Quest Bars! +Recipe

I cannot even begin to describe how much I have fallen in love with Quest Bars.  With 15 flavors, they offer so much variety for many different taste buds.  The first time I tried a Quest Bar was this past school year on campus, and since then, I have been #OnAQuest!  They have definitely become a recent obsession! 

Quest Bars are packed with 20 grams of protein, are low-carb, and only contain 1 gram of sugar.  This is amazing for anyone who is trying to gain protein, cut sugar, or even eat low-carb.  Some of my favorite flavors include cinnamon roll, chocolate chip cookie dough, and cookies and cream.  What I love about them is how versatile they are.  I can eat one before I go to the gym for some added protein and energy, I can eat one after the gym as a post workout, or I can have one as a snack (for recipe's, check out Quest Nutrition).  Quest Bars sell at places like Dick's Sporting goods, GNC, and The Vitamin Shoppe for about three dollars a piece, but are more than worth the money.

Of course Quest bars taste wonderful right out of the wrapper, but it's always fun to mix it up and try different recipes!  In upcoming blog posts, I will be trying out and showing you guys several different Quest Bar recipes that are all delicious and so easy to make!

Recipe: Quest Bar Cookies

What you'll Need:

• Your Favorite flavor Quest Bar
• Baking sheet
• Parchment Paper

You can literally use any flavored Quest Bar that sparks your taste buds.  The one that I think tastes the most like an actual flavored cookie would have to be the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

The Process:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Place your parchment paper on your baking sheet.  Begin by taking your quest bar out of its wrapper, and putting it on your baking sheet.  Then, split your Quest Bar into as many pieces as cookies you would like, and flatten them out.  When they're cooking, they will expand a little, but not as much as most cookies.  They will puff up more than they will expand. After flattening your bar, set them apart on the baking sheet, and put them in the oven.  Set a timer for about 8 minutes.  If you want softer cookies, set it for about 7, but if you want them to be golden brown, 8 minutes is the way to go.  When they're done, you will notice that they are crispy around the edges, and soft on the inside.  This is the perfect snack that tastes like an actual cookie, but is a #cheatclean.

Enjoy your cookies!

Look out for more recipes coming soon!

xoxo
-Lex

Commitment.

I've always struggled with commitment.  When I say commitment, most people immediately think of relationships, but for me that isn't the case!  In this case, it is completely different.

I've always struggled with feeling comfortable in my own skin.  I've always felt, like many other people, that there were SO many things about my body that could be improved upon.  Many times I've "committed" to some kind of diet or cleanse that I expected to see fast results with.  Every time I've made this choice, my head has never been fully in it.  I would feel like I wanted it so badly, but as soon as someone offered me a cookie, I would decide that I wanted that more.  This has been a consistent cycle in my life for the last few years.  Especially in high school, I always felt like I needed to be watching what I ate, working out, and making sure that I was committed to taking care of my body, but I was NEVER serious about it.  I let myself "cheat" more than once a day, comforting myself when I felt guilty about cheating by telling myself that I obviously didn't want to deprive my body.  Every time I decide to try some new diet, it lasts for about three days on average, and then I cheat a few times and give up.

In High School I never felt as comfortable as I knew I should, and every time I failed at one of my quick fix diets, I felt worse about myself.  Going into my sophomore year of college, I plan to make an actual difference in my body this time. It's time to be serious about working hard for what I want, which is to lose the weight that I have let accumulate for so long, even if it's just a little bit.  Everyone has to start somewhere, and this is my somewhere.  This time, I am committing.

P.S. Obviously with this change will come recipes and different workout tips, so stay on the look out for those!

xoxo
-Lex

Waking Up For an (Early) Workout

In honor of today being National Running Day, I thought, what better way to honor this day than with a post about one of my favorite hobbies!
Running is something that I became interested in a few years ago when I was a Junior in high school.  At this point, like any beginner, I could barely run half a mile without stopping/walking.  Nowadays, I can do a heck of a lot more than that, and feel so proud of how far I have come.
Finding time in our busy lives to workout can sometimes be kind of (a huge) struggle.  Especially in high school/college/early twenties when you are learning how to balance work, school, internships, clubs, and other activities you decide to immerse yourself in as a young adult.  When I was in high school, even though my school began at 7:45 in the morning, my crazy self decided to start going to the gym in the morning!  Now, this was in the middle of cheer season, when practices and games were in full swing, so on a typical day I wouldn't be home right after school.  Despite this, somehow I still got my butt up every morning (almost) at 5 AM and was at the gym busting out a workout.  This was hard at first, but I ended up feeling better by the end of every day because I had worked out that morning.  Now, some might wonder how I did this, and that is exactly what I'm going to share with you guys today. How exactly do you get up THAT early?

1. Go to Bed relatively Early that way waking up won't be hard in the first place because you will be fully rested and ready for the day!
2. Set your Alarm! This is essential, because obviously if you don't you won't wake up in time to get in that early morning workout!  Set it as one of your favorite songs that pumps you up! I always set mine as 'Wet' by Nicole Scherzinger because it automatically wakes me up!
3. Set out the clothes you plan to wear (Or sleep in them).  Whatever will get you out of bed, up and moving in the morning, should be your plan so that you get up quicker and with ease.
4. Prepare your bag the night before!  If your armband, headphones, towel, and water are all in one place, it makes it easier to get up and out the door.  Maybe even bring your favorite granola bar for afterwards!
5. Make a playlist that excites you and energizes you.  If you already have your favorite playlist, it never hurts to update it with a few new songs so you never get tired of hearing the same things all the time.  Some of my favorite songs to run to are 'Classic' by MKTO, 'Wet' as i mentioned above, and 'Somebody Gon' Get It' by Timeflies Featuring T-Pain.
6. Put it in your calender/agenda/phone/make it a date! For me at least, I am 10X more likely to do something if I write it down or make it a date with myself that I cannot miss!
7. Last but not least, Stick to what you love!  Don't go to the gym and run 3 miles if you absolutely hate running.  If you love the stair machine or the bike, stick to those, but always remember to change it up to keep your muscles guessing!
   
   If you have any other suggestions, feel free to write them in the comments below! 
   Check me out on Pinterest: Alexa Dauphin 
   Thanks so much for reading!
   xoxo
   Lex