The Perfect Protein Bar- One Step Closer

It was close, but crunchy nut butter won out over smooth 9 to 7 ;) These are important global matters people!

I was up early with a growling belly again today. Whyyyyy.

 
Something quick and speedy ? egg, laughing cow, smoked salmon breakfast sandwich.

 
Ever since destroying my toaster oven I?ve been making my toast under the broiler. It?s a tricky process!

As a side note ? I dropped an oven mitt on the oven element today and it caught on fire. Thankfully I was able to grab the mitt and fan it out. But I lost another year off my life from the moment of panic. I?ll be lucky if I make it to 50 :\

What was I making??

Homemade Maple Cinnamon Oat Bran Protein Bars

 
Mix it all up until the powder is dissolved, but mix is still crumbly. Flatten into a 9×9 pan and bake at 350F for 15 minutes.

Makes 8 decent-sized bars.

 
My third attempt at a baked bar and my best one yet!! The extra cinnamon and maple really added some flavour. The best thing about the baked bars is that they?re stable at room temperature, so they?re much easier transport :)

I didn?t stop there though! Maple Pecan Peanut Butter.

 
Threw 2 cups roasted peanuts, 2 cups roasted pecans and 2 tbsp pure maple syrup into my food processor.

The processor gave out on me just as it was about to turn into that wonderful creamy consistency. Still pretty freakin? good though.

Dinner put a dent on my overflowing cupboard!

 
Cooked up one cup dry bulgur and one cup dry green lentils. Then added some chopped carrots, crumbled tofu, feta, hummus, garlic, parsley, dill and turmeric.

 
This was definitely one of those meals where I just kept adding things to the pot with no forethought. It was good though! I think I may try to make patties out of the leftovers tomorrow. I didn?t feel like doing that extra step tonight.

Kept me full for a while, but not so much that I went without a bedtime snack ;)

 
Microwave protein cake made up of 1/2 cup soy protein powder, cinnamon, stevia, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 cup applesauce, 2 tbsp egg whites. Microwaved in a mug for 4 minutes.

  
Topped with some of that Maple Pecan Peanut Butter ;)

 
While eating this, I was amazed by how large it turned out. That?s when I realized I used half a cup of protein powder when I meant to use a quarter!! Oops. I contemplated putting the other half in the fridge for later, since I usually stick to a regular serving size for snacks. But then I realized I was being silly, and that maybe it would be nice not to wake up hungry tomorrow :)

Food aside, today was my first day of unemployment! Eek! By 8:52am I was already restless and unsure of what to do with myself. I ended up being fairly productive though. Packed up all my clothing, which I?ve downsized to just two laundry hampers. Donated the rest (3 garbage bags worth). Also started throwing out some old junky decorations and things no one will ever need. Felt good to purge it all!

I also hit up the gym with an old co-worker to run through what I plan on doing for my practical exam on Wednesday for my personal training certification. We had to go figure out how to use the weight machines ? I?ve never used them at my gym before!! Hopefully I sound like I know what I?m talking about come test day :\

And with that, I leave you today?s Archie picture.

 
Yesterday it was one running shoe, today he cuddled up with three :)

Question of the Day: Bloggers ? do you listen to music when you blog? Watch TV? Do it in silence? I always used to blog with the TV on in the background, but lately I?ve been listening to music and it makes the process a lot more fun. Tonight?s post was brought to you buy the new George Harrison ?Let It Roll? cd :)