(The Mizuno winner is announced at the end if the post. That’s right, you have to try the little workout first before you read who won. Ha ha.)
Workouts:
Tuesday-
Taught BOSU class.
Made a little 5 minute video for you for this post.
Ran 7 treadmills miles while watching the first half of The Five-Year Engagement.
Wednesday-
Taught spin.
Ran 7 sleepy miles on the treadmill with my friends Live With Kelly and Michael and The View.
So, um, yeah, I’m still in a little bit of a post holiday baking frenzy state. I’ll spare you the pictures of what went down in the kitchen the other night. It was madness. Pure cookie baking madness. I told myself I wasn’t going to do it this year. I had all the excuses ready: it’s too expensive, it’s too much stress, I sample too many cookies, it takes forever……
I did it anyway. Until the wee hours of the morning.
I still have Christmas cards to finish too. Lovely.
But….. all the cookies have been made and delivered.
Phew.
Yep. The last peanut butter doughtzel ball has been consumed.
Now I just need to finish the cards and start shopping.
So Tuesday it was rainy and cold here. Before the whole cookie baking extravaganza we were at the gym and I had just a couple of minutes after my class before I had to get the boys.
Friends, just a couple of minutes is all you need sometimes.
Seriously.
You don’t need a lot of space or a ton of time.
Every little minute counts. Especially this time of year when things get so busy and it’s hard to find time to just take care of ourselves.
So…
Here’s a little workout for you.
Short, sweet, sweaty.
GNC 30-20-10 Rainy Day Workout
I did not try to look nice for this video. It was a rough day. You don’t even want to know what kind of a mess I am right now.
What the? How did that get in there?
Beavis.
Here’s the workout.
Just in case you’d rather do this workout on your own instead of with mwah, here you go.
A little written gift from me to you.
You’re welcome.
So, not only are we all pressed for time with working out these days, but I feel like I’m pressed for time with everything. And quite frankly, I’m just tired. Anyone else?
When I’m tired, I get hungry. Really hungry. Something that helps me is to make sure I’m getting enough protein.
GNC has me covered.
My go to protein powder is the GNC Vanilla Egg Protein Powder. I just finished off a jug of this stuff the other day.
It’s always a little bittersweet to use that last scoop.
Luckily I have another jug.
And…
luckily I got a few other new protein packed things from GNC to try.
GNC Total Lean™ Lean Shake™ – Vanilla Bean
I really limit my dairy intake, but lately I’ve been experimenting here and there to see how I can tolerate certain foods.
For 170 calories and 25 grams of protein, this was worth a try.
Of course since it was cold and rainy I had to have it like this.
I know, right? I just can’t be normal.
I can’t help it. I was tired and in need of caffeine and protein.
So…. I came up with a GNC vanilla protein latte.
All I did was brew some espresso and heat up the Lean Shake in the microwave in a microwave safe dish.
Then used my cool little handheld milk frother to froth it up a bit.
I wasn’t sure if it was going to work, but it did.
The shake was sweet enough on it’s own so it didn’t need anything else.
Um, yep. I’ll be trying that again soon and fingers crossed my tummy will cooperate with this Total Lean goodness.
Oh and by the way, it went perfectly with some roasted kabocha squash.
Ha ha ha.
Oh and I can’t wait to try this Peppermint Mocha Total Lean.
Ahhh!!! Exciting right? I think it might make a really great variation of the dark chocolate microwave muffin.. Hmm….
Enough about what I’m going to try.
How about what YOU get to try?
DAY 11 of STUFTmama’s favorite things holiday giveaways is courtesy of GNC.
I know I already gave away some probiotics, but today we’re giving away some Total Lean Protein Powder.
They’ve got a bunch of different flavors. A couple of the new ones are the Mixed Berry and the Banana.
Here’s the nutrition information for the Total Lean Shake from GNC’s website.
[source]
I first got to try the Rich Chocolate flavor almost a year ago. This post on it is pretty funny actually because we made a video of a microwave muffin and did a lot of talk about chia.
He he.
Anyhoo…
Did you see that new Banana Flavor?
That’s going to one of you.
Yep. That huge jar is what we’re giving away today.
Woo hoo!
Giveaway will be open until 11:00 pm PST Friday night, December 21st. Open to US Residents only. Winner will be announced Saturday.
All you have to do to be entered into the giveaway is leave me a comment here answering one of these questions.
What’s your favorite protein powder flavor?
Do you prefer the kind that you mix or ready to drink?
Tweet the following for an additional entry:
I want to win @GNClivewell Total Lean protein powder from @stuftmama. http://ow.ly/gfwCL #livewellnow
Um, and yeah, I still have 2 big things to giveaway to you so this 12 Days of giveaways is going to have to be 13. Shucks.
