Jessy's Healthy Pumpkin Protein Bars

Club Fitness nutritionist and personal trainer, Jessy Hamawi, is cooking up these amazingly healthy pumpkin protein bars that will be available tomorrow at the gym for free! This is one of the great ideas Club Fitness and our nutritional program offer! We care about our members and show them how nutritional eating to lose weight and stay fit can easily be incorporated with great foods! If not signed up to workout tomorrow then hurry and call ASAP! This healthy treat will not last long!  

If  not a member and interested in joining our personal training gym to get healthy  then call 309-689-1400 or email info@peoriaclubfitness.com!

Jessy's Pumpkin Protein Bars

Ingredients

½ C Brown Sugar Blend

1- 4 oz. jar baby food applesauce

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 ½ tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. ground clove

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 large egg whites

1- 15 oz. can of raw pumpkin

2 C AP flour

2 scoops vanilla whey protein

½ cup almond milk

½ C chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1.     Preheat the oven to 350.

2.     Spray a 9 X 13 Pyrex dish with non-stick spray.

3.     Combine first 11 ingredients and mix well.

     4.     Add the final 3 ingredients (4, if adding walnuts), and mix until incorporated.

5.     Spread batter into the Pyrex dish and bake for 30 min.

Nutrition (without walnuts): 1 square = 47 calories, .7 g fat, 8 g carbs, 3.7 g protein

Nutrition (with walnuts): 1 square = 63 calories, 2.3 g fat, 8 g carbs, 4 g protein

Recipe by Jessy Hamawi, Club Fitness nutritionist and personal trainer

ARE YOU A CHOCOLATE LOVER?

      I know..I know.., you think oh no…here it comes..Marianne is gonna slam chocolate this week!  Can’t I enjoy anything anymore…right?..Well not so fast!

        Many of us are aware of the most recent findings regarding dark chocolate (more so than milk chocolate) having very beneficial flavanols  (flavanols are plant substances that are high in anti-oxidants) which are so important to our overall health, and shown through studies, even beneficial in preventing cancer.  Additionally, the flavanols in chocolate have been shown to help process the nitric oxide in our bodies, which is very vital to healthy blood flow and blood pressure.

        Well, I am going to offer another benefit of chocolate that you may not be aware of.  For those of you who consider yourself true “chocolate lovers”…do you find that when you eat chocolate, you actually get somewhat of a euphoric/”warm fuzzy” feeling?  I have met soooo many people who truly believe they are “addicted” to chocolate & the thought of having to give it up seems almost impossible.  Well if you are one of these true chocolate lovers, join a very large crowd…but here is some information that will possibly help you understand the attraction.

        A study was done, that monitored couple”s brain & heart rates while they 1) kissed & 2) melted chocolate in their mouths.(hmmm..sounds like a study we might all like to be participants in).  What the study showed was that “Chocolate caused a more intense and longer lasting “rush”, “buzz”….”warm-fuzzy feeling” than kissing!!”…I’m not sure this is good or bad news…In fact the research showed that the buzz from chocolate, & it works best when it is allowed to melt in your mouth, lasted as much as four times longer than the “buzz” from a “most passionate kiss”.

        So, it is easy to see why some people truly are “addicted” to the “buzz” from chocolate.  The reason this happens, is chocolate contains phenylethylamine, which raises the levels of endorphins (pleasure giving substances) in the brain.  Chocolate also contains caffeine, which will further stimulate the brain..

        Probably many readers can relate totally to the feeling of “happiness” when eating chocolate…now, at least you know it’s not your imagination…there is a scientific explanation for why you feel this way.  The important thing to remember regarding your love & “indulgence” in chocolate, is moderation.  Chocolate does contain a lot of saturated fats  & calories…so limit your intake.  Moderation…as usual, is the key.  Be good to yourself! 

Article written by Club Fitness Nutritionist Marianne Miller:

Marianne Miller 

(Peoria Club Fitness Nutritionist)

Have your Cookies and Lose weight too!!

I came across this recipe in my Oxygen magazine this afternoon and thought how great to find a healthy dessert!!

High in protein and balanced with moderate carbohydrates, this recipe will help keep you dropping fat and increasing lean muscle mass. Ideal as mid-morning or afternoon snacks.

Almond Butter Whey Cookies

1/2-Cup Oats

1 Tablespoon All Natural Almond Butter (Packed with monounsaturated fats, shown to suppress hunger.)

1 Scoop Whey Protein

1 Egg White

2 Packets Stevia

½ Tsp Baking Powder

*Optional to add in Carob Chips (Great high-fiber substitute for chocolate chips)

Mix all ingredients together and bake in one large cookie or mini cookies at 350 degrees for about ten minutes.

Nutrients per serving:

Makes 12 servings
Calories: 30, Total fats: 1g, Saturated fats: 0g, Trans fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 5mg, Sodium: 15mg, Total Carbohydrates: 3g, Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars: 1g, Protein: 2g, Iron: 0 mg