We ran the mud run, and then a fun run- but now my kids want to take it to the next level. And, by next level they mean they want to run the SPARTAN! While I’m all about supporting them in whatever they want to do, the full Spartan in Utah is 9 miles long, packed full of obstacles. I did agree to let Nate, who will be 15 next summer. But Erica and TJ are going to have to settle for the kids race. They may actually be able to do a 9 mile obstacle course, but I don’t think I’m ready to let them. In the meantime, I promised I’d help them “train”.
We’ve got three training principles they want to live by for the next 12 months (the race is in June)
- We go for a hike, a run, or a bike ride once a week.
- We practice obstacles like hurdles, crawling, and climbing.
- They eat more fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds!
One bar that I think is perfect for kids in training are the Kind Bars! I love the combination of nuts and honey to give them some extra energy for their cardio, fiber to stay regular, protein to build muscles, and tons of micronutrients. Have you heard honey has all the essential nutrients necessary to sustain life? ALL OF THEM! So, rather than paying $2 per bar, we started making them. They are so delicious!
The kids have them for their snacks after our “training” sessions. I took the wrapper of a Kind bar, and saw the ingredients: Almonds, coconut, non GMO glucose, crisp rice, root fiber, Soy Lecithin.
Sounded easy enough! Our Copycat Kind Bars contained:
- Almonds, coconut, honey, brown rice syrup, crispy rice, and soy lecithin (I do not own any chicory root fiber!)
The trick to making these homemade Kind Bars crunchy was boiling the sugars together till it reached the hard crack stage- WITHOUT burning it. It is tricky! For me, that was about 305 degrees using a candy thermometer. Otherwise, you will either have burnt honey (it happens at a lower temperature than other sugars), or you will have a chewy bar- which we still love, but it just isn’t the same as the Kind Bar. (full recipe below). We had a slew of neighbor kids over yesterday, and 6 out of 7 loved the bars!
I hope you’ll follow us on our journey to the next Spartan! Want to run it too? If you want to sign up, you can get 15% off your Spartan entry fee using this link here. If you want to watch the Spartan WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, you can watch it on TV this year! Sept. 21st is the big day with $250,000 in prizes.
Giveaway Details-
I have one Spartan Entry Fee Coupon Code to a full Spartan race to give away! Check out the locations here. Our favorite family events have become racing together. It’s a great way to stay active and have fun at the same time. Simply fill out the rafflecopter below to be entered. Giveaway will close in 1 week (Aug 15th)
Full disclosure- I was given a free entry to this race as well!! No backing out. We’re in it for reals- ahhhhhh 😉