March 31, 2014

Quest Bar Review Part Deuce

On March 16th, just about two weeks ago, I first posted my review of the seven Quest bars that I had eaten to date. Well, I first made a huge blunder, because in fact, I had tried eight of them! How in the world I forgot about my beloved Cookie Dough is beyond me. Lauren over at Focused To Be Fit, who also works out at Renegade, commented about her love for that Quest bar. And I was like, uhm yea that one is the bomb diggity! At that point, I was rationing my intake of the Cookie Dough bar because I ate one for like 5 days straight and had two other boxes, Banana Nut Muffin & Chocolate Brownie that I had not even touched!

Ok, so since then, I have eaten the rest of the flavors and have an updated review of the 16 Quest bars! And let me tell you, I had to search high and low for the Cinnamon Roll bar, jeeze, the things we bloggers do for a review. I should solicit this review for compensation from Quest Bar! Ha, just kidding.

I love my fellow Renegade members. Just last week GNC had a 24-hour BOGO deal online, and in select stores. Whenever such a deal is had, one member will announce it on Facebook. Well, like I said I was at a conference, so not at my desk, where I do all my online damage, I mean online window shopping. I tried to order 4 boxes online, but it would not go through. During one of our breaks I saw that many were having troubles with this offer! This is not the first time that said issue has occurred. I did stop by a store front GNC, and got 4 boxes (2 Cookies & Cream, 1 White Chocolate Raspberry, and 1 Cookie Dough), but not for the insane deal that Jocelyn snagged.

So, without further-ado, my full review of all the bars, and a few edits to the previous mentioned bars!

1. Cookies & Cream. Hands down DELICIOUS! I can now truly say that this is by far my favorite Quest Bar, and I was pretty much expecting that it would be from all those fellow Quest lovers recommendations! This bar has all the components of why I love the White Chocolate, the white chocolate chunks, but then also adds in the cookies part. There are sections of oreo cookie crumbles, like the crumbles you find in the ice cream store, crushed oreo of sorts, but not with the cream filling. So its like the oreo cookies crumbles that is used for an Oreo McFlurry. Go out and buy one TODAY!




2A. By far my favorite Quest Bar is the White Chocolate Raspberry, and it was the very first one I tried! OMG! So yummy! There are bits of white chocolate within the bar, so please savor those sections with the most for last! Please tell me I am not the only person that does that :)













2B. The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough bar is pretty darn good! Coach Kemp likes this one straight out of the oven with a glass of almond milk. Maybe I can fool him with a dozen Cookie Dough Quest Bar cookies, when he is desiring something sweet! Now, I actually think I prefer this bar cold, right out of the wrapper verse in the oven, which was completely shocking to me! But my reasoning is that when the bar is room temperature, you can see the huge, and I mean HUGE, chunks of dark chocolate. I had to look at the ingredients list a few times, to make sure they didn't stick some Hershey's chocolate in there! Whether it is eaten hot or cold, I highly recommend that you pair it with a cold glass of almond milk. Hey, that only adds 150 Calories, 3g Fat, 5g Protein, and 27g Carbs. Just a little FYI for those of you counting those macros :)



3. The Banana Nut Muffin bar could almost fool one into really thinking they are eating banana bread. As I
explained to Coach Kemp, if you close your eyes and don't think about the consistency (which is off), you could really fool yourself into thinking you are eating Banana Nut Bread! And guess what? Coach Kemp agreed! I then tried it in the oven, and I was even more convinced that I was eating banana bread. Huge score!











4. The Apple Pie is pretty scrumptious warmed in the microwave for about 20 seconds. This one surprised me since I despise apple pie, in general. I am not a huge fan of cooked fruit, but lately my tunes have been changing. I only had this one warm, so I can not attest to the flavor if cold.


5. I was happily surprised that I enjoyed the Double Chocolate Chunk bar. I automatically assumed that because I disliked the Chocolate Brownie, that my sentiments would be equally disdained for this bar. I was so not looking forward to it, but it ended up being very tasty, and a bar I would definitely reach for when in need of a "chocolate" fix!

