Carob Nummies!

Remember my Carob Nummies post from way back when?? This summer I made a big batch and shared them with the lovely ladies that call themselves The Sweaty Betties, they were instant fans of these nummy little buggers. Then a couple months ago I hung out with Aubrie and Danny-J aka The Sweaty Betties and showed them how to make these delicious balls of numminess (yes, that's a word). We shot a video of the process and thanks to Aubrie's husband Matt @ Cock Diesel Photo and his awesome editing skills it actually looks ok. I feel like I should add some sort of disclaimer that I'm super awkward on video, so I take no responsibility for any adverse reactions you may have to watching this ;) And don't worry I will NEVER start vlogging, lol.

Ingredients:

Carob Chips

Cacao Nibs

Vanilla Whey Protein

Oats

White Chocolate Wonderful Peanut Butter

Unsweetened Soy/Almond Milk

Chia Seeds

Slivered Almonds also make a great addition!

Melt the carob chips with the soy milk and peanut butter, then add in the rest of the ingredients until it's a good consistency to make little balls. Put balls on a plate or pan and stick in freezer until they're chilled. And an FYI - I just eyeballed all the ingredients, I don't believe in measuring.

If you try to make these let me know how it turns out!

Do you have any quick, easy recipes for healthy treats?

Idaho Mountain Festival!!

Since running hates me, I'm taking a break and going back to my climbing roots for a bit!  As you all know, the City of Rocks in Idaho is my absolute favorite place on earth. You've seen the posts right? If not, HERE and HERE are a few posts to refresh your memory. Ok, now that I've got you all caught up... I can give you the awesome news!

In September, the 27-30 to be exact, the first ever Idaho Mountain Festival (powered by Asana) will take place! It will be 4 days of climbing, trail running, mountain biking, yoga and more climbing in one of the most scenic places ever. I cannot even begin to describe how stoked I am for this. It's basically all of my favorite things happening at my favorite place! Wait... Have I died? Is this heaven?

The festival will consist of general climbing at City of Rocks and Castle Rocks, various on and off rock climbing clinics, 6 mile and 13 mile trail races, and several contests to keep everyone occupied.  There is also going to be camping at Castle Rocks (which is normally not allowed!), as well as group trail runs, mountain bike rides and yoga sessions, and slide shows in the evening. Access Fund will also be sending the Conservation Team to the festival to spear-head an Adopt-a-Crag to clean up the parks and trails. It'll be a great way to help give back to some of the beautiful parks that provide so much for us.

If you're interested in finding out more about the festival you can check out their blog HERE, and you can like their FB page HERE to receive updates (they are giving away festival tickets on their FB page... so go "like" them!). I'd also love to organize a #tweetup with some of my climbing tweeps out there! As it gets closer, I'll start to actually attempt to organize something, but for now I just wanted to throw that idea out there :)

I really hope to see you all there!!

Anyone planning on attending for sure??

DNS?

Well folks... I'm afraid my very first race may end up as a DNS (Did Not Start).  I cannot even begin to tell you how disappointed I am in myself. Last year I had signed up for a Full Marathon in AZ in the middle of February. I had ample time to train, so I had no excuses, right?  Wrong... It seemed it was one thing after another. First my hip, which most of you have heard me complain about before, had been giving me quite a bit of grief and that interfered with training. I finally had came to the decision that it may be best to do just a Half Marathon instead and changed my registration. That was a heartbreaking day. But I decided to just make the most of it, there would be plenty of time for marathons in the future once my hip problem gets figured out.

My bad-ass self ready to run!

At the end of January I had a minor medical procedure done. It was supposed to be an easy procedure with a super quick recovery. But there were some complications and a couple day recovery turned into a couple week recovery. I've tried running twice since the procedure and each time my body revolts. It wants nothing to do with it. I've been able to lift weights, bike and use my kettlebells without much pain, but running is another story.

I'm still holding out some hope that in the next few days I can run more than 2 miles without my body feeling like it's shutting down, but in all reality I've started to accept that it's not going to happen. I still have my other marathon in November that I'm already registered for and this summer I'm joining a local group to run the Spartan Beast in Utah. And hopefully the rest of my recovery will fly by and I can register for another half or full this summer! Keep your fingers crossed for me!!

