Saturday - Energy Bars

I went to a Bodybuilding/Fitness/Figure/Physique/Powerlifting/National-Qualifying competition yesterday - a.k.a.: The Emerald Cup. Without getting into my own personal issues with driving in big cities, water bottles exploding and parking in the wrong parking garage, it was an educational experience. I saw people who have been working for months for their 15 minutes of static holds (with the exception of the fitness competitors, who also put together a 2 minute acrobatic routine!). I saw one of the people I admire, Tanji Johnson (Check out her amazing fitness routine: here.) and I saw a lot of women on stage who I felt comparable to in size and fitness. I see myself every day and we are our worst critics, so I don't see myself as that lean and cut, but it seemed like they weren't that different from me once they were off the stage and walking down the hall towards me. When my friend's coach approached me (for the 3rd time) asking me if I was ready to be up on stage next year, I realized I have to once again re-adjust my self-image.

I also did a little retail therapy with my husband yesterday and today because, as some of you may know who follow me on Facebook, I have about 2 pair of pants and 1 pair of shorts that actually still fit me. I am not complaining, but it certainly is frustrating trying to feel good and proud of the work I've done on my body only to disguise it in baggy clothes. It's also terribly unattractive to be hitching up your pants every 10th step.

In the spirit of showing off what I've worked so hard to create, I promised myself NO BLACK, and came home with some fabulous bright, tropical coloured shorts, tops and  and even a dress, shoes and a belt. I happily shopped for size 8's and even ended up taking home a pair of just-a-bit-snug size 6 workout capris. Just last year I was in too snug 12s and inching towards 14. That's a HUGE difference, even though the scale only says I have lost about 12 lbs.

And in the spirit of the Whole30, I needed to make some easy carry-along foods for my husband's and my beloved 'epic' hikes/bikerides. Usually I grab a few protein bars and some chocolate covered raisins and nuts, but protein bars are definitely NOT on the menu, so I went to the interweb to find some paleo-friendly energy bar recipes. I found a few, added my own twist and came up with the following. They were good- a little greasier than I'd like, so next time, I'm thinking of adding more coconut flakes and more flax seed meal. I'm naming them after my husband, Erik, and also our term 'epic' hike/bikeride.

Epik Sports Energy Bars

• 12-14 dates, pitted
• 1 c dried apricots
• 1/4 c. flax seed meal
• 1 c. whatever nuts you like
• 1/4 c. chia seed
• 1/4 c. dark cocoa powder
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1/3 c. coconut flakes
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 2 T. coconut cream (or coconut oil)

What I did:
I added the dates and apricots first, and got them into small-ish bits then chia for a pulse or two to mix in. Then I added the nuts (I used 1/2 c. hazelnuts and 1/2 c. macadamias) and processed it into a fine powder.  Then I added the rest of the ingredients and pulsed/processed it until the coconut cream was well mixed. Then I took the ball of stuff and pressed it into a 9x9 baking pan with waxed paper on top and put in the fridge for a bit to firm up (they were a bit juicy), I'm cutting them into squares and hoping they hold together on the hike. You might want to wrap them individually in wax paper so they don't stick together and if they fall apart, you can squish them back together in the wax paper.