Healthy Oatmeal Cookies and Granola Bars

Disclaimer: I was provided with these products (mostly) free of charge through my involvement with Fit Approach. All opinions are my own. I did pay for shipping, which ended up being more expensive than the products themselves, so if you’re in Canada, be warned. I decided to bite the bullet and pay anyway because my Healthy Oatmeal and Lean PB looked so awesome!

MyOatmeal

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Fit Approach (aka – Sweat Pink) to see if I’d be interested in mixing up my own blend of Healthy Oatmeal and creating a few recipes with my blend.

Well of course I was interested! I also really wanted to try out some of the Lean PB since powdered PB is something I’ve been wanting to try for a long time, but for whatever the reason, I hadn’t. (Probably because it isn’t all that easy to find in Canada!).

For the PB I picked from their popular list and went with the Chocolate Hazelnut flavour – basically a healthier version of Nutella – yes please! (total cost $13.99)

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I also added a bag of the mystery oatmeal for $5.99 instead of $9.99. I wanted to see what kind of creation would be sent to me.

Finally I created my own Morning Fuel using 5 grain rolled oat, dulce de leche flavouring, cranberries and almonds. (total cost $18.64).

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When browsing the site, I also noticed you can sign up for an Oatmeal of the Month membership. The prices are super reasonable (with shipping to Canada approximately $25, this may not be the best idea for us north of the border, but if you’re in the US and love oatmeal, it sounds like a great idea!!).

Now that you know what I ordered, on to the good stuff – recipes!

Since I’m pretty much obsessed with granola bars, I knew I’d be making my tried and true granola bar recipe, but I also wanted to mix it up a bit and make a batch (or two) of cookies using the blends.

Morning Fuel Granola Bars

  • 1 cup almond butter
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • vanilla extract (I never measure)
  • cinnamon (I never measure)
  • 2 cups Morning Fuel oatmeal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper (the bars will stick, so you’ll want to do this – plus it makes it way easier to lift out the bars once they’re done). Microwave the coconut oil (if solid) and honey to make them pourable and easier for measuring. Add the first three ingredients to the bowl followed by the dry ingredients. (Tip: I add the coconut oil first since some oil will remain in the measuring cup making it easier to pour out the honey and nut butters). Mix together, press into the pan. Cook for 20 minutes until edges start to brown. Enjoy!!

Mystery Blend Cookies

  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 2 cups Mystery Blend oatmeal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mash bananas with peanut butter. Stir in cinnamon and oatmeal. (Tip: I add the coconut oil first since some oil will remain in the measuring cup making it easier to pour out the honey and nut butters). Drop onto cookie sheet in the size of delicious cookies you would like to eat. Bake for 20 minutes until browned.

Chocolate Hazelnut PB Waffles

Now that I have a waffle maker, I’m pretty much obsessed with making waffles on weekends. When I read the Lean PB could be substituted for flour in baking, I was all over it!

  • 1 1/2 cups waffle mix (I buy Coyote)
  • 1/2 cup Lean PB, Chocolate Hazelnut flavour
  • 2 cups milk (I used almond milk)
  • 1 egg

Preheat waffle maker according to manufacturer instructions. Add try ingredients to a bowl, then add when ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon or whisk. Add 1 cup batter to waffle iron and cook per manufacturer instructions.

I always have left overs, so I like to toast them up the follow day (or days) to keep the love alive!

Now, for the nitty gritty…..would I order Healthy Oatmeal again?

Well….this is tricky. I loved all of the products I picked, but with shipping being so expensive, it’s just not worth it for me. Sadly, shipping options to Canada aren’t always the greatest and I definitely feel like I miss out on some cool products because of it. So due to the high cost of shipping, I wouldn’t purchase again, but I really enjoyed the items I received.

Tell me: If you were going to create your own oatmeal mix, what would you include?

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More ways to connect with Ange:
Facebook --> Cowgirl Runs
Twitter --> @cowgirlruns
Instagram --> cowgirlruns
Bloglovin --> cowgirlruns
RunKeeper --> angelaraew

North Coast Naturals {Giveaway} (Closed)

Congratulations to Crystal for winning the prize pack!!

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Whew.

It sure has taken me far too long to get this post all typed up and organized for you.

First things first – I’m so pumped to be working with North Coast Naturals! You may have seen a picture of an awesome shipment I received from them in early January. I was sent the following items free of charge to review for y’all: Brown Rice Protein, Hemp Protein, Fermented L-Glutamine and Daily Greens. But wait! That’s not even the best part! North Coast Naturals is also going to be giving away three of their awesome products to a Cowgirl Runs reader (you’ll receive  L-GlutamineDaily Greens, and Brown Rice Protein).

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Before we get to the super fun giveaway, I have two more amazing recipes to share with you.

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Almond Cashew Cherry Granola Bars

Whew! Even the name is a mouthful, but I assure you these taste better in your mouth than the name <– awkward. Moving on….

