I first met Kate on Heartbreak Hill in Boston, where she was (rather aggressively) cheering on marathoners, sometimes leaving the sidelines to run next to friends, helping them up the toughest part of the Boston Marathon. As an athlete training for Ironman Mont Tremblant (her goal is to do it in under 11:15), a keyleader at lululemon Burlington and a nutrition student (currently working on her Masters with a concentration on sports nutrition), Kate was the perfect person to take on the task of inventing our very own recipe for Seawheeze Bars.

the requirements were:

• the bars had to be easy and quick to make
•  they had to be nutritious and good for post-run recovery
•  they had to be delicious

Kate tinkered in her test kitchen and came up with this vegan, gluten-free recipe that you can make as a recovery treat after your next long run for SeaWheeze training.

seawheeze sea salt caramel bars
Makes 12-15 bars

ingredients
• 4 cups of fresh pitted Medjool dates (about 48 dates)
• 3 cups of raw cashews
• 4 tablespoon chia seeds
• 2 tsp sea salt
• dash of vanilla extract (optional)

directions
1. Place the pitted dates in a bowl and soak in water for 15 minutes. (This can be longer or shorter depending on the amount of time you have. The purpose is to soften them to make them process more easily into a paste). Drain the dates.

2. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit

3. Put all ingredients (dates, cashews, chia seeds, sea salt and vanilla (if you are using it) in a food processor. Process the mixture for about a minute. You may need to stop the processing and scrape the sides of the bowl and then process again.

4. Once the mixture is smooth, form the mixture into bars with your hands and place on a cooking sheet.

5. Bake* the bars for 15 minutes. Remove and put them on a pan with wax paper or parchment paper and place in the freezer until you are ready to enjoy!

*the purpose of baking the bars is to take out stickiness, not to make the bars crunchy. Your final bar should be soft yet still together.

where's the caramel?

The caramel flavour in the bars comes from the dates. By processing them, you get a smooth, sweet caramel-like substance without the heavy cream and butter which is what "real" caramel is made of (plus loads of sugar). Dates provide great fuel for runners, and is much easier on your stomach than its non-vegan. sugar-filled counterpart.

quick nutrition synopsis

dates
Great source of easily digestible energy for a pre-run snack or for post-run recovery to replenish your glycogen stores. Rich in antioxidants, iron and potassium.

cashews
Good source of protein, B-vitamins for energy and magnesium to help with muscle function and prevent muscle cramps and muscle soreness fatigue.

chia seeds
Easily digestible fuel, that’s rich in omega 3 fatty acids, antioxidants, protein, vitamins and minerals. Chia was made famous in the book Born to Run as it was the super seed of the Tarahumara tribe. Chia seeds are a staple in their diet because of their ability to provide an abundant source of energy and nutrients.

sea salt
Salt is essential for muscle function. Runners lose salt through sweat (and can lose a lot especially when training and racing in the summer heat!) and if the electrolytes are not properly replaced, this can lead to muscle cramping, soreness and fatigue. Consuming a high quality sea salt is better than table salt since the sea salt contains the trace minerals essential for your well-being and it is not processed like table salt. It’s free of additives, bleaching agents and stabilizing agents.

(vanilla extract)
Kate made the vanilla extract optional because she’s allergic and can't have it, so she couldn't taste test with it but in typical caramel sea salt recipes, it calls for vanilla. It also is not providing much nutritional value for runners.

feedback from the office

I made the bars at the office with Heather from our Oakridge  store and we passed out samples for feedback. Note – this batch was eaten straight out of the oven without cooling & freezing:

the verdict...

“I am a hardcore "bar" addict (larabars, luna bars, elevate me, you name it - comes with being paleo-ish) and liked how moist and soft they were compared to the others that can be really dry” – Steph, Ecommerce

“Creamy, delicious, nutty and not too sweet. I really loved them. I honestly can't believe they didn't have butter in them - they tasted so good, I assumed they must be bad for me.” – Lesia, Brand Experience

“As a person who does not regularly eat any kind of bar, I thought they were tasty. I think if you’re planning on cutting them into larger pieces though they might need to be a teeny bit more firm?” – Melissa, Brand Experience

Thank you to Kate for developing our first-ever recipe for the lululemon test kitchen! If you’re wondering what’s next for our recipe developer, she plans to be working as a sports nutritionist by July 2013 and will write a cookbook for endurance athletes by January 2017. You can also check out what she's up to on her personal site, Iron Nourishment.

