Check out the delicious goodies that were waiting on my doorstep when I arrived home from work today.
Those would be the famous peanut butter protein bars that I raved about during my bachelorette party! My friend Leah sent me a small batch as a special treat and I couldn’t wait to dig into them this afternoon.
The recipe comes from her Aunt Chris and I have it in my possession! I want to get her approval before posting it on the blog, but hopefully I’ll get the okay and can share this amazing recipe with you. Cross your fingers!
Dinner
After eating my body weight in peanut butter bars, Ryan and I took Sadie on a two mile walk around our neighborhood before heading home to make dinner.
On the menu this evening was whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce and turkey meatballs.
I used Barilla whole grain rotini as the base and smothered it in meaty marinara and parmesan cheese.
So satisfying!
So Long, Sweets
Lent begins tomorrow. When I was growing up in Palatine, Illinois, the vast majority of my friends (okay all of them) were Catholic. I first remember learning about Lent from them. Each year they would vow to give up something like chocolate or pledge to engage in some act of self improvement for the 40 days and 40 nights of Lent.
As I got a little older, I began to look into the meaning behind Lent and became interested in it for reasons other than mirroring the interests of my friends. Since I am still learning and growing in my own religious beliefs, I do not feel comfortable discussing them on my blog, though I greatly admire the amazing bloggers like Tina and Katie who discuss their beliefs openly with such strength and conviction.
I only mention Lent on my blog this year because I am giving up something big and I’m sure you guys would notice.
I’m giving up sweets.
Yep, all sweets. Desserts, baked goods, ice cream and candy. My definition of a "sweet" is basically anything that can be classified as "dessert."
Before this year, without fail, I would give up something I deeply enjoyed for the 40 days and 40 nights of Lent. It would inevitably be something related to chocolate or sweets… but never the whole shebang.
This year it’s the whole enchilada. No brownies. No cake. No frozen yogurt. AH!
I’ve talked to a few people who have given up sweets for one reason or another before. From what I’ve heard, I’m going to be a raging looney for the first week. I don’t doubt this, especially with the amount of sugar I’ve been consuming lately. I’m sure my body will go into some kind of no-sugar shock!
In the grand scheme of things, living without sweets for 40 days ain’t no thang… but for this sugarholic, I’m sure it will be a struggle.
But, I’m ready. With my personal conviction and the meaning behind Lent in my mind, I’m ready.
Bring it ooon!
(P.S. The Fashion page was updated this evening!)
Question of the Evening
- Have you ever given up sugar?
- Are you giving up anything or making a new positive improvement for Lent?
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NO SWEETS?! God bless you, Julie 🙂
Haha you CAN DO IT!
Good luck! I’m giving up most meat and going pescatarian…I woke up craving meat today.
The Fro Yo is going to be the toughest to give up! By the way, did you ever post the Peanut Butter protein bar recipe? I couldn’t find one on Cooking Light… and I looove PB and they look fantastic!
Thanks for posting the recipe! Yummy!!!
I’ve given up sugar for a 3-month stint and a 2-year stint for varying reasons. It was hard, but honestly it was good to feel in control of my sugar intake.
Wow, good luck Julie!! I’m giving up nut butter and chocolate for lent — yikes!
You probably already do this, but just in case….I put my chobani in the freezer for about a 1/2 hour and it has the same consistency as frozen yogurt! The strawberry banana flavor is especially good mixed in with PB2! This way you can still enjoy something that tastes like fro yo, without breaking lent!
Very interesting you grew up in Palatine. I lived in Long Grove/Buffalo Grove area for years and did a lot of babysitting in Palatine growing up…and now live in Orlando.
Small world. 🙂
Growing up my Mom always asked that we “do some type of good” rather than give something up. We’d try to genuinely compliment 2 people a day, or volunteer more, etc. I’ve never actually given anything up for lent but I think this year I might try! The closest to it was when she asked that we reduce complaining to 1 complaint a day (which we voiced during dinners)
I give you MAJOR credit for giving up sweets…I think I’d be a crazy person if I did. 🙂
your mom is awesome! i love this!
Haha, I have to agree! 🙂
As Lent is officially here, I guess it’s time to make a decision. I already know I’m taking up meditation. Whether that means 1 minute or 10 minutes of meditation a day, I’m doing it. As for what I’m giving up, it was either sweets or meat and I think sweets has won. Just like you, I still will eat yogurt, granola bars and banana bread (sans chocolate chips) but I’ll have to forget about the two boxes of Girl Scout cookies in my freezer. If that’s not temptation, I don’t know what is!
Last year, my New Year’s resolution was to give up all sweets (not ALL sugar, just dessert-types, like you said). I did not have one ‘dessert-type’ food from January 1st till April 28th (yes I will always remember the day when I broke my streak).
Although during those almost five months (!!!!) without sweets I never felt better physically (I was NEVER tired, and had so much energy all.the.time), I was completely miserable. I let a simple resolution control my life, and it was terrible. When you deprive yourself of something, you just want it more and more and pretty soon all I thought about was sweets–even though I wasn’t eating them!
I’m sure you’ll do fine, but I just wanted to share my personal experience without sweets 🙂
I have never given up sugar completely. I mean, if you think about it, it’s in everything! Pasta sauce, vinagrette, yogurt, and hello, FRUIT! So no, never have given it up totally.
I don’t celebrate Lent. My God believes all things in moderation. 🙂
Lent is a big thing for me this year, since I was raised Catholic and made all of my sacraments except Confirmation, which is when you re-affirm the beliefs that your godparents committed you to when you were baptized as a baby, but you choose to do so as an adult. I’ve spent the last 10 years contemplating my own religious beliefs, and am in the process of getting confirmed into the Catholic Church right now (which I avoid discussing on my blog, simply because it’s a personal subject).
That was just a long way of saying that since I’m making such a big step in my spiritual life, I’m also making a big step for Lent this year — I’m committed to being a pesco-vegetarian for the next 47 days! Initially I had included fish, but realized I’d miss the Lent Friday Fish Dinners too much! I’m also taking the true meaning of Lent into account this year and taking on one new task to help others each day. 🙂
Love this idea.. I kinda wanna join in.. Only sugary desserts tho.. Hm.. Maybe i will mentally do this.. Just not share the goal.. I agree with you about the meaning behind lent. It makes you a stronger person makes you value things in life differently when you give up something you love.
I don’t know what I would give up for lent. I once gave up sweets… only to break my no sweets streak by eating carrot cake because it “had carrots in it… which were a veggie therefore it was healthy”. I don’t think I have the will power!! 🙁
Julie,
I am a newly addicted reader of your blog. From what I have seen and read on the blog so far, I find inspiration in the lifestyle you live, as you seem to have a healthy balance with health and exercise.
I also find it inspiring that you have decided to give up sweets for Lent. Good luck!