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?

Meal prep: Major Key. (Side not, please follow DJ Khaled on Snap Chat if you're not already.) If you have close to zero time throughout the work week to cook, I have a few tips and ideas for you to make it a lot easier to eat healthy when time gets away from you!  I usually prep a few snacks, proteins and carbs to have throughout the week, but this weekend and last I've been really trying to make it easier on myself through the week and spend a couple hours on Sunday preparing healthy, wholesome foods that I can just grab and go in the morning. 

After I ran my first half in October, I kind of took it easy throughout the holidays and hit a little "slump," if you will, with my health and fitness goals. I never really set very specific goals because I've always had a very "go with the flow" attitude toward my health and fitness. I do what feels good and I eat what tastes good while making sure I'm still eating healthy for the majority of the time. The start of 2016 gave me some different kind of motivation that I've not felt before. I'm holding myself accountable right now and  I'm starting Jamie Eason's LiveFit training program. It's 12 weeks of workouts and clean eating and I'm totally ready for a challenge and to hold myself to it! I did Phase 1 of Jaime's program during my sophomore year of college and it's what fueled my love of weight training and kind of taught me the benefits of lifting - especially for women! 

I swear I have commitment issues when it comes to sticking to a plan! But following through with running 13.1 miles showed me that I CAN, I just need to DO. If anyone has done the LiveFit program before, have you seen results? Any tips? I'm excited to have a more specific plan to follow and also curious to see if it can kick my chocolate addiction even a little bit ;) Of course I'll still relax on the weekends and enjoy indulgences, but I'm going to try my hardest to stick to the plan during the week. 

Yesterday consisted of lots of cooking ahead and I know it's going to make things SO much easier this week! So I wanted to share what I made to give you guys some ideas! 

Turkey & Chicken Muffins

I adapted this recipe from Jamie Eason's - I just used one pound of turkey and one pound of chicken and added some different seasonings. 

I'll eat these for snacks! They're delicious - like little mini meat loafs. 

Sweet Potatoes

I prepared sweet potato portions for the week, about 4-6 ounces each. These will be great to have to bring for my lunch and for dinners! So easy. Just poke some holes in the taters with a fork, wrap in tin foil and bake at 375 for about 45 minutes. 

Brown Rice

I made a batch of brown rice in addition to sweet potatoes to switch up the carbs. Sadly there's no cookies in this holiday cookie tin...

Carrot Cake Protein Bars

These came out GREAT!! This is another one of Jamie Eason's recipes and I can't wait to make these again. I can already tell they will be a staple snack before or after workouts. I added some chopped pecans for some crunch. 

Chopped Veggies & Salad Greens:

I didn't snap any pics, but I chopped up some onion, olives, peppers and tomato so that I can easily throw it onto my salads for lunch!

I'll report back at the end of the week to let you know how everything holds up! 

Happy Monday!

XO - Rach

Do you do any meal prep for the week? 

What's your favorite food to make ahead of time?

Have you ever thought of trying out a workout and meal plan?

These Gluten Free Sweet Potato Apple Muffins are the perfect snack before a workout, a healthy desert or even a quick bite to add for your breakfast! Made with only wholesome ingredients - sweet potato, apples, coconut oil & walnuts, they will satisfy your sweet tooth and give you a nice boost of energy!

I needed some serious baking therapy on Thursday night but I had very little ingredients in my apartment. Sometimes this is the best time to come up with new recipes because it forces you to get really creative with what you have on hand! And it's definitely the cheapest way to bake.

[yumprint-recipe id='7']