New Product Testing

I received a fun treat in the mail today — RUNspiration's rizebox arrived, and inside were a few interesting products to try. (Fortunately for me, the edible products were paleo!)

Since I had just rolled in from a ride, I was due a post-workout snack. I chose the Hail Merry Strawberry Macaroons. OMG. So good. Gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO.. the ingredients listed included shredded coconut, maple syrup, almond flour, coconut oil, almond butter, strawberries, vanilla and sea salt. Simple. (Sadly, there were only 2 in the pack)

Crushed that my two small cookies were gone in a snap... I ventured on to the Bearded Brothers Raspberry Lemon Energy bar... (figs, dates, sun butter, hemp seeds, raspberries, chia seeds, lemon extract & sea salt.) Well, let's just say I'm not a fan. It had an odd metallic taste that threw me off right away, kinda like Lara bars, though I'll give them another try.

The rest of the goodies in the box look promising; Teeccino Herbal Coffee (Dandelion Caramel Nut), Amazing Grass/Amazing Meal cafe mocha smoothie powder, Eboost natural energy powder, Cocogo coconut hydration mix, KT Tape elastic kinesiology sports tape, and a Bondi Bands fluorescent green headband. (There are several other products in the box as well.)

Neat stuff, fun to try -- and the Hail Merry cookies are my favorite so far.

Happy Pi Day

It's Pi Day today... And I was up at 5:30 baking a pie for Chip's math class. (Chocolate chip cookie pie -- one of his favorites). Since there are two other math geeks in the house, (definitely not me), I decided to make a second pie for the occasion -- a crustless sweet potato pie. (Yes, paleo.)

This is actually great as a pre or post-workout snack, as it's mainly eggs (protein) and sweet potato (nutrient dense carbs).

Paleo Sweet Potato Pie

PALEO SWEET POTATO PIE
Ingredients

• Sweet potatoes (1 lb or about 1 cup mashed)
• 3 eggs
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup almond or coconut milk
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1-2 Tablespoons maple syrup (optional)

Bake the sweet potatoes until soft (for about an hour). Baking will bring out some of the sweetness in the potato. (Today I tossed 2 in the oven while Chip's pie baked.) Cool, peel, and mash the sweet potato. Blend in eggs, milk, and coconut oil until smooth, add cinnamon and maple syrup. (Add the maple syrup if you prefer a sweeter pie.) Pour into a pie plate lightly sprayed with cooking oil, (we use coconut oil), and bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes or until center is set firm and top is lightly brown.

Obviously this is just a custard-like filling. For a more traditional pie, you can pour the filling into a pie crust. I like the pie crust recipe from Elana's pantry.)

Hot Apples and Cinnamon. Yum.

Perfect Warm-up on a Cold Day

Post-workout Hot Apples+Cinnamon

and a paleo apricot bar. Mmmm...

I love Skratch Lab's electrolyte drinks, and today's double session at the gym called for Hot Apples + Cinnamon. Now I want to go out in the 5 degree weather and ride another 30 miles, just so I can drink more. Yum.

Skratch is not paleo, (given that sugar is the main ingredient), but all of the ingredients are natural. The real thing. Probably as close to paleo as I'm gonna get in an electrolyte drink. (And I admit it's tastier than my home brew.)

I also think Skratch Lab's great hydration mixes could break Will's quixotic need for brightly colored sports drinks after his workouts. (No doubt he thinks his swim workouts are Ryan Lochte-level... but they aren't... and Gatorade is chemical garbage.) Skratch's new Daily Electrolyte Mix sounds more in line with what he needs, and tastes great.

(BTW, Will, you insisted I write about you in my blog... so there you go. Hahaha. Ditch the Gatorade and give Skratch a chance!)