Go Macro Giveaway!

Hello readers! I'm excited to announce the first give away by Flavor To Go Fast! After riding for and doing some reviews for GoMacro last year, they've come back interested in helping you guys try out some delicious Macro Bars!

Today I'm going to review the Chocolate Protein Bar, a new addition and my new favorite. But first the giveaway details:

Any reader of this blog can use the code BLOG15 when ordering off of the GoMacro Shop will receive 15% off of one case of bars (not individual bars).

Second, anyone that likes the GoMacro Facebook Page and comments on this blog post is automatically entered to win a free case of MacroBars ($43.35 value!). The winner will be chosen and announced 4 days from today.

Rating: A-

To explain my review of this bar I'll have to give a little info on the progress of my personal nutrition. I used to simply eat gluten free, but after cutting out all grains and legumes for a few months, I now only consume rice for grains because it sits with me the best. I do miss my oats, and for most people they are ok, but like gluten, often times cutting it out will reveal some benefits. I was attracted to this bar for that reason! It does not also make one starving after eating it or shortly after, due to it's lower sugar/carb content and therefore glycemic index. I would prefer whey protein over brown rice, but then it would not be vegan, so I cannot really complain. The use of brown rice syrup for sweetener is also one of my favorite aspects because fructose can definitely be hard to get down and is less ideal for health (sorry all you agave fans!), especially when consuming during training (I've been riding with these bars every day recently!).

On the flavor, I love it! Chocolate protein is a simple title that works for a number of audiences, but to me its more like Chocolate Tahini Crunch or Chocolate Sesame Crunch! And that's a great thing! I never new cocoa could go so well with a bit of grainy crunchy sesameness and sunflower seed.

If you want a tasty and nutritionally appropriate bar that's not overly carb heavy/sugary (especially not from fructose) for good long lasting energy and a little extra protein, this is the ticket!

I'm sad to say I just finished my last Chocolate Protein Macrobar on my 3.5 hour training ride today! And it made me feel so strong on those intervals!

Japa-Huevos Rancheros and Coconut Carob Cookies

 My first use of an entire egg (access to Canadian free range organic grain fed) in a while inspired me to do a Japanese Huevos Rancheros proper. Stoked on it!

Thank you to all of these epic farmer's market goodies! And discovering a quality cheap Seaweed Salad available at costco.

• Seaweed
• Steamed Squash w/ Sesame Oil
• Heirloom Tomato
• 1 Egg+ 3 Egg Whites cooked in Coconut Oil
• Sautéed Fennel in Coconut Oil
• Cashews
• Rainbow Gomasio
• Wakame Seaweed Salad
• Nutritional Yeast
• Grass Fed Beef Jerky

Using coconut oil in the pan = prime time! And the jerky bits acted just like bacon! Got my alternative cheese with yeast and plenty of Japanese flavorings make this dish all time! Definitely worth repeating.

Finally got around to making another buckwheat bake! I used what I had and was too lazy/interested in finding out what happens when you just use ungrinded buckwheat. It made for extra crunchiness!

 I went with a Tropical Coconut-Vanilla-Blueberry flavoring and was successful with all three! Just need to get the texture down a bit more. (Vanilla whey, Blueberries, Egg, Coconut Flour, Pecans, Dried Pineapple)

With Coconut / Homemade Cinnamon Almond Butter

I got pretty into it at the end. It tasted like vanilla-coconut-blueberry-almond-radness. The vanilla whey protein and whole egg combo made kind of a burndt vanilla sugar effect, like the burndt sugar ice cream from cows :) yum.

Grain Free Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies?

 The true question for these is what did I use because there's pretty much not a single normal chocolate chip cookie ingredient.

• 2T Coconut Flour
• 1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt
• 1 Scoop Vanilla Whey
• 2T Shredded Coconut
• 18g Agave Nectar
• 1/3c Coconut Oil (cooled)
• 2 Chia Eggs (1/4c Chia Seeds, 1/2c Water)
• 1/4c Carob Chips

I went with whey protein added to some to see which came out better (it was the yellow whey protein ones!) 25 minutes at 350º F.

They actually don't break apart at all (chia seed magic), super chewy almost gummy like.  They aren't airy at all (no baking soda available) but tons of coconut flavor with a bit of crunch from the coconut/seeds and the kick of sea salt makes it. Carob is always delicious as well.

Turkey series?

After a good experience with my first baked boneless skinless turkey breast, I was down to go for it again.

Andronico's only had half turkey's so the butcher de-boned/skinned it for me and I ended up with a huge quality piece of meat. 

I busted out a grill pan instead of baking it and used coconut oil again, and then a little Turmeric/Cumin on one half and TJ's Everday Seasoning and Lemon Pepper on the other. 

