cacao nibs. 

 

The blueberry cobbler was a surprise. I was not sure how I would take to this flavor since most protein bar companies don't go the "blueberry" route. My conclusion that this surprise was a pleasant one. I liked that it was mostly blueberry with a hint of that crust essence that always follows a cobbler. 

The only thing I advise with these bars that you make sure you have water on hand. They made me thirsty. I honestly don't say this as a negative, though. People should have water on hand at all times, and it helps you digest better and keeps your body in check with hydration. The 20 plus grams of protein should be ingested with water, naturally. So, that being said, I give the bars two thumbs up!

If you're interested in learning about D's Naturals (the company who created these fine bars) and want to browse their products (I just recently learned about their nut butters), here is the link!  They also can help you find local stores that sell their products as well. 

If you decide to try them or have any questions, comment below.  I'd love to hear what you think!