Elvis Baked Quest Bar and Vacation Strategies

The recipe that I have for you today is so easy that it is hard to call it a recipe LOL But it tastes incredible. So good that I have been eating it everyday for weeks straight now. No lie!

But before we get to my recent food obsession recipe, I wanted to share with you some pics and thoughts from our recent vacation!

Pretty much all my favorite people in the world met up to spend the week in my in-laws cabin in the mountains where we skied, ate, drank, and/or did puzzles all day. My bestie Jenny and her son flew in, and both my sisters-in-law came with their whole families. We had a grand time! But old me would have been FREAKING out about how much fat I was gaining...

...The Venus veteran side of me was cool and collected though. No guilt because I had a GAME PLAN!

Vacation eating strategy revolves around timing for me. Left is breakfast, right is night ;) In 9 days, I ate once before noon. Coffee, water, and tea are all I want and need before lunch whether I am sitting around working puzzles all day or skiing for 7 hours. It saves a few calories when you are already probably going to hit maintenance or higher for the day. The only day I ate breakfast was because we went out to a restaurant and it is weird if you do not go along. (Don't be that guy!) Booze was plentiful but it makes me want to eat more so I saved it for 5 pm or later. Other than that, I ate what I wanted or was offered. It was not always "healthy" or "ideal" but that is OKAY! It is a a little over a WEEK, and in the scheme of things that is fine! I will fast a couple days this coming week and I am certain I will be back to where I left ;) even if I am up when I get home, it is mostly bloat. You cannot do a whole lot of damage in that little of time! Keep it sane ladies. Enjoy vacations, that is what it is for!

This is a group of us before running up the mountain, we only did 4 miles but I was croaking for air like a beached fish.

My workout strategy was aiming to do SOMETHING every day- whether it was a run, band/bodyweight workout, or skiing. One something every day.

I even did a 7 mile run with family and friends! Always plan to sneak in activity everyday. If someone is training for a run, join them even if you are not sure you can keep up ;) you might be surprised that you can! Certainly good to push your boundaries. Look at all that flat nothing in my hometown in the Texas Panhandle, you can see for miles!

My sis-in-law Erin and I doing a bodyweight/band workout at her house! Get other people involved if you can, it makes your workout more fun ;)

This is my "bag of bands" I throw in my carry-on bag: 2 mini bands, 2 Sprii super bands, and a tube band. I tried to get in a run or band workout in every day we didn't ski. I waited to eat until noon or later most days, and never drank alcohol before 5. Otherwise, I ate and drank what I wanted ;) easy peasy and stress-free! Hope my 3 pronged vacation strategy helps you whether it's a week or a month. Number 1 priority should be to enjoy yourself and relax!

Whelp made it home and was the exact same metrics I left at (and a pound down!). This is the day after I got home. Post-vacation bod, metrics were still bang on but my legs are holding water. It will clear in the next few days though! Feels SO nice to be back in my home gym! Does anyone else feel like a rainbow unicorn Jane Fonda with leg weights on? 😂 I totally dig them! Was doing loaded dead bugs then pranced about during rest time ;)

So onto my new recipe obession... my mother made me peanut butter and banana sandwiches growing up. An Elvis special, if you will! They taste like love to me and I ADORE that flavor and texture combination. Problem is that for about 400 calories, you get a ton of carbs and zero protein.
This is where my idea for this recipe came from. Do not skip baking the Quest bar, this is what MAKES the recipe! I have been having this for breakfast, snack, or dessert at least once a day for about a month now LOL

Elvis Baked Quest Bar

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1 Quest bar of choice (I have tried PBJ, Coconut cashew, and cinnamon Quest bars and all were great in this combo!)
• 1 tbsp peanut butter (I prefer creamy)
• 1 medium banana, sliced

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 and half a Quest bar. Place  halves on piece of foil or oven safe cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes and smash thinner with a fork, bake for 3 more minutes. Place baked halves on plate, top with 1 tbsp peanut butter and 1 sliced banana 😍 soooo great!

Nutritional Info:

370 cals
25 g protein
56 g carbs
14 g fat

2 Minute Pumpkin Pie

I am still on a pumpkin kick, y'all. It is still cold right? I think I am good until at least spring break haha!

This recipe is THE ticket though- 5 ingredients plus 2 minutes and you have a tasty protein-filled dessert. YES! 233 calories and 19 grams of protein. BOOM!

Anyway, I got this new Quest Nutrition Protein Cereal bar the other day in the waffle flavor. The calories are super low and the calorie to protein ratio is perfect! It screamed out it needed to become a pie crust though, and so I got to thinking. Thus, this recipe was born!

Since I ran out of cereal bars though, I have to admit, I have made just the pie several more times without the "crust". It is THAT good. Seriously, tastes like the real deal!

I have a few new videos for you before we get to that recipe ;)

American deadlift - so good for high reps and glute pump!
*Stop at knee level, feels like a traditional deadlift on the way down
*When you come up, contract your glutes to drive upward
*At the top, really drive your pelvis forward with your glutes. It almost feels like a hip thrust.
I like to do 2-3 sets of these for 21 reps.