• Cafe Del Soul Remix Salad
• Tomato, Artichoke Hearts, Sweet Potato

It lasted through a couple of meals... First time with Cafe Del Soul (had to before I leave) take out salad, supplemented with a little tomato, artichoke heart, and sweet potato. The turkey is crisp and tender at the same time and the sweet yet savory salad did not let down at all. The Hummus is amazing but balances out with a sweetish Tamarind Ginger Dressing.

• Turkey
• Mixed Greens
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Heirloom Tomato
• Avocado
• Bella Mushrooms
• Lemon, Flax Oil, Cumin, Paprika, Turmeric
• Cashews

I've been loving summer salads with flax oil dressings and also wanted to do the avocado w/ cumin/paprika combo so this big salad really satisfied. Tons of goodies and plenty of flavor. Incredibly clean and healthy!

View from the Top

Getting there

• Turkey
• Sweet Potato
• Sun Dried Tomato
• Cafe Gratitude Kim Chee
• Mixed Greens
• Cucumber
• Cherry Tomatoes
• 2 Olives
• Avocado
• Lemon, Flax Oil, Ginger Juice
• Pepper

This ended up being another never ending bowl with just a bunch of random ingredients! More Omega-3 packed flax oil dressing thrown together super easy for the win. With lemon and ginger juice in the fridge on hand a quality dressing is so easy!

• Grilled Turkey Breast
• 2 Carrots
• 2 Zucchini Squash
• Bella Mushrooms
• Cashews and Almonds
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• Mozuku Seaweed
• Sun Dried Tomato
• Pickled Sushi Ginger
• Nori Sea Weed
• Chile Powder, Granulated Garlic+Onion, Garlic Gold, Basil, Lemon Pepper
• Kim Chee Juice, Canola Oil, Lime Juice, Ginger Juice
• Sunflower Seed Butter, Water, Ginger Juice
• Sesame Seeds

The grand finale of the turkey: an epic Stir Fry. I planned on making extra with tons of veggies but ended up eating it all! Quite filling.

I definitely used a few too many nuts but beyond that this was dialed (and I was missing the classic broccoli factor).  The flavor was bomb from both the stir fry mix and the super easy to make nut butter-water-ginger or lemon combo sauce. My favorite part is probably the mozuku seaweed that turns into delicious noodles through out. I ended up using a sheet of Nori Seaweed to make little wraps/use as tortilla chips. 

Whistler Final Eats

I have to get this out of the way before I continue with my at home creations! There will be some good ones coming as I am getting deeper into The Paleo Diet Fort Athletes! But first some more splurging from my travels:

Mmmm! I had to try the Banana Toffee Pecan Chocolate Chip edition from Mogul's. The banana goes with pecan and toffee and oats so well! Toffee chips add the sugary touch that berries do so well in the usual cookies, just in a more decadent desserty less tart kind of way. This version ranks high on the mogul cookies list!

The Fuji Market is my savior. I got an epic bag of mixed Japanese boiled root vegetables (refridgerated, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and much more!) and supplemented with Kale. Plus my experimental/always thinking about what to make/eat nature. Still didn't buy any oil/dedicated ingredients for cooking.

I used a soy sauce packet and left over kim chee juice and pickled ginger juice with some lime to make the best flavor/cooking agent! It was a little salty-little spicy-not really a little tangy but sort of. I love the super good kale and root veggies/mushrooms/shoots. The 'cheap' fish ($5 for sushi grade salmon!) tasted good raw and especially yummy with the pickled ginger. So crunchy and delicious all around with the nuts and seeds. Cashews definitely rule butt. Stoked to satisfy my craving for expensive fancy fish and stir fry without the cost!

The perfect 'final' cookie. I was hoping for the rare banana-toffee-pecan, but ended up with the never before seen Raspberry Toffee Pecan Chocolate Chip!A perfect suprise/end of my trip after my last big ride 4 hour xc ride (the most challenging of the trip for sure). I decided to hit up all the post ride routines in one. Coconut water, Gu recovery drink and cookie sesh.

  Combine the classic go-to raspberry with the sweet nuttiness of the toffee/pecan!   The extra crunch and flavor from the toffee chips and pecans brings the raspberry cookie to a whole new level.  Nuttier/sweeter/crunchier yet STILL tart and chewy.

 

This was actually the last cookie, I had to try the Apple Cinnamon since before I had Apple Pecan and thought how good it would be with some cinnamon. It really was just like a slightly denser chewier muffin top and made for the perfect oaty doughy breakfast cookie (half with dinner half in the morning).

