A new favorite treat of mine is QuestBars. They have a lot of protein, no sugars added and quite a lot of fiber as well. They're also fairly low in calories (about 160-180 calories). They're somewhat pricey but I've found that they're cheapest from LuckyVitamin.com (about $1.95 to $2.05 per bar). You have to buy them individually from LuckyVitamin at the moment but they may sell the 12 bar boxes in the future. They have a website but the bars are actually more expensive when you buy them directly from their site.
I've only tried 4 different flavors so far but here are my reviews of them... (if there's no review, then I haven't tried it yet but I plan to!!)
Apple Pie - Yum!! This tastes pretty much as good as an apple pie. It actually has bits of apple in it even!! It's a little salty / sweet but it tasted great!! I plan to buy more!!
Chocolate Brownie - one of my favorites!! It really is like a brownie (albeit, sugar free...) and it's somewhat firm / crunchy. It's hard to explain but it's one of the best chocolate flavored protein bars that I've tried so far.
Chocolate Peanut Butter - another favorite!! I wouldn't say it tastes like Reese's Peanut Butter Cup (because it doesn't) but it's still really good. And if you need to eat more calories, you could always melt a little peanut butter and drizzle it over the top of the bar or something. I may try that next time!! =)
Cinnamon Roll - one of my other favorites!! It has awesome flavor!! I'm definitely buying this again!!
Coconut Cashew -
Lemon Cream Pie - this wasn't bad but not my favorite either. It didn't taste like 'lemon cream pie' but it did have a somewhat faint lemon flavor. Unless it was the only one they made or if I was really craving lemon, I probably wouldn't buy it again.
Mixed Berry Bliss - I was surprised that I liked this. The name didn't really appeal to me but it was really good!! It was like the 'jelly' part of the Peanut Butter & Jelly bar (which was really good too!!) I will definitely buy this again!! It even had real freeze-dried blueberries and strawberries in it!!
Peanut Butter & Jelly - I don't know how they did it but this really does taste like Peanut Butter and Jelly!! I really liked it and I'd buy it again!! =)
Peanut Butter Supreme - This was good but I actually like the Peanut Butter & Jelly bar better... and the Chocolate Peanut Butter bar better too. I suppose if you're just craving peanut butter and nothing else, this will probably quench that desire but I liked the mixed ones best. I'll still buy more of these too though!! =)
Strawberry Cheesecake - This was pretty good!! It actually had small bits of freeze-dried strawberries in it!! I'd buy this again!!
Vanilla Almond Crunch - this wasn't bad but not my favorite. The flavor isn't very strong and I guess I like stronger flavors. =) I might buy it again.
I'll add my review of each once I've tried them. If you've tried any of them, please leave a comment with your thoughts about the ones you've tried!! =)
Here's their website...
http://www.questproteinbar.com/
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Snickerdoodles
OMG! I made the Snickerdoodle recipe from Deanna's blog and they are uh-may-zing!! They sort of 'melt in your mouth'. Even if you're not on HCG, you should try this recipe!! I'd also like to try almond extract at some point, in place of the vanilla extract. The dough reminded me a bit of Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies (which I love!!) but the almond flour wasn't as almondy once they were baked. But they were still awesome and my parents (who are not on diets) loved them, as did my sister who claims to hate splenda. =)
| Ingredients: | 1/2 cup butter 1 1/2 cups almond flour 1 cup artificial sweetener (Splenda) 1 egg (I used 3 Tbsp. All Whites - Egg Whites) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 2 tablespoons artificial sweetener 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Directions: Preheat oven to 350* F. In a mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add about half the flour, the 1 cup splenda (I have never used anything other than splenda for this and have heard others do not work), the egg, vanilla, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in the remaining flour. Cover and chill for 1 hour (at least! If you can refrigerate overnight, that's probably best as the dough is very moist and refrigeration seems to make the dough easier to work with.) Combine the 2 Tbsp Splenda and the cinnamon in a small bowl. Shape dough into 1 inch (approx.) balls. Roll balls in the cinnamon/splenda mix and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Nutritionals:(12 cookies in batch)Using Almond Flour: Cals-113, Carbs-5, Fat-11, Protein-3, sodium-33 -----------------If using peanut flour:Cals-114, Carbs-7, Fat-8, Protein-10, sodium 87, potassium 57 |
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Bad Blogger...
