On A Quest: Part III

I was originally planning to have a nice introduction to this post, but let's be real.... You just want to know my thoughts about all these marvelous bars! This post was originally written on March 19th and followed by a full review of all 16 bars on March 31st. 

Unless you live under some rocks, I would think you have heard that Quest Nutrition released a new Quest Bar, S'mores! And if you are living under a rock or have not heard of Quest bars, then welcome!

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 essential components for a delicious bar - the white chocolate chunks and then 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 are used for an Oreo McFlurry. Go out and buy one TODAY!

3rd Edition Note: No need to make any additional edits to this bar! It is still, in my opinion, the BEST Quest bar!!!!I can eat this bar day after day, and never tire of the flavor!

2. S'Mores. This bar was released at the end of November 2014, and is a hit in my books! I tried this bar both cold - straight out of the wrapper, as well as broiled! And well, I liked it both ways! If you decide to broil the bar, make sure to monitor the oven; flip it over too so both sides get some grill action. This bar should have been released in the summer because it made me think of camping! Why?!?! I don't know because this girl (i.e., ME) has never been on a camping excursion that I found pleasurable! Then again, when is camping season!?! LoL! I digress, this bar is a nice balance of marshmallow, chocolate and graham cracker goodness all wrapped up - none of which overpowered another! But, without all of the guilt of a traditional s'mores.

3. White Chocolate Raspberry. This was the very first one I tried, and at first, it was my favorite until I tried Cookies & Cream! OMG! So yummy! There are bits of white chocolate within the bar, so please savor those sections for last! Please tell me I am not the only person that does that :).

3rd Edition Note: This bar has been moved to the #3 spot, instead of being a split between itself and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. I will discuss the rationale more when I discuss that bar, below. This still is a good bar, and I would suggest consuming this one as a mid-morning snack or with a cup of tea. You know high-noon tea with a Quest Bar, seems pretty normal to me! And yes, I still savor the white chocolate chips when eating this bar; try it - you will thank me later!


4. 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 :)

3rd Edition Note:This bar has moved down slightly on my list, only because after consuming too many of these bars, I begin feeling like I have ingested too much chocolate! I know, I question how this is even fathomable, but at times the chocolate chunks overwhelm me - and take over the bar. Because of this, I must balance and rotate this bar with the other flavors, or they are simply not enjoyable!

5. 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!











6. 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.

7. 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!

8. 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.











9. This too was one that I was surprised that I liked. 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!

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

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

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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 swear 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!).

15. 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!










16. 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!

17. 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.

3rd Edition Update:  This bar grew on me eventually, although it is still my least favorite. I broiled this bar a few times and then added natural nut butter for Coach Kemp, and he was in heaven every time! Oh, and did you know that the Quest Nutrition website has recipes for all of their bars! Crazy fun, right. Many of their recipes can be found on the Quest Blog, and you can always search for them over Instagram! I must admit that I have not been too adventurous with using quest bars for extravagant desert making, but my mouth always waters when I browse the concoctions.

Disclaimer:: I was not endorsed in any way for this review or any of the two previous posts. I just happen to really enjoy Quest bars, and figure it would be handy to sample all of the flavors and let others know my thoughts on the bars. Again, my particular taste preferences play a role in my thoughts for these bars. Overall, they are all super delicious and I highly recommend them for anyone looking for a healthy protein bar!

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

Michelyn

When Down....

It's Thursday, cold outside and my Basgers lost last night to Duke! I was just certain I would wake-up in the middle of the night to reach for my phone to see the good news! Well, I was wrong, and I am not so happy about it.

You know what I enjoy most when in a bummer mood?

Shopping...

And, I have just the product for you!

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Head on over to my online store to purchase some of your own make-up. many of the products make great stocking stuffers!

Michelyn

Coaches Corner: Team BeachBody

With each of these Coaches Corner features, I get even more giddy! Maybe it is because I have known these ladies for years - well for as long as I have been a coach's significant other. I almost feel like we are traveling down this journey together - from staff at NDSU to new adventures! This is such a sisterhood that I embrace wholeheartedly. Andrea is such an amazing woman, mother, wife, and business woman that all can respect and admire. The University of Minnesota-Crookston (UMC) fans are fortunate to have Andrea as their First Lady of Men's Basketball.  

How has the first few months of being the First Lady of Golden Eagles basketball been going?

It was a little scary at first because I was leaving my job as an interventional radiology technologist of 14 years to pursue a job that would fit our new lifestyle as a wife of a Head Coach. Once we got to Crookston I was fortunate enough to find a full-time job as a legal assistant at a local law firm office.  We are meeting a lot of wonderful new people and adjusting to our new house, jobs, and daycare.

What has been your best experience thus far?

Besides the moment when Dan received the call that he would be the new Head Coach at UMC I would say the week of Thanksgiving when Dan’s family came to visit and we all road tripped to the UMC vs. NDSU game in Fargo. It was fun to be back in Fargo where this journey all started. Although UMC fell short by only 1 point, it was a fun game and great see old friends.

 Any fun outings and/or family events with the MBB staff or another staff at Crookston.

