Protein Balls - My Recipe

I got on a kick this Spring and was making protein balls about once a week. My boys were eating them up as snacks, and I thought they were pretty yummy as well. I got out out the habit over the Summer, but this week am making them again. They are great to have in the fridge as they last about two weeks, longer if you put them in the freezer. You can play around with the recipe as well. Once time instead of peanut butter I used some chocolate almond butter I had in the pantry. Those were really yummy! Sometimes I add a dash of cinnamon too for some extra flavor.

Enjoy!

Protein Balls

2C oats 1C Flax meal 1C peanut butter 6T honey 6T maple syrup 2t vanilla 4T mini chocolate chips

Mix oats, flax, pb, honey, syrup in a bowl. mix in vanilla.fold In chips.

Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Form into balls. (I use pampered chef large cookie scooper). Put on parchment paper lined cookie sheet and chill for another 30 mins.

Transfer to tub and keep in fridge for 2 weeks, or freezer for 3 months

 The dry ingredients

 Mixing up everything and folding in the chocolate chips

After chilling for 30 minutes, scoop into balls and chill longer. Transfer to tub and store in fridge.

Clothing Review - INKnBURN Chenille Racerback Tank and Capris

So this past Saturday I decided to put the new set from INKnBURN, Chenille, to the test. I had a CrossFit workout planned, and decided to add a few miles on the front to really give it a shot.

I set doing 1 mile loops around the parking lot and surrounding street close to my gym. After a couple miles it was time to head over to the box for the CrossFit wod. Today was Muscles & Mimosas, so we kicked the boys out, did the workout, and then headed back to the main gym for mimosas and snacks poolside. The event was great - the workout hard and challenging, which left you with a great feeling of accomplishment afterwards.

Running before CrossFit. The sky was gray, but I didn't get rained on.

Muscles and Mimosas with the ladies!

I really put the Chenille capris and racerback tank through the ringer today. I ran, squat, lifted, burpeed, and thrusted in them, and felt great. There was never a moment of uncomfort, a worry of showing through the fabric, and I received a ton of compliments on the outfit.


Some of the reasons I love INKnBURN clothing

-Made in the USA! Designed, printed, and sewn in Southern California. In the clothing world, this is like buying local. I love that.

-Comfortable! These clothes don't move when you run. This is important for chaffing, or in the case of InB, no chaffing.

-Gorgeous! Have you seen these clothes? They are beautiful! Each piece and design is a work of art printed right onto the material. I love standing out at a race and not blending into the crowd.

-Quality! The clothing is high quality, and stands up to washing. I have not had a piece fade from washing or wearing. They are still just as bright as the day they came out of the package.

-Flat out Fun! I think it is great that I can show up to a race wearing a sugar skull, or a wild flower, or a dragon. Who else does that? And more importantly, I don't know any other company that even comes close to them with designs.


Check out the photos from INKnBURN of the Chenille outfit.

 The complete outfit

The front, back, and side view of the denim like capris.The really do look like they have back pockets with the way the printing is done to the material. They do have a front pocket on the right leg that is big enough to hold a smart phone. I put mine in the pocket while running, and had no issues with the phone coming out.

The front and back of the racerback tank

Weekly Wrap-Up August 23-29, 2015

My week of fitness looked a little like this...

Sunday -  11am yoga class at Lululemon on the Plaza. 

At yoga wearing the Wildflower singlet

                  
             
Monday - 8:30am Jazzercise Class
                  5:00pm 2 mile run at the gym

Tuesday - 6am CrossFit Class 
                 8:30am Jazzercise Class
                  
Wednesday -  6am Boot Camp Class - Weight Vest Wednesday! 
                      5:00pm 1.75m walk on the treadmill at the gym during the boy's karate class.

Thursday - 8:30am Jazzercise Class

At Jazzercise wearing the Black Lace racerback

Friday -  Rest Day. Biking and playing with my boys around our neighborhood

Saturday - 10:15am 2 mile run around the gym and parking lots
                    11am  Women's only CrossFit class followed by drinks & snacks poolside

Jazzercise - Try it for FREE!

So, let's talk Jazzercise. Yeah, it is still out there. No, people don't wear leg warmers and leotards anymore, but I suppose if you showed up wearing that you wouldn't be turned away. What you will experience is some current, upbeat music to dance to. You'll also meet some great friends, take class from a great instructor, and walk away wanting more. It really is that fun! I've been doing it since the Fall of 2012, and just love it.

And, to make things even better, they are offering a $0 to join right now through September 15, 2015! Come and take a class. Sign up on their auto-enrollment program, and pay nothing until the October billing cycle. This is a fantastic deal!

Hop on over to Jazzercise and find your local center and give it a try.

And no, Jazzercise didn't ask me to write this post. I just love the classes and program a lot. And I think other people will too if they give it a shot!

Rocking out at Jazzercise in my Black Lace racerback

Social Media - Find and Follow Me!

Did you know I'm on social media? Yep! I sure am. Want to follow along? Sweet. I've listed my links below. Please like or follow me, and share with your friends!