So, I know I'm pretty crap at blogging. However, I'm going to try to share more of the recipes I try at least. =)
Just to update though, I'm currently on Round 3, Phase 3, Day 15 of the HCG Protocol and I've lost 133 pounds!! So, while I may be crap at keeping my blog up-to-date, I have *not* given up on my HCG diet and I'm continuing to do well. This last round, my sister joined me!! She lost 35 pounds in a 50 day round. I lost 30 pounds. I will share more info about losses and rounds and length of rounds once I complete the HCG probably. As of right now though, I'm only about 50 pounds away from my goal weight. Of course, my goal weight isn't anywhere near "normal" on the BMI charts (it's actually just inside the "overweight" category, close to the "obese" category) but it's exciting to be so close to it!! Once I get even closer, I'll probably rethink my goal weight and I'll probably change it and try to lose more. =)
The maintaining in P3 is sooo hard sometimes!! I mean, I'm glad that I'm not gaining or anything but Thursday I ate about 200 calories OVER my BMR and I lost 0.6 on Friday. Last night I ate about 200 calories over and actually managed to maintain today... though I'm currently 3 pounds under LDW... that's the lowest I've gotten so far in P3 this time around, so it's not horrible but it's still not within 2 pounds. =) Last night I had my first Power Crunch bar for this P3 so maybe that's what helped me to maintain (it actually has some sugar and some flour in it... though probably not too much considering it's near the middle / end of the ingredients). I love those bars though. I could eat more than one if they didn't usually make me gain when I have eaten more than one... =)
Some great P3 "treats" that I've found (besides the Power Crunch bars) are Quest Protein bars. I had gotten 2 bars awhile back (free samples from their Facebook page) and I ate a half of one one day and the other half the next day. It was the Vanilla Almond Crunch flavor or something... it wasn't bad but it was a little bland (however, I've ordered a few more from LuckyVitamin.com to try again!! And LuckyVitamin.com has them for the cheapest price I've found!! Even compared to buying a 12 count box directly from Quest!!) Anyway, then I tried the Chocolate Brownie bar that I had gotten from them and it was soooo good!! It was sort of a darker chocolate flavor (which I liked) and I'm ordering more of those ones definitely!! =) I think having 'sweet treats' helps me to get my calories up... That and the coconut manna / coconut butter!! =) A new favorite 'snack' for me is a cup of Fage (I still do 0% in P3 just because it's easier!) and then I add like 3 Tbsp. of Coconut Butter to it... I don't need any sweeteners or anything with that. I just love it!! But I love all things coconut so... =) I actually had a dream last night about finding some coconut flavored sugar-free candies!! =)
My sister who is also in P3 with me is only eating about 1000 calories a day so far (day 15 today) and she has lost a little more... I know that it's a big deal to maintain and I keep trying to sort of stress that with her but I also think that, for her and I, it's not such a big deal since we're not really going into P4 and we're 'cycling' back into P2 to start losing again. Once we're where we want to be weight-wise (or once we're done doing HCG), then I think it's very important to do P3 and maintain at the highest amount of calories we possibly can eat without gaining. =) I think I'm getting her more interested in eating more calories now though, since I made Deanna Kerick's Lemon Cream Cheese bars (see previous post) and she really likes those. =) I want to make Deanna's Snickerdoodles (see her blog or I may post the recipe once I make them!!) at some point... When I do, I'll be sure to share the recipe and my thoughts!! =)
Well, that's all for now. I'll try to post more soon. =)
x
Just to update though, I'm currently on Round 3, Phase 3, Day 15 of the HCG Protocol and I've lost 133 pounds!! So, while I may be crap at keeping my blog up-to-date, I have *not* given up on my HCG diet and I'm continuing to do well. This last round, my sister joined me!! She lost 35 pounds in a 50 day round. I lost 30 pounds. I will share more info about losses and rounds and length of rounds once I complete the HCG probably. As of right now though, I'm only about 50 pounds away from my goal weight. Of course, my goal weight isn't anywhere near "normal" on the BMI charts (it's actually just inside the "overweight" category, close to the "obese" category) but it's exciting to be so close to it!! Once I get even closer, I'll probably rethink my goal weight and I'll probably change it and try to lose more. =)
