Yum...Celebrate National Granola Bar Day!

Get this....today is National Granola Bar Day. (FYI, it's also Squirrel Appreciation Day.) To celebrate, I bought a Balance Bare Sweet & Salty Peanut Butter bar (yes, despite those PB recalls Kate mentioned earlier this week). It's a step up from the bars I was addicted to as a kid: Quaker Chewy Granola Chocolate Chip. (Sadly they don't sell them at the kiosk in my office building's lobby.) You know what I realized? I haven't given granola bars (or nutrition bars, same difference to me, though I'm sure that's totally inaccurate and unfair to lump all bars together) enough attention in my go-to snack arsenal since I tired of my obsession Chocolate Pecan Pie Luna Bars a few years ago. Really, the only time I think about granola bars is when I'm at a race expo and I'm greedily grabbing for samples the companies hand out. Kate and I hit the Accenture Chicago Triathlon expo back in August and we stocked up on some yummy samples from Luna, Clif and--my personal favorite of that bunch--LaraBar. Anyway, yum. I have really been missing out by snacking on Chex Mix, er, fruits and veggies.  So get me up to speed...what are your fave bars? Anyone have a good granola bar recipe? Posted by Liz

Photo grabbed from MGF/Lady Disdain at flickr.

Fit-Fuel: A Yummy Giveaway

Kate and I are obsessed with all things granola-, oatmeal- and bar-related. Which is why we're hopping over to the giveaway at KeepItSimpleFoods.com. Boxes of Quaker’s new simple harvest trail mix bars—with cranberries, almonds, and peanuts—are up for grabs. Haven't tried these bars yet, but they sound tasty.

Jazz Up Breakfast

Tired of munching on cereal for breakfast? Need a break from the toast or oatmeal? Running out without a meal to start your day, promising yourself you'll grab something on the go? Next time you're ready to revamp your menu, try taking a stab at this meal. All you need is a few extra minutes in the kitchen, but it's well worth it for this fuel that can carry you through lunch if need be. Meet the yogurt parfait, a healthy alternative to breakfast, even dessert, that doesn't require much extra time preparing and provides those sought-after daily fruit servings.

I've always loved yogurt, but admittedly I'd take the fat-free Yoplait flavors or the super sugary Dannon fruit on the bottom varieties before indulging in the better-for-me types. I started experimenting with Greek yogurt after my sister swore by it and I read that Bernie--the at-home winner from Biggest Loser 5--ate it daily. Plus I wanted something thick, not runny, to eat with my morning banana. So after some trial and error (learning I wasn't a fan of the European style yogurt at Trader Joe's and had to strictly stick to the Greek), I came up with my go-to breakfast and dessert that feeds my urge for ice cream.

Try out your own version:
Greek yogurt, eyeball the amount you want to eat
blackberries
raspberries
blueberries
strawberry slices

Add the fruit into a serving bowl, top with Greek yogurt. If you need some added crunch or flavor, sprinkle some granola on top. While you might not have all of these fruits on hand, you can also use a frozen berry mixture or any combination of the berries. I'm also a fan of slicing banana and adding it to the mix--but I have to be really hungry to do that otherwise I'm full until dinner. And if you want more defense of yogurt for breakfast, check out this post. Posted by Kate

Free and Fit-Friendly

You know that saying "The best things in life are free"? I feel like this week I'm totally living that up when it comes to feeding my stomach. And if you're in or around Chicago, you can too. Berry Chill, a chilled-yogurt delight local to the Windy City, turned one a few days ago, and it's celebrating with the entire city by offering special chill treats. From now until Sunday, you can walk away with a sweet, cold, healthy treat without having to crack open the wallet.

The catch? To score the deals, you have to follow the company's mascot, Yogi Jones, on Twitter. Throughout the day, Twitter feeds share the latest special and time to score. If you have the feed on your phone, show it when you place your order, or bring a print out with you. Some deals thus far include the Fro-J, a new drink with orange juice and yogurt promoted all week at specific times; BC Blender, a smoothie stocked with your choice of yogurt and toppings; a gift card giveaway; a 5 oz. yogurt with toppings. It's a savings of at least $4, something that makes me happy because I'd eat Berry Chill all the time if I could. And I'm glad I no longer live around the corner from the State Street location or I'd really be in trouble.

OK so what is all this praise about Berry Chill? I'm a fan because I view it as a healthy version of an ice cream sundae (trust me, my husband doesn't see it this way, he'd rather have his DQ). I'm probably incorrect in comparing it to Pinkberry or Red Mango on the coasts, but it's Chicago's answer to snacking--even for those who are lactose intolerant. The chilled yogurt that comes out the consistency of soft-served ice cream is chock full of live active cultures minus all the chemicals that wiggle into so many foods today. And unlike fats and cholesterol hiding in those DQ and Baskin Robbins treats, this one only contains 20 calories per ounce. The toppings include a fresh fruit rainbow with everything from blackberries and strawberries to kiwi and pineapple, Girl Scout cookie pieces, granola from another Chicago fave Milk & Honey, candy pieces and more, beating out the toppings bar you might remember as a kid. And the flavors get a little wacky too: Try banana walnut biscotti, pink guava, or green tea. Yum and my waistline is liking it too since I usually get the small 5-ounce size (100 calories of yogurt) topped with fresh fruit. And it won Daily Candy's Best Bite award in 2008--and nominated for other awards--so some taste buds must be liking it.