See you soon!
The winner of DAY 10 and the Mizuno Inspire 9 shoes and Thermal Wear chosen by Random.org is
#450 Liz.
Woo hoo! Email me (stuftmama@stuftfitness.com) your mailing address and shoe size and I’ll pass it along to Mizuno.
*FitFluential LLC compensated me for this post. All opinions are my own.
Goodmorning!!! Well i love to mix my own protien powder in with things. So ya i would have to say i seem to perfer the powder over the RTD’s. And my favorite would be the odd flavors…..I love Cookies N Cream, but like if their is a Cake Batter, Or Peanut Butter, Or even Caramel ….Mmmmmm I love all the odd Flavs. But I do use alot of Vanilla to mix into my homemade sweet style salad dressings instead o sweetinging them up with stevea or honey… Num Num Num Goodness right there
Favorite flavor is chocolate and definitely the kind you mix! I make my husband and son protein shakes every morning (but my son’s is more of a super high calorie because he refuses to eat normal food or even pizza, pasta, mac & cheese, chicken fingers, etc. like any other 3 year old and its driving us CRAZY shake!) ( ;
OOOH
I need to see if there’s a GNC where we are moving!!!
I usually buy vanilla flavored protein powder but I have tried all kinds of favors and generally like them all. Oatmeal cookie flavor was probably the most unusual!
I prefer to mix my own drinks because I use protein powder in a lot of other food etc. and like to have it around the house.
Vanilla protein powder is most versatile.
do they still have the pumpkin flavor?? I so wanted to try that one!
Absolutley powdered style. ready to drink always taste weird to me. Love chocolate or vanilla but every once in a while I like to be different and have an exotic flavor on hand.
I prefer the powders that you mix- I have fun using my blender bottle. I like Spirutein protein powder and I cycle through which flavor I like the best. Currently, my go to flavor is cookies n cream. But, I have a Smores on the way and an eggnog flavor on the way as well.
I like the powder you mix unless I need a snack on the go. My favorite flavors are cookies and cream and cake batter. Love reading your recipes for ideas!
they only protein drink I have had is Click, coffee + protein, genius! But I really like how full I feel after having one, such a great addition to the day, would love to try other mixes….
I’m a fan of powder mix so that I do my own mix ins. I’m a plain vanilla kind of girl. Simple and easy!
My fave is the chocolate!
I tweeted!
Call me boring, but I usually get vanilla protein powder. I don’t think I knew there were so many flavor options! I always buy the powder because I love to experiment and mix different stuff with the powder;-)
Vanilla is my favorite. Exciting, huh?
i like pretty simple so vanilla for me with protein powder. and i prefer to mix my own so i don’t get bored/ can make exactly what i’m in the mood for!
I actually love banana flavor so this is perfect!
Vanilla all the way!
I have yet to find a flavor that I have truly loved. I am using a flavorless raw protein powder right now, but ummmmmm banana! Sign me up!
I’ve yet to find a protein powder I like. I thought going with the flavorless was the best but the one I have I don’t like the flavorless flavor. Ha! It’s kind of grainy too. But it was recommended. I prefer the powder to mix.
i’m a big fan of chocolate flavored anything… but would love to try banana!
I tweeted.
https://twitter.com/pvarble1/status/281752970352263168
I love cake batter flavored … Which I think is just a variation of vanilla with butter flavor…lol.
I prefer powder bc you can make “stuff” with it…. Yah! For protein muffins:)
Your cookies look dangerous… You must have serious willpower girlfriend!
I usually stick with basic vanilla or dark chocolate protein flavors. I use both the powder and the ready to drink varieties. I like having the powder on hand for mixing into lots of recipies.
I usually like vanilla because it’s so versatile, but would love to try banana I LOVE banana shakes.
All of your cookies look wonderful! I told my self no baking this year too, but I went and did it anyway!
I love vanilla or strawberry — I’ve started mixing vanilla with some orange juice and it tastes like a creamsicle!! So good. I’d love to have a kind that actually dissolves when you stir it…I usually end up having the use the Magic Bullet to get it all mixed together
I really like an all natural type of protein that is high in the good stuff and low in the bad or completely null of it. I also prefer a lower calorie version that I can add things to or mix with my favorite type of milk instead of just water
But I have a lot of different ones on hand for when the time calls for it. Just like this one you’re giving away!
We tend to buy the powder to mix. The biggest reason is that we are able to mix it into things easily. We make a lot of fruit shakes for breakfast/snacks. We also tend to stick with Vanilla because it goes with a lot of different combinations easily.
Totally tweeted the tweet to Twitter.
https://twitter.com/CVermule/status/281767432996151297
Vanilla!! I prefer the powder. Can do much more with it.
