It’s the first of September and we have an exciting month in
store for you all! We have recipes, tips for healthy eating, and other product reviews
in the works, so stay tuned!
We’d like to start off with a review of our favorite new discovery—
Caveman Cookies.
Gluten free, 100% all-natural, chewy and DELICIOUS.
“Just like your great, great, great, great, great…grandmother
used to make!”
Caveman Cookies have a lot going for them. They are
Paleo-approved. They are also dairy-free, are good sources of protein, and have no
refined sugars or preservatives. They are Kosher-certified, only 65-75
calories per cookie, and are made of ingredients which are based off our
ancestral diet of nuts and berries!
They come in five delicious varieties:
Original Caveman Cookie: honey, almond meal, walnuts,
raisins, ginger, nutmeg & cinnamon.
Tropical Caveman Cookie: almond meal, honey, coconut,
macadamia nuts and ginger.
Alpine Caveman Cookie: honey, hazelnut meal, almond meal and
toasted carob.
Rainforest Caveman Cookie: honey, almonds, brazil nut meal,
dried cherries (cherries, sunflower oil), nutmeg, cayenne pepper.
New World Caveman Cookie: maple syrup, honey, almond meal,
dried cranberries (cranberries, apple juice concentrate, sunflower oil),
pumpkin seeds, spices
The Caveman Bakery is a small New York based company with a
big dream. They are dedicated to producing foods which are wholesome, and are
made with “ingredients that early humans had access to (e.g., nuts, honey and
berries).” Caveman Cookies are currently sold at their Caveman bakery, in local
stores throughout the country and on their website, CavemanBakery.com
So, if you want a tasty treat that you can really feel good about - CAVEMAN COOKIES are the way to go.
1. The Review
Protein.
We all need it.
While everyone seems to understand its importance, many people are unsure as to how much protein they need on a daily basis. Regardless of if you are a vegetarian, vegan, following a paleo diet or simply trying to eat healthy, protein should be a necessary component of almost every meal you eat.
Alexis and I both struggle to fuel our muscles with enough protein while constantly being on the go. We went on a quest… and discovered the Holy Grail of
protein bars.
Quest Bars.
If you’ve never heard of Quest Nutrition and all of the incredible products they offer, then you are in
for a treat (literally).
Let me pose a question: Can you think of a time you ate a protein bar and actually enjoyed it? If so, how many flavors did you have to
choose from? Two? Three?
Quest Bar has 14 unique flavors, and I kid you not, ALL of them are good. In fact, I struggled the past month trying to decide which one I liked the best. It's like trying to decide between ice cream or pie. Both are amazing.
Quest Bar has 14 unique flavors, and I kid you not, ALL of them are good. In fact, I struggled the past month trying to decide which one I liked the best. It's like trying to decide between ice cream or pie. Both are amazing.
Not only are Quest Bars low-calorie, but they also pack around 20 grams of protein. They are low-carb and high in fiber content. For some, one Quest bar can provide 30% of the daily requirements for protein intake.
Flavors of Quest
Bars
Natural Line
Banana Nut Muffin
Chocolate Peanut Butter
Cinnamon Roll
Strawberry Cheesecake
Coconut Cashew
Lemon Cream Pie
Original Line
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Apple Pie
Mixed Berry Bliss
Peanut Butter Supreme
Vanilla Almond Crunch
Chocolate Brownie
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
White Chocolate Raspberry
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Most of the ingredients in Quest Bars are pretty
straightforward. There are some which at first glance may seem unfamiliar. Let us break some of those ingredients down for you:
All Quest Bar flavors are made with whey protein isolate (a
high quality protein that assists in increasing muscle mass, aids the body with
fat loss, and enhances the body’s immune functions), milk protein isolate (a
complete protein that slows digestion so it fuels you for longer), IMO fiber
–or Isomalto-oligosaccharide fiber (almost all the carbohydrates in Quest Bars
comes from this 100% natural fiber; fiber keeps your stomach satisfied for
longer, improves digestive health, and prevents certain diseases), nuts and/or
nut butter (almond, cashew, or peanut), sea salt and other natural flavors, Lo
Han Gua (a natural sweetener used in China for thousands of years), stevia* (sweetener
taken from the leaves of this plant from the chrysanthemum family), Erythritol*
(a sugar alcohol that won’t upset your stomach and has only .2 calories per
gram), and finally (only found in the “Original Line” of bars) sucralose (best
artificial sweetener out there).