6. Now, I was really surprised that I enjoyed the Mixed Berries as mush as I did. I swear this whole
challenge/change in diet may be having an affect on my taste buds. I used to hate cooked fruit, like I already said, and fruits in my desserts, in general, but I really liked the Mixed Berries bar. After trying this one, I wished that components of this bar had been embedded into the Peanut Butter and Jelly bar. it was very fruitful and overall nice tasting.











7. This too was one that I was surprised that I liked. If you remember my original post, and as you can read below, I was not very satisfied with the Peanut Butter and Jelly Bar, Peanut Butter Supreme, and Chocolate Brownie. Taking that all together, I was apprehensive about this bar. But, I really enjoyed the Chocolate Peanut Butter bar.  This bar is more chocolate than peanut butter, but there were bits of peanuts/almonds visible!


8. Coconut Cashew was pleasant and "light" tasting. I could taste the coconut, not so much the cashew, but I overall, liked the bar.

















9. Lemon Cream Pie was refreshing, not too tart, and pleasantly sweet.


10. The Cinnamon Roll bar was good. It did not leave a good or bad impression on my mind, and I remember thinking, "I'd eat it again because it was sweet!" Hey, can you knock a girl for admitting her sweet tooth.


11. The Strawberry Cheesecake was ok. I think I was yearning for a little more cheesecake flavor than what I got in my mouth. It was nice to taste the freeze dried strawberries though.

12. This is another bar that I had high hopes for... The Peanut Butter Supreme, and again, I think my hopes were a little too high. The picture on the packaging is of a peanut butter pie, which I can't recollect if I have ever consumed, but I am sure I have. Now I sear I saw a swirl of peanut butter so that did bring joy to my life, but I was not sure what to expect. Because of this, I can't say that the bar was a complete flop, but the overall taste did not remind me of a pie, like I figured it would from the picture. Maybe I should go out and purchase a Peanut Butter Supreme Pie to compare! Ha, not! That comment will certainly be mentioned by Coach Kemp, since he swears I am neglecting a certain food group (i.e., Desserts!).



13. Although I love Peanut Butter and Jelly, this Quest Bar fell short in my opinion. I was so looking forward to this one too! I am not sure if my hopes were so high since it was the second bar I tried after the White Chocolate Raspberry. There are chunks of almonds within the bar, but I did not get a lot of jelly visuals. Maybe I wanted to "see" swirls or something, as the flavor was there but I was searching for a chunk of jelly which I never got!










14. So, I have a confession, I remember eating the Vanilla Almond Crunch, can't provide a review as it obviously did not leave a positive or negative impression. It is at the bottom of the list, simply because I can't remember!

15. I hate to say that I disliked, maybe even despised one of the bars, but the Chocolate Brownie did nothing for me. Now, I must admit that I am not that fond of plain brownies, in general, and I think this may be playing a contributing factor. Jason said he liked them, so I am hoping he delves into 12-count box because I am having a hard time eating them.

Question of the Day: Which Quest bar is your favorite?

Michelyn

March 30, 2014

Workouts in Review VI

Week of: March 23-29

Sunday
Rest Day

Monday
Renegade Strength

Tuesday
Renegade Metabolic

Wednesday
Rest Day

Thursday
Renegade Metabolic
6.5 Miles

Friday
7.5 Miles

Saturday
Renegade Mix

Weeks Mileage: 14 Miles
Renegade Classes: 4

I had an unusual week of workouts. I have said before, but I am horrible at taking rest days, and this week I got in two. Well, some of that had to do with my sprained ankle which is recovering quite well. I had originally planned to run on Wednesday, but it got pushed back one day because I decided to attend a Happy Hour with some of my co-workers. I am so happy that I went out, it can be really lonesome on occasion, working from home.

Question of the Day: How are your workouts going? Training for any half marathon, marathons, or any other distance?

