REVIEW: Quest Birthday Cake Protein Bars

Last week the doorbell rang unexpectedly. If you live in a home with a vicious attack wiener dog, you tend to know when the FedEx/ UPS drivers will be dropping off goodies (or he will sound the alarm). I hadn't ordered anything and it wasn't either the hubby or my birthday, so I wasn't sure what it could be. To my surprise, Quest Nutrition sent me a package!

If you catalogue each of my Friday Favorites posts, you may remember back in July when I mentioned Quest Protein Bars. Yup, like most other things (wait, wasn't I just talking about this YESTERDAY?!), I was late to this party, and just discovered the deliciousness that are Quest Bars when I found them discounted at our grocery store. So far I have only tried the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and S'mores flavors, but they were both AMAZEBALLS!

Walt may not look impressed, but that's mostly because he knows I won't be sharing any of my goodness with him!
I mean, look at those HUGE chocolate chip chunks - they are the things dreams are made of, right?!

I've been on the look out for sales (I cringe when I see them costing over $2.50 a bar), but have had no such luck. Well, lo and behold, the Quest gods blessed me with a delivery of their newest flavor which magically appeared on my doorstep (and by newest flavor I mean it isn't even available on their website yet)! OH HECK TO THE YES!

Quest Birthday Cake Protein Bars!!!

If you know me, you know that chocolate isn't really my jam (unless we are talking about Reese's, but that's more due to the peanut butter than the chocolate). Growing up I would always get a white chocolate bunny on Easter and even to this day I would much prefer a fruity or vanilla sweet over milk chocolate (and don't even get me started on dark chocolate - YUCK!). When I opened the package and saw the deliciousness staring back at me I was stoked to dive in!

Let me start by letting you know that, like their other protein bars, it's a great source of protein with plenty of fiber, but without tons of unnecessary ingredients or extra carbs. All Quest Bars are gluten and soy free, and contain no added sugar. This particular flavor has 5g of net carbs [25g Carbs – 14g Fiber – 6g Erythritol = 5g Net Carbs] and a whopping 21 grams of protein! Not only that, but it legit tastes like you're sneaking a spoonful of cake batter straight from the bowl.

The hubby and I both agree that it feels like you are cheating on your healthy eating lifestyle by pounding one of these (plus there is no funny "healthy" aftertaste that you get with some protein bars). With Quest Bars, you can eat toward your goals and love every bite along the way. This is a bar that promises food can taste as good as it is good for you.

Like I mentioned, this is a brand new flavor, but once you see it hit shelves near you, I'd HIGHLY suggest grabbing one!

Are you a milk chocolate, dark chocolate or white chocolate kind of person?

Bike The Coast 25 Mile Ride Recap

A couple months ago I entered a sweepstakes being put on by Visit Oceanside. You could win two entries to Bike The Coast and two Oceanside bike jerseys. I have done the Bike The Coast event in the past (I rode it in 2014 and did the 50 mile option) and had a great time (even if I did it on my beach cruiser, had many people laugh/ question my sanity and only passed people who were changing flat tires {who then quickly passed me back once they were done}).

Source

I actually forgot that I had entered the giveaway until last week when I received an email telling me I WON! 

Source

The hubby sold his bike earlier this year (he had only ridden it a handful of times in the past few years and we were thinking about getting "folding" bikes that we could put in the #AdventureMobile so put it on Craigslist before summer) so we had a slight dilemma. Thankfully a friend had one that he could borrow so we were back in business!

Riding in style!

PS I really think they should have had instructions on the back of
the race numbers... because apparently this is what happens when
you give a runner a bib... She has NO IDEA how to put it on her bike!

Friday afternoon, the hubby and I made our way down to the Oceanside Pier to grab our bike bibs and goodies. Pick-up was easy breezy (we were there about 1:30pm before going for a 7 mile run along the beach). Since we signed up with a comped code, I didn't pay much attention to the registration process. I guess I didn't realize that I didn't have to pick a shirt size (probably because I provided a jersey size for our prize pack), but was STOKED when we got our bags and there were pint glasses included. I would much prefer a usable item (like a glass or mug) than a tee I will never wear.