Overhead press PR! Did not go up in weight but got 2 reps in instead of 1! On overhead press, be sure to squeeze your glutes. I know it sounds weird bit it works!

Happy #flexfriday :)

Left was almost 3 years ago in Boise when my bestie Coach Jenny and I had just started working for Venus ❤ Right is this morning during workout when I realized I had on the exact outfit! Maintenance is a tricky game but Venus helped me figure it out. The only program I know that does teach that VERY critical part. What is the point in getting into great shape if you can't keep it?

Alright, so onto that recipe. It is SO simple, just a handful of ingredients!

2 Minute Pumpkin Pie

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 large, Egg

1 bar, Quest Cereal Protein Bar - Waffle Flavored (I think the cinnamon one would be good too!)

0.50 cup, Pumpkin Puree

3 tsp (0.5g), granular Stevia (can sub sweetener of choice)

0.25 tsp, Spices, pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

Spray individual sized ramekin or bowl with non-stick cooking spray. Crumble your Quest cereal protein bar into the bottom in bite sized pieces. In another small bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients then pour over the protein bar. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. I topped mine with a little plain fat-free Greek yogurt. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

Nutrition Facts
Servings 1.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 233
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 10 g	16 %
Saturated Fat 4 g	20 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 196 mg	65 %
Sodium 241 mg	10 %
Potassium 122 mg	3 %
Total Carbohydrate 29 g	10 %
Dietary Fiber 7 g	28 %
Sugars 12 g
Protein 19 g	39 %
Vitamin A	75 %
Vitamin C	6 %
Calcium	15 %
Iron	13 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Almond Joy Protein Cookies

I have not been this pleased about a new sweet recipe in a LOOOONG time. Guys, these seriously knocked me over. They taste sinful, and yet they are really not too bad in calories. And a little punch of protein helps too. Both my kids liked them, and they are pretty critical judges.

They both are into Food Network shows like Chopped, so they now feel they need to critique my cooking (which sometimes makes me lose my cool admittedly). So when they give a healthy recipe two thumbs up and eat TWO, umm yeah. It is a winner. You can take these to non-health nuts and they will be just fine ;)

Banded kneeling clamshell - you have got to try this ASAP, ladies! For me this small tweak of kneeling, it really hammered my gluteus medius 🍑 be sure to switch sides. Palpate to really hit those glutes hard!

Pretty sure my muscles were popping from my love affair with stuffed peppers lately. They're magical muscle food ;) this one is 5 oz lean taco beef stir-fried with a few handfuls of cabbage, onions, and spinach all chopped. (Handy for chopping up and using whatever meat or veggies you have on hand!) Mix in a tbsp of tomato paste and 1/2 cup cooked rice then plop into a pre-cooked bell pepper. Top with 1/4 cup of cheese, because duh. They have been coming out around 450 cals and about 35 grams of protein!

Super shoulder burnout with plates - did this as a finisher this morning and it burned so good!
*lateral + front plate raises 5 each
*full front plate raise - slow eccentric 10 reps
Do for as many rounds as you can with good form. I did 4!

I have been really seeing some good changes in my delts this year trying to incorporate every plane of motion for shoulders most workouts along with mixing heavy reps with burnouts and slow eccentrics.

My MIL got me these cool shoes a while back for my bday! If you prefer minimalist shoes like me, these are the jam. I have worn them to lift in my gym during a cold spell, then running errands around town with my leggings. So comfy, like socks with a light sole. Think she said she got them Amazon, maybe. I am a fan!

Onto the recipe... I *think* you could get away with doubling the protein powder if you want to up the protein to calorie ratio. But my goal here was taste primarily, so I played it safe so that they would be closer to the real deal ;)

Almond Joy Protein Cookies

Makes 9 cookies

Ingredients:
1 medium, Bananas, raw (ripe is best, I used a previously frozen banana that I defrosted)
1/2 cup Flaked Unsweetened Coconut
1/2 cup, Semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 scoop, vanilla Whey protein (I used Slap Nutriton)
1/3 cup, unsalted whole almonds (lightly chop them)
1/4 Cup, Egg Whites

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325*F. In a medium bowl, mash the bananta with the egg whites and vanilla whey. Stir in the coconut, chocolate chips, and lightly chopped almonds. Using a tablespoon, place the cookies onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the batter is set. (Mine took 12 minutes.) Enjoy!

Nutritional Information

Nutrition Facts
Servings 9.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 126
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 8 g	12 %
Saturated Fat 4 g	20 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 3 mg	1 %
Sodium 28 mg	1 %
Potassium 134 mg	4 %
Total Carbohydrate 12 g	4 %
Dietary Fiber 2 g	8 %
Sugars 4 g
Protein 5 g	11 %
Vitamin A	0 %
Vitamin C	2 %
Calcium	3 %
Iron	4 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.