If you're on Twitter, or need an excuse to check out the hubbub (in my case), it might be worth a shot scoring some free food in the process. At least it makes my stomach happy. Photo grabbed from Berry Chill. Posted by Kate

Do Good With Mother Earth

You know you don't recycle as often as you should. You're guilty of driving everywhere, even if you could walk the block and a half to the store (it's easier to stow the groceries in the trunk than have to carry them home). You toss stuff in the trash before figuring out ways to reuse it, and regret it when you realize you could have donated or re-purposed what you deemed junk. But if there's one day of the year where you want to try to reduce, reuse, recycle, it's today, Earth Day.

Started as a grassroots movement back in 1970, it's still going strong 41 years later. You don't need to be a crunchy, granola-loving hippie, the stereotype that often correlates to Earth loving and Earth Day initiatives either. Here are 10 suggestions to show your support of Earth Day.

1. Recycle your water bottles, sports drink bottles and energy drink cans.
2. Keep your car in the garage and commute by bike, foot or public transportation. With gas prices soaring over $4 per gallon in some areas, it's almost painful to use the car regardless of what day it is.
3. Find an Earth Day-themed running event. Even Easter weekend isn't going to stop race organizers from holding a 5K, 8K or 10K on Saturday morning. Chicago has the 5K for Earth Day, Boulder has the Earth Day 5K (but that's on May 1), the Cayman Islands has the Earth Day 5K, and Carlsbad, Calif. has the Earth Day 10K.
4. Donate your old running shoes to an organization like Share Your Soles, which gives the shoes to those who need them. Or Nike takes old running shoes, grinds the soles and turns them into running tracks. You often can find drop boxes at your local running store. 
5. Try reusing your old footwear for something else. Check out this article for some ideas on new uses for old footwear, especially flip flops.
6. Instead of tossing that worn yoga mat in the trash, try cutting it up and reusing it around the house. Need some ideas? Read these 50 courtesy of Gaiam.
7. Visit one of our country's national parks. You won't have to pay a fee to enter Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion, Rocky Mountain, and more than 100 more during National Park Week. This deal's good through April 24, with more freebies on select days of the year.
8. "Like" an Earth-friendly organization on Facebook. As part of their Earth Day initiative, Horny Toad will donate $1 to Heal the Bay for each new Facebook fan they get between April 21 and June 21.
9. Ski an eco-friendly ski resort. Sure, there are only a handful of resorts still open for the season, but snow in the forecast means one last chance to take some turns before you have to wait until November. According to the Ski Area Citizens Coalition, Squaw Valley gets top props for 2010.
10. Trade those plastic bottles for reusable ones from companies like Sigg, CamelBak and Nalgene. Wasn't Brian Williams just on a PSA sharing facts with the number of years it takes for a plastic bottle to decompose in a landfill?

 How are you staying active and showing your appreciation for Mother Earth?


Photo grabbed from DonkeyHotey at flickr.

The Most Important Meal Of The Day

Breakfast! Yum. Waffles, bacon, eggs, toast, oatmeal, donuts, coffee, orange juice....you name it, I'll eat it. And while digging into a pile of pancakes isn't going to help me melt away pounds, research does show that eating breakfast is a habit the most successful dieters have in common. (Most studies rec combining protein, carbs and a bit a fat.)

As much as I love the first meal of the day, I'm pretty boring when it comes to making it. About 90 percent of the time, I cut a thick slice of whole wheat bread (homemade!), pop it in the toaster, spread it with peanut butter and jelly, and nibble it while I get ready for work. Not too exciting. Which is why stumbling across this all-breakfast, all-the-time blog--SimplyBreakfast.com--made me really excited. Armed with a camera, the author snapped a pic of her a.m. grub every single morning, then posted her charming creations--from homemade granola to omelets. Sadly, the blog fizzled in January, but I recently found a new source of inspiration, MostlyEating.com. Penned by a woman in England named Sophie, the site chronicles her decisions of what to eat, where to buy ingredients and how it all turns out (complete with beautiful pics). It's totally inspiring, and, I must say, everything looks delicious--even if it's not all breakfasty stuff. Photo from SimplyBreakfast.com. Posted by Liz

Five Ways to Recover from the 2013 Chicago Marathon

You're chafed. You have blisters in places you didn't think could get them when you run. You're voraciously eating everything in sight. You need an extra five minutes to stand up and hobble to the door and you dread the stairs. Congratulations, you just ran a marathon!

Just like that, the 2013 Bank of America Chicago Marathon has come and gone. The crisp bib you received less than 72 hours ago is a crumpled mess. The last finisher crossed the finish line while you were sleeping. And you can't use the I'm-training-for-a-marathon excuse when you have to bow out of Friday night social events. But before you completely put 2013's marathon to bed and get back to the daily grind, you hopefully took today off to recuperate. Here are our marathon recovery picks.