It gets better.
Because we love getting creative with our cooking, we decided to to
try a few different recipes using our bars. One of our favorite recipe attempts
was the Quest Poptarts. Here is what we did…
2. The Recipe
Quest Peanut Butter & Jelly Poptarts
For the top and bottom of the pop-tarts: 2 Quest Bars
For the topping: 2 tablespoons protein of your choice 1 tablespoon nut butter of your choice
For the filling: 2 tablespoons of your favorite jelly or jam
Directions:
Turn the oven on, set to broil.
Step 1: Start off with a two room-temperature Quest bars. You can also choose to pop them in the microwave for ten seconds to make them easier to roll. Either way works fine. We chose the Vanilla Almond Crunch as our base. You can get creative with this part, and pick any flavor for this recipe.
Step 2: Roll them out.
Step 3: Cut them in half. These will be each side for your two pop-tarts.
Step 4: Prep your filling. We used a Raw Maple Almond Butter for one of our Pop Tarts. We used Raspberry Jam for the other.
Step 5: Put the filling of your choice in the middle of two of your pop-tart pieces. I used Raspberry Jam in this example.
Step 6: I used my thumb to create a little "indent" on the "top" piece of the pop tart. I then placed it on top of the piece with the jelly, and used a fork to press down along the edges.
Step 7: Pop them in the oven. They should be ready anywhere from 2-4 minutes. Start checking on them around 2 minutes to make sure they aren't burning.
Step 8: Toss on some sprinkles and you're ready!
3. Quest Pastabilities & Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Not only does Quest Nutrition make protein bars, but they also make two other amazing products: Quest Pastabilities and Quest Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cravings.
Quest Pastabilities is a healthy alternative to your standard noodle. Quest Pasta has only three ingredients: purified water, glucomman (a
hunger-reducing soluble fiber derived from a root used in Japan and other Asian
countries) and calcium hydroxide (also called milk of lime or limewater - a
compound used in lots of different food products).
Prep takes just a few minutes. You start off by rinsing and straining it. Then you can cook it by microwaving or boiling it for a couple minutes. You can even toss it into a pan with your favorite vegetables for a delicious stir-fry.
These treats taste delicious and don’t leave you with
the same “buyer’s remorse” like other chocolates do. They have 20 grams of protein (just like the Quest Bars) and only have one gram of sugar per serving (which is TWO of the cups). These are not your average peanut butter cups, my friends.
4. Giveaway Info
Obviously, we are big fans of Quest Nutrition's products and
highly recommend you give them a try.
Which is why we are honored to say that our friends at Quest Nutrition have offered to provide
a sample pack of Quest Bars to the winners of the health and fitness challenge at Make It Ultra.
Our fitness challenge this month is “Water,
Wall-squats, and Yoga." The Quest Bars will be given to the male and female who
can sustain the longest wall-squat (wall-sit) time. For details, go to our
Facebook page.
A HUGE thank you to Quest Nutrition for not only creating
awesome (and tasty) products, but for providing the prizes to our Fitness
Challenge.
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September Health & Fitness Challenge: Wall-Squats, Water & Yoga
By Unknown - September 01, 2013
AUGUST RECAP: The August Health and Fitness Challenge was a success, so we decided to keep the challenges coming. Before I get into the September challenge, I'm going to do a short recap of what went down for August.