Michelyn

March 27, 2014

Coaches Corner: The Madness Never Stops

Now that the Toledo men's season is complete, I finally had a moment to interview Coach Kemp for an end of the season interview. Let's hear his perspective of the 2013-14 season, the highlights, disappointments, and his predictions for the NCAA tournament! 

What was the highlight of the 2013-14 basketball season?

Winning a MAC Conference Championship, was most definitely the highlight of this season. I would also say our overall record is something to be proud of. We ended the 2013-14 season, 27-7 which is an all-time school record.



What was your favorite road trip of this season?

Boston College was by far my favorite road game. I really believe that that game brought us together as a program. It of course helped that we won.

What was your reaction when you were named one of the 100 Hottest Coaches in College Basketball by CollegeInsiders?

It was quite hilarious and an honor. I had no clue they were developing such a list...

And, how did you find out?

I am an avid Twitter follower, and I got plenty of twitter messages from friends and others notifying me that I made the list. 

What was it like writing your blog for College Chalktalk this year?

It was a fun experience as I am not much of a writer, but it helped me organize my thoughts as a coach. It also provided an opportunity to share with my peers my coaching philosophy and beliefs. Check out his November 2013 and December 2013 entries.



What was the most disappointing loss?

In my opinion, the most disappointing loss was losing in the MAC tournament championship game. Our guys played extremely hard, and deserved to win, but came out short. 

So, now what are you doing with all of your "free time?"

Free time is very limited in this profession, although I have enjoyed watching the NCAA tournament  games periodically. We have shifted our focus to recruiting, summer camps, and reflecting how we can improve the team for next season.



What is to look ahead to next year?

There is a lot of hope for next season with the Rockets as we have many key players returning. We plan on working diligently to get better at the little things, and have a bright future ahead of us.



Who are your favorites to win the NCAA tournament?

It seems to me that everyone is capable of winning it at this point, but I like Florida, Louisville, or Wisconsin to win it all!

Well, there you have it folks. Thanks Coach for taking some time out of your busy schedule to answer a few questions. Some may say that I have an advantage ;).

I hope each of you enjoy the excitement of the Sweet 16 games. I have a few favorites which of course include my two alma maters, Florida (Go Gators) and Wisconsin (On Wisconsin).

Michelyn



March 26, 2014

What I ate Wednesday (WIAW): 3.25.2014

Yea! A WIAW Wednesday that is being posted (a) on Wednesday and (b) early! What is going on in the Kemp Househould? Well, if you must know, I have a professional development seminar to attend today, so I actually had to wake up to get dressed. I am taking today off as a rest day, I am very sore, so I didn't trek out to Renegade at my typical 5:15am time. I did allow myself to "sleep in" until 5:45am, and am now ready to crawl back into the bed, with my clothes on!

Whoops! I thought the session began at 8:30, it starts at 8:00am! This will be quick since I still need to out my face on :) All oldies but goodies!

Breakfast

4 Egg Whites + High Protein Berry Oatmeal



Snack

2% Cottage Cheese + Stevia Packet + Blackberries


Lunch

Turkey Mash + Bead of Spinach + 2 Egg Whites + Braggs


Snack

I was unable to take a picture of my snack! Well, it was the Lemon Cream Pie Quest Bar, so I could have taken a picture of the opened wrapper, but later realized that I had ripped, folded, and maneuvered the thing in so many pieces while taking phone calls. Tuesday was busy since I am technically out of the office today, Wednesday, and with the upcoming Spring Break and then OAA (Ohio Achievement Assessment) testing, referrals are coming in droves!

Dinner

Pork + Russet Potatoes + Roasted Asparagus




Question of the Day: have you tried any of the recipes I have provided? Would you like more?

Michelyn

March 25, 2014

Basketball High: Becoming a Head Coach

In yesterday's post I briefly discussed one example of the emotional roller-coaster experienced by all basketball coach's wives and their family; winning and losing. If you did not check out the post, please head on over especially since the post was initiated by an article posted by Nicole Phillips, Saul Phillips wife.