Facebook

www.facebook.com/runningwithhart

Instagram

www.instagram.com/running_with_hart

@running_with_hart

Twitter

www.twitter.com/runningwithhart

@runningwithhart

INKnBURN Ambassador!!!

Hey everyone!

It's official, and I can shout it from the rooftops - I'm an INKnBURN Ambassador!

Ok, so what is that? Oh, well let me tell you. It is the opportunity to share with the world the INKnBURN brand of clothing, made right here in the United States. It is comfortable and fashionable clothing for the running and fitness community, and I love it. I am so excited to have been chosen to represent this brand. They create and make high quality clothing with an attention to detail and craftsmanship.

Do you know INKnBURN? What is your favorite piece?

Green Juice

I've had my BlendTec blender for about 18 months now, and still love it. I've made almond butter, ice cream, chocolate frosting, smoothies, and applesauce in it. And I love to make Green Juice. My boys will drink it up, and I love it too. The BlendTec makes juice so easily - just dump in the ingredients and hit 'Whole Juice'. Boom! You've got a great green juice!

Here is my recipe:

2C almond or cashew milk
5-8 dates, pitted (you can use a squeeze of honey, agave, or coconut syrup instead)
1 green apple, quartered
1 banana
3C+ spinach

Put ingredients into the blender in order as listed. Hit the 'juice' button on your blender.
Poor into a glass and enjoy!

What is your recipe for green juice?

Shoe Review - Under Armour Sneakers

This past Wednesday I went out and snagged a new pair of sneakers from Marshall's. These sneakers are for Jazzercise, general gym stuff, and Boot Camp. I usually find a pair of sneakers for less than $50, use them for 200 hours or so, and then either turn them into general sneakers for just out and about, or donate them to Soleful Suitcases to be given away.

Marshall's didn't have a big selection to pick from, and finding a size 8 narrowed the selection even more. But I did manage to find a pair that fit, felt good, and looked cute. Enter in the Under Armour Women's Grit Off Road sneaker.

I've worn them now a few times. Thursday they made their debut at the 6am CrossFit class and did well. Part of the WOD was running 2000m and I felt great in them for that, and the rest of the workout. They made it to the gym on Thursday afternoon as well. My son was at his CrossFit Kids class, so I did some light stuff around the weights before being talked into the 5:30pm Boot Camp. The shoes didn't disappoint there either.

I gave them another shot at the 6am Friday Boot Camp class where the WOD was "Indian Run".  And finally I took them out Saturday morning for my weekly long run with the ladies of KC Express.

Overall I'm pretty pleased with these shoes. They feel great to run or workout in. The retail cost on these is only $84.99. Marshall's had them for $39.99, and I certainly feel they are worth that price. And I like the colors to boot!

After a few work outs, the soles still look great!

You can find these shoes on here on Amazon if you'd like to order a pair and can't find them locally.

Weekly Wrap-Up August 16-22, 2015

My week of fitness looked a little like this...

Sunday -  3.25m bike ride with my oldest son while the hubs and little guy napped, and then we all                    went to see the movie Inside Out.

Monday - 6am CrossFit
               8:30am Jazzercise
               5:00pm 1m run and 3.16m lateral machine at the gym

Tuesday - 6am CrossFit
               8:30am Jazzercise

Wednesday - 6am Boot Camp

Thursday - 6am CrossFit
                4:30 light weights
                5:30pm Boot Camp


Friday - 6am Boot Camp
            6:30pm 3m family bike ride

Saturday - 7am 7 mile Long Run with KC Express

I hope you were able to get in some good fitness time this week. If not, don't beat yourself up. Just make a plan to jump in next week and get going!

Welcome!

Hello and Welcome!

Hi there! Thanks for finding me. Welcome to just what the world needs, another blog about some housewife that runs. Yahoo! Que the applause.

Anyway, the page is a work in progress as you can see. I'm getting there, slow but steady.

Let me tell you a bit about me. I started running on Mother's Day, 2012. A couple of girl friends had asked if I wanted to run a 5k race with them. Thinking I was in decent shape I agreed, no problems. I mean, I did Jazzercise 3-4 times a week, how hard could it be? Well, turns out, Jazzercise and running are not the same. It took us 45+ minutes to complete that 5k. The running club that put on the race, Kansas City Express, was offering a summer long training program to help new runners complete a 10k or half marathon that fall. You met on Saturday mornings, ran, had some coffee, and went home. After talking to my husband about it, and getting him to agree to watch our two boys while I was gone, I signed up for the 10k plan.

And then I signed up for a few more 5ks and a 4 miler. By the time that 10k rolled around, I'd already signed up for a couple of half marathons, a 10 miler, a 15k, and a bunch more 5ks. I was hooked.

Since then, I've run 33 half marathons, become a Half Fanatic (member 4222), become a Pacer with the SmartPacing team here in Kansas City, am the social director of Kansas City Express, and still run almost every weekend with friends and enjoy coffee afterwards.

I like that I am keeping myself active and healthy. I like to surround myself with people that also have those same goals. I've kept up the Jazzercise, but also added in CrossFit and Boot Camp. I've kind of turned into a gym-junkie.

Anyway, thank for stopping by. Check back in often. Stay connected with me via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.