Good morning! Happy Wednesday. After wining and dining several times last week, I was ready for a full week of clean eats and fresh recipes. It’s easy to get caught up in a dinner here and a party there but it will slowly catch up to you if your not careful!
For What I Ate Wednesday I have two recipes to share with you! One is a simple protein bar and one is a warm soup recipe! Thanks Jenn for hosting this link up. Click over to her site for fresh recipe ideas from other bloggers like me!
Flavor
But first I want to share my newest yogurt love: siggi’s. I like saying the name, who knows if I say it right. Remember when Fage came out? I used to say Fage like Sage, soo not articulate and clearly can’t read the yogurt carton that says, “Pronounce: Fay-yeh”. Oh, I get it. But this yogurt is great because it is 100 calories and has 14g of protein plus look at the stats pictured below:
I love seeing those No, No, No’s. It’s amazing the junk in a lot of yogurts these days. But this one is clean and has 5 ingredients. Next time you go to the grocery look at the ingredient list in your food items. This is what Yoplait’s ingredient list looks like:
Sigg’s is typically expensive so I only buy it when it’s on sale like it was Monday. I bought 5 for the week, they are the best mid-afternoon snack!
Speaking of snacks…
No-Bake Protein Almond Oat Bars
Makes 8 Bars
- 1.5 cups of Oats
- 1/4 cup of Almond Slices
- 4 scoops of Vanilla Protein Powder
- 1/2 tsp of Cinnamon
- 1/2 cup of Almond Butter
- 1/3 cup of Almond Milk (unsweetened Vanilla)
Cover a 9×9 pan with parchment paper. Mix the dry ingredients together then add the Almond Butter & Milk. Stir until fully mixed and then add to the pan. Freeze for 30-40 minutes and then cut bars into 4 by 2 rows so you have 8 total bars. I like to wrap mine individually in plastic wrap. Store them in the fridge for freshness.
I hope you try them! They didn’t last long here 🙂 My husband is a granola/protein bar junkie. And I may be too, give me a Luna Bar and I’ll be your best friend.
Another way to win over my heart, warm soup. Nothing screams Winter to me more than a fuzzy blanket, Little Women on TV and a bowl of hearty soup. Enter hearty:
Winter Kale & Two Bean Soup
(Vegetarian) Serves 4-6 people
- 32oz of Chicken Broth
- 16oz of Black Beans
- 16oz of Great Northern Beans
- 16oz of canned Diced Tomatoes (with juice)
- 1/2 cup of Dry Quinoa
- 3 cups of Kale (stems removed)
- 4 stalks of Celery (chopped into bite size pieces)
- 1 tbsp of Cumin
- 1 tbsp of Chili Powder
- 1 tsp of Garlic & Parsley seasoning
- Salt & Pepper to Taste
Add all ingredients, besides the Kale, to a soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add Kale and continue to simmer for 10-15 more minutes.
Serve up and enjoy a warm bowl of hearty soup for the Winter months. Fuzzy blanket & Little Women optional but recommended.
I made this Monday night to eat for lunch throughout the week. It’s very filling with all the protein from the black beans, northern beans & quinoa.
Fitness
I’ve also been working it out at the gym this week. Last night was a Circuit Training workout from Tina Reale’s Best Body Bootcamp and one killer exercise was a Reverse Lunge with Leg Lift. Add this to your next booty workout and you will feel it!
My dear friend Kristen gave me this Blue & Green Reebok Dri-fit tank for Christmas as she remembered my blog call/complaint for new workout clothes. Oh how I love her and she knows me perfectly. Plus it matches my shoes- not trying to be a gym fashionista buuuut I may have loved it.
You like my heart-shaped sweat mark? That’s work right there. My body loves me. And I love you, therefore I’m giving you a sweaty workout that you can rock out this week. It’s only 4 exercises and you will do 4 rounds total for a sweaty workout that will work your Legs, Butt, Arms & Abs. GO ALL OUT! Don’t forget to warm-up for 5-10 minutes and cool down and stretch after.
- Squat with Alternating Knee Tuck – Squat down and then return to standing position, then lift knee to hip height. Alternate knee tucks after each squat.
- High Plank with Alt. Knee Tuck
What’s your favorite yogurt? What’s your favorite granola/protein bar?
