Baked Apple Smoothie

Happy Friday my friends!
Today is April Fool’s day, and honestly I have never really been a big fan of the day.  Most of the jokes I have experienced have not been that funny.  So today I have something a little different for y’all today!  A delicious recipe with a surprise ingredient that until this week I would have never thought to use in a recipe.
Thanks to my partnership with Fit Approach I have been able to try several different Manitoba Hemp Hearts.  This time I received a few of their new Hemp Heart Bars to try! Can we say yes please!!  I have been a fan of Manitoba Harvest products since I first tried them a few years ago!  These bars are no exception! The bars come in 3 flavors: vanilla, chocolate and apple cinnamon. The bars contains 10 grams of plant-based protein and 10 grams of omegas.  Sounds pretty good right?  On top of that, they taste really great too!  I was able to taste the chocolate and apple cinnamon one, but I am sure the vanilla one is equally yummy!

I enjoyed the chocolate one on a super busy day, and it kept me fueled up and going!  The apple cinnamon one I used as my secret ingredient for the recipe I am sharing today!  I really don’t know how I got the idea, because I have never thought about using a bar in a smoothie before, but it seemed to work well 🙂  It even came out tasting like a dessert, but with a healthy vibe to it 🙂

A little bonus from Manitoba Harvest! If you use discount code hhbarlaunch1015  from now till April 31, 2016, will get you 15% off!
They are also running a photo contest (oh yeah, fun fun) for your chance to win a free box of Hemp Heart Bars. Enter today for your chance to win this month!
Contest details:

Tag @manitobaharvest and use the hashtag #fuelledbyhemp to be automatically entered to WIN your favorite hemp food product each month. You may also be featured on our social steam below. Good luck! Please note – Our monthly draw is open to anyone submitting photos that is over the age of 18, residing in either Canada or the United States and that does not work for Manitoba Harvest (currently or previously). No purchase necessary.

I am linking up with Farrah from Fairyburger, Annmarie from the Fit Foodie Mama, and Jess from Hello to Fit for our surprise ingredient themed week!

Baked Apple Smoothie
Ingredients

Baked Apple

• 3 organic apples, washed, peeled and cut into semi-this slices
• 2 TBS clarified butter
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 TBS organic brown sugar

Smoothie

• 1 baked apple
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla milk
• 1/2 apple cinnamon Hemp Heart bar
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• Sprinkle of cinnamon
• dollop of whipped cream (optional)

Directions

Baked Apples

1. Pre-heat oven to 350* & line a baking sheet with foil
2. Place prepped apples in a large bowl
3. Add in butter and spices
4. Spread evenly on baking sheet
5. Bake for 40ish min, or until apples are soft
6. Enjoy in a smoothie (or in oatmeal or alone 😉 )

Smoothie

1. Place apple and milk in blender and mix very well.
2. Add in Hemp Heart bar and blend again very well.
3. Mix in protein powder.
4. Enjoy with a dollop of whipped cream and/or cinnamon sprinkled on top!

Make sure you check out all the amazing ladies and their awesome mouthwatering recipes!!

• Farrah | blog | instagram | pinterest | twitter | bloglovin’
• Annmarie | blog | facebook | instagram | pinterest | twitter | bloglovin’
• Jess | blog | facebook | instagram | pinterest | twitter | bloglovin‘
• Esther | blog | facebook | instagram | pinterest | twitter | bloglovin’

Do you have an awesome recipe you’d love to share? Link up with us on Fridays for our weekly Foodie Friday posts! (Co-hosted by Annmarie, Farrah, Esther + Jess.)

• Please link back to the co-hosts, and comment/share at least a couple other Foodie Friday posts! Don’t just leave your link and run away! :O
• Please only link up recipe posts!
• Join us next week for some ‘In Your State’ themed recipes!

Be filled with joy and health!

MightyNut Review and Giveaway!

It is Wednesday!  Yay! That means it is almost the weekend! Lately my weekends have been pretty busy, so I have been doing a bit of food prep during the week.  My experiments in the kitchen lately have been turning out pretty delicious!
One of my favorite peanut butter brands, Peanut Butter & Co just launched a new item, powdered peanut butter! Thanks to my awesome partnership with FIt Approach & Sweat Pink, I was sent some MightyNut to review!
As always, I am thankful for the opportunity to review items and receive compensation for my work.  All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own!

I am sure you have seen other powdered peanut butters out on the market.  I have seen and used different ones so I knew I was already a fan of them.  Getting to try Mighty Nut was a really great experience.  Not only was the flavor great in the 2 choices I tried, but it forced me out of my comfort zone to get creative with the product!

Mighty nut comes in 4 awesome flavors!

