Product Review: B Jammin Bars

Hey guys!  I am not sure if you remember awhile back I posted a review about B-Up Protein Bars.  I got the opportunity to review their new line of Protein Bar products called B Jammin.  First of all, the name is awesome; can we just take a second to recognize that?

Oh, don't worry, Scott.  I will.  Lol! PS-That sticker is going straight on my laptop to join the rest of my collection!

They all are either 180 calories or less, have around 15g of protein, high in fiber, and have natural sugar for the "jam" derived from fruit (if you look at the ingredients, you see fruit as the base).  I see this as a great pre-workout or post-workout snack. 

I will go in order of favorites in the 3 flavors they sent me.  Truly, I enjoyed all of them.  I had a hard time narrowing it down. 

PB&J

•  PB&J
• This was hands-down my favorite.  I needed something quick to put in my system after ending a 13 mile long run in the heat before my shower, and I wasn't quite ready for a meal.  This did the trick.  Peanut butter and jelly is my absolute favorite combination (well, anything involving peanut butter to be honest).  This flavor was the first one I wanted to try when I received my package.  I was not disappointed in the least.  It was like a mini pb&j sandwich with an extra protein boost.  I even baked it in my toaster oven for a little, and it was AMAZING.  Best of all, I felt good after eating it.  I was a little light-headed because I didn't properly fuel during my 90 degree long run, and i needed something quick with a little sugar to boost my blood sugar.  It can be difficult to choose the right snack when this happens, especially when you're not feeling well.  This was a great choice in my book.  I felt so much better.  It got my through my post-run shower before I settled down for a recovery meal.  

 

Apple Pie a la Mode

• Apple a la Mode
•  Initially, I decided the name is great.  "Apple Pie" is so generic.  Adding an "a la mode" makes it sound fancy, and, trust me, it's tough to make a protein bar sound fancy.  I like apple pie in general; it is my "go-to" with fruit pies.  I liked it best baked, too!  It made the delicious apple jam nice and warm, and it gave the bar a nice "crust" that really reminded me of apple pie.  I could have ruined it nutritionally with some vanilla ice cream, I suppose, but I decided against it.  Next time, I would definitely pair it with some Halo Top Protein ice cream with a nice, healthy dessert!  

Vanilla Cherry Pie

• Vanilla Cherry Pie 
• I had this as a pre-workout snack.  I am not a huge fruit pie person, and cherry pie isn't my favorite in general.  I actually would choose this bar over a piece of cherry pie, to be completely honest.  I find cherry pie to be overly-sweet.  I also would rather have a bowl of fresh cherries.  There's just something about the filling that I don't exactly love.  This bar had a great vanilla bar on the outside, and the jam was a nice cherry flavor.  It got me through a nice cardio-heavy lift-cardio workout.  I was really pleased with it!

I was a bit weary of the concept because I was afraid it would be too sweet with the jam, but they did an outstanding job balancing the amount of jam and bar in each package.  Neither part was overly sweet, and they worked together very well altogether as a combination. This was the first protein bar I have tried with a filling, in a sense, and this company knocked it out of the park.  This is a definite favorite for me out of all of their products.  I am contemplating a box of PB&J as we speak...

You can order online at by clicking here for their website.  They have a free shipping offer (yay!), and I definitely recommend the rest of their products, too.  Here is the link to my previous post about my last review with them.  They have come out with some new exciting flavors since then which is great that this company Yup Brands, is expanding(:

Look out for them at your local health store, too!  I'll definitely be seeking them out myself.  I'm hooked.

Running: California Runs > Suburban Runs

Gorgeous.  Photocred to my mom on this one!

There's a reason why I don't have as many weird trains of thought while I run in scenic places (i.e. on vacation, on the Chicago Lakeshore path, etc), and I discovered why.  The things I see keep these weird musings at bay.  If you're like me, running is "me time".  I separate myself from the busy-ness and stresses of my life/day, and I am truly alone with my thoughts when I go for long runs by myself.  This is especially the case when I run in the suburbs.  This week was a fallback week, so I did 10 miles by myself on a 5 mile loop in the suburbs.  This trail is newly installed in my neighborhood, but I still got so bored that these things came to mind.  Hopefully, I'm not alone/embarrassing myself here, but, hey, I have a point to prove.  Comparing the photos I took in Cali to what I thought about while running solo on a loop in my local suburb and how the scenic route is ALWAYS better. 

