Strength training and protein - perfect match.

Yesterday I had such a good workout that I was too tired last night to blog about it. :)  I spent an hour in the weight room doing another leg workout (2nd for the week), followed by about 15 minutes of core work.  Then I went to Muscle Fusion X where I just about died.  The great thing about interval workouts though, is that as tough as they are while doing them, within a few minutes of finishing I feel recovered.  That's not to say I don't feel fatigued, 'cause I definitely do.  But thanks to my many long, slow miles of running, my heart can recover quickly.

This morning I wasn't able to get to the gym until about 11:30 because I had cub scout meetings.  When I got there, I had just enough time to do 4 sets of bench press before going to spin class.  After spinning, I moved my sweat-soaked body back into the weight room where I did the rest of my workout for today: chest/shoulders/triceps.  Thankfully, Misty was doing some work in the weight room after spinning also, so she helped me with some of my sets.

The other day I came across a recipe for (clean) protein bars from fitness model Jamie Eason.  You can find the original recipe here, but here's my (very slightly altered) version:

Pumpkin Protein Bars

2 cups oat flour 

2 scoops vanilla protein powder

2 TBS ground flax

2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp clove

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup natural sweetener (I used sucanat, but you could use honey)

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

4 egg whites

1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Combine dry ingredients first in large mixing bowl, then add wet ingredients and incorporate just until mixed. Spread into a 9 X 13 baking dish (coated with cooking spray).  Sprinkle nuts on top. Bake at 350 for 28 - 30 minutes.  These are SO good and very moist.  I also made some substituting zucchini for the pumpkin and they were delicious, too.  Cut evenly into squares; wrap and refrigerate extras for later!  Each square is only a little over 100 calories and offers 5 grams of protein, which isn't too shabby.  I eat them 2 at a time for my smaller meals because they're a perfect mix of carbs and protein.