Peanut Butter Power Porridge: Another Power Breakfast - Quick and Easy High Protein Meal

This is a great quick high protein recovery meal after a morning workout.   Quick and simple, it provides a ton of protein.  The "Power" comes from adding a scoop of protein powder.

Quick and Easy High Protein Breakfast Meal: Peanut Butter Power Porridge

3 main ingredients make up this quick high protein breakfast meal: protein powder, quick oatmeal, and peanut butter.

Ingredients:
                                                                                           Calories
1 scoop of vanilla protein mix                                                   140
1/4 cup of quick oats                                                                 150
2 tablespoons of peanut butter                                                  190

Total Calories                                                                            480

Protein                                  38  g
Fat                                      20.5 g
Carbs                                                       42 g


Variants:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Porridge

 Use chocolate flavored protein mix instead of vanilla.

Peanut Butter Banana Porridge

Crush or chop up a banana and add it to the mix.  This fruity addition will add a valuable 400+ mg of potassium to your meal.

Adds:

99 Calories
1 gram of protein
0.4 grams of fat
31 grams of carbohydrates

Add a banana to the peanut butter power porridge to sweeten up the taste and add extra heart healthy potassium for workout recovery.

Don't want so many carbs?  Cut the banana in half.

Want Crunchy?  

Add 1/4 cup of unsalted dry roasted peanuts to the mix.  

Add a banana to the peanut butter power porridge to give it an extra crunch.

Adds:

160 Calories
6 grams of protein
13 grams of fat
6 grams of carbohydrates

 Enjoy!

For more quick and nutritious recipe ideas visit the Index of Meal Ideas

 

Attempting to Overcome Something That Seems Impossible is the Ultimate Test of the Human Spirit

Running in Cold Weather

If you love running, it doesn't have to stop completely in the cold weather months or even on spring and fall mornings when the temperatures may drop even it it is warm during the day.  Although, it is not wise to run in extremely cold temperatures, running when it is cold outside can be made comfortable and injury free.

Cold weather running can be made comfortable if you follow the tips in this article

When Not to Run

As a rule, I don't go outside and run if the temperature or wind chill  drops much below 30 degrees.  Running in temperatures between 30˚ and 50˚ can be made comfortable, but running in extreme cold can be downright dangerous.  For not only your lungs, but your skin and muscles as well.  The colder your muscles are, the more prone they are to injury.  No matter how much you warm up and stretch or keep moving while running, your muscles are constantly being cooled by the air flowing around them.  I personally, experience more injuries from running during the winter months than others.  This can be prevented if you prepare properly.

Preparing Your Feet for Cold

One of the biggest problems that I encounter while running when the temperatures drop is keeping my feet from freezing.  Most running shoes are made of nylon mesh to allow your feet to stay cool and breathe in the warm weather.  However, this does not bode well for running in the cold.  It is equivalent to being outside in your bare feet.

One simple tip that I do to prevent my feet from getting cold without investing in another pair of shoes, is to double up my socks.  I put a pair of calf length socks on to keep my feet and calves warm, then on top of that, I put either another pair of those or a pair of low rise sport socks to cover just my feet.  This gives just enough protection to keep the feet cozy while going for a cold weather run.

One simple tip for keeping your feet warm during a cold weather run is to double up your socks.

Dress Properly, Thermal-wear Helps!

It is a good idea to invest in a thermal long sleeve shirt and long pants that are thin, but keep you warm such as Dri-Fit, Underarmour, or countless other brands.  You can actually find these items at a low cost at department stores.

Put the thermal shirt and pants on, then just put a hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants on over top of these.  That is all that is necessary to keep your body and legs warm while running.  I like to use hooded sweatshirts because if I find that I encounter more wind than expected and a hat is not enough, I can pull my hood up and tie it to offer extra protection.

A thermal shirt and pants worn under a sweatshirt and sweatpants can make your cold weather run more bearable.

When the temperatures are between 50˚ and 65˚, I usually ditch the sweatpants. I sometimes retain the sweatshirt in this temperature range to keep my lungs and heart warm since my torso is not moving and generating heat. 