Well today I figured it was best to discuss another roller-coaster aspect of this job - the high of becoming a head coach, or in this case, becoming a head coach once again!

Yesterday, Craig Smith, former assistant coach at Nebraska, was named the head coach for the South Dakota Coyotes! Coach Smith is no newbie to this role as he was the head coach at Mayville State, a NAIA II school, and Head Coach of the Year. He spent three seasons as the head coach, while advancing to three straight NAIA II national tournaments, including a trip to the NAIA II national championship game in 2007. After that experience, he rejoined Coach Miles at Colorado State and Nebraska where he has been Miles' "right hand man."

During this time of year, many coaches are getting fired and hired, which obviously can be gut-wrenching in both situations. I hope to never experience the anguish of being let go, but you never know; however, getting "hired" is a joyous occasion! I am not sure what has gotten into me, but I got a little emotional while watching Coach Smith's university introduction. You can check out the video here...

Doesn't he look so excited and proud?

I am really looking forward to the Final Four because there are so many coaches that I know by name and even their voice on the other end of the telephone line, but have never personally met! Coach Smith is one of those coaches, and I look forward to congratulating him, his wife, and kids!

Michelyn

March 24, 2014

The Highs & Lows of Basketball

On this blog I strive to provide my readers a glimpse into the life of being a college basketball wife. I am most certainly in the dawn of this lifestyle; "wet behind the ears," of sorts; and still trying to learn the "rules" of the game, but overall there are many highs and lows in this business. Today, Nicole Phillips, wife to NDSU's Saul Phillips, wrote a post about the emotional roller-coaster that was recently had for their family.

If you are unaware, the North Dakota State University Bison beat #5 Oklahoma to proceed in the NCAA tournament. They were the first Summit league conference team to win a game in the NCAA tournament, and then loss to San Diego State last Saturday.

Nicole, a former Miss Wisconsin (MAO 1997) and news broadcaster, now author and public speaker has a fabulous website/blog, Kindness is Contagious. I often read her posts about the importance and power of kindness. She writes a weekly column for a local Fargo newspaper, The Forum, which provides an outlet for individuals to share instances of kindness. In this day, sometimes I think we forget that people are kind, loving, and caring; and this column provides an outlet for these actions to be shared.

In her post today, she openly shares about the highs and lows of being a basketball wife/family. I highly encourage you to stop by her website/blog and like her Facebook page. Her posts will bring joy to your day.

Let me return to her post... She openly shares that being a basketball wife/family is fun, especially when the team is winning! True that! But, when your team is losing, or when your team's season has come to an end after a stellar season it is emotional! We, the wives/family, ride on this roller-coaster, with our husbands. Every basketball wife can tell you how "tense" the house can become after a loss, or even streak of loses. Let's just say, these guys can sometimes act like us females when our monthly friend is in town! You must walk around the house very carefully, reconsider any statement that may be made, because if there is any inkling that you are being negative/judgmental/have an opinion (I could go on), your head may be on a platter! Now, have a winning season/game, that is the time to ask for that purse you have been eyeing or for him to cook dinner!

Team Phillips is a good family as is the rest of the coaching staff.  I too found myself emotional after the loss. I was both proud as punch for their year, but also sad that it had to come to an end.

Nicole, thank you for the candid article and the reminder to always find the positive in all situations.

Michelyn


March 23, 2014

50-50

Life's got some great positive and a few lows right now! Let's start with my weekly workouts which got halted because of the ankle sprain on Wednesday. Because of this snafu, my workouts are a little weak for the weak, but I would say that I have a good excuse!