My favorite is the Jillian Michaels French Vanilla because I haven’t tried that many brands. I’d love to try this! I like the kind that is a powder you mix in.
Tweeted, too!
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/kristy_joy/status/281768591341281282
My favorite flavor is vanilla! Great on it’s own and can also be flavored with other stuff. Your cookies look awesome btw!!
My favorite type of protein powder is definitely anything chocolate related, especially mint chocolate and peanut butter chocolate.. this banana protein sounds so good though! I bet it’d be good to use to make some sort of banana bread or muffin
I generally always buy vanilla powder. I haven’t tried many ready to drink things. I would like to, but they are always so much more expensive than protein powder.
Your giveaways are so fun! I prefer protein powders I mix myself because sometimes I don’t need quite as much and so I can make a lighter version some mornings. The only problem when I mix them myself is I can NEVER get all the chunks out. Maybe I need to start putting it in a blender!!!
I’m a fan of plain old vanilla protein powder — because then you can add in all sorts of added goodness like fruit, kale, spinach, peanut butter, etc! I prefer protein powder because then I can mix it with non-dairy items like water, almond milk, or cocounut milk.
I tweeted too! Here’s the link:
https://twitter.com/lburgsta/status/281775959810662400
Vanilla is my favorite protein powder flavor! You can add pretty much any flavor to it to change it up or just keep it the good ol’ fashioned vanilla flavor.
Tweeted!
Um..I never tried protein powder…(I know) But I think I would like the vanilla best!
I tweeted
I think the next protein I buy will be vanilla so I can add it into so many more things! Right now I have a chocolate mint that tastes pretty awesome, but it limits the amount of cooking replacement I can do
I have yet to venture away from vanilla flavored protein powders, but banana sounds delicious! It’d be perfect for smoothies.
Favorite flavor: vanilla and I prefer the kind you mix in.
tweeted!
My favorite flavor of protein poweder is chocolate peanut butter and I definitely prefer the kind that you mix in! Thanks Kristin!
I prefer the kind that you have to mix – that way I have many more options of ways to mix it in (oatmeal, traditional shake, smoothie, etc.)
Tweeted
https://twitter.com/BlondeBostonian/status/281784030901460992
Oh my favorite protein powder out there is Jay Robb’s Creamsicle! Brings me back to my childhood! I just ran out and I love to get this from Gnc!
Chocolate is my favorite flavor!
I love your workouts! I prefer the powdered protein.
My favorite one would have to be Chocolate or Vanilla from Vega.
It really just depends, if I need to do something after a workout, then I like to have the Muscle Milk light that’s already ready to go but if I have time I love using the one you personally mix
My favorite flavor is vanilla because it’s so versatile! I can always add a little cocoa powder to make it chocolatey
i tend to stick to chocolate, love it! vanilla is great for baking, and when i make my desserts i LOVE cookies and cream. but banana!! that sounds delish!! would love to try it!!
I tweeted! https://twitter.com/BarrAndTable/status/281793387584188417
I’m on the lookout for the best chocolate whey protein powder. Nothing beats a chocolate PB banana protein shake. SO good.
About Time has an amazing chocolate peanut butter powder! I love it in ice cream with a sliced banana on top- yum
I have only tried chocloate, so it must be my favorite!
oh favorite flavor is chocolate of course! I really love it all ways- shake, ice cream, protein muffin, protein “frosting” even in oats! (expecially with a little special dark Hershey’s cocoa powder- can’t have too much chocolate! and it has to be the powder- have ever found a pre-mixed shake I like
OCD much?
i used to just like the chocolate soy protein powder. but then i found so many recipes for the vanilla flavored that i fell in love with it! it’s so versatile! i can drink it plain or mix it in a recipe or even coffee
so now i’m a vanilla protein powder kinda gal 
I tend to buy the powder because I feel you get more for your buck. All about cost savings because to me staying in shape and in style is pretty costly!!!
Hope you get your cards out soon.
I’m not entereing the giveaway (Canadian here!), but have a question about the egg white protein powder – is this dairy free?? I’m on a “Strict” dairly elimination diet for the next month…. (over the holidays, oh fun!)
My favorite flavor is chocolate. To be fair, I’ve only ever tried two flavors, chocolate and strawberry, and hated the strawberry! I like to mix my own… great for smoothies or adding to oatmeal!
Chocolate is my favorite!
chocolate, vanilla & chocolate peanut butter! And I think the Banana flavor will fit in nicely
I like vanilla protein powder or no flavor ones. I like the powder version to mix into baked goods or into smoothies. If I’m traveling I’ll grab a pre-mixed one for a quick gulp. I’m going to try your 30-20-10…but my knees will be screaming at me…so will mix up the hops with static’s. Thanks!