Link Love:
Green Kale Pesto from Power Cakes
Love Your Body Music Playlist– Tone It Up Girls
Upcycled Bar Stools– Let’s Go Sunning
madiford said:
Those oat bars look SO yummy and seem so easy to make…definitely going to be making them soon! 🙂
freshlifefindings said:
They are super easy and yummy 🙂 I hope you enjoy!
jessielovestorun said:
Those almond bars look mighty delicious 🙂
freshlifefindings said:
Thanks Jessie! 🙂
Greta said:
Wow! You’ve got some guns here, girl! Really: you look so fit!
And those bars… dying to have a piece of something like that, sadly I can’t do oats 😦
freshlifefindings said:
Thanks Greta, you are so sweet! And I’m sorry you can’t have oats! Not sure if it’s the Gluten but I use Gluten free oats in my recipes if that helps 🙂
Greta said:
I think I live in some tundra here. Gluten free oats?! We don’t have those here, but now that I know they exist (sounds so weird. Haha) I’ll look up at amazon. Thank you for enlightening me!
Jimmy Choos on The Treadmill said:
I’ve never tried Siggi’s yogurts before, but I like the short list of ingredients, too!
freshlifefindings said:
I could only find it at Whole Foods before but now my local grocery carries it and discounts it so that’s always fun 🙂
Mom said:
Loved your soup!
freshlifefindings said:
Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Tina Reale (@tinareale) said:
This post serously has so much awesome. Both of these recipes look PHENOMENAL and then of course love the little circuit too. 🙂
freshlifefindings said:
Thanks Tina! If only I could have you train me in person everyday 🙂
Emily said:
I’ve been looking for a good no-bake bar to take on the go, I’m glad you posted this! Can’t wait to try, it looks delish
freshlifefindings said:
Yes these are perfect because you can freeze them overnight, cut them up in the morning and take one to work! 🙂
Lauren said:
Both recipes sound delicious Nat! I’m a sucker for Fage yogurt. I usually get the 2% plain and then add frozen blueberries, honey, and some almond milk. It’s so good, I’ve thought about doing a post just for it! 🙂
freshlifefindings said:
Thanks Lauren! And yes I love Fage too 🙂 Do a post about it! I always love your posts 🙂
Eating 4 Balance said:
The soup sounds great! I eat tons of soup on a daily basis.
All of the recipes look awesome actually! And I’ve heard great things about that yogurt. I love that it comes from grass-fed cows.
freshlifefindings said:
Thank you! I had heard great things too and once I tried it, I was super impressed with the flavor considering the short ingredient list 🙂
Leah Austin said:
I’ve got to make the bars! Clean eating can make me crave sweets. These will help:)
freshlifefindings said:
I know how you feel! I’m always a sucker for sweets so having a little something to snack on helps 🙂
Kristabel said:
Those bars look fantastic! I bought a bunch of boxes of bars on sale yesterday and was thinking how overpriced they can be.
freshlifefindings said:
Thank you! I definitely drop a good amount of money on bars, especially because my husband can eat a box in a day 😉 These help with that!
Healthiful Balance (Shannon) said:
Love no bake bars! Thanks for sharing the recipe. 🙂
freshlifefindings said:
I had never really made no bake bars before these so I’m glad they turned out 🙂 I hope you like them!
livliveslife said:
I remember the day that I looked on the back on my Yoplait and thought – what am I doing to myself? Fage is my favorite yogurt, but I’ll have to try Siggi’s, too!
freshlifefindings said:
Haha yeah it’s amazing how many sweeteners and syrups they put in there. I do love Fage too 🙂
Kristen Hale said:
Natty! Ok, love your look in the new top – you are rockin’ it! Question: What kind of protein powder do you use in your bars? I never know which kind is good and which kind is full of chemicals. Do you have recommendations? Also, I’m getting ready to make your winter soup tonight… I’ll let you know how it turns out! xoxoxo
Anna said:
After reading this, I bought a couple of Siggi’s yogurts instead of my usual Chobani. I really liked the orange and ginger flavor! Must say though, I don’t recommend the coconut. It kind of tastes like sour cream, and it’s 200 calories. But thanks for the rec! Gonna buy a few other flavors next time around 🙂
freshlifefindings said:
I haven’t tried the orange and ginger flavor! Will have to give that a try 🙂
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Garland said:
Wow! This blog looks exactly like my old one! It’s on a totally different subject but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Superb choice of colors!
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