The challenge was: 1) Protein --assess your current intake and then your daily requirements, adjust as necessary 2) Push-ups & Pull-ups --see how much of each you can do at the beginning of the month and see how you improve by the end of the month. This is a good resource for learning how to do push-ups.
This was a good challenge for me because I struggle in all of those areas. I knew I almost never ate enough protein, and my arm strength was laughable. I kid you not, at the beginning of this challenge I couldn't do a single push-up or pull-up.
I took this as an opportunity to educate myself on macronutrients and what my body requires for not only muscle growth but also for toning/ staying in shape. This is a good website for calculating how much protein you should eat on a daily basis. And apps like MyFitnessPal are good for tracking your daily food intake.
At the gym, I focused a lot on upper-body strength conditioning so I could improve my push ups and pull-ups.
What's your favorite push-up variation? My favorite from this chart is 15 ;)
If you haven't already joined the Make It Ultra: Health & Fitness Challenges Facebook group already, do it now. Most of the posting happens on the group wall.
So, onto this month's health & fitness challenge!
September Health & Fitness Challenge
Wall-Squats, Water & Yoga
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Feel free to share this image on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter! The more the merrier!
1) Wall-Squats-- The challenge for this month is to see how much you can improve in your time over the course of September.
2) Water-- Do you drink enough water? This month we challenge you to drink your daily requirement of water. Don't know how much you should be drinking? Here, here and here are calculators for your water intake. No excuses.
3) Yoga-- On the Facebook group page, we will be posting different yoga positions and encouraging group members to post photos of their favorite poses. We will learn about the history, styles, and benefits of yoga!
Like last month, there will be a challenge giveaway! For the male and female who can sustain the longest wall-squat time, Quest Bars has agreed to gift a sample pack of their bars! If you are unfamiliar with Quest Bars, hold tight-- we're going to tell you all about them in our next blog post. Keep a look out! The way we will pick the winners is by comparing everyone's final wall-squat time on the Facebook page and then asking whoever claims the longest time to send us a video.
Looking forward to a fun filled month of health and fitness!
Hey guys!
August is almost half-way done and it's been a whirlwind of a month! My partner-in-crime, and co-blogger at PlantMeetsPaleo.com, Alexis, will be joining me on this review.
We originally found Paleonola at Erewhon Natural Foods in Hollywood, CA (if you live anywhere near there, we HIGHLY recommend visiting!) After searching for different paleo-friendly foods, Alexis's dad (head honcho at the store) recommended we try Paleonola. Considering our justifiable fear of a gluten-free granola, we were a little hesitant at first. And boy, were we SHOCKED by how good it was!
Paleonola is not only delicious and healthy, but it fits within BOTH a Paleo and plant-based diet.
Paleonola's statement on their website explains it best: "At Paleonola, we understand that things in life are not always perfect. Things change, meals get skipped or maybe sometimes you just need something to hold you over and give you that extra bit of energy to make it to the next meal. That’s why we worked with nature to create a delicious, flavor-packed, Grain-Free snack. Loaded with nutrient-dense nuts and topped with unsweetened, shredded coconut, our products not only taste delicious, but give you the energy you need to stay healthy and active. No grains, no junk. Just uber-goodness!"
Paleonola Granola is: ALL NATURAL! Meaning: NO wheat, high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, artificial colors, cholesterol, hydrogenated oils, preservatives, soy OR dairy. It's gluten-free & vegan friendly.
The flavors come in: The Original, Chocolate Fix, Maple Pancake. Apple Pie & Pumpkin Pie.
So, how did we like Paleonola?
....LOVED IT. As in, all our sample packs were GONE within a week. We ate it right out of the bag on the go, threw it into our salads, and mixed it into our yogurt! We even did some drool-worthy things like mix it with peanut better and spread it on top of a sweet potato.