These are a twist on the Almond Butter Protein Berry Bars I made back in January.

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  • 1/2 cup almond butter
  • 1/2 cashew butter
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 hemp seeds
  • 1/4 cup brown rice protein*
  • 1/4 cup chia seeds
  • 1/2 cup dried cherries
  • 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
  • vanilla extract (I never measure)
  • cinnamon (I never measure)
  • 2 cups rolled oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper (the bars will stick, so you’ll want to do this – plus it makes it way easier to lift out the bars once they’re done). Microwave the coconut oil (if solid) and honey to make them pourable and easier for measuring. Add the first three ingredients to the bowl followed by the dry ingredients. (Tip: I add the coconut oil first since some oil will remain in the measuring cup making it easier to pour out the honey and nut butters). Mix together, press into the pan. Cook for 20 minutes until edges start to brown. Enjoy!!

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Chocolate Banana Cranberry “Muffins”

Again, I need to thank Becky for the inspiration for this recipe. I saw her recipe for Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Muffins and made a few tweaks to come up with these guys.

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Makes 12 muffins

  • 3 ripe bananas
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter (I used Dark Chocolate Cherry Monkey Butter)
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup hemp seeds
  • 1/4 cup chia seeds
  • 1/4 cup hemp protein*
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries (or dried fruit of your choice!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place 12 muffin liners in muffin pan. In a large bowl, mash bananas with peanut butter. Stir in cinnamon and oatmeal and then gently mix in dried cranberries. (Tip: I add the coconut oil first since some oil will remain in the measuring cup making it easier to pour out the honey and nut butters). Bake for 20 minutes, until tops are slightly browned. I use silicon muffin liners, so I waited about 10 minutes before I removed the muffins from the liners.

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Review Stuff

I was so, so pleased with the quality of the products sent to me by North Coast Naturals. I started using the L-Gluatmine right away after my workouts.

Many studies suggest it helps with recovery, alleviating physical/mental stress, joint pain, and mental fitness. It has also been found to have a significant effect on the body’s rate of tissue repair. Glutamine can help to reduce depression, anxiety, irritability, moodiness, insomnia, and distress due to short bowel syndrome.

(source)

The protein powders were amazing to work with. They didn’t impart any weird or chalky flavour into the granola bars of smoothies I tried with them and were so easy to mix and blend. As someone who can be wary of new protein powders, I was very impressed with the taste and quality.

As for the daily greens, I’ve been adding it to water (yup, just water) in the mornings to me going in the morning. I’ve tried other brands of “green” that suggest you mix with water and I’ve ended up mixing with juice and just barely been able to choke it down. Not so with these. I’m not exactly sure how it’s different, but I found it mixed really well with the water and the taste was awesome. Hooray!

Giveaway

Okey dokey friends, now it’s your turn! North Coast Naturals will provide one reader (Canada only – sorry International folks!) with the following products  L-GlutamineDaily Greens, and Brown Rice Protein.

Here’s how you enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
<– since I’m currently hosted with WP I can’t install the fancy widget but you can click this link, or go to the giveaway tab on my FB page to enter (you get an entry for liking the page, so you totally should!) (sorry to have to make it two steps! I’ll get a big girl blog soon!)

* the brown rice protein and hemp protein were provided to be free of charge by North Coast Naturals in exchange for my honest review and opinions of the products.

Go forth and enter! 🙂

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More ways to connect with Ange:
Facebook --> Cowgirl Runs
Twitter --> @cowgirlruns
Instagram --> cowgirlruns
Bloglovin --> cowgirlruns

Link Love: 1/18

Guess what?!

It’s January 18 which means my birthday is in four months.

Write that shit down – I’m expecting my mailbox to be flooded with presents 🙂 And, since I’m talking about it, I’ll be 31, which thinking about it, feels so much more “in my thirties” than turning 30 did.

Links

I’m super pumped it’s Saturday. For whatever reason I had a bummer week – any time I tried to make plans they ended up being cancelled/rescheduled. Lame. I even had plans for last night that I was pumped about (it’s a toss up if I was more excited about the plans, or the idea of steak sandwiches for dinner) that didn’t end up happening. Home alone on a Friday night. *whomp whomp*

But! No more pity party here. It’s Saturday and tomorrow I’m going to the ballet. I’m pretty sure the last time I went to the ballet was in 2007, so it’s been a loooong time! I’m going to see Romeo & Juliet put on by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, which is one of the best ballet companies in Canada, so I’m really hoping it’ll be enjoyable.

Images

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^^ what happens when I’m killing time waiting to go out for dinner…..photo (29)

Popular This Week

Thinking Out Loud: 1/16

How How I Feel Affects My Body Image

recipe Home Made Granola Bars

Treat Yourself Tuesday: 1/7

Link Love

Skinny: The Ultimate Compliment? via Snack Therapy <– I love Carly so much. I even wanted to share my comment here with you because I think her post is so, so important! So much YES to this post! Lately anytime I see the word “skinny” in anything (blog name, book title, whatever) I get all twitchy. And I HATE it when people call me skinny right now. Mainly because I lost weight because of a very stressful situation and it wasn’t healthy, so everytime someone points that out to me, I’m reminded of everything I went through and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. Mostly…..