And i'll end with some brief randoms

The Last Splitz Grill Wrap

Buffalo Burger with almost every topping

• Sprouts, Lettuce Tomato, Cucumber, Pickles
• Baba Ghanoush, Hummus (lots of it), Dijon

 Daifuku

A Japanese Mochi Red Bean Paste Cake from the Fuji Market! Sweet, gluten free, and delicious.

Fuji Market/My own Combo Salad

• Fuji Market: Seaweed Salad (Arame), Spinach Goma Ae (Sesame Sauteed), Pickled and Sweetened Pickled Ginger
• Turkey, Romaine Lettuce, Cashews, Almonds, Blueberries
• Lemon Juice

Mogul's Mega Muffin (Blueberry Oat Bran)

Plenty of deliciousness to choose from!

Back into Baking! Buckwheat. And another Race!

I luckily got to do plenty of baking in the past few days, the cooking that started my passion so many years ago! It really is therapeutic. and fun to mess with different combinations and creations. like chemistry but 100x better. and tastier. I also raced!

I will master the buckwheat bake. I made 3 so far, one on Sunday morning and two on Sunday night to eat today and yesterday at school.  They are truly awesome, so many customizable themes and so many convenient options to your liking.

Buckwheat Bake 3.0

I am using egg whites for these on the go buckwheat bakes instead of chia eggs because I need to up the protein content as I mostly sit at school. This one was Mixed Berry with some Stevia to sweeten and the Pumpkin option instead of Banana. Plenty of crunchy Pumpkin seeds for even more protein and healthy fat (the most protein packed seed)! 

• Buckwheat Bake Recipe
• 5 Drops Stevia
• 1/2c Blueberries/Raspberries + additional fresh Raspberries

I like the pumpkin instead of mashed banana because the flavor is subtle and contributes less sugar/carbs (good for school, not for pre-ride).  The berries and stevia made it totally sweet enough to be yummy topping free!

The Inside: Delicious Tart Cooked Berries!

Besides the normals, this is worth including to mention the grain combo. Just enough protein for a not hungry-Max from lots of greens, quinoa, and tahini.

Clean and Tasty

  I mixed a 1:1 ratio of Quinoa and Wheat Berries in my rice cooker and it made a fluffy, nutty, almost corny mix! Way better and more nutrient dense than either one on their own. Also settling into a dialed standard Tahini Sauce mix!

• Grilled B-Sprouts (Mustard Seed, Olive Oil, S & P)
• Steamed Broccoli
• 1/3c Quinoa, 1/3c Farro, 2c water
• 1/2 Baked Sweet Potato
• Hummus and My Tahini Sauce (Tahini, Ginger Juice, Lemon, Cider Vinegar)

My second try involved a cocoa/carob-banana theme!

 Buckwheat Bake On the Go 2.0 

  The banana option and included fresh raspberries, which brought an occasional touch of tart! Raspberries get so much more tasty when cooked. The bake had tons of chocolate/carob/banana flavors working together and the carob chips made delicious melted morsels scattered throughout. One healthy chocolate muffin wanna-be for sure! This was the perfect amount of food to hold me over until lunch! (8am to 12pm)

• This Buckwheat Buckwheat Bake Recipe
• 1t unsweetened Cocoa Powder (didn't have carob)
• Egg White instead of Flax Egg
• 2t Carob Chips
• 2T chopped Almonds/Pumpkin Seeds instead of Walnuts
• Some Raspberries

Sweet enough from the Carob Chips/Berries to not need any topping. 

My first was a tasty nutty blueberry muffin! Not as protein heavy and definitely more sugar but that is perfect for pre-ride.

Basic Blueberry Buckwheat Bake 1.0

For attempt #1 I used coconut milk instead of almond milk, the chia seed egg option, and blueberry as the central focus. It was a bit mushy so I think almond milk works better.  I topped with my favorite blueberry jam and some agave nectar because it wasn't sweet enough, so for the future bakes (like above) won't have toppings on the go I will bake in additional goodies/sweetness. Who doesn't love biting into some tender cooked blueberries that explode with sweetness and flavor?

• This Blueberry Buckwheat Bake
• Chia Egg Option
• 2T Almonds/Pumpkin Seeds/Sunflower Seeds (not walnuts)
• Coconut Milk

Eating bread gluten and wheat free! When I saw this recipe and recently invested in buckwheat I had to give it a go.

Tasty With Toppings

 Before Topping

 I haven't been eating any bread for a while since i've been enjoying a wheat/gluten free spell, and this REALLY hit the spot. It tastes almost liqorice-y from the delicious black pepper combo and is moist, nutty, and not crumbly. I followed the recipe except with amaranth flour instead of millet flour. I had the same meal for lunch at school except with Wasabi Dijon Mustard and Hummus and it was just as good.

