For the entire month of June, I’ve been participating in the Athlete Inside Challenge hosted by Ben Zorn Fitness and sponsored by Designer Protein (which is available at The Vitamin Shoppe). This challenge is all about finding the athlete in all of use, regardless of age, gender or fitness level – we are all made move! If you run, you’re a runner; if you strength train, you’re a weight lifter; if you practice yoga, you’re a yogi; if you climb in the mountains, you’re mountain climber – no matter how fast, how heavy, how flexible, or how high! 

Read on to find out more about this fitness and nutrition challenge an how it can jump in – plus get my recipe for Raspberry Cheesecake Protein Spread.

During the four weeks, they shared some really great workouts, many requiring minimal equipment or none at all – making it hard to come up with an excuse! One of my favorites, was a simple track circuit consisting of short sprints and body weight exercises that are perfect for my Spartan Race training.

Naturally, I couldn’t must leave the workout without pushing it over the top by adding some tire-flips at the end! Adaptability to an individual’s fitness level the great thing about these Athlete Inside workouts, do what you can at your own pace and strength. If the workouts seem easy (ha) then use them to supplement a sweat sesh. If the workouts seem hard, modify to suit your current abilities.
The other thing I love about the Athlete Inside Challenge is the nutrition component. The Zorn brothers realize that athlete nutrition is equally important as fitness and advocate fueling yourself properly for more energy, less recovery time, and a leaner, stronger body. When they said, “An athlete’s plate is ½ colorful fruits and veggies, ¼ protein, and ¼ high quality carbohydrates,” I responded “Amen, and dig in!” It also reminded me of this graphic I put together on portion control a while back — it also says DIVIDE YOUR PLATE!

Like the Zorn brothers, I strive to fuel myself with nutritionally dense, whole foods at breakfast, lunch and dinner . . . and with a proper amount of protein at every eating opportunity (for me that would be 25g at meals and 10 to 15g for snacks)! Often, snack time can be harder because I’m on-the-go with work or kid activities or am at the gym. That’s when a protein powder like those from Designer Protein comes to the rescue. Whether mixed up in a simple shaker bottle, blended into a fancy fruit smoothie or made into a recipe like . . . ., protein powder helps snacks deliver the nutrients needed for sustained energy and muscle management.

This week I used the Designer Protein Grass-fed Native Whey Protein to make Raspberry Cheesecake Protein Spread, an easy topping for some yummy little baked snack rounds sent to me by Ozery Bakery. The spread couldn’t be any easier to make, it’s simply 4 ounces of Neufchatel cheese, a splash of milk, mixed with 2 scoops of protein powder and 1 ounce of crushed dehydrated raspberries.

Each 2 tablespoons serving of Raspberry Cheesecake Protein Spread has approximately 84 calories and 8 grams of protein. Thanks to the whey powder, it’s easy to add a punch of protein to those carbs we all love, like toast, oatmeal, bagels, crackers and these yummy little Snack Rounds made with healthy, hearty whole grains, fruits and seeds.

These adorable little Snack Rounds are bakery fresh, heat up in the toaster and have just 70 per piece – it’s the perfect post-workout nosh or “second breakfast” with the 84 calorie, 8 gram protein spread I just mentioned.  You can find products from Ozery Bakery at many grocery stores across the US and Canada – the store locator pointed me to the Randall’s just one mile down the road! 

And, Designer Protein is just as easy to find, available in numerous stores, DesignerProtein.com, and The Vitamin Shoppe (both stores and website).  The Vitamin Shoppe 20% off first order online right now with code NEWBIE17

And, while the Athlete Inside Challenge is coming to a close, you can still hop over to grab 4 weeks’ worth of workouts and recipes to try as your schedule permits.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Designer Protein, I received compensation for my time to review the product and share the challenge. Additionally, Ozery Bakery sent me products to sample. All editorial comments and enthusiasm are honest and my own.

Print

Raspberry Cheesecake Protein Spread and #AthleteInside

Prep Time

5 mins

Total Time

5 mins

 

Check out yummy Raspberry Cheesecake Spread made with protein powder to add boost of nutrition to bagels, crackers, and fruit slices. Also, get #AthleteInside workouts.

Course: bread, Breakfast, Smoothies, Snack, Worout

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 4 ounces neufchatel
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 scoops non-whey vanilla protein powder
• 1 ounces dehydrated raspberries, crushed

Instructions

1. Allow neufchatel cheese to come to room temperature. Mix in one tablespoon of milk and then protein powder. Mix in additional tablespoon of milk as needed, to achieve a spread consistency. Mix in crushed dehydrated raspberries.
2. Serve spread on toast, bagels or english muffins. Also great mixed into warm oatmeal, on pancakes, in nut butter sandwiches and used as a dip for fruit slices.