First, I'll share my photos from Cali.  I ran in every city that we visited: Sausalito, Napa, and Carmel.  My ultimate goal was to run across to Golden Gate Bridge, and I was lucky enough to share that experience with my dad on Father's Day.

<3 Happy Father's Day!!!

Go, Dad, go!

I'm such a loser. hahaha

Carmel hill running

Finally, my long run in Napa (wine or camelback water...tough choice)

 The running in Cali was incredibly hilly.  All of my runs took forever, but I came home with a faster pace overall, which is a nice souvenir(;  The hardest run was probably our first across the bridge.  From our hotel, the first mile was a HUGE incline.  Then, the bridge itself had on and off inclines.  We covered 6 miles that day and felt like champs.  When I did recovery yoga later that night, everything was cracking and creaking (gross).  That was a sign that yoga was a good choice...


And now, without further ado, here are some of the odd thoughts I had during my long run yesterday in the suburbs...(don't judge me.) 

Trust me, when you get this bored in the heat for over 2 hours, you're going to think about some weird stuff.

-At this pace, I wouldn't have made it past page 2 in The Maze Runner.  Grievers would have gotten me at this pace. (Can you guess what series I'm reading?)
-Dear LORD, Timbaland is a genius.  How does he get his hands into every song imaginable?
-Remembering finding a Ludacris CD in Emma's brother's old car during our carpools during high school and blasting it in the morning (Shout out to Emma and Mike!)
-If I had to choose my death, would it be by drowning in frozen yogurt or peanut butter? Tough choice...
-Which ugly rapper would I date based on merit alone? (Lil Jon? I can do his voice really well; our communication as a couple would be really great).
-Thank God I put sunscreen on today (esp. ears!- thanks Aunt Mary, I never forget because of you!)
-Would MJ be my friend despite my awkward attempts to sing like him every time his songs come on? (Carley, help me on this one.)
-How can I learn the dance routine to this song in the least awkward manner possible?
-Would jimmy johns deliver to this trail/drive me home?
-What time period do I belong in since I clearly don't fit in here? (Please, don't let it be the 80's.)
-Is anyone noticing I've been lip syncing this whole time? (On a scale of 1-10 how much do I care?)
-I just disrupted a mob of white butterflies. I named the solo monarch Tony Soprano.  (I've been binge watching The Sopranos to, you know, learn more about my culture.-My dad hates it when I say that, lol)
-Less hills, more cowbell please.


Where is the prettiest place you've ran in/traveled to and run?  Do you have weird thoughts when you get bored during your long runs? Comment below, and make me feel better.

Restaurant Review: Juice RX, my opinions on eating raw and cleanses

Hi all!  Last week, my running group and I paid a visit to Chicago's Old Town location for Juice RX for our discovery run.  We ran to the establishment and ran back.  When I looked up the company ahead of time to see what it was about, the website did not do it justice.  It seemed purely like a cleanse establishment, so I was a little weary.  As soon as I walked in the door, I knew that this place had SO much more to offer.

Dean and Johnny had samples ready for us to try as soon as we arrived, and everything I tried was great.  They were so friendly and welcoming that I recommend stopping in if you need to meet a friendly face alone!  Everything they offered was raw and vegan, and I love finding new places that make vegan food actually taste great (which, trust me, is not an easy feat).  They had us sample a plethora of juices, my favorite being the green juice.  Then, they had us try their kale chips in every flavor (garlic, curry, et cetera).  As you all know, I eat kale chips on the regular, and I loved theirs!  Afterwards, they had us try their pesto pasta made of kelp noodles.  It was incredible!  The garlic flavor was to die for, and you would have never guessed it was made of kelp.  I was really impressed.  Finally, they had us sample a "dessert", their chocolate pudding.  It was made of maple, coconut meat, cacao, and a few other natural, raw ingredients I cannot recall.  Overall, it was kind of like chocolate pudding 2.0.  It was extremely sweet, even though there was no added sugar (just a hint of maple), and extremely chocolate-y.  The texture was really smooth and creamy, too.  Everyone loved what they sampled in my running crew.

