It is always so hard getting back into the swing of things after a nice long weekend away. We had a relaxing weekend on the north coast celebrating my husband’s birthday and Valentine’s Day, while Keenan stayed with my in-laws. It was weird to be away from Keenan for so long (our first time leaving him for more than 2 nights), but it was good to have some much needed adult time with my husband and be able to sleep-in. I still can’t believe we slept in past 9:30 a.m. everyday! Drew’s best friend, Peter, also joined us for part of the weekend and it was fun to catch up with him, since we hadn’t seen him in a long time. In looking back at the weekend, we really didn’t do too much, not even a workout (which was nice!); we sat on the porch that looks out to the ocean and read, watched movies (Finally seeing, “Iron Lady!”) and cooked. We enjoyed lots of good food (too much, rather!) including grilled turkey, roasted bell pepper and brie paninis, roasted beet salad with goat cheese and walnuts, panzanella, and guacamole and chips. We also enjoyed Cafe Bon every morning, as well as lots of popcorn and chocolate! Oh, I can’t forget, we did make our traditional visit to Franny’s Cup and Saucer for some tasty treats (sorry, we devoured everything before I could take a picture).
Our big bowl of homemade guacamole; it was SO good!
Keenan had a wonderful time with Grandpa and Grandma. Though the transition was a little rough when we picked him up yesterday (he was happy to see us, but he started crying and saying he didn’t want to leave and then he did, etc,), he certainly enjoyed himself. On our drive home after picking him up, we asked about his weekend and all of the things that he did. He told us about all of the tractors he saw with Grandpa (including naming all of them i.e. John Deere, Case and Caterpillar), feeding the neighbor’s horses, picking oranges, doing art with Grandma, eating pancakes and visiting with my in-law’s friends. All, in all, he had a fun-filled weekend that left him pretty tried (in a good way). He was SO tired going down for his nap today!
Now, onto Health Warrior Chia Bars!
Since I love Chia seeds and eat them everyday in my breakfast, I was very intrigued when I read about Health Warrior. I decided to contact them, and they gladly sent me a generous package with a variety of their bars to try. If you aren’t familiar with Chia seeds, they are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, which are heart healthy (protects against heart disease), full of fiber and also help to reduce inflammation.
The cute package I received from Health Warrior, as well as tasting the coconut flavor!
Heath Warrior was founded by two former NCAA Division 1 Athletes, Dan Gluck and Nick Morris, who discovered Chia seeds and the wonderful health benefits they have, after learning about the Tarahumara Indians in the book, “Born to Run.” The Tarahumara Indians consumed great amounts of Chia seeds in their diet on a daily basis and would run up to a hundred miles barefoot. Dan and Nick, both very interested, did further research on Chia seeds and developed an easy way to consume them by creating a 100-calorie super nutritious bar that comes in three flavors: Coconut, Acai Berry and Chocolate Peanut Butter. Each bar is gluten-free and contains all natural ingredients, including agave syrup for sweetness, 4 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein.
I’m not much of a “snack bar” fan, as I would rather snack on whole foods such as nuts or fruit and most of the bars that I have tried, don’t taste that great. When I first tried Health Warrior’s bar, tasting the chocolate peanut butter flavor first, I was pleasantly surprised! Don’t get me wrong, it didn’t exactly taste like a real scoop of peanut butter with a piece of chocolate, but it did come close! The bar had “hints” of chocolate and peanut butter. In addition, I liked the grainy texture and chewiness of the bar (something that other bars lack). I prefer soft and chewy bars (if I’m going to have one) and Health Warrior’s bars are definitely that! The acai berry flavor is also good, with a nice hint of berry, but to he honest, I’m not a fan of the coconut. The coconut bar contained too much coconut for my taste.
Overall, I liked the bars and they are a great, healthy snack for when you are on the go. I like that they only cost you 100 calories, so they won’t break the “calorie bank,” if you are watching your calories. They are also a perfect snack for kids, as Keenan loved them! His favorite flavor is chocolate peanut butter. You can find the bars at Whole Foods, or you can buy them directly from Health Warrior.
Since Health Warrior was so generous, they offered to send one lucky reader a box of their bars, too!
Here is how to enter:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
*Disclaimer: I received all samples for free and all opinions are my own.
I can only imagine how hard it must’ve been at first to leave Keenan, but I’m glad you and your husband got away for a few days, and were able to enjoy yourself with your friends. Your weekend trip sounds fabulous! 🙂
I would love to try Health Warrior Chia Bars because well, I’ve recently become obsessed with chia seeds, and what would be more perfect than to try them out in a bar as well? 🙂
Because I am always on the go and chia seeds are great for you!
I love chia seeds, so I’d love to try these!
I love Chia seeds for all the healthy fiber and omegas they provide and I use them in my smoothies all the time! Would love to try a nutritious bar with chia actually inside – the Health Warrior Acai Berry flavor sounds fabulous too!
Love the idea of these bars as I’m pregnant and always looking for a go-to healthy snack!
Would love to try for a healthy snack to take in my purse and to boost my fiber intake!
I’m always looking for new on-the-go snacks to take with me to both work and the gym that are all natural and wholesome with no artificial ingredients. The Acai Berry would be tasty! Thanks!
Looks like it would be a great pre or post workout snack! Always curious to try new healthy bars.
I’m jealous of your time away and sleeping in! Sounds amazing. I’d love to try these- I love all things chia, but have never had the bars.
I frequently turn to bars for on-the-go nutrition…I would love to have another/new one as an option…hope to try these soon!
I want to try the chia bars because I am always looking for a portable healthy snack and its a superfood- its a win-win
Sounds like such a nice weekend! The North Coast is so pretty and very relaxing!
I haven’t tried Chia Bars before but they sound pretty good!
Health Warrior chia bars sound like a healthy on-the-go snack that would be easy to carry around in my purse when I’m out running errands or at work.
What a fun getaway! My favorite escape is the coast. I would love to try the Chia Bars because I am always running around and like you I am not a fan of most ‘bars’ because of all the junkie extras. This bar sounds like its as close to whole foods as you can get and its a super food too! Thanks for the giveaway.
These look really yummy!
Cha Cha Cha Cha Chia! I love chia seeds so these bars and these bars sound tasty!
I love trying new healthy food!
It is great that these bars only have 100 calories and so many health benefits. I would love to try these.
wow those bars look super tasty! not going to lie i have a bit of a bar addiction! i would love to try these!!
As a vegan college kid, bars are expensive!
I really like chia seeds and I’d love to have them in a bar form like this for after a workout…and they look tasty 🙂