"Sun's out, gun's out"

Hello Friends!

I hope everyone's week is going well! Mine is. It has been quite busy to say the least. 

So today I would like to talk about the letter G....

G is for GUNS!

"Guns" as in "arms" though... not the weapon!

Arms are great things, aren't they? A good thing to do with them too is... well.... lift heavy things... Like Dumbbells ;)

Lets talk about a little "Guns", workout shall we?

This little sequence works both your biceps and triceps as one big super-set of exercises. 

"Sun's out, Gun's out" Quicky

 Arm Workout

Barbell Preacher Curl: 12-15 Reps

(Don't mind my nice little action shot here...)

V-bar Push down: 12-15 Reps

(Another one of those action shots...)

Standing Dumbbell Curls: 12-15 Reps

(Didn't get a picture... but this is a standard exercise...)

Bench Dips: 15-20 Reps

Repeat this sequence 5 times, increasing your weight with each set....It is a nice little combo for those days where you don't have a lot of time. It gets your arm working while keeping your heart rate up!

Following a wonderful, quicky arm workout, it is obviously important to refuel those arms so they can keep lifting those heavy things....

One of my favorite, favorite go to foods is granola...

Therefore G is for GRANOLA :)

This particular foodie item is generally not high in protein but if you pair it with some Greek yogurt (which IS high in protein) and a bit of fruit, it is a great combination to fuel the body! 

You have to be careful purchasing granola from a store because they are often LOADED with sugars and the ingredients lists are far beyond anything you would want to put into your body.... remember the goal is to fuel the body, not punish it with unidentifiable objects....

I really enjoy making my own granola, it's so easy and delicious and there are a billion and one recipes out there or you can get creative and make one up!

However... it is a slightly time consuming project, making your own granola... so admittedly I do buy it more than I should..... But, you CAN do good by this.....

My favorite is this one....

KIND Granola..... They are such a great company....

There motto right on the bag says "ingredients you can see and pronounce"

So I feel good about this one....

They are gluten-free, all natural and have some pretty fantastic flavors...

Low in sugar too which is always a plus

Oats and Honey as well as Blueberry Vanilla with flax are two of my other favorite flavors....

But I definitely recommend this granola. I really can't get enough... and they are always in clusters so it makes a great on the go snack too, just by itself.... 

:)

Another one of my favorite granola's from the store is this one....

Nature's Path LOVE CRUNCH

Dark Chocolate and Red Berries

This is a favorite guilty pleasure of mine....

This accidentally happened one day when I took one of those "I shouldn't go to the grocery store because I'm starving, but i'm going anyways" trips.... so it was an impulse buy...

I can't decided yet whether I'm happy I discovered this or not because it is 

UNBELIEVABLY DELICIOUS.

It has chocolate granola with chunks of dark chocolate and dried raspberries and strawberries. 

The best part though is that this company is all Organic and it is surprisingly very low in sugar. I just love this stuff so much! 

and

Here is my favorite of favorite all time Homemade Granola Recipe....

"Pumpkin Granola"

1. 1 1/2 Cups Chopped raw nuts of any kind (I like to use      almonds, walnuts, pecans, and cashews)
2. 1 Cup Gluten-Free Oats
3. 1/2 Cup Pumpkin Seeds
4. 3/4 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
5. 1/2 Cup Gluten-Free Oat Flour (or put Oats in a blender or food  processor and blend till a powder has formed)
6. 1/4 Cup Chocolate Protein or Cocoa Powder
7. 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
8. 1/4 Cup Scant Honey
9. 2/3 Cup Pumpkin Puree
10. 1/8 Cup of Peanut Butter OR Almond Butter
11. 2 Tsp. Cinnamon
12. 1/2 Tsp. Ginger
13. 1/2 Tsp. Cloves
14. 1/2 Tsp. Nutmeg

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or non-stick spray. Combine the first 5 Ingredients in a Large bowl and mix until well combined, set aside. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour this mixture into the nut mixture and stir until everything is well coated. Pour the mixture onto the cookie sheet and spread evenly. If you prefer, make sure some of the mixture remains in clumps for a great on the go snack. Bake for 1-2 hours, depending on your desired crunch and stir about every 20 minutes... make sure not to burn it... no one likes burnt granola. I hope you enjoy!

And to finish off this post I would like to throw in just a little bit about me! 

G is for GRATEFUL...

10 things I am grateful to have in my life (in no particular order):

1) My man :)

2) My Family

3)My Friends

4) My Education

5) My Horse, Tari

6) Coffee

7) Sleep

8) Trees

9) Sweat Pants

10) Yogurt

Well, I hope you all enjoy my short little post..... Everyone enjoy their week, OKAY!!!

"No Matter what historians claimed, BC really stood for 'Before Coffee'."

-Cherise Sinclair, Master of the Mountain

Anyone else LOVE Granola?

Coffee, Yes or No??