The maintaining in P3 is sooo hard sometimes!! I mean, I'm glad that I'm not gaining or anything but Thursday I ate about 200 calories OVER my BMR and I lost 0.6 on Friday. Last night I ate about 200 calories over and actually managed to maintain today... though I'm currently 3 pounds under LDW... that's the lowest I've gotten so far in P3 this time around, so it's not horrible but it's still not within 2 pounds. =) Last night I had my first Power Crunch bar for this P3 so maybe that's what helped me to maintain (it actually has some sugar and some flour in it... though probably not too much considering it's near the middle / end of the ingredients). I love those bars though. I could eat more than one if they didn't usually make me gain when I have eaten more than one... =)
Some great P3 "treats" that I've found (besides the Power Crunch bars) are Quest Protein bars. I had gotten 2 bars awhile back (free samples from their Facebook page) and I ate a half of one one day and the other half the next day. It was the Vanilla Almond Crunch flavor or something... it wasn't bad but it was a little bland (however, I've ordered a few more from LuckyVitamin.com to try again!! And LuckyVitamin.com has them for the cheapest price I've found!! Even compared to buying a 12 count box directly from Quest!!) Anyway, then I tried the Chocolate Brownie bar that I had gotten from them and it was soooo good!! It was sort of a darker chocolate flavor (which I liked) and I'm ordering more of those ones definitely!! =) I think having 'sweet treats' helps me to get my calories up... That and the coconut manna / coconut butter!! =) A new favorite 'snack' for me is a cup of Fage (I still do 0% in P3 just because it's easier!) and then I add like 3 Tbsp. of Coconut Butter to it... I don't need any sweeteners or anything with that. I just love it!! But I love all things coconut so... =) I actually had a dream last night about finding some coconut flavored sugar-free candies!! =)
My sister who is also in P3 with me is only eating about 1000 calories a day so far (day 15 today) and she has lost a little more... I know that it's a big deal to maintain and I keep trying to sort of stress that with her but I also think that, for her and I, it's not such a big deal since we're not really going into P4 and we're 'cycling' back into P2 to start losing again. Once we're where we want to be weight-wise (or once we're done doing HCG), then I think it's very important to do P3 and maintain at the highest amount of calories we possibly can eat without gaining. =) I think I'm getting her more interested in eating more calories now though, since I made Deanna Kerick's Lemon Cream Cheese bars (see previous post) and she really likes those. =) I want to make Deanna's Snickerdoodles (see her blog or I may post the recipe once I make them!!) at some point... When I do, I'll be sure to share the recipe and my thoughts!! =)
Well, that's all for now. I'll try to post more soon. =)
x
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Lemon Cream Cheese Bars with Peanut Flour Crust
Filling Ingredients:
1 (8 oz) container Neufchatel Cheese - 1/3 Less Fat Than Cream Cheese
4 Tbsp. Butter
7-9 Tbsp. Coconut Secret - Raw Coconut Flour
4 Large Eggs - Egg
1/4 cup Lemon juice (if you want more of a lemon / zing flavor, add more lemon juice!)
1/4 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetner - Granulated for Cooking & Baking
Peanut Crust Ingredients:
1/2 cup Protein Plus Peanut Flour
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 Tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetner - Granulated for Cooking & Baking
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350* F.
Combine the first 6 ingredients and blend thoroughly. You may want to use butter at room temperature or melted.
For the Peanut Flour Crust, combine the last 3 ingredients. You may want to use butter at room temperature or melted.
Spray bottom of square (8' x 8') pan with Pam or other non-stick cooking spray.
Push crust mixture into bottom of pan. This is a thin crust and requires quite a bit of spreading. If you want to increase your calories, you can double the recipe for the crust.
Once crust is in place, pour the filling on top and smooth the top as you like.
Bake for 20-30 minutes (or until the center seems solid to you).
(I got this recipe from Deanna Kerick's blog.... http://keepmethin.blogspot.com/2012/04/lemon-cream-cheese-bars-with-peanut.html )
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Starting P3 Today...
