My informal guide to protein bars

Last night I went out with a friend from yoga to catch up, and she had asked for my opinion on a few things. Our discussion led to protein bars - which ones are worth buying, when to eat them, and so on. She said she felt completely overwhelmed walking into a store and seeing the selection of various bars and had no idea which ones to buy. After we talked, she joked that I should write a blog post on protein bars for her reference. Well, here you go.

First of all, I just cannot imagine replacing an entire meal with a protein shake or a protein bar. I always have to supplement it with something else, whether it's a side of veggies, some whole grain cereal or chip, or fruit, depending on the size and macros of the bar.

My general rules for protein bars are this:

1. High fat and/or quick release carbs pre-workout

2. Low to moderate fat and high protein post-workout

Pre-workout:

Mmmm, pie

Larabars are some of the simplest, most natural nutrition bars that are widely available. I love that the ingredient lists are typically short, including fruit, nuts, and spices. Every flavor I've tried does a pretty good job of mimicking the taste of what the label says, especially apple pie and peanut butter & jelly.

I really enjoy Larabars, though I rarely eat them, especially during warmer months. They get sticky and melty in the heat...not my thing.

Kind bars

Kind bars have a huge variety of bars to suit individual needs and taste buds. My favorite line of Kind bars are the Nuts & Spices lower sugar bars. The sea salt dark chocolate is SO DELICIOUS. Any of their bars are perfect for pre-workout because of the natural sugars (especially in the fruit & nut line), higher fat content for satiety, and moderate protein. Again, simple, whole food ingredients.

I am intrigued by their new line of savory, higher-protein bars, Strong & Kind. I just don't know how I feel about a nut bar flavored like thai sweet chili. I'm also about savory/spicy, but it's just so odd to me.

I feel like I should also mention that Kind granola is bomb.

ThinkThin crunch

ThinkThin Crunch Mixed nut bars fall under the same guidelines as Kind bars for me. The coconut chocolate is definitely my #1 choice in this line.

Post-workout:

Photo borrowed from here

ThinkThin bars aren't the most "natural" bars, but I like them a lot. Great flavors that taste like candy bars, and are especially yummy frozen in the summer or after hot yoga. With 20g of protein and no sugar in their high-protein line of bars (with chocolate covered strawberry as the exception with 15g protein), these bars are great for a quick protein boost and muscle repair.

ThinkThin has changed some of the flavors and added a couple of new lines, including a candy bar line and a protein & fiber bar. I won't lie, I'm dying to try some of the flavors in the protein & fiber line, like the chocolate peanut butter toffee and chocolate almond coconut. I've yet to find these in stores though :(

Of their original line, creamy peanut butter will forever have my heart. And I'm missing the lemon cream pie bars. Why, ThinkThin, did you discontinue this flavor?!

QUEST BARS ♥  

Quest bars are hands-down my absolute favorite protein bars. Ever. Yeah, yeah, yeah, another blog post raving about how delicious Quest bars are. Do you think Quest is getting tired of it? Doubt it. Therefore, I feel no guilt. The nutrition stats are fantastic: 19-21g of protein per bar, 5-10g of fat, high fiber, and 1-4g of sugar in any given bar. I love that the fat and calorie content varies in each bar based on nutrition needs. Some days I have trouble meeting my fat intake goals, so a peanut butter & jelly Quest bar gives me that little extra edge with 200 calories and 10g of fat as opposed to 160 calories and 5g of fat in the chocolate peanut butter. I also like that some flavors are sweetened with stevia.

I could eat these things every day. There is such a wide variety of flavors and I love them all. My absolute favorite so far are the coconut cashew, cookie dough, and white chocolate raspberry (my enjoyment of which was a true underdog story, I really had low expectations for this flavor).

Most bars need to be heated up a bit in the microwave to bring out the true dessert-like quality of these bars...sitting out by my mat during hot yoga also does the trick.

I have yet to try the cookies & cream bar, vanilla almond bar, and the Quest cravings cups. They need to get in my belly ASAP. A quest for Quest may be in order soon.