Don't Forget a Hat!

In cold weather some sort of cap is a must, a warm one such as one made of fleece.  You lose most of your body heat through your head.  Keeping a winter cap on while running will help retain this heat.  You may even find yourself sweating, but it is worth keeping it on.  For not so cold temps, use a lighter knit cap so you don't get so hot. They allow the heat to pass more a little more freely. However, when choosing a hat, make sure it covers your ears, you will be way more comfortable!  Otherwise, you could find yourself in pain at the end of your run.

When choosing a hat for cold weather running, make sure it covers your ears.  Otherwise, your ears may be hurting for quite a while after your run.

Gloves are a must.  

However, thick thermal gloves such as those for skiing and other outdoor winter activities, may be a bit much.  Thin, gloves such as work gloves for gardening or knit gloves or any made of a material that can breathe and allow perspiration to escape are ideal.  They keep your hands warm from the wind, yet allow the sweat to dissipate.  Otherwise, you may end up with soaking wet gloves.

Wear gloves that suit the temperature range

Gloves and hats that are made of fleece or similar material are great for lower temperatures, those made of thinner material are ideal for temps between 30˚ and 45˚.

Face covering...  Not so much.  

I find that if I wear one of these face coverings that cover your face, but have just a slit or two for breathing, tends to make the moisture build up on my face.  Not only that, but they restrict breathing when you need to take in oxygen the most, especially if you tend to breath in through your mouth and not your nose.  

If your skin is sensitive to the cold, maybe you should reconsider running in the cold weather or apply some sore of gel to your face for protection before running outdoors.

Lip Protection

Don't forget your lip balm!  Running in the cold can turn your lips into a dry, cracked mess if they are exposed to the cold and wind for long periods. This simple tip may save you some pain over a couple of days.  I know I have forgotten my lip balm on several cold weather runs and regret it halfway through.

Lip Protection is essential on a cold weather run

Breathing Technique

You should be breathing in through your nose and not your mouth.  This helps warm the air somewhat before it reaches your lungs.  Breathing this way all the time while running also helps filter out allergins.

Warm Up Indoors

Doing a warm up before running is a must, just like any other sport or workout routine.  However, stretching and warming up outside when the temps are cold, is going to take a lot of warm up as you are fighting against the cold air which is cooling your muscles down.  Get dressed for the outdoors, and stretch indoors where it will actually warm your muscles up.  Then as you go out and start running, hopefully your muscles can maintain the heat given that you dress properly.

Hopefully these tips will help you extend your running season, year 'round.  However, use your judgement and be safe and sensible!

Low Cost Homemade Protein Bars

Here is a low budget recipe for making protein bars at home.  They are high in protein, low in carbohydrates and fat and are very tasty!

Low cost protein bars you can make yourself

Ingredients:

3 cups oatmeal
4 scoops of your favorite protein powder (chocolate or vanilla)
There are several low cost powders available to keep it frugal.  I personally use Matrix 2.0 or Body Fortress Super Advanced Protein Formula which is very inexpensive and have high protein content per serving.

½ cup of peanut butter
1 tsp cocoa (for vanilla flavored only)
1 tsp of vanilla extract (optional for chocolate flavored only)
¼ tsp of cinnamon
1 cup non-fat milk
¼ tsp of turmeric (optional: Has anti-inflammatory properties which can come in handy for recovery when working out)

And if you don't care so much about keeping the carbs and fat low and want more flavor: ¼ cup of dried cranberries (optional)
¼ cup of unsalted peanuts (optional)

Estimated Cost (as of the writing of this article):

Batch = $7.25 (including optional ingredients)
Per Bar = $0.60

Directions (makes 12 bars):

Pre-heat oven to 275° if you want solid bars

Mix dry ingredients in bowl together.
Add peanut butter and milk.
Mix thoroughly.
Spray cooking spray in bottom of 9 x 9 in baking pan. I use olive oil spray.
Pour mix into pan.
Smooth mixture evenly.