We hosted our first team meal at our house in September. It was fun to have all 17 guys over for ribs, chicken, mashed potatoes, and all the fixings. It’s amazing how much athletes can eat! We also had Thanksgiving dinner at our house with Dans’s parents, sister, and the Men’s Basketball Coaches.

Tell us a little about that the Coach Weisse ”courtship tactics,” lol? How did you meet? And, how did he propose?

We met on Match.com and 11 months later we were engaged. When he proposed, he had flowers delivered to my shipping store, Goin’ Postal, but there was no name on the flowers. I thought they were delivered by mistake. My business partners were in on it and they played it off very well. When I got home I found more flowers and a matching card. Then I realized what was going on. He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes and the next day he went recruiting for 9 days. Lol!

And four years later you are the proud parents of two little ones – Makenna and Ethan. Have they adjusted well to living in Crookston?

Ethan wasn’t quite two when we moved so he really didn’t know any different. Makenna knew we were moving, but her first response was, “ We don’t have any balloons.” Referencing the movie “UP” we had just seen 20 times. They have adjusted really well. They are both at the Catholic Sunrise Center and it only took a couple of days for them to get used to their new daycare. As Makenna would say, “Mom, its school not daycare”.

Tell us a little about Makenna and Ethan.  

Makenna (Kenna Bear) will be 4 in January and is Daddy’s little princess. She acts so much older then she really is. She negotiates everything and has a very good memory. Sometimes I have to stop and remind myself that she is not even 4 yet. She loves gymnastics, playing with her dolls, playing dress up and singing. Dan taught her the Star Spangled Banner when she was a little over 2 years old! She just started ice-skating lessons and is doing very well.

Ethan turned 2 in August and he is all boy! He keeps us on our toes that’s for sure. He like trucks, car tools and anything sports. He’s our little clown, his favorite outfit is a pull up and snow boots! He loves going to games and cheering with Mom. His current phrase is “Box out!”

And with your move to Crookston came some new experiences and roles for yourself. You recently became an Independent Team BeachBody Coach. What is BeachBody?

If you have ever heard of Insanity or P90x, this is the company that produces those workout videos. They also have the best daily source of dense nutrition on the market called Shakeology, plus a lot of other great products.

What made you decide to become a BeachBody coach?

I used to be a really active person. Softball, rollerblading, lifting weights, playing golf, hiking, biking. You name it, I did it (or at least would try it). I even ran a marathon! Which I’m sure I don’t think that I will ever do that again. That’s when a full time job, owning a shipping store, and kids just kind of took over. After having Ethan, I really wanted to start exercising again, but I felt like I never had the time. Excuses, I know. Well, right before we moved to Crookston, Dan’s brother asked if I would be interested in joining BeachBody. I said yes right away. I saw this as an opportunity for motivation and accountability that I needed. This was the perfect time to incorporate working out into my daily routine. Once I started, I realized what a great opportunity it was to help others and pay it forward.

How do you help others lose weight?

Once someone decides they want to change their lifestyle by getting healthy and fit, I will help them pick out a program that is tailored to their specific goals along with Shakeology. From there, they get support and accountability from me as well as others in the group. It is a lot of fun! What’s great about this is that a person has the opportunity to do whatever they want with the program. Whether they become a coach and pay it forward or to stay as a customer. It is great either way.

Has Coach Weisse jumped on the bandwagon?

He was actually drinking Shakeology before I was. I just never knew there was so much more to it and that you can get paid to work out and help others at the same time!

Last question – what advice do you have for “new” coach’s wives and those that are engaged to coaches?

1. You will need “me time” every once in a while! While the coaching husband can be gone for long periods of time, that leaves you to take care of the kids, the house, work, any issues that could possibly happen, like shoveling a foot of snow while being pregnant. I make sure to get a work out in even if it turns into a family affair. So when he is home make sure to take the time to get a coffee, a glass of wine with friends, or even a quick workout and give yourself a break, you’ve earned it!

2. Find a reliable babysitter. Date nights are very important, even if it is just to Wal-Mart for Black Friday shopping for an hour.

3. When they are on the road recruiting, or on a road trip sometimes it does get a bit overwhelming, but at the end of every season you will look back, think about all the ups and downs, wins, loses and say, “That was awesome! I can’t wait for next season!”

Interested in BeachBody? Please check out Andrea's website for more information.

Michelyn

MAC Mania Monday Week 4

Happy Monday folks! Hoping each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and weekend full of shopping. I am looking forward to even more sales today, Cyber Monday!

Well, not only did a lot of good eats occur over the holiday, but also many MAC games were played. Let's take a look to see how your favorite MAC team is doing thus far in the season!

WEST		EAST
University	Record	University	Record
Ball State	2-2	Akron	5-2
Central Michigan	6-0	Bowling Green	4-0
Eastern Michigan	6-0	Buffalo	5-1
Northern Illinois	4-1	Kent State	4-2
Toledo	3-4	Miami	2-5
Western Michigan	7-2	Ohio	3-2

MAC Schools in the News
Brunch Bunch Event


Notable Games of the Week
Miami plays the Dayton Flyers on Dec. 3rd

Previous MAC Mania Updates
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3