I chose to try the original and the flax & chia flavors!  I love that it came with a little scoop!

Coming up with a recipe was my next challenge!  I made a super simple one for a quick on the go drink or post-workout drink.

Mighty Nut peanut butter & vanilla shake

• 1 scoop of the chia & flax Mighty Nut
• 1 scoop your choice vanilla protein poweder (I used Young living vanilla spice)
• 1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk.

I added the ingredients and shook it in my blender cup and 1 min later I had one of the best shakes I have ever made!  Wow! I did not want to be finished drinking it!

I also wanted to experiment with the original Mighty Nut! Oh it was fun!  The Hubs was really happy to be my test taster over the last 2 weeks!  He especially enjoyed the peanut butter cakes that I made with a recipe from A Whisk and Two Wands!
This recipe was inspired by my love for Thai food but wanting to make my own meals at home vs always getting take out!

Thai Peanut Chicken Wraps!
Ingredients

Marinade

• 1/2 cup sesame oil
• 1/2 cup tamari (can use soy sauce too)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 lbs chicken, cut into cubes

• 1 TBS sesame oil for cooking
• Sesame seeds for garnish
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 head of red leaf lettuce (or another lettuce of your choice)

Peanut sauce (you might need to play around with the ingredients till you find the right taste for you.  This ended up with the peanut taste and a little tangy and sweet at the same time)

• 3-3 1/2 TBS powdered peanut butter
• 4 TBS sesame oil
• 4 TBS tamari
• 2 TBS brown sugar

Directions

1. Mix the marinade ingredients together.
2. Place the chicken in the marinade for at least 30 min in the fridge.
3. Mix the peanut sauce together while the chicken marinades.
4. Add sesame oil to frying pan and add in the chicken
5. Cook the chicken for about 10-12 min till it is no longer pink on the inside (I take the largest chunk and cut it in half to test)
6. Once chicken is fully cooked, place it in a food processor or blender.  Pulse it until the chicken is shredded.
7. Cook the red pepper in 1 tsp of the finished peanut sauce.
8. Add all ingredients to a lettuce wrap, garnish with sesame seeds if desired.

I also took the leftovers and made a salad! SO good either way!

And now an even more fun part, YOU can win a jar of Mighty Nut along with the adorable scooper!!  Click below to enter!!! Contest will end on Sunday, November 1 at midnight EST!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Giveaway restrictions:

• U.S. only
• One prize per person. If your winner has already won through another SPA’s giveaway, we will ask you to select another winner. We suggest including this disclosure in your post:

One prize per person. If you win this giveaway, and have already won another prize from Mighty Nut through another blog, please disclose that you have already won so we can choose another winner.

Good luck!
Have a healthy and happy day!

UP4 Probiotic Review

Hello all!  Get ready, there will be a few posts coming your way today!  First I want to share with you about an awesome product I have been using the past few weeks.

{Disclaimer:  I was given Up4 Probiotics in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given.  All thoughts, opinions and humor are my own.  I am always thankful for any and all support I receive for Chocolate Runner Girl!}

Soon after I posted my Bulu Box Review last month I was contacted by UAS Life Sciences to try even more of their probiotics out!  I was all about that!  I love me some good probiotics!
Let me rewind.  Since my high school days I have struggled on and off with tummy issues.  I was never diagnosed with anything specific, so I did some experimenting on my own with different foods to try and find relief.  When I was in college it was finally discovered that I had some food allergies!  Knowing what I was allergic to was huge!  It took some time but I was able to reduce my stomach issues by staying away from the foods I was allergic to! I mean, no-brainer right?  Even with all the changes I was still having issues on and off.  It was a bit frustrating.  It is no secret that life with stress, traveling, not always stellar eating habits cause issues with our digestive systems. After a few years of trying even more products/cleanses/detoxes/etc, I stumbled upon probiotics.  They were a HUGE help with all my internal digestive issues!

What is a probiotic?  Great question.  It bacteria.  Not just any bacteria, but happy bacteria that helps to keep your insides happy! If you suffer or struggle with digestive issues then a probiotic just might be what you need to find some relief!

Over the past few years I used different brands here and there.  When I am consistent with them, I do see changes in my digestive system, but it always felt like something was still a little off!
When I was given the chance to try out UP4 I was excited! I had tried a small sample that was in my Bulu Box and just using them for a few days I could tell a huge difference in my tummy! Such a relief!

What is it that sets UP4 apart than other probiotics I have tried?

