So, before I do this review I want to clarify that I have tried the infamous Quest Bars in the past. About 6 months ago, in fact, I ordered one each of most of the varieties and got eating over the space of a few weeks. I only made it through half of the bars, having realised that the texture put me off them a bit, no matter how good for you they were.
However the other day, I purchased one of the cookies and cream bars - one of the flavours that I liked the most out of the ones that I ordered previously - and decided to BAKE COOKIES using the bar. Yes, this is actually a thing that exists! There are many blog posts and videos on how to transform a Quest Bar into numerous tasty treats. I excitedly peeled open the packaging and, after microwaving the bar for 10 seconds to soften it, I cut it into 5 chunks and smooshed them into cookie-shaped discs. I then baked them at 175c for 7 minutes, resulting in crisp, golden brown cookies that had risen into cute little domes of deliciousness. For extra flavour, I popped a few chocolate chips into each cookie prior to baking and this gave them an almost dessert-like taste - amazing! It totally removed my fear of the texture that Quest Bars have, and also allows me to reap their macro benefits - low carb, high fibre and high protein goodness.
So, if you haven't tried Quest Bars yet then I'd highly recommend baking them or something if you also don't like that chewy, toffee-like texture. I've seen 'recipes' where people mould the bars into cupcake tins and after cooking fill them with Greek yoghurt or even some protein ice-cream, and this will definitely be my next experiment! I think I will try it out with the cookie dough flavour next.
How do you eat your Quest Bars? I'd love to know some more ideas!
Thursday, 31 July 2014
Wednesday, 30 July 2014
Tri-O-Plex Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Review
Today I will be reviewing a cookie that delivers a substantial hit of protein, whilst also tasting good! I have had bad experiences before with protein cookies due to their dry, powdery texture, but the Tri-O-Plex cookies were surprisingly good! Here are my thoughts on different aspects of the product:
Taste:
These cookies were delicious! Moist, chewy and with a peanut-y taste. There were quite a lot of chocolate chips in the cookies as well which appealed to my greedy taste-buds even more! I do, however, think that the normal chocolate chip flavour would appeal to me more - the peanut butter taste was not as authentic as I'd hoped for.
Price:
I got my cookies from Proteinpickandmix.co.uk - it was £2.29 for 2 cookies, making them fairly expensive. However at 172 calories per cookie, I restricted myself to 1 of these babies a day - making the price per serving not too bad. You could also probably buy these in bulk somewhere else for a lower price, if you knew what your favourite flavours were.
Nutrition:
It is worth noting that these cookies contain traditional ingredients such as brown sugar, making them less of a protein supplement and more of a healthier version of a junk food item in my eyes. I think I would enjoy these with treat meals, maybe crumbling one on top of some frozen yoghurt or something to add some texture. I wouldn't recommend eating these every day to increase your protein unless you are trying to wean yourself from eating normal biscuits and want a healthier alternative for the time being.
Overall, I would highly recommend these cookies to anyone who is looking for something to satisfy their cravings for cookies - they really do taste lovely. For me, I will definitely be trying their other flavours out in the near future when the cookie craving strikes.
Taste:
These cookies were delicious! Moist, chewy and with a peanut-y taste. There were quite a lot of chocolate chips in the cookies as well which appealed to my greedy taste-buds even more! I do, however, think that the normal chocolate chip flavour would appeal to me more - the peanut butter taste was not as authentic as I'd hoped for.
Price:
I got my cookies from Proteinpickandmix.co.uk - it was £2.29 for 2 cookies, making them fairly expensive. However at 172 calories per cookie, I restricted myself to 1 of these babies a day - making the price per serving not too bad. You could also probably buy these in bulk somewhere else for a lower price, if you knew what your favourite flavours were.
Nutrition:
It is worth noting that these cookies contain traditional ingredients such as brown sugar, making them less of a protein supplement and more of a healthier version of a junk food item in my eyes. I think I would enjoy these with treat meals, maybe crumbling one on top of some frozen yoghurt or something to add some texture. I wouldn't recommend eating these every day to increase your protein unless you are trying to wean yourself from eating normal biscuits and want a healthier alternative for the time being.
Overall, I would highly recommend these cookies to anyone who is looking for something to satisfy their cravings for cookies - they really do taste lovely. For me, I will definitely be trying their other flavours out in the near future when the cookie craving strikes.
Monday, 28 July 2014
My experience with Optimum Nutrition Platinum Pre-Workout
First of all I would like to say how excited I am that this is my first ever post on this particular blog! I started this up because I am just delving into the world of fitness and nutrition, and want to share my experiences of different supplements and foods with you all (if any of 'you' actually exist, cherished readers!). I will be posting regularly with updates on my fitness journey, however posts similar to this one will make up the majority of this blog. Enjoy!