How do you get over feeling like a quitter?

Have you ever not done a race you were registered for??

Today I ran for Sherry

Today I dedicated my miles to Sherry Arnold; a Montana mother, teacher and runner.  On January 7th, 2012 she left her house to go for a run and never returned. The outpouring of support that the running community has provided has been incredible. A woman that most of us never even knew, but in a tragic way touched each and every one of us in some way.

Beth, Sherry's cousin and blogger at Shut Up and Run has been the driving force in putting together a virtual run for Sherry and raising money for Sherry's family. She has not only put together a virtual run, but a local run in Denver for Sherry. If you are able, I urge you to go to her website Shut Up and Run and in the top right corner there is a donate button, please donate whatever you are able to, it is going directly to the family into a fund for Sherry's children, Holly and Jason.

Today I logged 2.10 painful miles in memory of Sherry. I just kept reminding myself that at least I was still able to run and she isn't. It's absolutely amazing how a woman I never even knew has affected me. Seeing the incredible support of the running community has touched me, and the lessons learned from this tragic event stick with me before and during every single run. If you haven't ran today, it's not too late. Just click on the bib above and it will take you to Beth's blog, where you can print out a bib for your own virtual run for Sherry.

And most importantly - Please remember to BE SAFE out there. Take your phone, let others know where and when you'll be running, be aware of your surroundings. If you take one thing away from this, please let it be that.



PureFit Nutrition Bars Review

I was recently contacted by Emily at PureFit about reviewing some PureFit nutrition bars. I checked out the website and immediately wrote back that I'd love to! The bars are vegan and do not contain dairy, wheat or gluten and have no artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols. Each bar also has 18 grams of (non-GMO) Soy Protein. I was sent one of each bar to try; Peanut Butter Crunch, Chocolate Brownie, Almond Crunch, Granola Crunch, and Berry Almond Crunch.


This is what PureFit has to say about their bars:
Kosher-certified and vegan-approved PureFit bars do not contain dairy, wheat, or gluten, and will not melt in their packaging. PureFit works diligently to provide high-quality, award-winning nutrition bars without artificial ingredients, sugar alcohols or common allergens, including milk, wheat or gluten.
Our bars are an integral part of The PureFit Fat-Burning System. It provides many of the nutrients and calories you need to round out your PureFit diet. And it does not contain harmful ingredients found in virtually every nutrition bar on the market. 100% All-Natural Ingredients, 18 Grams of Soy Protein, Non-GMO Soy, Unprecedented Great Taste. This low glycemic, nondairy bar is based on over 20 years of research and was not practical to manufacture until now. It offers:

• NO Hydrogenated Oils
• NO Animal Products - Vegan
• NO Cholesterol or Trans Fatty Acids
• NO Wheat or Gluten
• NO Artificial Sweeteners
• NO Hidden Carbohydrates
• NO Sugar Alcohol

Best of all, these bars are versatile. From lunch boxes to soccer moms, from Wall Street executives to pro-athletes—everybody loves the taste and they fit into any pocket. Finally—a nutrition bar designed not only for the whole person but for the whole family.

My favorites were the Peanut Butter Crunch and Almond Crunch bars! They were absolutely delicious!! They were soft and full of flavor. Some protein bars that I've had were dry and tasteless, not these. The Peanut Butter Crunch bar actually tasted like I was eating homemade peanut butter straight out the jar (and I *love* peanut butter straight out of the jar). The Granola Crunch bar was good and had a great cinnamon flavor. The Chocolate Brownie bar totally hit the spot when I had a chocolate craving, delicious. And lastly the Berry Almond Crunch bar, not my favorite... But I'm not really a fan of fruity granola bars. My kiddos on the other hand, loved it!

You may be able to find their bars in a store near you or you can buy them online. They even sell a sample pack of all 5, so you can try each one out for yourself! You can also find PureFit on Facebook and on Twitter. Thank you again Emily for the yummy opportunity!!