My friend mentioned that she started eating Clif bars, which, in my personal opinion, are sugar bombs. Yes, they are made with some decent ingredients, but the sugar content is out of control for what I would consider a snack. The only time I could see myself eating a Clif bar is during a lengthy hike or bike ride that requires quick-releasing carbs and protein for energy and muscle repair. Since I neither hike nor bike, Clif bars have no place in my snack box.

Thanks for the visual, Sugar Stacks.

Disclaimer: I am not a nutrition expert by any means. These are my personal opinions based on my taste preference and what makes me feel satiated and energized. If you enjoy Clif bars as meal replacements, more power to you. It's just not my thing. If you think protein bars and powders are a waste of money and an unnatural source of protein, I'm not saying you're wrong. I just happen to enjoy protein bars and powders for convenience and as a way to have a sweet treat without all the sugar and to get a protein boost.

Pre-weekend Happenings: The Grange and a Smart TV

I love when spontaneity acts in my favor.

Case in point, Thursday night. I had made plans with a co-worker to hang after work at our usual spot, the Thirsty Beaver, but when she went home with a migraine, I texted a friend and suggested we go out that night. I'm usually really bad at coming up with new places to check out, even though there are a million places I want to try (I really should start keeping a list), but I suggested we grab drinks at The Grange in Providence. 

Fast forward to 8:30pm. We park in front of this:

Weirdest store front display I've ever encountered. Napoleon Dynamite status.

We waited for a seat at the bar and asked the bartender what he suggested off of their drink menu. We were a little indecisive, but decided on some drinks...somehow he managed to make us both the wrong drinks. Go figure. But it was a pleasant mistake, I'd say. I ended up with the Holy Smokes (left), a mezcal-based cocktail with basil and a smoky aftertaste. It was mind-blowing. My friend got the Adonis, made with bourbon, Pama pomegranate liqueur, and a slew of other alcohols. It was really strong, but had a good flavor. The best part? The drinks were mixed in a beaker, it was like watching a mad scientist work.

The place was adorable. There were swings by the windows and a little lounge area, a dining area for the restaurant, the bar, and it looked like there was a bakery section with a display case to the right of the bar that might be open during the day. I loved the vibe.

My friend ordered the quinoa dish with butternut squash, avocado, and lettuce. Delicious. The Grange is owned by the same people who run the Garden Grille so we expected nothing less. 

We opted to stay for a second round of drinks, something I don't typically do since I'm a lightweight, but we just weren't ready to leave and I'm trying to embrace my 20s. I had a tequila-based cocktail with various citrus notes and orange oil; Kristen ordered an apple cider cocktail served with a dried apple chip. Again, both were amazing. 

Gotta give The Grange a solid 9/10. A little pricy but so worth it for the experience. I'll definitely be back!

Sancho Panza (left) and Helen of Troy

Good thinking on having a hearty breakfast-for-dinner before I consumed all of that alcohol: Bob's Red Mill Scottish Oatmeal with 1/2 scoop of Designer Whey Sustained Energy vanilla protein powder and 1T dry butterscotch sugar-free Jello Pudding mix.

+ 

I love the texture of Scottish oatmeal, especially when you add in the pudding mix. Dessert without the sugar.

Time felt like it was standing still throughout my entire workday on Friday. This long weekend is going to feel so good. I already started it off on a good foot last night when I made out like a bandit at JC Penney. Colored tights on clearance for under $3 a pair! Plus two unpictured fitness tops for $5 each and an adorable pair of workout capris. I rang up at $34 for it all, but the cashier gave me a random $10 off. Steals.

We ended up buying a new "Smart" TV for the basement with built-in wifi and all that jazz, so I spent the rest of the night with my sisters assembling the TV stand and setting up the TV while my mom watched, glass of wine in hand. She claims she helped. Whatever helps you sleep at night, Mom ;)

My snack before said TV assembly. Weird, but so good.

Pictured above is a typical snack when I know I need to take in a little more fat and protein at the end of the day and when I'm blessed to have a near-empty jar of peanut butter. I was especially fortunate this time to have Peanut Butter & Co White Chocolate Wonderful <3. 