Sunday
Rest

Monday
8.5 miles

Tuesday
Renegade Metabolic

Wednesday
10.5 miles

I realized I never shared how I sprained my ankle. Well, it did not occur how I thought it would have. It has warmed up a lot here in Toledo, but we continuously have days of frigid weather. Given all these fluctuations, there is still a good amount of snow and ice in people's yards and sidewalks. I was so peeved while running because I nearly slipped a number of times, cursed the homeowners for not clearing their sidewalks, and just knew I was going to break something because of this. I finally got past the residential portion of my route and was trucking along when I fumbled over a piece of wood. I completely fell over the left side of my left ankle. It was killer pain at first, but then I was able to "wobble" the pain out and figured I was a-ok. I did not recollect hearing any pops or snaps, but I was also cruising along to Pandora, so I kind of cursed myself for not really being sure. After about half a mile of feeling"ok" I just kept going the last 5.5 + miles. I got home showered, fed the dog, ate my dinner and felt swell so simply assumed I was fine.

THEN IT HIT ME LATE AT NIGHT! Like a ton of bricks, I awoke to my foot throbbing like I needed it amputated! Did I mention that Coach Kemp was out of town? I ended up calling him at like 2:00am freaking out because I could not get out of bed; I could barely put pressure on my big toe! I calmed myself down and did a good amount of self-talking/positive mantras that I was not going to die! I then got on all fours, crawled to the stairs and scooted down the stairs to get ice. Going up was also quite interesting since I was also trying to manage the bag of ice and Prince was confused as to why "we" were up so early. Why oh why does the dog not speak/understand all of the English language! I took some aspirin, elevated my foot, and iced it while trying to fall back to sleep. Let's just say I did not have the best rest Weds night!

The moral of the story, always RICE (Rest Ice Compress Elevate) after any twist or bauble or even a long run for that matter. Hey, I am alive to share about my experiences so it's not that bad!

Thursday
Rest

Friday
Rest

I contemplating going to Renegade Friday morning, but it just did not happen! My ankle was progressively feeling better but I felt the need to err on the side of caution, and I am thus far glad that I did. I hear the workout encompassed the prowler, and I am not upset that I was not present for that workout. However, I knew Jen and Chris, would have been more than willing to give me an alternative/replacement exercise.

Saturday
Renegade Mix Workout

I was really happy that Coach Kemp and I were able to rise and shine early on Saturday to attend the early morning group class. I only had to modify two moves: (a) band squat, jumps and (b) dumbbell curl, lunge. For the band squat, jump - I simply removed the jump action and increased my rate of the band squats. I probably could have safely completed the lunge within the dumbbell curl, lunge but I did not want to exert a ton of energy worrying about doing the back lunge given my ankle. I have been known to roll my ankle slightly when stepping back for the lunge. So, I amped the weights to 20lbs, and got to curling.

Weeks Mileage: 19 Miles
Renegade Classes: 2

The other portion of my 50-50 attitude has to do with the NCAA tournament! Let's see what has me happy and what has me sad!

HAPPY
Dayton beating Syracuse (55-53)

Wisconsin beating Oregon (85-77)

Florida beating Pittsburg (61-45)

SAD

Milwaukee's loss in the 2nd round to Villanova!

VCU's loss to SF Austin in the 2nd round by 2 in OT! I actually watched this game, and it was such an intense nail biter.

Nebraska, and the Tim Miles show, were unable to surpass the athleticism of Baylor. Did anyone catch Tim getting thrown out of the game? Well, congrats to Craig Smith for getting an opportunity to take over the reigns. For those that do not know, Craig is a former head coach and NAIA National Coach of the Year!
NDSU losing to San Diego State is the disappointment of the tournament thus far. Now I am upset they lost, but so immensely proud of their season! Gosh, they did such a fabulous job and I hope each of them knows it!

Question of the Day: How is bracket going thus far? Any huge disappointments? 

Michelyn

March 21, 2014

March Madness Upsets Galore!

