Homemade Granola

Hello my almond buds!
Have you all missed me? Probally not but that is ok. Reason of no new postings in a while is due to lack of timing and work suddenly always calling me in. But no longer and i am able to make up for my lost time.
This past couple of days I finally was able to make the time to cook. Lately I have been craving for granola and since the economy is the way it is right now, homemade sounded the best. The taste was even better! After this your never gonna want store bought granola again!

Homemade Granola
1 cup of gluten-free rolled oats (or normal will work if you don't have a gluten allergy)
1 tbsp of hemp seeds
2 tbsp of ground flax
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1 apple (cored and fine diced)
1/3 cup maple syrup (or agave nectar can work here)
2 tbsp of pure water
Dash of cinnamon and sea salt

Pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees and let it stand for a while.

Mix all of your dry ingrediants together in a bowl with a fork to make sure everything is coated nicely. Be careful not to over mix here. (right)
Then stir in all of your wet ingrediants plus the cinnamon and sea salt. (left)



It should look simalar to this (left)
After the ingrediants are blended together spread them on a sheet and place in your preheated oven.
Heat for about 25 minutes and stir them about half way done.

Once finished, set them aside and allow to cool for 5 mins. This binds the ingrediants and gives it that crunchy granola texture. Now you can sprinkle onto your favorite fruit and ice creams (vegan of course) or just eat them just as it is! Enjoy!!

Weight Safety

This may seem like a no brainer but I keep seeing it happen every time I go to the gym or watch people workout. When bodybuilders or noobes start weight training and they finish their last rep, they stand up with the weights in their hands. No no no no and NO!!!!
I can not stress how important it is not to do that. When you finish your last rep and stand up with the weight you just asking for alot of pain and alot of visits to your doctor. As you weight lift you are breaking down muscle tissue (as this is all physical activity is). Your body is already tired from doing the set that you just finished. So you should not put more strain on it than you have to. When you stand up with the weights still in your hands, you are doing just this. You are on your way to pulling something that could put you out of the gym (or physical activity in general) for weeks or months.
What you should do, is when you finish your last rep, you release the weights at your feet to the ground and then you stand up. That way the stress is off from your muscles and your not going to prone yourself to injury. Exercising is about getting results not about hurting yourself.
So please be careful and you should see the results you want without getting hurt in the process. : )

Nut Soaking

Ok. Get it out of your system. The title is funny but this is something really kool.
Normally when you find nuts in the grocery aisle in the store you see alomonds, pumpkin seeds, macadamia nuts (or just really any kind of nut) you see them dried up and kinda small. This is because the nuts have not yet released their enzymes that allow the body to intake their full nutrition. So how do we intake all the goodie benefits that nuts and seeds have for us? We soak them in a water bath!!

How to soak nuts
1 package of your favorite nuts/seeds (I choose almonds because I love them)
4 cups of water (or enough to cover the bowl)
1 container to keep it all in
Take the nuts/seeds out of the package and rinse them throughly under cold running water for about 30 seconds. This is to wash off any trace of nasty harsh chemicals or pestisides on them during harvest or transportation. Drain and place the nuts/seeds in a bowl. Fill the bowl with PURIFIED WATER ONLY!! The nuts/seeds with absorb the water and release their enzymes making them bigger. If they absorb clean water then this is good healthy nut. If dirty water is absorbed then the nuts will be contaminated along with it. Let the nuts soak for 4 - 24 hours to ensure that they water is absorbed properly.
The water will be brown and dirty. If you see this then you did it right. Drain the water and place nuts/seeds in a clean container. Store in fridge until ready to consume!

Raw Mango Ice Cream (Vegan)

The weather in Vegas is climbing. It's going to get 62 degrees today and tomorrow shoot up to about 75 degrees and then hit the 80's after that. As the weather climbs so does the intensity of my workouts which means so does my hunger.
Today's workout what interval max plyo circut training along with a 10 mile run. Needless to say I was exhausted after workout and starving!! Thank god I remembered that I had frozen mangos in my freezer. The perfect after workout snack for a hot afternoon.

Mango Ice Cream (Raw & Vegan style)
1 large frozen mango
2 ic cubes
1/2 cup of water (in case blender needs it)
Optional toppings
fresh fruit, granola, agave nectar, nuts the list gos on and on!!
Freeze the mango for at least 24 hours. Take out of freezer and put into the blender along with ice cubes and about a tablespoon of water. Blend until smooth (or in small chunks as that is how I like mine). Add water as needed. Once blended, scoop out of blender into a small bowl and enjoy!
I topped mine with homemade granola (recipie coming soon), soaked almonds and agave nectar. How do you like your ice cream?

Hearty Veggie Stew

Ok so normally I wouldn't have time to post twice in the same day but i just had to after dinner tonight. Lately I have been coming down with a cold (as well as a hangover. See last post) and with all the cold weather in Vegas I thought it would be good to have a nice warm stew to make me feel better inside and out.
So I gathered all the vegetables I had in the mini fridge in my room and set to work. And wala! This is my beautiful creation!

Hearty Veggie Stew
5 clove of garlic (smashed and fine chopped)
5 mushrooms (white or shiitake)
1 whole head of baby boy choy chopped (I like mine in big chunks)
1 whole zuchinni (sliced)
1 whole summer squash )sliced)
4 spring onions
1 can of chickpeas
3 cups of water
Add the water to a pot and bring to a light boil. Chop the garlic and mushrooms and add. Allow them to get warm for about 2 mins. Next add your zuchinni, summer squash and bok choy. Let this simmer for another 3 mins. Stirring once ingrediants are added.
Next drain the water from the chickpeas and add them to the pot. Let simmer for about 2 more mins. Everything should be soft but still crisp on the outside. Last add the spring onions for added flavor and let stand for about 4 mins to cool. Serve and enjoy!!!

The Hangover Cure

If anyone is like me and loves to drink here is the best cure to get rid of those headaches and sensitivites! Introducing Pho Saigon 8! (ok i have guilty pleasures, but who doesn't right?)
While I am happy to saw that I do eat vegan, im only raw about 95% of the time. This would be one of those times.

This dish is one the best things I can ever eat that gets rid of my hangover instantly. Here is a the menu for Pho Saigon 8, http://www.usmenuguide.com/phosaigon8menu.html. I had the number 29 with no tofu (since I'm soy intolerant) and it was fantastic!! What is your cure for hangovers?

First Budding Almond

Hey everyone!! Welcome to my new blog 'Almond Perfect". Im OBSESSED with almonds so hint the blog title. *insert smile here*
This is a raw, gluten-free vegan blog for athletes and every other person who wants to get fit. So if you are looking for your average blog or not interested, then i suggest you leave this sight.
      This blog is also posts of athletic training, tips, exercises and advise that i can share with everyone who has those questions of "oh really, same here. How do I do that or how can i change that?" I hope that everyone can find something here and good karma is all around.
I believe everything is perfect just the way it is and little should be done to change that. Let's make the world almond perfect for all life to thrive!!
Happy blogging!!