• UAS Life Sciences has been making probiotics, and only probiotics since 1979! They are experts!
• They come in a handy little cube that you can just gobble up!  I HATE swallowing pills, and pills usually make me nauseous, so these are so much better for me.  I don’t dread taking them!
• The flavor is pretty mild!  Just don’t eat it right after brushing your teeth! (Not that I have any experience with that…haha)
• UP4 brand doesn’t have to be stored in the fridge! (However, they do recommend storing them in temps that are less than 70* F).
• They are very potent, so a small cube gets you what you need each day!
• Sugar free, gluten free, low calorie, non-gmo, non-dairy and vegan.
• Loaded with CFU- colony forming units! A container of yogurt has about 1 billion CFUs.  An adult cube has the recommended 3 billion CFUs!
• A wide variety of formulas to meet every person’s needs (kids, adults, seniors, athletes, heart health, etc). You can see here for all the option

As you can see, you can’t really go wrong with taking UP4 Probiotics!!
And because y’all are so awesome, UAS Life Sciences has provided a way for you to receive a free sample!!!  Just click here!  Then you can be as cool as I am 😉

Let me know if you try it and what you think!!!

Love Freekeh Review and Giveaway!

Hello friends!  Happy Wednesday!  Today I have a fun review & giveaway to share with y’all!  Thanks to my awesome ambassadorship with Fit Approach, I was sent some Freekeh and tried it out!
{Disclaimer: I was sent the Freekeh for free in exchange for a review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own!}
If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen me post lately about some meals I have enjoyed with some Freekeh!

 

You may be asking yourself, what IS Freekeh???  Well, Freekeh is an ancient grain first discovered in the Middle East roughly 2,000 years ago!  It comes from the top of green wheat and then is roasted.  It reminds me a little of quinoa or really fluffy rice.

Freekeh Foods comes in 3 flavors.  I was able to try the original and the rosemary sage.  They also have one more flavor, Tamari, which I would love to try one of these days! Besides Freekeh tasting so great, it is packed with fiber and protein, and this brand is organic and non-GMO! So winning in many areas!

Over the past few weeks I have toyed around with Freekeh in my kitchen and made some yummy meals with both the original and the rosemary sage flavors.  Here are a few things I came up with:

Freekeh Apple Crisp!

Freekeh in a smoothie bowl

Freekeh stir fry

Freekeh in taco salad

Freekeh with rosemary chicken and roasted brussles sprouts!

Wow!  I am drooling again looking at these pictures!  As you can see, Freekeh is very versatile and can be used in many different recipes!
Have you ever tried Freekeh? What ideas do you have for a recipe??
Would you want to try some Freekeh AND a cookbook full of awesome recipes?  Well, here is your chance!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Make sure you click on the link to enter the giveaway!  It will end at midnight CST on Friday, Sept 11, so enter now!

Have a healthy & happy day!

Avoid overeating by eating a MealEnder!

My partnership with Fit Approach gives me some really cool opportunities.  Recently I was invited to try Mealenders.  Mealenders appealed to me for many different reasons! They combine action from the body and the brain and can be an aid used to avoid overeating!
As a strong advocate of healthy eating and eating disorder recovery, mindful eating and listening to your body are things I try to practice in my everyday life!  Of course there are times when I have treats, but on most days, those are not something my body needs, even if I feel I am craving them.

Enter MealEnders!  I was stoked to receive each of the 4 flavors that MealEnders come in.
Chocolate mint, cinnamon, citrus, and mocha!  I love how there are flavors that would seem to appeal to most people.  Of course as Chocolate Runner Girl, the chocolate were my favorite, but I did enjoy the variety of flavors!

How they work!
MealEnders are a small lozenge that has 2 layers to it.  The outside layer honestly tastes like a dessert to me, and then the inside layer is a cool tingle layer that sends a signal to the brain that says meal time is over.  The inner layer is what they call the “Inner Core’s Active-Taste Layer.” It activates the trigeminal nerve.  Well what is the trigeminal nerve you ask? Don’t worry, I asked myself the same question.  Thanks to this helpful information I now know!

“Trigeminal nerve: The fifth cranial nerve; responsible for sensation in the face and certain motor functions such as biting and chewing. It sends sensory information from the face and body to the brain for processing. Chemicals from foods stimulate the trigeminal nerve endings in the mouth. Together with taste (sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami), and smell, the trigeminal nerve contributes to the overall flavor of foods. Trigeminal nerve endings in the oral cavity and tongue are stimulated by pungent foods such as chili pepper or peppermint resulting in the sensation of hot, cool or tingle.” (From MealEnders.com)

It takes about 20 min for the lozenge to dissolve in your mouth, which is the amount of time it takes for your mind to get a clue that you are full!  How brilliant is that?  🙂
It has been the perfect little ‘treat’ after meals to keep me in check about my food choices.