Some of us left with a few bottles of juice to run home with in each hand, and I,of course, ran home with vegan candy.  It was a raw "peanut butter cup".  It was actually made of almond butter encased with pure cacao, and I could not wait to try it later.  Trust me, running with this treat in my hand without just stopping to walk to eat it was harder than keeping pace with my group (I'm the slowest, lol).   (FYI- My crew is super supportive, always looks out for me, and encourages me, too.  I love showing up to each meeting because every time I leave I am happier, stronger, and pushed to be a better runner.  Thanks, CRW!).  Trust me, the "candy" did not disappoint.  It was very low sugar, just a bit of cane added to sweeten the cacao, and the almond butter was amazing on the inside.  Not only was my chocolate fix fulfilled, I felt good about what I was eating, which was the most important part.  It provided many great fats and antioxidants through a dessert, of all things!

The owner of this Juice RX, Dean, had a wonderful thing to say about eating raw.  He shared with us about how eating raw changed his life by improving his health.  In order to keep his privacy, the short version is that he was suffering from a disease, and eating raw was what worked best for him.  Pure, wholesome foods helped him the most, and he was motivated to start this store because of this.  He wants to show the public that incorporating raw foods in your diet can make a huge difference.  My favorite thing that he said was that it is all about balance, which I am all about.  Being healthy isn't about eating a straight, pure raw food diet or a straight juice cleanse.  If that is what you choose to do, great, but you do not have to to lead a healthy life.

I completely agree with this.  Allow yourself to indulge in some unhealthy choices when you crave something, but try to eat as clean as possible in the meantime.  I eat as well as I can, but the reason I eat well is because when I feel like having that cookie, going for frozen yogurt, or snatching some fries from my brother's plate, I do it.   Some things I avoid because of my stomach sensitivity, which I am working on by incorporating certain things (i.e. red meat) in small amounts every so often, but what I can do to keep my food balance, I will. 

My amazing running group posing with owner, Dean! 

Thank you for having us as your guests, Dean and Johnny! Click here if you want to visit their website.

My opinion on juicing/raw eating(just in case you don't want to hear it/aren't interested-lol):

I am not a huge fan of juice cleanses or eating only raw food as fulfilling one's diet alone, to be honest.  For those of you that are not familiar with raw foods, it means you are eating food that is not processed in any way (i.e. being heated in any way or modified through processing and additives-and yes, that means baking).  Even baking your own kale chips is not considered raw (I encourage people to incorporate greens in any way they want, though!  It does take away a few nutrients, though).  True raw kale chips are dehydrated.  Eating raw keeps all the nutrients intact and leaves food in the most basic form possible.  I think that using juices or juicing, if you are having natural juices with wholesome additives, is a great supplement to a healthy eating regimen.  I am not a fan of only drinking juice instead of eating food for an extended period of time (i.e. a week).  I personally do not endorse either, though. I've only tried the eating food part...to be honest.  I have never done a juice cleanse.  I have read a lot of literature about it, and the pros did not outweigh the cons.  I believe it is everyone's right to do what they want with their bodies, though.  If you try a juice cleanse, I think that it is important to be educated on it as much as possible, like the risks or benefits.  I am not saying one way is better than the other, nor am I saying anyone should try a juice cleanse or not.  I am just stating my personal stance on it.  If I were to try juicing, I would balance it with wholesome and clean foods to supplement it.  

Fitness: 5 Ways to Entertain Yourself During Long Runs/Long Workouts

I used to literally keep awake at night dreading the long run ahead of me in the morning.  Believe me, I love running.  BUT.  I can admit that long runs suck.  They take out a huge chunk of your day, you chaff, bleed possibly, you're bored throughout the whole thing, and you're overtired the rest of the day.  They really do suck sometimes. 

