Peanut Butter Apple Oat Bars

Hello my very favourite readers. Last week I held a very informal poll on my Facebook Page asking my readers what kind of recipe they’d like to see next. The overwhelming answers were “healthy snacks” and “fitness and health informational posts”. So today I give you Peanut Butter Apple Oat Bars, a perfect little transportable snack that is very easy to make, inexpensive and perfect for before or after the gym, or even if you just can’t make it one more minute without sustenance. These bars are moderate carb/high protein and very low fat. Now, I’d like to take a minute and talk about those macronutrients. As someone, in the always friendly world of online commenting, tried to point out that high carb/low fat automatically means that it is unhealthy because, let’s face it, that is what the dreaded food pyramid has been pushing on us for years and is mostly to blame for the obesity epidemic (or so they say). That being said, I’d like to point out that anyone who performs any kind of intense physical activity NEEDS carbs for fuel, as does our brain. Brains running on fat are logey and slow, as our brains preferred energy source is and always will be glucose…as in, carbohydrates. Before, during and after an intense lifting session (and/or especially long endurance sessions), ones body is in need of carbohydrates to replenish their glycogen stores (the energy our muscles utilize for fuel). So please, if you expend lots of energy in your workouts, do replace that with more carbohydrates. Your muscles will be much happier and will have the energy to grow, which is a goal of most people who get their fitness on. Even if your goals are only to tone or lose weight, you still need carbs, though the amount varies greatly from individual to individual. While we’re on the subject of what other people think about the food we eat, I was also asked to discuss how to go about not eating everything our friends or eating…what I refer to as sympathy eaters. Let’s have an example: You’re going out with friends for a night on the town and you’ve got it in your head that you will order a nice lean piece of protein, maybe a salad, no dessert and no alcohol. Then you meet up with your friends, you start having a good time. You sit down for dinner. Everyone orders a cocktail or a delightful local craft ale. You say, no thanks, I’ll just have water. That’s when your friends start grinding your gears. “Come on! Have a little fun! You only live once!” or something along those lines. And you know, they’re right…some of the time. Living does not mean indulging every time you go out to a restaurant, being with friends does not mean boozing it up, likewise, being social does not mean doing everything your friends do. At this point the waiter comes for your food order, whereupon all your friends order juicy steaks, loaded potatoes, burgers and fries, etc. You order your chicken with side salad and veg and you feel no fucking guilt about that. Because you eat what you want, okay? That is how you don’t let your friends intimidate you or weaken your resolve if you have a goal you want to attain. You want to have a burger? Commit to that and don’t feel bad about it later and do not, for the love of God, punish yourself with more exercise the next day because it is pointless. Honestly, these are the reasons I love the If It Fits Your Macros lifestyle so much. You have the freedom to eat whatever you want, whenever you want, as long as it fits into your personalized macros. You want a burger and fries? Fit it into your macros. Want a crisp, refreshing salad? Fit that into your macros. It’s just the very easiest way to get to your goal, whatever it is. Of course, like anything it can be misrepresented on the internet as a Pop Tart and Cheetos binge, but that’s not how I decipher it. For me, it’s the freedom to eat whatever I want (which is about 75% Paleo and 25% whatever the hell I want), while still maintaining my core values of eating local, organic and natural foods. Next week, I’m making you doughnuts. One year ago: Apple Pie Pancakes Two years ago: Better Than Lara Bars Three years ago: Creamy Peanut Butter Pie Four years ago: Rootbeer Float Cupcakes Five years ago: Signature Big Ass Salad