Healthy Tips Featuring Nakd Bars

I'm usually a pretty active, fit person. The problem is I don't really like going to the gym. I prefer being doing outside activities, which isn't really possible in the winter. In an effort to get healthier, I decided to make a couple easy lifestyle adjustments. When Natural Balance Foods offered to send me a sample of their Nakd Healthy cereal bars, I thought this would be the perfect time to get my healthy lifestyle back on track. It’s amazing what a difference a few little changes can make. Here are some tips I'm working to adopt into my daily life:

1. Drink more water! I cannot emphasize this one enough. I recently downloaded the app Plant Nanny and was amazed with how little water I was drinking, compared to what my body needs. Having a reminder (and a cute plant to take care of) has been so helpful. I can already feel the change in my body and especially my skin, which is usually so dry this time of year.

2. Basic exercise. Getting to the gym is a hard thing for me to do, especially when the weather is cold. Just because you don’t want to run on a treadmill, doesn’t mean you can’t do some basic exercises in your own home. I recently started participating in this 30-day plank challenge. It’s only been a few days and already I feel stronger. Other exercises that are great for doing at home are jumping rope, headstands, tuck jumps and squats.

3. Stretching is a great way to increase strength and flexibility, without needing to log hours at the gym. Butterflies, touching your toes, or any of these full-body stretches are great for doing first thing in the morning or while watching TV. It can really make a difference!

4. Healthy snacks.  I'm the type of person that gets hangry. If I'm hungry, I will eat anything and everything in sight. It means that even if I'm making a conscious effort to eat healthy, the second the hanger sets in it's all out the window. During my lifestyle shift, I've been making sure to grab a healthy snack on my way out the door. A piece of fruit, or recently these Nakd bars. They're the perfect thing to throw in my purse or gym bag (for those few times I can get my butt on a treadmill). They're small, but are perfect for curbing your appetite for your next healthy meal. My favorite flavor? Strawberry crunch! Be sure to check out their website to see all of their delicious flavors.

*this is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Healthy Granola Bars

When I was searching for a recipe for granola bars, they all had so many ingredients that I would have to go out and buy. I didn't want to make them if it was significantly cheaper to go out and get a box of granola bars. I stumbled upon this recipe for five ingredient granola bars from Minimalist Baker. It's great because I only had to buy a couple ingredients, and it gives you the freedom to add anything in your pantry! I had some stale raspberry yogurt covered pretzels that were a great addition! I changed the recipe a little to account for the extra ingredient. 

Note: when you're buying peanut butter, make sure it's natural! The brands we all love, like skippy and jiff, can have hidden trans fats. When reading the ingredients on peanut butter look out for "partially-hydrogenated oil." This is when they take unsaturated oils (healthy oils) and make them unhealthy my adding high temperatures and a metal catalyst. This makes it so the oil doesn't separate from the peanuts. To make your bars as healthy as possible, use all-natural peanut butter (free of saturated fats and trans fats)! 

Here is my take on the five ingredient granola bars:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup packed dates, pitted 
• 1/2 cup honey 
• 1/2 cup creamy salted natural peanut butter 
• 1 cup roasted unsalted almonds, loosely chopped
• 1 cup yogurt covered pretzels, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (about 1 minute)
2. Toast your oats in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
3. Place oats, almonds and dates in a bowl – set aside.
4. Warm honey and peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and pour over oat mixture and then mix, breaking up the dates to disperse throughout.
5. Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to an baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper (I wanted to produce a large quantity of thinner bars, for thicker bars use a smaller pan)
6. Press down until uniformly flattened (I used a spatula)
7. Place in the fridge to harden for a couple hours 
8. Remove bars from pan and cut into bars. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days.