So far, this week has been pretty fun and exciting to me in probably the lamest way possible. On Tuesday, I began Insanity: the Asylum. The past few weeks after I finished Insanity, I’ve been mixing it up with bike rides, yoga, and a few random Insanity workouts here and there, to allow my body to recover before beginning the Asylum. So far, I absolutely love it. Each workout has been extremely different, which I love, and there’s a lot more strength involved rather than just a bazillion explosive cardio moves like in Insanity. It’s a really nice change of pace, and I’m dripping in sweat pretty much the entire time – gotta love it! With starting another vigorous workout program, I figured I should probably restock my protein powder; I’ve been out for weeks, now. I ended up trying out Nitro Fusion’s chocolate raspberry protein powder that’s from a bunch of natural sources (and it’s vegan). Since I’ve been working at GNC, and I’ve been learning a lot more about protein powders, I figured this one would taste awful since it’s made from pea protein and such, but I was pleasantly surprised by how good it tastes! It’s not overly expensive, either, so I’m pretty excited about it!
Since I’ve been working a good bit lately, I decided I ought to make some good granola to keep me going throughout the day; there’s nothing worse than being at work hungry! I decided to make a chai spiced granola – it’s been something I’ve wanted to do for a while – and I am so happy with how this turned out.
Because I’m not a huge fan of cardamom, I went with a very subtle spice mix for this granola. If you like it stronger, just increase each spice by 1/4 teaspoon. I love the flavor of this, and it’s the perfect mix of soft and crunchy. I used both golden and regular raisins and a dried fruit mixture of prunes, apricots, pears, and apples, but use whatever dried fruit is your favorite, in the same amount! Same goes for nuts and seeds.
This granola is perfect with a splash of milk, over some plain greek yogurt, or just by the handful. It’s full of healthy fats, slow absorbing carbs, and protein, so it’ll keep you feeling satisfied for a long time. Perfect! 🙂