Crista's Favorite: Even though I legitimately loved them all, the Maple Pancake flavor won my heart. I ate it most often on top of a sweet potato and mixed with a little bit of almond butter. Absolutely delicious. The Apple Pie flavor was really good on top of a sweet potato, too. The Chocolate Fix was DELICIOUS mixed in with strawberry yogurt.
Ingredients of "Maple Pancake": Almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, honey, maple syrup, raisins, almond meal, coconut oil, walnuts, flax meal, sunflower seeds, unsweetened shredded coconut, pure vanilla extract & cinnamon.
Alexis's Favorite: While all the flavors were absolutely fantabulous and amazing, I have to say the flavor I liked the best was The Original. It was simple, yet out of this world delicious. Normal granola is full of artificial sweeteners, sugar, and TONS of calories. Paleonola is natural, naturally sweetened, and doesn't give you a case of the 'what did I just eats?' I found myself eating Paleonola after workouts, for dessert, and just as a quick pick-me-up when I needed a little boost. I honestly don't think I could've been more satisfied with a guilt-free snack, let alone granola that's actually good for you!
Ingredients of "The Original": Almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, honey, dried cranberries, almond meal, coconut oil, walnuts, flax meal, sunflower seeds, unsweeted shredded coconut, pure vanilla extract & cinnamon.
Just so you all understand how HEALTHY Paleonola is compared to other granola, here are the ingredients for other brands of granola. And remember, ingredients are listed in the order in which they are most used. Meaning, in the ingredients below, the majority is made up of whole grain rolled oats, sugar, and canola oil.
Nature Valley's Honey N' Oats Granola: Whole Grain Rolled Oats, Sugar, Canola Oil, Crisp Rice With Soy Protein (Rice Flour, Soy Protein Concentrate, Sugar, Malt, Salt), Honey, Brown Sugar Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Baking Soda, Natural Flavor, Peanut Flour, Almond Flour, Hazelnut Flour, Walnut Flour, Pecan Flour.
....Yikes. Nature Valley markets itself as being a "healthy" granola, but after taking one glance at the ingredients, it's clear that it is anything but!
We decided to do something fun with Paleonola, so we created...drum roll please...Paleo-nola Bites! This recipe will also be our first on our sister site, PlantMeetsPaleo.com (hence the photo tag). Please check it out for more paleo and plant-friendly recipes/ reviews!
Ingredients
Paleonola (obviously) - we mixed Chocolate Fix and Apple Pie - what a surprisingly good combo
Honey
Chia seeds
Flaxseed
Almond butter
Dried cranberry
Raisins
We'd give you an exact recipe, but we kind of just threw things in a bowl, mixed it up and rolled the ingredients into golf ball sized bits. They were to DIE for. We'll recreate the recipe and keep note of how much of everything we used and share in the future for your enjoyment :) Until then, try experimenting in your own until you get the desired consistency!
Info About The Giveaway:
Alexis and I also are heading a Facebook group called Ultra Health & Wellness: Fitness Challenges. We decided that this month, it would be really fun to have the pull-up challenge with a prize at the end for the winner.
Here are the rules:
You must do as many pull-ups, in a row, as possible. They key part is that you have to have it on VIDEO (the only way to prove people are being truthful). So either set up a camera somewhere or have a friend record it for you. Winners for each gender will be selected.
We also request that the winners of each gender "like" Paleonola on Facebook! Simple and easy!
The final pull-up contest videos should be posted to the Facebook group wall by the 31st.
Good luck and enjoy!
Attention! Attention! Hear ye! Hear ye!
Let me take a second to introduce myself:
My name is Lex and I am an honorary best friend to the head honcho around here-- Crista Scott. I will be helping Crista review some awesome products (like Quest Bars, Paleonola, and Caveman Cookies) in the future. But that's not all.
We are proud to announce the birth of our new sister site!
This website is dedicated to embracing bioindividuality --- a diet and lifestyle that works for one person may not work for another. In terms of dietary needs, we are all very different! We will explore various diets and nutritional stances.