Basically I use 1/2 cup of egg whites and 1.5 T dark chocolate cocoa powder with a little chocolate stevia to taste. Mix it all up in a large microwave safe bowl until it's combined and microwave on high for 90-120 seconds. Then I break up my little chocolate egg white puff and scoop it into the nut butter jar, seal it up, give it a shake to melt all the peanut butter into the egg whites and enjoy straight from the jar with a spoon. Damn right I make sure to scrape every last bit of peanut butter out of that jar.

We took advantage of the WiFi to watch this hilarious Jimmy Kimmel segment where celebrities read mean tweets about themselves, then segwayed into Zach Galifinakis' Between Two Ferns videos. I also enjoyed a glass of Redvolution red wine. Don't hate on BotaBox.

I'll leave you with some LOLs, courtesy of Jimmy Kimmel:

P.S. Apologies for the long-winded post, but it's been an eventful past few days! 

Sunday on a Saturday

Unmotivated. 

I was completed unmotivated to do anything today. 

After 700 abs in yoga this morning, I negated all that hard work with eating an entire jar (and a half, let's be honest) of salsa and probably close to an entire bag of blue corn Food Should Taste Good tortilla chips. 

Damn you for being so tasty and addicting!

I did the grocery shopping at BJ's and Stop and Shop, then came home to do absolutely nothing. I think my mind is trying to compensate for my loss of a Sunday since I'm DJing that party tomorrow night from 5pm-11pm. I needed to catch up on my favorite TV shows / TV crushes anyway.

So I figured, why not share some of my favorite fall TV shows at the moment?

What's not to love about New Girl? This show is hilarious awkward, and Buzzfeed is always blowing up with New Girl posts to back my opinion up. 

Case in point: http://www.buzzfeed.com/erinchack/most-relatable-schmidt-quotes

Yes, Schimdt has been my favorite since day 1, but Winston is really coming into his own this season.

Elementary. Who doesn't love a quirky detective with gorgeous eyes? I have to admit, a good part of my love for this show is inspired by my crush on Jonny Lee Miller.

I never thought I'd like Nashville. I wasn't into country music and I wasn't crazy about Hayden Panettiere in a lead role, but I have to say I'm completely changed my opinion. The acting is amazing and now I'm a country music devotee. Go figure. Sam Palladio as Gunnar Scott is the sexy icing on the Nashville cake, I must say:

My lord, he is gorgeous

By far my favorite new comedy this season is Brooklyn Nine Nine. I love Andy Samberg. His sense of humor makes him so attractive. 

Some of my other favorite Fall TV shows include The Mindy Project (I can't get enough of Morgan the nurse, he kills me), Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, American Horror Story, Meet the Goldbergs, and Top Chef. I tend to let shows pile up on my DVR and marathon them over weekends or at night after work and yoga. I always seem to be behind, but that will probably change as the weather gets colder and I go into hibernation mode. 

Turning the clocks back tonight and crying to myself because winter is just around the corner. I'm not ready for a high in the 40s tomorrow.

Vacation Success and Dreading Monday

To say this random week off from work went as I expected it to could not be farther from the truth. When work stress was at its peak in August, I wasn't able to take time off with the excessive amount of paperwork that was due and over-involvement of insane family members, so I opted to request the week of my birthday off. With no set plans, I anticipated a boring, albeit much needed mental health week, consisting of waking up to only sit around on my couch with a laptop and Hulu Plus. Not so.

Instead, I had one of the most amazing weeks of my life in recent years. It was really just about the positive energy I felt this week from every person I interacted with, with every place I visited, the beautiful fall weather, and coming to peace with some parts of myself (even if that last one proves only to be temporary). It's been a long time since things aligned themselves so perfectly, and I couldn't be happier.

Thursday night's experience at the piano bar was a blast. Half price drinks, no cover, and we actually got to see the dueling piano show...way better than my first experience on a Saturday night. In fact, we had so much fun that we may go again next Thursday for the Halloween costume competition.