For solid bars (otherwise, they can be a sticky mess to eat with your fingers):
Bake at 275° for 12 minutes.
Remove from oven and cut into 12 even squares.
Place back in oven for 3 more minutes.  Trust me, this makes the bars more solid.

Keep Refrigerated.

With a few low cost ingredients, you can make tasty protein bars packed full of nutrition.

Nutritional estimates:

Ingredient	Calories	Protein (g)	Fat (g)	Carbohydrates (g)
Oatmeal	900	30	2.5	27
Protein powder	220	72	1.5	2
cocoa	6
peanut butter	1330	56	16	7
non-fat milk	90	8	0	13
Totals:	2546	166.3	20	49
Each 2x2 bar:	212	13.8	1.6	4

w/Optional Ingredients	Calories	Protein (g)	Fat (g)	Carbohydrates (g)
Dried cranberries	78	0	0	19.8
Unsalted peanuts	160	6	13	6
Totals:	2784	172.3	33	74.8
Each 2x2 bar:	232	14.36	2.75	6.23

Enjoy!

For more quick and nutritious recipe ideas visit the Index of Meal Ideas

Simple Weight Loss Formula and How to Track It Easily

It is as simple as that.  Monitor your calories for food intake and monitor your calories burned during daily exercise activity.  Just make sure that the calories burned are greater than the calories eaten!

Tracking Calories

How can I do this you say?  Well, there are a number of FREE websites/apps out there that allow you to accomplish this rather easily.  

There are many calorie counting web sites/apps out there such as caloriecount.com.  Some track only calories and not exercise.  Some do track them, but not very well.  I have yet to find one that tracks both perfectly.  However, there are some that make a valiant attempt.

I personally don't like the name of the site, but fatsecret.com offers a way to log your daily food intake via web or a free app Calorie Counter, that actually will allow you to scan a bar code with your phone and instantly give you the nutritional breakdown of the item.  Simply modify your potions and enter it into your daily log.  The app also allows you to track daily exercise by adding an activity and choosing the amount of time spent.

Fat Secret's Calorie Counter app

MapMyFitness.com offers daily food consumption tracking, but lacks a barcode scanner to make it more precise.  It also maintains a daily target calorie budget which seems a little high to me if you want to be losing weight. What it does have though, is the ability to track outdoor exercise relatively precisely via GPS through the phone app.  That is, if you go for a 4 mile walk and track it with the app, it will closely calculate the calories you consumed and log it for you.  It also has a very extensive list of exercises to choose from.  Including sex! Afterall, you can burn almost 80 calories per hour depending on your sexual prowess.

MapMyFitness exercise and food consumption tracking app

MyFitnessPal.com is another good food consumption tracker in that it allows you use a scanner to quickly calculate calories consumed and the nutritional breakdown.  It also accurately calculates your daily target calories which is important for losing weight. Where is lacks is tracking exercise. However, when you sign up you are given the option to link your account with various other exercise tracking accounts/apps such as Endomondo.com which also features GPS tracking ability of many exercises.  Although the list of exercises offered are not detailed, which, if you like to keep it simple, is a good thing.  I personally use Endomondo and I find that it more accurately calculates calories compared to others.

MyFitnessPal calorie tracking app

Endomondo exercise tracking app which can be linked with MyFitnessPal which tracks calories consumed

There are many others out there, you just have to find the one that suits your needs the best which may differ from someone else's!

Kenpo X Karate Burns Some Serious Calories

I've heard people say that they don't see what they get out of doing P90X Kenpo X.  It's all about keeping your heart in the right zone.  During a Kenpo X workout, depending on the amount of effort you  put into it, you may burn as many calories as you do during a 6 mile run! No joke!
 

During a P90X Kenpo X workout, a person can burn as many calories as a 6 mile run!

Not only do you burn a lot of calories, but it is mostly low impact...  and fun!

See also:

Maximize your P90X Kenpo X Work Out with Extra Knee Kick Modifications!

Maximize your P90X Kenpo X work out with Double Kenpo X!