What I won't admit is that the results and experiences I have had after doing long runs (even when I am not training) are awesome.  I have actually grown to have a love-hate relationship with them.  The hate part is listed above, but I will talk about the love part that I developed over time.  I feel so accomplished afterwards.  I feel like I overcame a challenge, which I set for myself.  This is the type of thing that means that if you fail and cannot finish, no one is let down.  No one is counting on you.  It is just you and your body involved, nobody else.  I love the fact that I can choose to challenge myself and push myself in ways that are appropriate for me. 

There are some things that I have made up to entertain myself during long runs that I actually look forward to now that I don't dread long runs.  I wanted to share them with you because it could help change your outlook on long workouts too! 

Here are 5 things that entertain me during long runs

• Podcasts
• I love listening to podcasts during long runs.  I feel like they are really underrated.  I have only indulged in a few, but Serial had me hooked for awhile.  Now, I'm listening to Conversation Parade, which is about a cartoon I watch (I'm mature I swear) called Adventuretime.  It's hysterical.  There are so many types to choose from.  Plus, they're free, which is a bonus.
• Audiobooks
• Not only do you get to become a more intelligent human being through literature, you get to be distracted by a good story and all the work of reading is done by somebody else!   It's awesome.  I've listened to the Hunger Games, Divergent, Devil in the White City, etc, for instance. 

•  Make a game for yourself/take in your surroundings
• People watching, if you're outside in a popular running area, is awesome.  If you're in a not popular area, you tend to think of stupid games a lot involving how many janky cars just passed you, how many times someone honks at you (I'm still not sure why they do this-is it a motivational thing?), or when you pass roadkill you keep a count. Yep, I actually did that when I trained for the Chicago Marathon in the suburbs. Both gross and sad. Obviously, the suburbs was not my ideal training grounds, but you do what you have to do!

•  Use your music!
• For each mile, choose 1 artist.  I love doing this.  It makes me look forward to finishing up the mile, and I forget that I am trying to get to a certain distance.  Also, look into your old music and throw it on your ipod.  It makes you nostalgic and excited when you hear that song when it comes up on shuffle.  It's kind of sad how excited I got when some MJ popped up. 

•   Join a group/grab a running buddy/call someone
• Making this a social event makes it all the better.  Maybe you all could go out to eat afterwards or grab a coffee.  If you cannot find a buddy, call a friend to catch up when you're hitting those struggle miles!  I have done this so many times because there are so many people I want to catch up with from home, and I get excited about talking to them and forget about what I am doing.  Running groups are sometimes hard to find, but if you're in the city they have a great selection!  Ask your local running store or google some.  Start your own if you have to!  Grabbing a buddy can also be a great option.  If they don't like running or whatever you're doing, maybe have them bike next to you!  It's a great way to be held accountable for your runs, and it can be really fun.

Well!  These are some tips I have for you.  Do you have any things that keep you motivated during your toughest workouts? Comment below!

My Runner's World Entry!

Hi all!  I hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend!

I entered a post for the cover competition for Runner's World.  I hope you like my story.  It was a little difficult to write at first, but I felt that everyone has their struggles, and using the times that we overcome our battles and move forward to inspire others is a great way to make our negatives into positives!  I also wanted to share a little bit about how important it is to be active in finding your own solutions/overcoming the things that hold us back instead of allowing it to define us.  Part of my solution to my own struggles involves keeping active, especially through running, but there are so many ways that people can find their own version of strength through something that fits their personality and interests.  It is all about putting yourself out there, trying new things, and working towards making yourself feel and become better.

So! If you like my story, vote for me(: but I also encourage you all to check out the other posts!  Everything I have read has been truly motivating as a runner and as a human being.  I love seeing the different gifts that one sport has given to so many different people.

Click here to view my entry!

#makingstrongstrides #1380 #RWcoversearch