Yesterday I shared about my dismay for my sprained ankle and the fact that the Toledo Rockets' season has come to an end. I also asked readers to share some of their disappointments or upsets of late. Well, my 10 readers had nothing for me, which is ok with me. Today, I have a few March Madness upsets that I am elated about. Isn't it funny how quickly one's mood can change. Well, don't get me wrong, I am pretty bummed about this ankle situation, but I do believe that a few days of rest will do the ankle good! And, I need to thank the members of the National Black Marathoners Association Facebook page for all their recommendations and wise suggestions. I had never posted any inquiries on the page, but simply felt compelled to ask the veterans their advice about my marathon trajectory. To my astonishments, the advise came running in (pun intended), hehe.

The first upset of the NCAA tournament was Dayton beating Ohio State University. From my standpoint, people too often assume that the high major teams and/or the high-seads will beat the mid-major teams. I was pretty pleased to see this in-state rivalry game end the way it did. It just further proves that their is great talent at all levels in college basketball.

But, The University of Florida (Go Gators!) and University Wisconsin-Madison (On Wisconsin!) are simply superior, in all respects, and if you put them high on your bracket you are one smart cookie.

Now, the Cinderella story of the 2014 NCAA tournament no doubt is the NDSU Bison men's team! Hell to the yeah! If you missed this game, the highlights will only give you a small glimpse into the pure excitement and thriller of a game that was had. Here are the three highlights of the game, in my opinion:

3. Freshman guard, Carlin Dupree whose fade reminds me of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air hit two free-throws after sitting the bench for nearly 40 minutes. So basically, what I am saying people, Carlin was not "lose" in basketball terms, and went out there and made buckets! And, did I mention he is a freshman?!!?

2. Got to go back to my boy Carlin. In OT, with only about 40 seconds left in the game, Carlin drove and made a gutsy lay-up which pushed the Bison up four!

1. The number one play of the game, hands down, goes to Senior point guard Lawrence Alexander, better known as LA. With seconds on the clock, in regulation, and down by 3 LA swished the hottest three of the day!


And then, the highlights after the game; brought tears of joy. I am such a stinking sap, but I love it!


Question of the Day: How is your bracket fairing thus far?

Michelyn


March 20, 2014

WIAW 3.19.14 & Upsets Galore

I know this post is coming a day late, but I figure it's better late than never! Actually, in many cases if something is late it is as good as never. Can you tell I was a graduate student for 6 years! No, it did not take me that long to get a Master's degree, I also have a PhD, so I actually progressed at a nice pace. But, in the university world, assignments and deadlines are written in stone and there is no "late" options!

Breakfast

If you can't tell, I get in meal ruts occasionally. I really, really love this Hi-Protein Apple Oatmeal. I also added three egg whites to increase my protein intake for this meal.

Snack 1

For my first snack of the day, I had 1 1/2 Cups of blackberries, 1 C 2% Cottage Cheese, and 1 Tbsp. Chia Seeds. Have you ever tried chia seeds? They really do not have much flavor but can really increase your protein intake. Just 1 TBSP has 3g Protein, 5g Carbs, and 5g Fat!

Lunch



Wow! This meal does NOT look appetizing at all. I made the cod in the morning while trying to multi-task - making breakfast, feeding the dog, and doing a load of laundry. I am starting to realize that sometimes my multi-tasking is a little too much. And just to clarify, on many days feeding the dog includes me getting on the floor, and spooning the food in his mouth (I have a separate set of spoons for the dog)! Honestly, this dog is spoiled rotten.  Anyways, I overcooked the cod, but it is was good in my belly so that is all that matters. I just sprayed some EVOO spray and added some Mrs. Dash salt-free seasoning. 

Snack 2

Yes, I have already started "sampling" the next 8 Quest bars to complete a thorough review of all 16 Quest Bars. If you didn't read my post from yesterday, head on over there to read my thoughts on the 7 I discussed! And I actually have also eaten the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, I have a 12-count box, so how I forgot to include that one in my post from yesterday is BEYOND me!