So, I was originally going to try to stay on HCG (in P2) for the duration of my weight loss. However, I changed my mind and am now entering P3. Today I took my drops in the morning and haven't taken any more since. So, my weight from this morning is now considered my LDW (Last Drops Weight or the weight I was when I last took drops... for those doing injections, it's referred to as LIW). I've lost almost 43 pounds in the 50 days. Nearly 48 pounds lost if you count the weight I gained from loading (which I do, as you know from my first post). Woo Hoo!! I think that's pretty good. =) And I managed to do the entire 50 days without cheating once!! I'm pretty impressed with my willpower. =)
From today, I have to remain on the 500 calorie diet (without drops) for 3 days and then I can increase my caloric intake to around 1200-1500. No sugars or starches but I can have cheese again!! I miss cheese!! =) And there are so many cheesy recipes for P3 that I really want to try... I can't wait!! =) I'll be sure to let you know all about them and what I think of them when I have them.
The hardest part of this diet is being around people who are NOT on it and who aren't extremely considerate of what I can and cannot eat... For the most part, they try to hide the sweets that they have but since we all use the same kitchen, I usually find the sweets fairly easily. Also, since I've been losing weight, my Dad has decided he's going to go on a diet (not HCG but a lower calorie diet than what he had been eating). Well, he sucks at sticking to his diet. I try to encourage him but it's hard because he's constantly trying to negotiate with me as to what he can eat.... "Just one more handful of peanuts..." He has also become a sugar addict, it seems like, because he has to have the sweets that the rest of the family hides from me. His lack of commitment is pretty discouraging as well. But I'm sticking to this. Hopefully for the long haul. I plan to stick it out until I've lost all the weight I want to. I've joined MyFitnessPal.com and made some HCG friends on there who help to encourage me and I'm also a part of a private HCG group on Facebook and the people in that group are really encouraging as well. The Facebook group is having a meet-up in Las Vegas in June. It would be kind of fun to go... but I have so much to lose, I doubt I'll want to show off my new self at that point. =)
Well, that's all for now. I'll check back soon. =)
R1 P2 D50
Today's Weight: 328.0
Total Lost: 47.8 pounds
From today, I have to remain on the 500 calorie diet (without drops) for 3 days and then I can increase my caloric intake to around 1200-1500. No sugars or starches but I can have cheese again!! I miss cheese!! =) And there are so many cheesy recipes for P3 that I really want to try... I can't wait!! =) I'll be sure to let you know all about them and what I think of them when I have them.
The hardest part of this diet is being around people who are NOT on it and who aren't extremely considerate of what I can and cannot eat... For the most part, they try to hide the sweets that they have but since we all use the same kitchen, I usually find the sweets fairly easily. Also, since I've been losing weight, my Dad has decided he's going to go on a diet (not HCG but a lower calorie diet than what he had been eating). Well, he sucks at sticking to his diet. I try to encourage him but it's hard because he's constantly trying to negotiate with me as to what he can eat.... "Just one more handful of peanuts..." He has also become a sugar addict, it seems like, because he has to have the sweets that the rest of the family hides from me. His lack of commitment is pretty discouraging as well. But I'm sticking to this. Hopefully for the long haul. I plan to stick it out until I've lost all the weight I want to. I've joined MyFitnessPal.com and made some HCG friends on there who help to encourage me and I'm also a part of a private HCG group on Facebook and the people in that group are really encouraging as well. The Facebook group is having a meet-up in Las Vegas in June. It would be kind of fun to go... but I have so much to lose, I doubt I'll want to show off my new self at that point. =)
Well, that's all for now. I'll check back soon. =)
R1 P2 D50
Today's Weight: 328.0
Total Lost: 47.8 pounds
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Correction Days
So, if you find you're not losing at all (stalls / plateaus) or you made a big mistake the day before, I'm going to try to keep track of different ways to get those losses back. Here are some that I've come across (thankfully, I haven't had to do one yet!!) I'll add more as I come across more. =)
BITS AND PIECES DAY: Prepare 500 calories of your favorite P2-friendly protein, separate into 1-oz to 2-oz portions, then eat 1-2 oz of protein every 2 hours, skipping the veggies and fruit for that day.
EGG DAY: 6 eggs throughout the day. One recommended way is to have 2 scrambled eggs for breakfast, two boiled with mustard for lunch and two for dinner.
BITS AND PIECES DAY: Prepare 500 calories of your favorite P2-friendly protein, separate into 1-oz to 2-oz portions, then eat 1-2 oz of protein every 2 hours, skipping the veggies and fruit for that day.
EGG DAY: 6 eggs throughout the day. One recommended way is to have 2 scrambled eggs for breakfast, two boiled with mustard for lunch and two for dinner.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Daylight Savings Time Ended...
