Lots of food pics incoming…!


Lots of food pics incoming…!

I crave pizza probably 85% of the time. And while it would be nice to grab a slice of pizza every time I get that craving, it’s best for my body that I don’t. That’s why we create alternatives and moderations to satisfy these cravings. This is a shout-out to my mum who would make this healthy version of pizza for me for a snack all the time. It’s time for pizza toast! This is a healthier, much cheaper version of pizza that is sure to kick your pizza craving in the butt. It is incredibly, incredibly simple and could call for some creativity if you want to get snazzy with it.
BONUS KITTY PIC

The first time I heard about black bean brownies, I turned my nose up. First of all, brownies aren’t my go-to dessert (although they can be delicious, see: Judith’s brownies) and second of all, BEANS?! IN BROWNIES?! Now you’re talking crazy. However, here at Hungry and Fit we’re always looking at ways to healthify things we love so we have no limits. One day, one of my trainers brought in black bean brownies and they were darn good. Black bean brownies are a sure lesson of not judging a book by its cover, because they are gooo–oood! This recipe is a sure way to eating brownies guilt-free!
BONUS PUPPY PIC

I would say one of the most popular desserts of all time are chocolate chip cookies. I’ve rarely seen people deny them out of distaste, maybe just out of nutritional reasons. Chris is always wanting some fresh-baked cookies, and I decided to be nice (rare moments, I kn0w). However, they wouldn’t be completely without a twist of health. These chocolate chip cookies have whole-wheat flour in them instead of regular, which adds more fiber into our diet! Who needs apples when you could have these cookies? Just kidding, kids… But truth be told, these are full of fiber, and not overdone with sugar and butter. These are perfect for summer days and sure to win you friends!
*Question of the Day: What’s your favorite kind of cookie?
BONUS KITTY PIC


This was a fun weekend! The muddy pics you see are of the Spartan Race we did! 4 miles and 25 obstacles.


As a Sweat Pink Ambassador, I was chosen to sample and review new Vega Bars of all assortments. Lucky me! Before this, I had never tried Vega Bars. Sometimes, I’m wary about nutrition bars. Some have a plethora of unnatural ingredients, but not so for Vega Bars. Despite a few differences, I would definitely pick up a Vega Bar in the store.
There are a few reasons Vega Bars rise above other energy/protein/nutrition bars:
1. They don’t leave your stomach feeling iffy. I’m an active girl. I’m a personal trainer by profession and I work myself hard after-hours as well. I frequently use bars to fuel my day. However, some bars under certain brands make me feel blah. My stomach gets bubbly and my desire for activity plummets. With Vega Bars, after I eat any kind of them, I feel good. There’s no bad after-effect, just natural energy. I appreciate that.
2. They have simple, natural ingredients. Some other bars have ingredient lists longer than I care to read. Vega Bars‘ are short and simple. They are all organic, natural ingredients. It’s good to know what you’re putting in your body to fuel isn’t crap. Vega is in support of this notion.
3. They actually taste good! Taking the above point into consideration, it does happen where the taste buds aren’t exactly jumping for joy. Not with these bars. With the Vega Bars, you enjoy every chomp, almost feeling like you are indulging yourself. They are delicious and nutritious! Not a bad combo, there.
4. They have probiotics. I was especially excited about this once I read one of the bar’s packaging. I’m always trying to have enough probiotics in my system to have a healthy gut. I had never heard about a bar having a considerable amount of probiotics! Usually I would run into drinks or pills. I love this little aspect about it.
I’ll keep the bullet points short, but you can see that they’re an all-around solid company making delicious nutritious bars. My only qualms would be to add more protein, but it’s tough with natural ingredients like this. Getting 15g from a healthy bar is fine by me. Vega has several different types of bars, setting each one apart for different purposes. Let’s check them out:
Vega Bars get a thumbs up from Hungry and Fit. Natural ingredients with good macros paired with great taste is a win win for us. If you happen to see one at a store, just try it out. Certainly a product we can get behind. Eat Vega Bars to stay hungry and fit!


For the past few weeks or so, I’ve been trying this fitness philosophy called “If It Fits Your Macros” (IIFYM). It’s a slightly controversial idea. People in the fitness industry love to argue and contest each other’s philosophies. I’m fairly open-minded and like to try new things. I did the whole strict clean-eating thing, did protein-shake only, fruit-only cleanses, and so forth. Strict bodybuilder clean-eaters don’t care for IIFYM. However, plenty of people adhere to IIFYM.
So, what is IIFYM? In this philosophy, you have a set number of calories you can intake based on if you want to cut (lose fat), maintain, or bulk (gain mass). From those total calories, your macros are split up. Macros (aka macronutrients) are your proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. You get a certain number of each (this site has a great calculator for it). For example, I have around 1930 calories per day, my designated protein intake is around 130g, fat is like 55g, and carbs hover around 230g.

In many fitness regimens, you are supposed to eat clean (no crap). However, in IIFYM, you can eat dirty IF it fits your macros. So if I eat cleanly and focus on high protein and medium fat/carbs, I can have a big ol’ bowl of ice cream later. Your diet revolves around “hitting your macros” in any way YOU choose. For some people, it’s great because it allows them to be flexible. For others, they can’t handle all the temptation. Some people don’t even believe it works because there’s “dirty” eating involved.
For me, it has gone fairly well. I don’t always hit my macros, sometimes because I don’t get all my suggested calories and sometimes because I go over a few. So far, I’m kind of liking it. It allows me treats but also sets a limit. Gives me some moderation. I’m not sure how long I will keep doing this, but I will stick with it for a bit longer. Tracking your nutrients is vital, I use MyFitnessPal (add me! “nanathetiger“). We may go back to strict clean-eating soon. Who knows!
It’s good to know all the fitness philosophies out there. Some (MANY) are fads, but it’s worth investigating to find out what works for YOU. There is no one-fits-all fitness regimen. Something could work perfectly for you, but completely fail for me. It’s important to try stuff out and see what your body and mind likes best. As always…stay hungry and fit!
BONUS PUPPY PIC

You may have noticed that we have lapsed in our posting the past week. This is because my parents came in for an Easter visit! It’s been tons of fun. We did loads of stuff and there are tons of pictures that I still need to steal from other family members. Here’s a short snippet. But no worries, we are back in the saddle here at Hungry and Fit!

Mum made tons of lovely breakfasts

Noke got to enjoy the sun as the whole family gardened

Noke cuddling

Mum made scones

Poor Noke

Good Indian food

Good Korean food