Dinner

This may be one of my favorite dinners in a long time. Well, I take that back because the flank steak is da' bomb digittie! This is a close second and it has nothing to do with the chicken! All stars go to the asparagus, russet potatoes, and feta cheese! Praise the feta cheese! For the asparagus, I simply sprayed a pan with EVOO mist (the no-calorie kind) and then sprinkled some of the same Mrs. Dash seasoning over it. Place in the oven and allow it to ROAST out baby! Now the potatoes, I will give you that recipe tomorrow, but then add the 1 TBSP of feta cheese, and your life is a dream. I cut up everything and mix it together, so yummy! And the feta cheese adds a nice amount of salty flavor that no additional salt is needed, double score!

Dessert

To round out my meal, I had one small piece of Ghiradelli 60% Cacao. This contains 1g Protein; 6g Carbs; and 4g Fat.

Now, let's talk about the upsets of Wednesday, March 19th. There are two:

1. I sprained my ankle while running!?!? I am going to have it checked out, but I sent a few pictures to Coach Kemp, and we both agree that I sprained it. So, this absolutely sucks since I am training for the Glass City Marathon at the end of April. I am planning to lay off the running for the remainder of this week and all of next and then jump back on the bandwagon by March 30th! I will continue my cross training at Renegade in the meantime.


2. The Rockets lost to Southern Mississippi in the 1st Round of the NIT! We had a stellar season, but we of course would have liked to kept it marching into April!

Question of the Day: Anything upsetting happened in your life recently? You know the saying, misery loves company :)

Michelyn

March 19, 2014

A Quest Bar Review

There are officially 16 Quest Bars, and to date, I have tried nearly half of them or 7. Here is my rundown on the ones that I have tried thus far, and my rankings:


1. By far my favorite Quest Bar is the White Chocolate Raspberry, and it was the very first one I tried! OMG! So yummy! There are bits of white chocolate within the bar, so please savor those sections with the most for last! Please tell me I am not the only person that does that :)












2. The Banana Nut Muffin bar could almost fool one into really thinking they are eating banana bread. As I
explained to Coach Kemp, if you close your eyes and don't think about the consistency (which is off), you could really fool yourself into thinking you are eating Banana Nut Bread! And guess what? Coach Kemp agreed! I then tried it in the oven, and I was even more convinced that I was eating banana bread. Huge score!











3. The Apple Pie is pretty scrumptious warmed in the microwave for about 20 seconds. This one surprised me since I despise apple pie, in general. I am not a huge fan of cooked fruit, but lately my tunes have been changing. I only had this one warm, so I can not attest to the flavor if cold.


4. Now, I was really surprised that I enjoyed the Mixed Berries as mush as I did. I swear this whole
challenge/change in diet may be having an affect on my taste buds. I used to hate cooked fruit, like I already said, and fruits in my desserts, in general, but I really liked the Mixed Berries bar. After trying this one, I wished that components of this bar had been embedded into the Peanut Butter and Jelly bar. it was very fruitful and overall nice tasting.










5. The Strawberry Cheesecake was ok. I think I was yearning for a little more cheesecake flavor than what I got in my mouth. It was nice to taste the freeze dried strawberries though.


6. Although I love peanut butter and jelly, this Quest Bar fell short in my opinion. I was so looking forward to this one too! I am not sure if my hopes were so high since it was the second bar I tried after the White Chocolate Raspberry. There are chunks of almonds within the bar, but I did not get a lot of jelly visuals. Maybe I wanted to "see" swirls or something, as the flavor was there but I was searching for a chunk of jelly which I never got!









7. I hate to say that I disliked, maybe even despised one of the bars, but the Chocolate Brownie did nothing for me. Now, I must admit that I am not that fond of plain brownies, in general, and I think this may be playing a contributing factor. Jason said he liked them, so I am hoping he delves into 12-count box because I am having a hard time eating them.

Question of the Day: Which Quest bar is your favorite?