I personally follow an "eat by your blood type" diet when it comes to food. There is research that suggesting a plant-based diet is best for my specific blood type. Crista feels her best while sticking to a Paleo diet (A.K.A Caveman Diet...we will explain more later). We want to share our experiences as we strive for healthy living both in and out of the kitchen.
Because we love to cook and bake together, we often try to make meals and dishes that can be enjoyed by both of us. It didn't take us long to realize that there was a HUGE overlap between both of our dietary lifestyles and needs. And healthy eating in general.
That nutritional overlap we like to call "Plant Meets Paleo".
Vegetables, fruits, nuts and berries.
Meat or no meat?
Soy or no soy?
Dairy or no dairy?
These options are a large dissection factor for many people's diets.
Plant Meets Paleo will bring you creative recipes, fun facts, and health tips revolving around avoiding or embracing some of these food groups. We believe that you can make food that is both clean AND healthy. Not to mention...delicious!
We are most excited about posting some of our sweet treat creations (that taste divine AND are good for you!) that will also fit snuggly into your dietary guidelines. Because, a person's gotta have something sweet every once in a while, right?!
Join us on our journeys to healthy living and exciting cooking adventures!
ENERGYbits is rapidly becoming one of the most popular (and unconventional) go-to's for top athletes around the world.
On their website, ENERGYbits states: "Made from 100% organicallly grown spirulina algae and loaded with 40 nutrients, ENERGYbits® algae tabs have the highest concentration of protein in the world (64%) all for just one calorie per tab. Endorsed by the United Nations as the most nutritious food on earth, spirulina algae has been a favorite of Olympic gold medalists for decades and is a super food in every sense of the word, delivering instant and enduring energy to your brain and body."
How are they taken? For best results, swallow at least 30 ENERGYbits® (or more) before any workout, run, game or intense physical or mental activity. They will improve your energy and endurance. Also take whenever you are tired, hungry or don't have time to eat or cook. They are a terrific high protein, low calorie snack or meal on the go. A favorite of Olympic athletes.Swallow with beverage (or chew them as you would a handful of nuts). Remember, they're "bits" of food (not pills)."
While the amount of capsules to swallow seems daunting, the immense nutritional benefit surely outweighs the inconvenience In a day when people are taking wheat-grass shots (who really likes those, lets be honest) and making dishes out of chia seeds (which have the consistency of tiny bug eggs), this is a CAKE WALK. You don't even have to chew the "bits", which completely removes any taste of the spirulina algae altogether.
What I really want to say here is....don't knock the idea until you try it. Just take a look at this info sheet below, they aren't kidding when they say it's a super food.
Just STARE at that image above for a few minutes and I guarantee you'll want to try them for yourself. I dare you to find another SINGLE ingredient food that provides that much nutrition.
So did I like it? Did it work for me?
I took the capsules before a particularly BRUTAL run. In hindsight, I really do believe that they aided in my stamina and performance during the workout. At the time, it was hard to distinguish the effects because I didn't "feel" them being digested. Normally, if I have caffeine, an energy gel, or coffee, my stomach hurts a little. With ENERGYbits, I felt nothing. I felt normal! Which in a lot of ways is amazing, because this product provides hurt-free energy. I know I'm not the only one who struggles with a sensitive stomach when it comes to eating pre-workout or pre-run energy sources. I'd eat these things by the handful all day long if I could! I can only imagine how good I'd feel if I had these things to take on an every-day basis.
Think the algae trend has just begun? Nope. You're late on the energy train, my friends.
ENERGYbits states: "Chlorella algae has been used worldwide for over 50 years. It is even used by Olympic athletes, NASA astronauts and tens of millions worldwide for energy, health and vitality. Now it's your turn."
My friends at ENERGYbits have graciously allowed me do a giveaway of their product!
Enter below for your chance to win a sample of these awesome ENERGYbits!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
You can also purchase them online in a bundle-pack at EnergyBits.com