We can tell it’s the holidays because we’re knee deep in flour (the Vancouver equivalent to a white Christmas). Our Carlsbad store keyleader, Maiah, took to her kitchen determined to infuse some classic Christmas flavour and baking into her vegan diet. These cookies are quick to whip up and are the perfect combination of sugar and spice. Chai cookies for all! #yum

vegan chai cookies

prep: 10 min
bake: 12-15 min
cool: 5 min

ingredients:

• 2 sticks non-dairy margarine or butter (such as Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground clove
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup powdered sugar

directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease several cookie sheets with nonstick spray.
Mix butter and sugar until creamy.
Add in flour, vanilla, spices and salt; mix well.
Roll dough into desired sized balls (I like to do 1 or 2 tablespoons.)
Space out the cookies evenly on cookie sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden.
Let cool for five minutes, then roll each ball in powdered sugar to coat.
Recipe yields a few dozen (depending on how much batter you eat!)

While these cookies will appeal to all (vegan or not) you can substitute for regular dairy butter for an equally delicious treat. What family holiday recipe screams Christmas in your household?

We eat a lot of birthday cake at the office. Almost daily, songs break out, people flock, and a decadent dessert is devoured in record time.  This week was Lesia's turn. Nothing says "it's that time of year again already?" like a homemade treat and a song.

Pavlova is the other birthday cake in my house. (I married an Australian.) It's a really simple dessert that you can do in advance. It's light, delicious, and versatile - practically perfect (like marrying an Australian). Consider it the dessert equivalent of a pair of Groove Pants.

If channeling your inner domestic goddess is on your list of things to do this year (or you're hosting an Oscar party in the not-too-distant future), I recommend mastering this simple recipe. I modified this one from Gourmet magazine, courtesy of my favourite and yours, epicurious.com. Follow it to the letter and achieve amazing results.

before you begin

There are tricks to making it the best it can be. Remember these simple yet important things.

• Meringue and humidity don't get along. I'll spare you the scientific explanation. Bottom line is you won't get great results. If it's humid where you are, pick another dessert.
• Room temperature is best. Your egg whites will whip up better if they're at room temperature. (Don't have time to wait? Put those chilly eggs in a bowl with lukewarm water to speed up the process.)
• Keep it clean. Egg whites have a reputation for being high maintenance. Make sure there is zero egg yolk mingling with the whites and ensure your egg beaters and bowl are squeaky clean.
• Look but don't touch. It's best to keep the oven door closed as much as possible. Spy on your masterpiece through that handy window.

Try making single servings. Portion control never looked so good.

tools of the trade

Besides the obvious (oven, electric mixer, baking sheet, parchment paper and your fearless self), here are some things that are nice to have when making pavlova.

• A piping bag and large open star tip. You can simply spoon the meringue onto parchment to create a carefully disheveled nest or you can pipe your meringue for extra glamour and appeal. Both are lovely. (It's like lip gloss versus lipstick.)
• A long offset spatula. It has a million uses, one being getting that beautiful meringue off the parchment in one easy swipe.
• A Microplane zester. It's my favourite gift for my soon-to-be-foodie friends. It makes zesting lemons (and grating hard cheeses, chocolate and spices) a breeze.

So beautiful and so simple

one more thing

Need more reasons to quickly make pavlova for a special occasion?

• It's easy to make. If you have a standing mixer like this sexy one, you'll be laughing. 
• It's easy to dress up. Pipe single serving nests or bite-sized ones for a fete. Watch this video at the 2:00 mark to see it done.
• It's easy to fix mistakes. It didn't work? Grab a martini glass, crumble the meringue, layer on some lemon curd and berries and voila! You're a genius.
• It's easy to sweat off. OK, there's a bit of whipping cream, but life is about balance and it's really light compared to many desserts. (Training for a marathon? You've probably earned an extra slice anyways.)

Share your pavlova success stories. We're excited to hear how it goes.

This edible logo was sent in by Sarah!

A recreation of lululemon Upper Canada Mall, sent in by Heather.

Jennifer made this in her cake decorating class. The cake said "Dance, sing, floss and travel".

Manifesto cookies made for Black Friday by Lesley at lululemon Highland Village in Houston, Texas!

Yahaira in New York made this amazing cake!

A giant water bottle cake from lululemon Greene Avenue in Montreal!

Oops!

Stay tuned for more info on December's challenge, coming soon here! http://lululemon.com/community/challenge