• 1 Serving of Buckwheat Millet Amaranth Bread
• 1/2 Block of Tempeh in the Toaster
• Gai Lan Broccoli steamed with Sesame/Sesame Oil
• Cucumber, Tomato, Green Onion, Avocado
• Lemon/Tahini, Hummus, Nutritional Yeast, S & P

Nutritional yeast combined with Hummus or Tahini and Avo is officially awesome as an almost salty-cheezy sauce and I love it. 

 Post Race Delight

Enjoyed some Futomaki Sushi leftovers (Sushi Ran) as a treat when I got home from the race. Accompanied by some leftover vegetables, brown rice, and tahini. Totally splurging...

 Recovery Muscle Brownie Treat

Lenny and Larry treats don't let me down after a super hard effort! 20g of Protein for the win.

 Pre Race O'Oats

Same pre-race overnight oats, added vanilla, Bing Cherries, Raspberries, Cocoa Powder, and more Almonds instead of Almond Butter.

Pre Race Dinner Out?

I went to Lydia's Kitchen for pre-race dinner, and got this French-Mex Buckwheat Crepe Wrap and House Salad. A moist soft buckwheat crepe around avocado, black beans, salsa, greens all topped with a cashew sunflower seed chile sauce! The first time Mexican food will taste light.  It wasn't filling enough so I ate some more at home, and the race was low key and mainly for training so I didn't make a special dinner. I went super fast feeling great so it definitely still worked! It's comforting to know that a variety of things won't fail me.

More Coconut Kefir, Turkey Quinoa- 1st Turkey Nori Wrap!

PreWrap (clockwise from top: Kombu, Carrot, Turkey, Onion, Sunflower/Almonds, Wakame, Rice and Dill center)

Nori Turkey Wrap and Some More

I see many Nori Wraps in my future! #1 Who knew that you could have something better than a tortilla (ok fine, depends on the mood). Right under my nose in sushi all the time, just mini sliced versions of such an epic creation. And to think I was led to make this because now I am truly out of produce in my fridge, leaving just the few dried seaweeds I have along with some carrots and half an onion.  I partially looked at this recipe. On the soaked nuts/seeds, I don't think i'll ever get into the full on soaking methods although it sounds quite beneficial and healthy, these I just did for 45min-hour while the rice maker was at work, and it's apparently long enough for sunflower seeds. Sweet Lemon, Dill, Seaweed, and Soy (Temari) made this dish tasty with compliments of turkey, hummus, and the nut/seed paste really bringing it together. Once again stoked on making something Japanese-esque thats super healthy (not high sodium/sugar)!

-Diestel Pastrami Turkery and Brown Jasmine Rice (cooked with 2 kombu and 2 wakame pieces)

-1 Nori Sheet

-1/4 cup sunflower seeds/almonds 

-Shredded 1/2 Carrot and Grilled 1/2 Onion

-Lemon, Dill Weed, a Dash of Reduced Sodium Temari

-Hummus

Turkey Quinoa Dish

I wasn't planning on finishing all of this, but it's all super healthy so it doesn't matter. I thought I splurged but got hungry not too long after. Nearly the last of all the vegetables in my house for once, I actually had to break into the frozen spinach in the freezer.  Glad I did! The whole Popeye eating lots of spinach thing doesn't come out of no where, it really is incredibly good for you. #2 This bunch has 10g of protein and a bunch of calcium which most people are deficient in. I steamed it to maintain all the nutrients (boiling loses a lot), with a bit of sesame oil and toasted ground sesame seeds. It ended up tasting full of flavor and really sweet from rice wine vinegar! The rest all went together well and was just as delicious.
-Steamed Spinach (sesame oil, sesame seeds, coconut, rice wine vinegar) and Carrots
-Quinoa Leftovers
-Sautéed Onion with Garlic, Ginger, Sesame Oil
-Diestel Farms Pastrami Turkey and Hummus
-Gomasio to top

Coconut Kefir Oats 2.0

Slightly less goodies and sweetness than less time, but just as good. Next time i'm going to mix with a little bit of yogurt (hopefully strained/greek) and sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds definitely go with coconut i've decided since having Bungalow Munch. There was a little pomegranate juice in their but evidently barely not enough to make a huge difference. I couldn't decide between my dried fruit and crunch/nut choices so I went with multiple. #3 The sprouted quinoa adds an amazing crunch factor and ups the protein content! Stoked to have it on hand.

-65g Extra thick Oats, 150g Coconut Kefir, 10g Pom Juice

-Blueberries, Shredded Coconut

-Sprouted Quinoa, Chia Seeds

-Hazelnuts, Dried Pineapple and Bing Cherries