I was trying to figure out how to put my bike helmet in my #FlatCarlee but I just couldn't get it to work out right... but a streamer fit!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Bike The Coast (which is probably 99.9% of you), it's not a race. They call it a "ride". I think they do this is so they don't need to close the streets (I'd assume it is much cheaper and easier to put on if people are just riding in the bike lanes on open roads). The issue with this is you have to obey traffic laws (ha, that sounds funny, right?!). So although it feels like a race (there are bike numbers and starting corrals), you are having to stop at traffic lights and must stay within a bike lane (unless you are passing) - so it's sort of like a normal Saturday morning. The hubby joked that we would've been done an hour earlier if we didn't have to do all the stops (there were sheriffs writing tickets for bikers who were not coming to a complete stop with their foot on the ground in some areas).

We started (and ended) under the Oceanside Pier... not too shabby of a place to kick off (and finish) a ride!

Getting ready to head out on our 25-miler!

The event offers three distances - a 25, 50 or 100-miler (there are normally five, but because the bike trail is closed currently they got rid of the 7 and 15-milers this year). The 25 mile course is an out and back from Oceanside to Encinitas. The 50 mile course is an out and back from Oceanside to Del Mar. The 100 mile course is two loops of the 50 mile course. Whichever option you do, the views along the journey are AMAZEBALLS!

Thankfully there weren't very many turns on the course, but when there were, they had directional signs!

Cruisin' along the beach!

There was an aid station at our turnaround point that we briefly stopped at. There were lots of snacks (sandwiches cut into quarters, pretzels, orange slices, banana chunks, trail mix, etc) and plenty of fluids. I grabbed a peanut butter and honey square which was DELISH! (I don't know if you remember, but I fueled with the peanut butter and honey Uncrustables for Ragnar this year and LOVE them.) The volunteers did a great job of keeping everything stocked!

SNACKS!

I got a ton of comments about my streamers and skirt. Apparently I stuck out like a sore thumb due to the fact I was not wearing Lycra and having a BLAST! Everyone else seemed to serious (maybe they were jealous of my spoke beads...).

Life should be about having fun and making others smile... I think I accomplished both of those tasks!

The weather was PURE PERFECTION. When we started (our wave went off just before 8:45am) it was in the mid-50s and when we finished (it took us about 2.5 hours to finish with all of the stops) it was in the mid-60s. There was a slight breeze, but nothing too crazy and the sun was out and welcoming us in all its gloriousness. It was just another reminder of how amazing of a place we are blessed to live in (and how every penny of the HIGH sunshine tax we pay is worth it).

When we finished, we dropped our bikes off in the bike valet (they give you a numbered band for your bike and your wrist so they can make sure the rightful owner is claiming and taking their bike afterwards) and went to grab our goodies. We got a beautiful medal (I love all of the sparkle) and $5 in tickets to use in the Taste the Coast expo. The hubby and I combined our tickets and shared an acai bowl from Aloha Acai Bowls - it was FAN-FREAKIN'-TASTIC!

GET IN MY BELLY! (PS Don't my spoons sort of look like a shaka?!)

We didn't stick around for too long because I had an event I was working in San Diego and the hubby had a welcome home party to go to for a friend who just returned home from a 7 month deployment, but everyone we saw hanging out appeared to be having a great time (I mean, what's not to love about the beach, good food, live music and friends?!).

FINISHER!

A BIG THANKS to Visit Oceanside for putting on the sweepstakes that I won and another HUGE ROUND OF APPLAUSE to Oceanside for putting on this awesome event! Maybe one day I'll work my way up to the 100-miler...

Isn't the medal sparkly and purrrrrrty?!

Do you enjoy riding a bike?

Workout Recap - Week 44

Sunday, October 29th – 6 mile run with the hubby, Stretched & Foam Rolled

Monday, October 30th – 8 mile run, Stretched & Foam Rolled

Tuesday, October 31st – 60 minutes on the stationary bike, Stretched & Foam Rolled

Am I the only one who multi-tasks while on the bike?
This time it was a little reading.

