Apple Pie Granola

My legs are sooo sore today. I woke up in the middle of the night and I felt like my knees were going to break. Waking up in the morning was no better. I did a power vinyasa yoga class today and it loosened me up a bit, but not back to where I was pre-race; that might take a few days.

I didn't feel like cooking, so I rode over to Whole Foods and got some of their hot/cold bar options.

Most of the good stuff was hidden, but there was curried chickpeas, different rice and grain dishes, a "detox" broccoli with kelp flakes, and much much more! Very delicious! Also, very expensive.

I found a website link at Whole Foods for the varying nutrient densities of foods and I came home and took a peek.

Source:  eatrightamerica.com

I find this chart very interesting. I never thought that whole wheat bread was that low in nutrient density. The website explains that if you ate only all very nutrient dense foods you wouldn't get much fat or protein, so you would be too thin and in ill health. They recommend eating these nutrient dense foods as well as other foods, to get a good balance. Too bad I hate kale.

I made some great "Apple Pie Granola" in my boredom today.

I've eaten two bowls of it already, it's delish

Little Health Monster Apple Pie Granola:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of organic oats
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1 cup chopped granny smith apple
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup no-sugar-added apple sauce
• 1/4 cup agave
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or agave)
• 1/8 cup coconut oil
• 1 tablespoons each of flax and chia seed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together (except the flax and chia seeds) and mix well. Pour onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, or a silicone sheet. Spread out evenly. Bake for 30-50 minutes, making sure to shake the granola so both sides cook. When it's nice and golden take out of the oven and sprinkle with flax and chia seeds. Let it cool completely before putting it in a container, or you will have soft granola when you wake up. The reason for not adding the flax and chia seeds until after is because the high heat kills the great nutrients locked up in these seeds.

Enjoy with some almond milk!!

Whole Foods = Whole Paycheck

I heard "The Fitnessista" say this about Whole Foods and it's so true. It's nearly impossible to go there and spend under $100.

My lunch at Whole Foods

Their unsweetened, iced tea was very good!

This wrap was a bit of a let down. It tasted like wet soggy vegetables. No flavour at all. I still ate it though :)

I bought so much stuff at Whole Foods. I usually buy most of my baking and cooking ingredients from Noah's Natural Foods, but I thought I would give Whole Foods a chance. When I went there, I realized that Whole Foods is actually cheaper. I don't think the words cheaper and Whole Foods have ever been in a sentence together, but it's true! I bought some sweet brown rice (looked smaller and more round then regular brown rice), macadamia nuts, pine nuts (for 44.00 $/ pound)--> I didn't buy a pound though, and a lot of other stuff! I made sure to buy lots of natural almonds for my home made almond milk today!

I did come across some of their house made guacamole and it was delish! I am not a huge fan of guacamole but I licked the container clean on this one. I cut up some pita, sprinkled it with hot chili oil and baked it in the oven at 350 for about 8 minutes, and served it with the guac! Great afternoon snack!

Almonds soaking in water before they turn into milk!

Pita cut into triangles and getting ready for the oven!

Healthy easy snack!

Not too sure what i'll make for dinner today, but I'm just about to start my 45 minute yoga for buns workout from yogadownload.com!

See you later! :)

P.S. Found some vegan pumpkin mousse at Whole Foods, can't wait! I'm thinking to incorporate it into breakfast tomorrow!