Chocolate or Vanilla?

Those young temptrests were out in full force again this spring with their innocent plea: 'Chocolate or Vanilla?'. You know who I mean...did you cave too? Now that you have supported a great cause, it is time to recycle that box and move onto healthier forms of nrg:)

I was a busy bee last weekend- in between 7 hours of running and riding in the mud and grime and grit I alternated between deep soaks in the sauna, digging in the garden and masterminding in the kitchen to test out new ideas for natural fuel.

Here is what I tried out...along with a couple of recipes for you to try too!

Balls

'Powerspheres' from the ReBar Cookbook (my bible, seriously it is beside my bed at times). 'Vanilla' from the pic above

20 spheres (its says 15 but I make them a bit smaller)

3/4c dried apricots

3/4 cup dried apples

4 brown rice cakes

1 cup unsweet coconut

(blend in food processor until light)

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup fruit sweetener (agave, honey etc)

1/2 cup peanut butter (just nuts not skippy!)

Blend it all together, chill and roll into balls. You can roll it in sesame seeds or coconut to make them look pretty if you like:)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Balls - adapted from the Whitewater Cooks at Home and found online here:

BarsSunflower Butter Oatmeal Raisin Protein Bars found online here:

Not my faves right away...as the original recipe was too high in fat for me. But I have since modified the recipe to cut the fat in half and increase the ratio of carbs to fat. MUCH better for fueling and post workout recovery. Just decrease the 'butters' (coconut and sunflower) and increase with another liquid such as applesauce or 2% yogurt etc.

I have been trail testing some new Salomons for Valhalla Pure this week too...stay tuned for a shoe review on the new Cross Max trail runner! LOVE them so far...

What goes up...get's the best view! I have enjoyed some stellar trail runs this past week...so LUCKY and grateful to have the gift of legs that can haul me up to these vistas...use em while you got em...there are no garauntees in life...

And FINALLY we got another stellar sunrise at Bootcamp this morning! Kin Beach was beautiful and my morning recruits woke their muscles up with the sun...awesome work guys!

Looks like a beautiful week of spring sunshine ahead...get out there and enjoy it!

SS