I prefer the chocolate protein powders, but do purchase the vanilla for baking and other purposes!
I love the vega vanilla chai! I’ve been wanting to try GNC lean products but haven’t brought myself to buy any yet so winning this would be perfect
Still a vanilla girl and like to mix my own. Big power outage here (wind storms in North Hollywood) and knocked me offline for a whole day. Had to pop in a DVD workout (hope they never go away but vinyl is back so who knows). Glad to be reading your posts once again. Oh, I got my Christmas lights up and almost done with gifts/cards, so maybe the outage was a good thing!
I also tweeted: https://twitter.com/Deedeethatsmee/status/281829515141976064
My favorite protein is Beverly international. I like the cookies n cream powder. I have never liked an protein shakes that are already mixed for me
I like chocolate protein powders!
I tweeted
What’s your favorite protein powder flavor? I usually prefer chocolate everything, so it makes sense that chocolate protein powder is my favorite!! I like it best when I mix in a frozen banana. YUM!
Do you prefer the kind that you mix or ready to drink? I prefer to mix my own. I think that gives me more of a sense of control over what I’m eating. And I can add in whatever I want and make it just the right consistency.
Merry Christmas!!!!!
My fav bc it’s oh so cheap is AdvantEdge soy protein powder from walmart in vanilla. I like it better than whole foods brand.
vanilla works best with everything but i would love to try banana!
I usually have fitmixer vanilla. It is yum!
I don’t typically purchase protein powder but when I get a shake at the gym, I usually get chocolate powder. I would love to win and try the banana (and some of your fancy recipes with it!).
Protein Latte, what an amazing idea!! Wish I would have thought of that!
My favorite flavor is chocolate, but mocha is a close second.
I’ve only ever bought vanilla but I want to branch out and the banana sounds amazing.
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/countrytunes/status/281851030688395265
My favorite flavor is chocolate peanut butter however I love cookie dough as well. My preference is to mix the powder into whatever meal I am thinking of at the time
CHOCOLATE….powder
I’m a vanilla girl start to finish, but sometimes add a little cocoa powder to change it up!
I tweeted! https://twitter.com/TracyKoep/status/281855392361889793
Vanilla is my favorite protein powder flavor, but for everything else it’s chocolate! Weird!
I have not tried it, but you have me at Peppermint Mocha…
Ive only tried chocolate flavored protein powders
So far ive only had a chocolate mocha flavored one but banana sounds really good
Chocolate is my fave and I like the kind that you mix.
Vanilla & I like to mix with ice in my blender!
I definitely prefer the ready to drink protein shakes because they’re convenient, but they’re more expensive so I drink those as a treat.
I love vanilla protein powder, you can add whatever you like to it and make delicious smoothies!
cake batter is always the best, but vanilla is a close second! not a huge fan of chocolate.
I usually go with the just the drink mix! More bang for your buck!
My favorite protein powder flavor is Vanilla…it is so universal!!!
I tweeted!!
I love Vanilla!
Plain old vanilla is my favorite!!
Vanilla is my favorite, chocolate second. I prefer to mix my own–then I can add Greek yogurt, fruit, etc. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Mocha cappucino!!
Dark chocolate and mix my own! Tweeting too
I think its a mix between chocolate and vanilla; I like to have both on hand depending on what I crave! I like the powder form as there are so many more uses!
Chocolate mix for me!
Probably chocolate or vanilla – they are the most versatile. And I like the ready to drink for a ‘snack’ but the powder so I can add spinach and frozen berries to it and make it a meal.
My Christmas wish is that I can come live in your pantry where I would have access to all the GNC, powders, etc. that my little heart desires. I have been good this year. Promise
My favorite is the mix! (<-probably because I've never tried the other
i’ve been dying to try the banana flavor!! i wish i liked vanilla but most vanilla flavors ive tried i just havent been into!
I tried my first gnc lean chocolate shake today! I actually have some of the individual packets, but once I tired the premixed drink I like it better! The Swiss chocolate flavor is my favorite. Only because I love anything chocolate.
After reading your blogs, my favorite flavor is vanilla ice cream and I love the mix so I can use almond milk or other milk depending on my mood.
I prefer mix versus ready-to-drink so I can mix in water every I choose!
I don’t have a favorite protein powder. Wait, that’s kinda a lie, I drink the click espresso protein powder every so often. I love that you incorporate everything in to recipes!
I am in love with muscle milk light cake batter in powder form. i haven’t tried click yet
I tweeted https://twitter.com/TheBroadbents/status/282370815180279809
Ooh, that berry sounds kinda yummy! I tried the pb chocolate earlier this year and ended up adding PB2 to it. LOL…