I drove up to Boston on Friday to meet up with a college friend/roommate and to have lunch with my favorite professor/my idol. (Apparently I only make such trips for people who have earned two titles in my mind, lol). I hadn't seen either since graduating in 2011, so amazing does not even begin to describe my visit. Steph and I spent two hours catching up at a Starbucks by Fenway...we both agreed we can't leave two years between our next rendezvous.

I went for a late lunch with Dr. Mary Elizabeth Pope, who taught most of the writing classes I completed in my final two years at Emmanuel. I am giving her full name because she just published her first book (!!!) titled Divining Venus. It's a collection of short stories about women and relationships, and it is available on Amazon.com. She is an unbelievably talented author and I cannot wait to read it. We attempted to have lunch at the Isabella Gardner Museum cafe, but with an hour and a half wait, we walked about a mile down Huntington Ave to Penguin Pizza per the museum's recommendation. Kind of a dumpy little place, but the service was great and the food was good; the company was even better, and that's all that mattered. Sorry about the lack of pictures, but I was too caught up in conversation to whip out my iphone and make things awkward.

When we parted ways, I had some time to waste to avoid rush hour traffic, so I took a walk to a few of my old favorite local haunts: Trader Joe's and Brookline Booksmith. It was so hard to keep from buying everything I saw. The last things I need right now are food and used books, I already have quite the collection to burn through. My (de)motivation was the mile walk back to school and the thought of carrying heavy bags. While I was in Trader Joe's, a woman randomly stopped me to comment on how stunning my haircut was and literally thanked me for walking past her because she found it that fascinating. Thanks for the compliment, lady, but chill. By the time I drove back home, I was exhausted and opted to stay in, catching up on DVR-ed TV with my mom and a glass of wine.

Saturday morning ritual of back-to-back yoga fusion and vinyasa yoga, my favorite way to kick off the weekend. I did some grocery shopping in the afternoon and out for almost-day drinks at 4:30 with two of my oldest friends. Who am I to argue when my friends are taking me out for a late birthday treat? We went to Murphy's Law, which is a pretty cool bar/restaurant with pour-your-own-draft tables. Insert lots of reminiscing, new memories, and quality conversation.

Sunday morning means two more hours of yoga first thing after waking up. I was a little sore from yesterday and class was tough today, I'm definitely going to be feeling it tomorrow. Stuffed my face when I got home, then off to Providence Place Mall. I scored a cute striped top from Banana Republic for $10 and a $17.50 dress at Francesca's for the Gatsby-themed 16th birthday party I have to DJ next Sunday night. Borderline thievery, I ain't mad.

Dinner tonight was a stand-by, effortless crockpot meal. White bean turkey chili.

Ingredients:

• 1lb lean ground turkey (I use 93% lean)
• Three 15oz cans of cannellini beans, undrained
• One 28oz can of crushed tomatoes 
• 8-16oz chicken broth (depending on how thick you like your chili)
• one yellow onion, roughly chopped or diced
• chopped green chiles or jalapenos, optional
• chopped garlic, to taste
• black pepper, chili powder, cumin, paprika, dried cilantro, to taste

Add all ingredients to a crock pot and stir to combine. Set on low for 8 hours, stirring occasionally. Thicken with a little guar gum or gluten-free/wheat flour if needed. 

Substitutions can easily be made depending on what's on hand. Today I used two cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes instead of the large can of crushed and it came out fine. I like to eat mine from a giant coffee mug, seasoned liberally with hot sauce. And always steal a few extra bites with tortilla chips when storing leftovers. FYI, this makes a huge batch of chili and it freezes really well.

Currently, I'm snuggled up on my couch and watching TV after snacking on the remnants of Jif Whipped peanut butter mixed with some light Cool Whip, frozen. Totally processed and unhealthy, but I needed the extra fat and wanted something sweet. All in an effort to continuously increase my calorie intake. My mom pointed out that my sister is Barry from Meet the Goldbergs. If you don't know my sister and you watch that show, well now you do. 

Tomorrow marks the return to my mundane schedule, so posts will probably become more frequent and less eventful.