A Trip to Food Heaven & A Chocolately Reduced-Guilt Granola Bar Recipe

Today’s Workout: Lower body exercises at PT, foam rolling

Update alert: Brightroom photos for the Brooklyn Half came in, and I look NORMAL in them! I updated my race review and put them in. Click here to go take a look! Here’s my favorite from the finish line:

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Today I had another physical therapy appointment at Finishline PT in Chelsea. It was a great session and I am really learning to love ART therapy and ASTYM. They are working for me (I think anyway)! I was scheduled to run on the AlterG again too, but skipped it because I’m still a bit sore from this weekend. Also I tweaked my back on Saturday and its not feeling normal yet. Injury-prone is my middle name. Actually its not but it should be. Thanks parents for bad genes. So because I skipped the AlterG, I had some extra time after PT and headed down the block to food heaven: Eataly.

If you’ve never heard of it, its basically the NYC mecca of Italian food. It’s run by Mario Batali and consists of part supermarket, part restaurant(s). According to the website:

“Eataly is more than a supermarket with restaurants. It is an energetic marketplace, an opportunity to taste and take home the products of artisans who till, knead and press to bring you the highest quality products at a fair price. We have assembled the absolute best Italian producers from every region under one roof and the absolute best chefs to cook their wares.”

Although I didn’t eat sit down and anything at any of the restaurants, they looked amazing. They aren’t full-out restaurants but basically little areas where you can try some food from various chefs and vendors. They also sell produce, kitchen supplies, and food on the sides and in areas throughout the building. Its incredible.

They have a supermarket area, butchers, cheese-maker people (I don’t think that’s the technical term, but it should be), and shops, which is where I went to buy a few things. The quality of the produce, cheese, pasta, and other items you can get was really impressive. I wanted to try so many things!

Since I decided to only get what I went in for in the first place, I walked away from the heavenly pasta area. Since its all imported and from Italy, its a little pricey which is the only downside. But I’ll go back someday and get some just because I feel like its calling my name. “Megaaannn, cook us!”

I ended up getting a few tomatoes, a huge loaf of fresh bread, fresh mozzarella, and avocados.

I couldn’t wait to try the fresh mozzarella. A real Italian guy made it! I saw him! And the bread was as big as my head…

I’m on a HUGE avocado kick lately and can’t stop eating them. These were AMAZING. I had one for lunch with some fresh bread. Not sure why they are better from Eataly than anywhere else I’ve had, but I’ll have to go back for more to satisfy my avocado obsession.

For dinner, Karl and I had the tomatoes and mozzarella on bread. I originally bought the mozz to make pizza but it was too good and too fresh to bake. Instead we put it on bread with some seasoning. It was the best I’ve had.

Make a trip to Eataly, you won’t regret it! Their products really are high quality. Karl and I are thinking of going back soon to eat at the restaurants inside. I’ll let you know if we do

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Remember a few weeks ago when I made Cranberry-Nut granola bars? Well I made them again today but changed the recipe around to make it more of a chocolately, dessert-like bar. I’m posting the recipe again with the updated ingredients. The process of making them is the same.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
1 (10 1/2-oz.) package mini marshmallows
15-oz. of Bear Naked heavenly chocolate granola (or I used 12 oz granola + 3 oz Go Lean Crunch cereal)
3 cups crisp rice cereal
4-5-oz. ground walnuts
2 tablespoons ground flax (optional)
1 teaspoon salt

1. Use a food processor or blender to grind the 15 oz. of granola until finely ground. Also grind up the walnuts.

2. In a bowl, combine the granola mixture with 3 cups crisp rice cereal, the walnuts, 2 tbsp of flax (optional), and 1 tsp. salt.

3. Melt 3 tbsp of butter in a covered pot over low heat. Add the mini marshmallows and cook until melted, stirring occasionally. Then remove from heat and stir the granola into the marshmallows.

4. Press the mixture into a buttered pan (I used PAM to spray it). You may have to use your hands to spread it… its sticky! Let stand 1 hour then cut into (1 1/4- x 3-inch) bars.

These came out really good and are sweeter than a usual granola bar. I made them because I wanted something that I could eat for dessert or as a snack that wasn’t really unhealthy. These are perfect. The main ingredient is Bear Naked heavenly chocolate granola, which has 130 calories and 3.5g of fat in 1/4 a cup. Plus, it has some protein and also fiber (especially if you put in flax). Since this recipe makes A LOT of bars, you can make these last for a while. Enjoy!

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Did you eat anything good today? What did you have for lunch?
Whats your favorite flavor of granola?