I hate when Daylight Savings Time ends. I know we "gain" an hour but I hate it because it gets darker earlier and that sucks. Why don't we just go into Daylight Savings Time and stay there? When DST ends, it's sooo depressing. =(
I joined a private group on Facebook for people on HCG. Everyone is really encouraging. I've joined up with three other women who are staying on HCG until the 21st of November. Then they're getting back on it December 24th, so they'll be 'loading' the day before Christmas and Christmas day. I think I'm going to do it with them. Well, as 'with them' as you can, since they don't live near me. =)
So, I'm still on HCG. I've lost some more but not nearly as much as I wish I would. I also started my period again. =( It started a few days ago (four or five?). I'm blaming my period for my little losses these past few days. Since I started it, I've only lost 0.2 pounds every day. I know, at least it's still a loss but when you have so much to lose, it's somewhat discouraging. Maybe if I think of it more as about 1.5 pounds a week... but even then, that's a little disappointing. I guess I got so used to the big losses. I kept trying to tell myself that the big losses would end. You're told to only expect about a 15 pound loss per month, which is about 0.5 pound per day. I know, when they sell you HCG they say you can lose 1-2 pounds per day but that's just for the first week or two, it seems like. Total, I've lost a little over 33 pounds. Which is good, considering I've only been on the diet about the same amount of days... It's better than what people tell you to expect to lose (the 15 pounds) but if I take a month off during the holidays (I'll still be on P3 which is still a restricted diet without the HCG drops), then the 33 pounds over two months will end up being 16.5 pounds per month... Well, we'll see how much I lose by the 21st of November. I'm really hoping I hit 40 or 45 by then. That would make me feel soooo good!! =) I know, I shouldn't obsess over the weight but the inches lost but I don't know how many inches I've lost yet and, just like the pounds I have to lose, I also have a lot of inches to lose. More pounds are lost than inches most of the time for me, so I like the bigger numbers. =)
Anyway, I'll keep you posted with what's going on. Obviously I'm not as good at 'blogging' as I was at the beginning (daily) but I haven't forgotten about you / it. =) I'll still keep you posted. =)
Here's the stats as of today (I should try to do this every time I post... sorry about that!!)
Round 1
Phase 2
Day 34
Total Lost: -34.6
Today's Weight: 340.8
I joined a private group on Facebook for people on HCG. Everyone is really encouraging. I've joined up with three other women who are staying on HCG until the 21st of November. Then they're getting back on it December 24th, so they'll be 'loading' the day before Christmas and Christmas day. I think I'm going to do it with them. Well, as 'with them' as you can, since they don't live near me. =)
So, I'm still on HCG. I've lost some more but not nearly as much as I wish I would. I also started my period again. =( It started a few days ago (four or five?). I'm blaming my period for my little losses these past few days. Since I started it, I've only lost 0.2 pounds every day. I know, at least it's still a loss but when you have so much to lose, it's somewhat discouraging. Maybe if I think of it more as about 1.5 pounds a week... but even then, that's a little disappointing. I guess I got so used to the big losses. I kept trying to tell myself that the big losses would end. You're told to only expect about a 15 pound loss per month, which is about 0.5 pound per day. I know, when they sell you HCG they say you can lose 1-2 pounds per day but that's just for the first week or two, it seems like. Total, I've lost a little over 33 pounds. Which is good, considering I've only been on the diet about the same amount of days... It's better than what people tell you to expect to lose (the 15 pounds) but if I take a month off during the holidays (I'll still be on P3 which is still a restricted diet without the HCG drops), then the 33 pounds over two months will end up being 16.5 pounds per month... Well, we'll see how much I lose by the 21st of November. I'm really hoping I hit 40 or 45 by then. That would make me feel soooo good!! =) I know, I shouldn't obsess over the weight but the inches lost but I don't know how many inches I've lost yet and, just like the pounds I have to lose, I also have a lot of inches to lose. More pounds are lost than inches most of the time for me, so I like the bigger numbers. =)
Anyway, I'll keep you posted with what's going on. Obviously I'm not as good at 'blogging' as I was at the beginning (daily) but I haven't forgotten about you / it. =) I'll still keep you posted. =)
Here's the stats as of today (I should try to do this every time I post... sorry about that!!)
Round 1
Phase 2
Day 34
Total Lost: -34.6
Today's Weight: 340.8
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