When Pinterest Pisses Me Off via Snack Therapy

To Delete or Keep – Cleaning Up The Blog Reader via The Big Man’s World

This Man Is Dating Someone Even Though He’s Married <– read before judging. Having been married, I highly agree that too often we stop dating and pursuing the person we love because we already “have” them.

24 Expensive Things That Just Aren’t Worth the Money via Buzzfeed

Tough Decision: A Vega on Pills or an Omnivore With Balanced Nutrition via Lifting Revolution <– this is a bit of an old post, but my friend Brittny linked to it and it really got me thinking about food trends and nutrition, so I wanted to share it

What I Didn’t Anticipate When I Stuck the Vegan Label on My Diet via Lifting Revolution <– a bit of a follow up to the post above, and, again, really enlightening

7 Hard Questions You Must Ask About Your Blog via Creative Kristi

How To Plan One Year of Blog Post Ideas via The Mommy Mess

Numbers Don’t Define You via Nia Shanks

Soft and Chewy Protein Granola Bars via . running with spoons .

Peanut Butter Berry Bars via Olives ‘n Wine

19 Hard Things You Need to Do to Be Successful

37 Things Only Runners Know via Thought Catalog <– yes to all of these.

23 Signs You Cat Has a Human For a Pet (And Not the Other Way Around) via Thought Catalog

21 Hilarious Tweets from Zooey Deschenal via Buzzfeed

12 Recipes Everyone Needs for Romance via Buzzfeed <– divorce nachos. HILARIOUS

So You Want To Start A Blog via The T-Rex Runner

LHR Training via Run To The Finish <– “LHR” = low heart rate; definitely something I want to look into for training for my ultra

Why Your Past Shouldn’t Control Your Future via Storyline Blog

Words Are Spells via A Dash of Meg

How 20-Something Entitlement Nearly Ruined My Marriage via Storyline Blog

When Healthy Becomes Unhealthy via Erica House <– I could relate to so much of this post!

Hidden Healthy Gems at the Grocery Store via Back To Her Roots

Chicken Pho via Smitten Kitchen <– this is now on my must make soon list!

Tell me: What’s your favourite blog/article from the week?

recipe Home Made Granola Bars

With my health nearly back to normal (I’m still suffering from a stuffy nose in the mornings) I’ve started back to running this week. Hooray!

I ran 10k on Monday and 6.5k on Wednesday and it really feels great to be back at it! During my run on Wednesday I noticed I was pretty low on energy toward the end of the run and realized I haven’t been all that great at eating whole grains (or any grains) during the day.

If you look at my weekly plan posts, you’ll notice I eat fruit & veggies for breakfast, salad for lunch, and protein and veggies for dinner. Very few (if any) grains.

Thankfully, I had just looked at Becky’s awesome recipe for her granola bars and I knew I needed to try my hand at them with my own twist!

These bars are chewy and full of flavour, and none of that corn syrup (among other things) store-bought granola bars are filled with!

Almond Butter Protein Berry Bars

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  • 1 cup almond butter
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 6 scoops fermented L-glutamine*
  • 1/4 cup brown rice protein*
  • 1/4 cup chia seeds
  • vanilla extract (I never measure)
  • cinnamon (I never measure)
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • frozen berries (again, I didn’t measure)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper (the bars will stick, so you’ll want to do this – plus it makes it way easier to lift out the bars once they’re done). Microwave the coconut oil (if solid) and honey to make them pourable and easier for measuring. Add the first three ingredients to the bowl followed by the dry ingredients. Mix together, press into the pan and top with the frozen fruit. Cook for 20 minutes until edges start to brown. Enjoy!!

Coffee, Chocolate, Peanut Butter Bars

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  • 1 cup peanut butter (I used creamy)
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup hemp protein*
  • 2 cups Redline Oats (this oat mix contains rolled oats, whey protein, walnuts, chocolate chips and instant coffee)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper (the bars will stick, so you’ll want to do this – plus it makes it way easier to lift out the bars once they’re done). Microwave the coconut oil (if solid) and honey to make them pourable and easier for measuring. Add the first three ingredients to the bowl followed by the oats and hemp protein. Mix together and press into the pan. Cook for 20 minutes, let cook and enjoy!

* the Fermented L-Glutamine, brown rice protein and hemp protein were provided to be free of charge by North Coast Naturals in exchange for my honest review and opinions of the products. I have a few more recipes coming your way and a giveaway (Canada only) of some products for you!

These recipes are really, really easy to throw together. I was able to whip them up in less than 10 minutes – it takes them longer to cool than to cook!

Tell me: Are you a granola bar fan? What add-ins would you include in your granola bar?