Wednesday, November 1st – 45 minutes of Yoga, 5K run with the hubby, Stretched & Foam Rolled

Thursday, November 2nd – 12 mile run, Stretched & Foam Rolled

Friday, November 3rd – 7 mile run with the hubby, Stretched & Foam Rolled

Saturday, November 4th – Bike The Coast 25-mile ride, Stretched & Foam Rolled

I won entries to the Bike the Coast ride, so the hubby decided he wanted to swap his Friday and Sunday runs in case he was too tired on Sunday for his 7-miler. Stoked to see I was back in the thirties for my mileage this week (36.1 to be exact), even with a yoga workout, a stationary bike workout and a 25 mile bike ride. And I am UBER proud of the hubby for his dedication to his training thus far! He is gonna SMASH his first full marathon! #ItsGoingDownAtPHX

How were your workouts this past week?

Friday Favorites

WHOOO HOOO! We made it! Let's be real, I'm not a HUGE Halloween celebrator, but we have a tradition to hang out and trick-or-treat with our best friends and their kids every year. Well, with the holiday being mid-week it seemed to make the week drag on a bit... or maybe that's just me. Anyway, thankfully Friday is FINALLY here and it's time to share some of my recent favorite finds with YOU! Buckle up and jump on this train because we are pulling out of the station!

A Whole New World

I think we can all agree that videos of kids can be super cute (I'll be honest though, puppy videos are still probably my favorite), but this video of FOUR YEAR OLD Claire Crosby and her dad, Dave, singing A Whole New World is literally OUT OF THIS WORLD! Not only is the song a fave of mine, but SHE'S FOUR! I actually saw the two performing on Ellen's Instagram stories last week, but then my mom tagged me in the full video on Facebook and I had to share it!

National Sandwich Day

For the third year in a row, Subway is not only participating in National Sandwich Day, but World Sandwich Day. The important bit: On November 3, buy a sandwich and a drink you'll get a free sandwich of equal or lesser value. Subway's deal won't just put a free sandwich in your belly, it'll give you the warm fuzzies. The sandwich shop is using the promotion to fight hunger. For every BOGO deal redeemed, it will donate a meal to the hunger relief organization Feeding America, which gets four out of four stars from Charity Navigator. Last year, the promotion ended with Subway donating 11 million meals to Feeding America, which was the largest single-day donation the charity had ever received.

Source

An Alaskan Mile

I saw this 20ish minute film mentioned on Facebook a few times and had to give it a watch. I thought it was interesting and you might too! There's a reason no one has ever broken the four minute mile outdoors in Alaska. Eight top milers learn that first hand as they travel to the last frontier for two shots at the elusive record. But in order to get close to that time the competitors may have to work together for every single second. Together, they make An Alaskan Mile.

#WeRunSocial Buff

Okay, okay, so technically I can't call it a buff, but it's sort of like calling tissues that you blow your nose with Kleenex... the word is sort of synonymous and you know what I'm saying when I use the term. Anywho, I've been rocking the wrap for a few months now (one of the many perks of being married to the designer), but now YOU can buy it from Pavement Runner's shop! {PS I will have a giveaway for one next week, but if you want one now, place your order today!}

Starbucks Holiday Cups

Let me start off by saying I am not a coffee (or tea) drinker. The only thing I ever get at Starbucks for myself is a white hot chocolate (aka warm milk), but that doesn't mean I don't know what's going on in that world. The day after Halloween, I opened my email to see the HOLIDAY CUP announcement from them. I've gotta say, although I loved the simple look of the fall cups (I believe they were like orange or aqua colored) I really like these too. I know, I know, they aren't the traditional red cups for Christmas, but I like the "giving good starts with you" feel of them!

What are you loving lately?

Fall Festivities

Even though it hasn't felt very like fall (we had a heatwave last week that had us hitting triple digits for multiple days in a row), the hubby and I have still been enjoying "fall-ish" fun and I thought I'd share some pictures with you! If you follow my Instagram stories you may have seen some of them, but I figured I'd give some context/ stories behind the photos.