I really LOVE this visual that MealEnders has on their site!  Go check it out 🙂

One other thing that really appealed to me is that they are low in sugar, no added stimulants, gluten free and kosher!

And because MealEnders is so fabulous, you my lovely readers have the chance to win a prize package with all 4 flavors!  Enter the giveaway below!!  The giveaway will end on 3/27/15 at 11:59pm CST, so enter now!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Best wishes to everyone 🙂

Ps, Everyone is a Winner with MealEnders Exclusive MealEnders Discount!
 
MealEnders wants to put an end to overeating and believes the more people its 15-calorie signaling lozenges can help, the better!  So for two weeks, all “runners up” of the giveaway will be able to buy MealEnders at 30% off.  Just enter coupon code WINNER-TOO at checkout. To place your order and learn more about the product, visit http://www.mealenders.com.

**Disclaimer** This post was sponsored by Fit Approach & MealEnders.  I received the product in exchange for my review. All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own!

2015 is an open book…

I am a planner.  I love to find a planner that is easy to use, fun, and colorful!  I know a lot of people use their phone for their calendar, but I need to write things down.  I need to see the whole picture at one time.  Sadly I have double booked myself too many times if it is not written down.  So every year I look to find a great planner.  I used one for several years and of course they stopped making them.  Ha.  I have tried a few others the past 3 years, but I still can not seem to settle on a style.  I also did not want to spend a fortune on a planner, so that made it a bit more challenging.
Back in November I participated in a little twitter chat with Sweat Pink /FitApproach and FitMob!  It was really fun to chat about our holidays and workouts all at the same time.  In the end I was honored to win a gift card to Lorna Jane!!  Right away I began plotting how I might spend the gift card 🙂  As I scrolled though the website filled with amazing workout clothes and accessories I happened upon a 2015 planner!  I was first drawn to it for it’s beautiful color and the fact that it was a hard back!  I had never had a hard back planner before and I was intrigued.   The website showed a few pictures that were simply beautiful.  I just knew this was my planner for 2015!  I put it in my shopping cart and *patiently* waited until it arrived on my doorstep!
When it arrived I was instantly drooling over each page!  From cover to cover this planner not only is organized well, but is filled with positive encouragement, recipes, fun workouts, and reminders to take great care of yourself!  Knowing myself, and how rough many parts of 2014 were, it was simply perfect!
Here are a few glimpses of the planner.  The photos do not do justice to the real beauty that is inside this planner!!


I am really stoked to fill out this section as I continue to reflect on last year and think about what is to come in 2015.

Year at a glance, month at a glace and then each week. Perfect for me and my planning mind!

Fun recipes, workouts, challenges and info 🙂
 
Beautiful pages filled with encouragement to Move, Nourish and Believe!  How can you go wrong with this?!?


I am pretty stoked already about Active Nation day!  And I won’t miss it this year since it is already in my planner!

Right now if you order $200 of full priced items they will send the planner along for FREE!
Or you can just get the planner by itself!

 

How do you plan for your weeks, months and year?

XO,
Esther
CRG

*Disclaimer* I chose this planner as part of a gift card that I won.  All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Hemp Hearts Review!

Over the past few months I have heard on and off about hemp hearts!  I really had NO idea what they really were, and was a bit nervous to try them!  The only hemp item I own is a necklace…and that did not sound appetizing!
Well, thanks to my fabulous partnership with Sweat Pink, I received a little sample from Manitoba Harvest!!! (They have a pretty awesome website where you can purchase items as well and get some great recipes!)
When my little package arrived I was so excited!  I did not really know what to do with them at first, but I decided to just added them to my normal everyday eats!

For being so tiny, these seeds have a LOT of nutritional value!  I was especially happy to learn more about how much protein they have!  I am always on the lookout for easy and natural ways to add more protein to my life!
I found out that the hemp hearts have 10g of protein per serving, while flax seeds only have 5g and chia seeds only have 4g! (This is based on an average).  Of course, I will keep eating all three items, but it is good to know for extra plant based protein!
Some cool info I found on the Manitoba Harvest Website:

Some of the benefits that I loved
* Whole, plant based protein
* Packed full of Omega 3s and 6s
* Aid in digestion and weight management
* Hemp Hearts are non-gmo
* Beneficial for overall health!

A few ways I tried hemp hearts!

Egg salad with veggies, smoothie, guacamole and with yogurt & granola!!

You want in on this??? Well now till Nov 31, 2014, you can get 20% off at Manitoba Harvest  with the code: HHSweatPink14
What are you waiting for??

Have you used hemp hearts before?? Let me know how!

XO,
Esther
-Chocolate Runner Girl-