Product:
Optimum Nutrition Platinum 'Pre' in the Fruit Punch variety. This product is a pre-workout supplement that is to be consumed 20-40 minutes before working out, according to ON. It contains a whopping 160mg caffeine per serving - to put this in to context a medium filter coffee contains between 60-100mg of caffeine per serving! Other ingredients include beta-alanine and capsicum extract. This product is designed to act as a stimulant in order to make your workout more efficient, enabling you to keep going for longer and such.
Price:
Included in a bundle that I ordered on Proteinpickandmix.co.uk - I didn't want to commit to the full-sized product so instead opted for the 2-serving sample pack. The tubs themselves, however, work out at quite good value at £1.60 per serving (if ordering direct through the UK Optimum Nutrition website). However for a pre-workout drink this is fairly expensive if being used regularly, so I would say that this was an optional supplement rather than one to be used every day that you go to the gym.
My Experience:
I took the product as recommended - half of the sachet was added to 500ml of water and stirred until it had dissolved. The first thing that I noticed was the bright pink colour, along with the potent taste - it was very punchy indeed! It took about 10 minutes to drink the full glass, following which I waited for 10 minutes with no changes ocurring. Suddenly I felt a strange tingling feeling which spread across my ears, hands and feet - at first I thought that I was having an allergic reaction to the product! Apparently, however, this is normal with these products. Be warned though as if you are like me, the tingling sensation will put you off this kind of product. However, when I arrived at the gym I did find myself having a great workout and upping my weights slightly on certain moves.
Even though I did see results with the product, I would rather just stick to working out fasted or without a pre-workout supplement - I was talking to a guy in my gym and he made a statement that really summed up how I felt: Yes, you may be lifting heavier but is it really you that is making this progression, or is it just the boost from the product? I like feeling that I have become stronger naturally, rather than becoming reliant on a product like this. I think that it is a great concept for people who are really serious about weightlifting or bodybuilding, and really need that boost if they are working out daily and the like. For me though, I'd rather give it a miss. It is also worth noting that there are less potent pre-workout supplements out there like the ON Amino Energy, which apparently give you less of an intense buzz.
I would love to hear if anyone else has tried this product, and if so what you thought of it?
Product:
Optimum Nutrition Platinum 'Pre' in the Fruit Punch variety. This product is a pre-workout supplement that is to be consumed 20-40 minutes before working out, according to ON. It contains a whopping 160mg caffeine per serving - to put this in to context a medium filter coffee contains between 60-100mg of caffeine per serving! Other ingredients include beta-alanine and capsicum extract. This product is designed to act as a stimulant in order to make your workout more efficient, enabling you to keep going for longer and such.
Price:
Included in a bundle that I ordered on Proteinpickandmix.co.uk - I didn't want to commit to the full-sized product so instead opted for the 2-serving sample pack. The tubs themselves, however, work out at quite good value at £1.60 per serving (if ordering direct through the UK Optimum Nutrition website). However for a pre-workout drink this is fairly expensive if being used regularly, so I would say that this was an optional supplement rather than one to be used every day that you go to the gym.
My Experience:
I took the product as recommended - half of the sachet was added to 500ml of water and stirred until it had dissolved. The first thing that I noticed was the bright pink colour, along with the potent taste - it was very punchy indeed! It took about 10 minutes to drink the full glass, following which I waited for 10 minutes with no changes ocurring. Suddenly I felt a strange tingling feeling which spread across my ears, hands and feet - at first I thought that I was having an allergic reaction to the product! Apparently, however, this is normal with these products. Be warned though as if you are like me, the tingling sensation will put you off this kind of product. However, when I arrived at the gym I did find myself having a great workout and upping my weights slightly on certain moves.
Even though I did see results with the product, I would rather just stick to working out fasted or without a pre-workout supplement - I was talking to a guy in my gym and he made a statement that really summed up how I felt: Yes, you may be lifting heavier but is it really you that is making this progression, or is it just the boost from the product? I like feeling that I have become stronger naturally, rather than becoming reliant on a product like this. I think that it is a great concept for people who are really serious about weightlifting or bodybuilding, and really need that boost if they are working out daily and the like. For me though, I'd rather give it a miss. It is also worth noting that there are less potent pre-workout supplements out there like the ON Amino Energy, which apparently give you less of an intense buzz.
I would love to hear if anyone else has tried this product, and if so what you thought of it?
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