Camping

A couple weeks ago we went to Joshua Tree for a quick getaway. The hubby's favorite campground fills up crazy early (due to the high demand for the great rock climbing), but we found if you go during the week you can find spots without too much hassle. We went on a short trip (Sunday through Tuesday) and had a great time {despite the heat}. Not only did the hubby get in some climbing, but we did some hiking and even saw some Bighorn Sheep and a tarantula!

Some of the Joshua Tree signs and murals we saw around town

On the way into town we went to the Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum. It is pretty wild! Loved the "No Dumping" piece made of toilets! 

And of course we had to do some climbing while in JTree... The pup and I watched and waited while the hubby got his climb on.

Break time! (Walt thinks Ryan's climbing pad is a giant bed that we lug around for him to lay on...)

With temps in the high 80s we had to find all the shade we could to hike around in

Camp stove pizza for dinner - YUM!

In town there is a ton of fun art studios (I mean, the World Famous Crochet Museum?! It's a must - DUH!)

The Bighorn sheep may not look crazy cool, but apparently it is super rare to see them and we spotted a few while we were there!

Pumpkin Carving

Our Growth Group (think of it as a small group or Bible study) does a Halloween social every year and we have a pumpkin carving contest. This year I decided that instead of a pumpkin, I'd do a PINEAPPLE! I mean, not only is it super cute, but you get to eat the fruit inside (the hubby used some in his smoothies and I ate the rest fresh). I ties for first place and the hubby tied for third so we walked away from the event with $35 in Chipotle gift cards - SCORE!

Some folks thought it looked like Wilson from Castaway... I thought it looked like a happy, friendly island pineapple!

The hubby and I with our creations!

Sorry about the graininess, but it's hard to capture pictures with flickering candles inside (especially on an old iPhone).

Playing with light! I loved the way the pineapple looked. Hubby thought the shadows out of his pumpkin were uber cool!

And just in case you wanted to see the competition...
7 and 8 tied for first, 9 and 3 tied for third and 4 came in fifth.
How would YOU have voted?!

Trick-Or-Treating

Our best friends adopted four kiddos a few years back. Before the adoption, we would go over and hand out candy at their place with them. Now we go over and trick-or-treat with the crew. (Being the "fun aunt and uncle" has all the joys of parenthood and none of the drawbacks! I don't know why more people don't opt for this lifestyle ;)) Last year Ryan went as a "ginger bread man" (he carried a loaf of bread) and I went as a soccer player (yes, I do still have my soccer jersey from High School thank you very much). This year I decided to rock my unicorn onesie that the hubby got me for Christmas last year. It was a little warm, but I loved every minute of it!

What fall activities have you done lately?

Walt Wednesday

Some people do a "Wordless Wednesday" post, where they simply share a photo or image, but I thought I'd make a little series out of my Wednesdays. And since I love alliteration so much, why not go with Walt Wednesdays (obviously everyone can use a little break from the seriousness, scariness and sassiness of life - and what better way to help put a smile on your face than with a cute wiener dog picture, am I right?!)... So, without further ado...

WALT WEDNESDAY!

When life gets overwhelming, how do you de-stress?

Planksgiving

The other day I saw a plank challenge and a light bulb lit up. I'm always in for a good challenge, but thought I'd change it a bit. With Thanksgiving this month, I thought, what if we combined two things: physical health and thankfulness?!

Source

My idea is - when you do your daily plank, you concentrate on things you are thankful for. I know in the past, while running hill repeats, I would take the uphill portion and dedicate it to a specific person and take that time to pray for them. It truly helped to take my mind off the pain and helped me focus on something (or someone) outside of myself.

You can tweak this challenge to whatever works best for you. You could do it by physical time (while you are planking, you are going through a list of things you are thankful for), by the date of the month (on the first, you come up with one thing you are thankful for, on the second you come up with two additional things you are thankful for, and so on), etc.

The premise is, the further in the month we get, the longer the planks and thanks will get... Hopefully, by the end of the month, we are not only stronger physically, but we are more thankful and grateful people as well!

Source

**PS I thought I was so clever, but when I was adding images I realized I was NOT the first to come up with this idea... Oh well, it's still a great one that I'm planning to do for the month of November and hope you'll join me!**

Who's in for Planksgiving?!