Michelyn

March 18, 2014

March Madness: Toledo Tough Style

Well, hello. Sorry for the late post this evening. I try to write my blog posts the night before and have them post some time in the day, but yesterday was a little hectic in the Kemp Household. While we were in Cleveland for the MAC conference tournament, we boarded Prince at his veterinarian's office. I absolutely adore our vet and all of the assistants but Mr. Prince simply does not bode well with being cooped up in a dog cage for long, even though they are large at the vet's office. When I got him early Monday morning, he was not in the best of moods, had an irritable stomach, and was being overly aggressive. I had to take many breaks Monday to hold/cuddle him and get on the floor, just to be close. I went for an 8-mile run after my work day, so was gone for about 1.5 hours, and upon my arrival Prince was crying miserably even though Jason had returned home from work by that time. We are aware that Prince suffers from separation anxiety, which is common is small-breed dogs, and I am certain that my work-from-home job only compounds the issue.  It's probably a safe estimate that Prince and I are in each other's company at least 20 hours/day. I have read a few websites that touch on the matter, but many of them are more relevant for dog owners who work away from the home. When I was at the natural food store a few weeks ago, I did find some natural remedies that I think I am going to try. It's a little difficult because for the most part, I am here with the dog, so he is not traumatized on a continual basis. We have decided that for our next away trip, we will board him at Sit Means Sit, our dog behavioral trainers. They have a package in which they board the dog plus do some additional training for a few hours/day. Of course this is more expensive, but the peace of mind that Mr. Prince will get out more is very comforting, plus he could use some more training, as he only gets some of the basics with us!

Ok, I know there are a few of you that just rolled your eyes at my explanation above. I do realize that Prince is just a dog! I can't help but treat him like my child, at times.



I mean, look at that face... Can you blame me?

Many people are already aware, but I did want to share my excitement for the Toledo Men's Basketball program for getting a bid into the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). The guys already headed out to Mississippi and will be playing on Wednesday verse Southern Mississippi on ESPN3! 


Let's hope the guys can pull out a W! Here is the NIT bracket:


Question of the Day: Are you following the NIT?

Michelyn

March 16, 2014

Workouts in Review V

Sunday
7.5 Miles

These 7.5 miles were logged while still staying in Tampa, FL. To be honest, I am not sure how I was able to get my body; more specifically, my feet moving after hosting the Miss and Teen Suncoast/Nature Coast pageants. Boy, I have not worn pageant-style shoes in so long, my dogs (aka feet) were killing me. Somehow, I conjured the energy to arise at 6am to run a few miles before the sun set in. Speaking of the pageant, I was such a horrible documenter of the days event, and that is more because I was so very busy with walk-through and pageant prep. Overall, I had a delightful experience hosting the pageants, and it did give me a little "itch." Thinking I will fill the void with some more running!

Monday
8 Miles

Tuesday
6 Miles
Renegade Metabolic

Wednesday
Renegade Strength

Thursday
Renegade Metabolic

Friday
Rest Day

Saturday
12 Miles

I decided to rest on Friday and then do my long run on Saturday. I was very impressed with my ability of running this many miles on a treadmill, I really do despise that thing!

Total Miles This Week: 33.5
Total Renegade Classes: 3

Question of the Day: How did your weekly workouts go?

Michelyn

March 13, 2014

March Madness Updates & Rocket Inspired Closet Wants!

Who's Going Dancing as of 3.12.2014?!?

It is such an exhilarating and stressful time of year for many college basketball programs, including the women's teams. I am so thrilled for the North Dakota State University Bison's MBB for winning yet another Summit League tournament all within the last six years (2009 and 2014)! I am also pleased knowing that Milwaukee clinched the win for the Horizon league.

Let's see who else will be dancing! 




Courtesy of ESPN

Now, I would not say that I am a fashionista by any means, but I do find pleasure in dressing. I am not a big fan of the university bookstore t-shirts and regalia - I typically try to adorn the school colors when cheering on my squad. I am all packed and ready to head over to Cleveland later in the day, and I figured it would be fun to do a little virtual shopping. The below outfit is not anything that I packed, but I would don this ensemble in a hot minute!

Toledo Outfit #2




Question of the Day: Are you following March Madness? What team are you hoping gets in?

Michelyn