YO! I posted a granola recipe a few days ago and then I made it again and it came out better the second time after I tweaked some things!  But first, happy Thursday! We're almost to the weekend. Almost there. I feel like this week just flew by insanely fast and last week was the total opposite. I think because last week I was just exhausted! On Saturday after work I just passed the hell out for about three hours and I feel like those three hours caught me up for the entire week ahead. Is that possible?? 

Anyway, I've been loving this granola recipe and I wanted to stress just how EASY it is to make this and other snacks to have on hand. I have a few clients at work who have been asking about nutrition lately, and the biggest thing I've noticed is that there's a general lack of knowledge about really how easy it is to meal prep a bit to avoid eating packaged shit. You guys, it's SO EASY! Just don't be lazy. Take a couple hours on Sunday and make a bunch of food. That's it. No need to get all crazy and measure out every little ounce into tupperware, just make a big batch of the foods you love so that you have them ready for the week to grab when you need! 

Meals

Carb sources: Rice and sweet potatoes. Rice takes like 15 minutes to make. Poke some sweet potatoes with holes, wrap in tin foil and bake for an hour. BAM you have healthy, already cooked complex carbs for the week! 

Protein sources: Chicken, fish, ground turkey. Bake your chickens and fishies and/or sauté a package of ground turkey. Easy! 

Veggies: Chop some raw vegetables for snacking A.K.A celery, carrots, peppers. Roast a big pan of vegetables (great combo = brussels sprouts, peppers, mushrooms) and then keep in the fridge for the week. 

Snacks

Chopped raw veggies, hard boiled eggs, homemade granola (see below :) ) , homemade protein bars or bites, fresh fruit with plain greek yogurt...the list goes on! 

So please stop spending a ton of money on fancy protein bars and high-end, organic granola when you can make it yourself. Look how delicious it looks! And it is! 

One step in making this granola is major key. When you take the granola out of the oven to cool, scatter a few chocolate chips on top. They will melt and when you mix it all up to transfer to a container, the chocolate will harden and make little chocolate clusters. MAJOR KEY. This morning I topped it on some FlapJacked protein pancakes for some crunch...

[yumprint-recipe id='22']

If you like this recipe, pin it for later! 

Happy Wednesday, friends. Today is an exciting one over here and I'm feeling very motivated. One of the reasons being that I can't stop thinking about how great Ellie Goulding and Andra Day's performance was at the Grammy's on Monday night and it totally reminded me how obsessed I am with Ellie Goulding...I mean come on, look at this British badass! #goals.  [embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BB1QN_LTfS8/?taken-by=elliegoulding[/embed]

On a more serious note, today is my last day working at Group Two Advertising. WHAT?! I will no longer be working in advertising and I am pursuing a career in fitness full time. I'm pretty psyched, people. I've learned so much from my time in the agency, but all along I've kept up my fitness jobs part time, and I came to realize that I just needed to take the leap and jump in full time.  Every day when I would get to work, there was just this little hole in my heart because I wasn't pursuing what I am truly passionate about. GOODBYE desk job! I'll chat more about this later, because I know there might be some others in the same boat, but for now, let's talk about these Peanut Butter Banana Protein Bars...

There's not many combos that can beat a little peanut butter and banana. Sure, the taste is spectacular, but aside from the taste factor, the energy that these two foods provide together are perfect for starting your day, giving you a little afternoon boost or keeping you full at night.

 These Peanut Butter Banana Protein Bars are packed with protein to keep you full and satisfy that sweet tooth. They have a dense and moist texture, much like a pound cake or corn bread. And the best part is, these are so easy to make - one bowl, one pan! 

You'll want your bananas extra ripe for this recipe - easier to mix and also adds more sweetness! 

MMM, look at that crumbly, cake-like goodness :) 

[yumprint-recipe id='16'] XO- Rach

Have you ever taken a big turn and different direction in your career?

What's your favorite post-workout snack?

What's one of your favorite food combos?

 

Good morning :) Just some #MondayMotivation for ya...I started off today by teaching a 6 a.m. spin class and now I'm waiting for the train to work! A 5 a.m. alarm every Monday morning might make ya cringe, but teaching this class is one of my favorite parts of the week. There's something about starting the week off by putting smiles on other's faces and being the reason why they get out of bed to start the day. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Find what it is you're passionate about and get after it. 

Want a healthy snack that tastes like cookie dough? Don't we all! This is a really easy no-bake protein recipe that you can throw together in just a few minutes! Each bite has 135 calories, 5 grams of protein and 9 grams of healthy fat. 

These protein bites are perfect before or after a workout - they're easy to grab on the go. There's also something about pecans that always give a dish - sweet or savory - a decadent touch. Do you agree? Maybe this it's because I worked in a fish market/dessert counter (yes fish & dessert in the same vicinity) at a restaurant all through high school and whenever I would grab a new pecan pie from the freezer, I would grab any pecan scraps that were left in the box after I sliced it. And oh my goodness - that pie was incredibly rich. Isn't it funny how different foods or smells can bring back such distinct memories?

Anyway, the pecans in this recipe do add a nice touch and complement the banana quite nicely! 

 

[yumprint-recipe id='8']Now I'm spending the rest of this lovely Sunday afternoon working on some bloggy stuff, watching football, getting some things ready for the busy week ahead and studying my ACE personal training manual book!

I hope you had a great weekend!

XO- Rach

Let's chat...

What did you do this weekend?

If you have gotten your personal trainers certification, do you have any study tips?

What's your favorite nut?

Is there a food, flavor, smell, etc. that brings up a distinct memory for you?